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52 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Keeping Us Going, April 30, 2009
When a band has been around for close to thirty years and is still making music, it probably means one of three things: 1) they're trying to recreate the past, or 2) they're trying to do something very different, or 3) they're recombining elements of their catalogue to make something kind of new and kind of familiar. Sounds of the Universe falls into that last category.
The latest Depeche Mode album features thirteen tracks, all of them using early-eighties synthesizers with no apologies. At times, these tracks sound like they could have been made in 1984, using the melodic sophistication of Some Great Reward and the sonic textures of A Broken Frame. Sounds of the Universe bleeps and thumps and hisses with a seemingly primitive array of manufactured noises in a way that only deep fans of, say, Orbital, Autechre, Kraftwerk, or early Nine Inch Nails can really appreciate.
But to dismiss this album because of its Atari arcade sound effects would be a mistake. For one thing, Sounds is not strictly a throwback in the sense that many of the songs use an actual guitar to great effect, which would have been unthinkable to the band in its earliest years. "Wrong," for example, owes as much to the twang of "Personal Jesus" as it does to the robotic drone of early Depeche Mode dirges such as "Photographic." The same applies to "Fragile Tension" and "Come Back," and even "The Truth Is/Miles Away" and "Perfect" use guitar strategically to great effect, something that never would have happened before Music for the Masses at the earliest.
But even the songs which rely completely on a synthetic sound don't suffer as a consequence. "Little Soul" and "Jezebel" may not be for everyone, with their Exciter-era tempos and "mature" feel (which some would argue is the death knell for any band)--yet they work well for anyone who has enjoyed the quieter moments of past albums. If you're looking for a faster track, "In Sympathy" is probably the best on the album, with its sunny intro and a bridge that delves into a melancholy club-thump, and "In Chains" continues a long tradition of kinky songs with single potential while still remaining true to the album's subtexts of justice and fairness.
Admittedly there are some questionable decisions in the making of Sounds of the Universe, such as predictable rhymes and the campiness of Dave briefly dipping into an Elvis Presley impression as he croons "The Truth Is/Miles Away." And "Peace" is a little embarrassing in its sincerity. But when in the band's career have Dave and Martin sounded so good as vocalists?
Part of me wishes for the return of rock opera masterpieces such as "Enjoy the Silence," and any legitimate DM fan will probably agree that Violator was either the band's best album or a serious contender for the title. However, that is not going to happen, because that sound is inextricably tied to departed band member Alan Wilder and Flood, Violator's producer. As a trio, Depeche Mode are still making very good, if not great, music--and if you can square yourself with that reality, you may find yourself listening to this "grower" of an album for quite some time.
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by Depeche Mode 
