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Truth be told, Depeche Mode have never been the most effusive bunch. And yet, their resilience is admirable. Formed in 1980, they’ve survived the prevailing winds of changing trends and diverging circumstance, not to mention the individual afflictions of core members Andy Fletcher, Martin Gore and Dave Gahan, be it alcoholism, depression or a near fatal encounter. The titles of their songs reflect that certain sobriety, be it their biggest hit “Personal Jesus” or other telling tones of adversity and intolerance — “Useless,” “Condemnation” and “It’s No Good,” among them.
As a result, it’s no small achievement that Depeche Mode’s latest Spirit— their 14th studio set to date — reinforces their trademark sound while making an unapologetic nod to the techno trends they themselves helped initiate some three decades before. Frosty and determined, the music remains both somber and sobering, propelled by its trademark electronic rhythms and the usual sense of furtive foreboding. There’s no shortage of subversive sentiments — the inside sleeve shows the trio gleefully welding sledge hammers — and in songs such as “Where’s the Revolution,” “Scum” and “No More (This Is the Last Time),” their discontent is all too obvious. The subdued tones that characterize “The Worst Crime” and the slow trudge that powers “Poison Heart” add to that air of disaffection, clearly underscoring the music’s most ominous intents.
Ultimately, Spirit is an album that will clearly appeal to the legions of followers who have flocked to their concerts and always expressed an unyielding admiration. Others may find their twilight melange eerily reminiscent of an earlier age, when electronica was first coming into vogue and intrinsically tied to the post-disco haunts of London and New York. Subversive in a sense, its stony artifice may prove much too unyielding for others to endure. Still, there’s something to be said for a band that not only survives but thrives on their own uncompromising terms. Indeed, it’s that arched attitude that sustains this particular Spirit throughout.
