Sounds Of The Universe

Yippee! Depeche Mode have a new album on the way! Unlike The Cure, who have become all wishy-washy, repetitive and seem to have become a pastiche of what they hated the most, (I am reminded of Robert Smith saying he hoped he would never turn into a David Bowie - stubbornly continuing when his time was up. Well, that's true to some extent. David Bowie kept going but was at least willing to experiment and try out new things. The Cure's latest album 4:13 Dream sounds like a tired rehash of everything they've ever done, except that it lacks any inspiration whatsoever.) umm, where was I - unlike The Cure, Depeche Mode had maintained their relevance and their latest offering Sounds Of The Universe is as fresh as anything they have ever put out.

While last time around the focus was on "grungy" synth-pop, this time the focus is all on analogue synths manipulated to perfection. It amazes me how DM have basically stuck with the same formula and the same sound when it comes down to me, but have managed to retain their relevance and freshness for almost 30 years. How do they do it? It's like magic. DM have replaced The Cure as my all-time favourite band. I hate to say it, but I'm finally over The Cure. Not that I hate their stuff, but it's all about nostalgia with them now. They have become irrelevant to me in 2009.

Here's the official video to the first single off the album, and a dark one it is.