Night&Day: Getting down with DM

Depeche Mode's formula for longevity: 'You really have to strive to find something new and the challenge has to be in the work'

By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
November 17, 2005
Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark. ABC. Adam and the Ants. Duran Duran. While these bands dominated charts in the 1980s on both sides of the Atlantic, British trio Depeche Mode (which translates as "fast fashion" or "fashion dispatch" from French) emerged as a darker alternative to the era's pretty boy dance music.

DM eschewed the fashionable New Romantic scene (despite often getting thrown in the same category), drawing upon Goth and industrial for lyrical and musical inspiration. The band's trademark sound resulted in thinking people's dance music. That's a theme the band has tried to maintain throughout its quarter century of making music.

After 25 years and 19 full-length albums (including "Best Of" compilations and remix albums), the trio of vocalist Dave Gahan, multi-instrumentalist Martin Gore and keyboardist Andrew Fletcher have weathered the pitfalls of fame, fortune and the music industry to release its 11th studio album in 2005, "Playing the Angel."

"The sheer fact that we've managed to achieve as much as we have in the 25 years that we've known each other (is amazing)," said Gahan via the band's Web site depechemode.com. "We have sort of survived that, you know. I would have thought, out of all the kind of bands (in the '80s), this would have been the one I'd have put money on not to still be around. We've probably got a lot more in common with bands like U2 and R.E.M. than we have of any of our peers that we came up (with), just with sheer longevity. I think you really have to strive to find something new and the challenge has to be in the work."

The early years
Depeche Mode's early days focused on the songwriting of Vince Clarke, which resulted in the happy-go-lucky sound of DM's first album, "Speak and Spell," released in 1981. When Clarke left the band (later to form Yaz and team with Andy Bell in Erasure), Gore took over the principal songwriter's chair (though he had written two songs on the debut "Big Muff" and "Any Second Now").

With Gore at the songwriting helm and Gahan developing a more powerful vocal style, Depeche concentrated on a more serious sound still suitable for clubs. Albums like 1982's "A Broken Frame" and 1983s' "Construction Time Again" exhibited the band's synth-driven sound, but 1984's "Some Great Reward" – with the hits "People Are People" and "Master and Servant" – found an audience in the United States.

Tackling issues of race ("People") and alternative lifestyles (S&M in "Master and Servant"), Gore's lyrics provided emotional depth to the band's early sound: full of metallic, chirping '80s keyboards and faux hand claps.

"Music for the Masses," released in 1997, marked a turning point in the band's artistic development and started to realize DM's full potential as an alternative tour de force.

Songs like "Never Let Me Down Again" and "Strangelove" showcased Gahan's fully evolved voice. As a band that relied heavily on technology in the 1980s, its early songs can sound dated 20 years later (while still providing kitschy guilty pleasures).

But "Music for the Masses" is genuine enough to stand the test of time.

Highs and lows
The 1990s found Depeche Mode exploring edgier musical territory. With the help of producer Flood (who updated the beats and stretched the band sonically), DM created in the early 1990s two of its best albums: 1990's "Violator" and 1993's "Songs of Faith and Devotion."

"Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence" (both from "Violator") remain among the group's finest songs, and both found a huge audience in the States and abroad.

After the commercial and artistic highs of the early 1990s, the later part of the decade found the band in disarray. Multi-instrumentalist Alan Wilder left in 1994. Struggling with drug addiction, Dave Gahan attempted suicide in 1995 and suffered a heroin-cocaine "speedball" overdose in 1996. After rehab, Gahan cleaned himself up and has stayed sober for the past nine years.

"All I really saw was blackness," Gahan told Rolling Stone recently. "I was kind of a goner. That was the start of me trying to do something different with my life."

Despite releasing 1997's "Ultra," Depeche Mode went separate ways in the subsequent years. Gahan and Gore explored solo careers, while Fletcher started his own label.

Dealing with the past
Most Depeche Mode zealots fall clearly into one of two categories (and aren't afraid to tell you): 1980s fan or 1990s fan. And for good reason: the band's sound changed dramatically in two decades. Since 2000, Depeche Mode has sought to find the common ground between the two eras while still exploring and finding new sounds.

Bjork producer Mark Bell pushed the trio in new electronic directions on 2001's "Exciter," full of pitter-patter beats and swirling keyboards. Despite the artistic accomplishments, the disc bitterly disappointed commercially. Longtime fans rejected the album (due to the new sounds) while others viewed DM as simply a nostalgic oddity.

On this year's "Playing the Angel," Depeche Mode enlisted producer Ben Hillier (Blur, Doves) to combine all the band's past incarnations into one album.

"Angel" sheds the atmospherics of "Exciter" and reunites the group with more danceable beats. "John the Revelator" finds Gahan crooning at his best, while Gore busts out his guitar again on "Suffer Well." Gahan also pens a few tracks for the first time on a DM album, a major point of contention in the past.

Said Gahan (via depechemode.com): "No matter what you put into the pot, it becomes Depeche Mode."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

THE BEST OF DEPECHE

After releasing nearly 20 full-length albums and countless EPs, singles and remixes, digging through the Depeche Mode catalog can be an overwhelming experience. But when you boil it all down, DM produced five great albums representing different stages in its career.

So here's Depeche Mode 101, a handful of discs worth the spin:

"Some Great Reward" (1984): Depeche Mode's fifth album serves as a snapshot of the band's early years, giving U.S. listeners their first taste of DM's early synth-driven sound. Singles like "People Are People" and "Master and Servant" brought Depeche's alternative (socially, lyrically and musically) dance sound worldwide.

"Music for the Masses" (1987): Darker, slower, more Goth and less dance party music than "Some Great Reward," DM's ninth album lays on the minor synth chords while giving Gahan free emotional range to accentuate his dramatic vocal style. The album represents an important step in the band's development, moving away from dance floor beats and toward more artistic expression.

"Violator" (1990): Combining the darker themes of "Music for the Masses" and Depeche Mode's earliest experiences creating dance tracks, this album pieced it all together. Thought-provoking enough for the headphones and rhythmic enough for the clubs, this disc struck a chord with youth and turned into DM's most successful album, spawning such hits as "Enjoy the Silence" and "Personal Jesus." Though still primarily fueled by synthesizers, the album has a more organic feel. Case in point: Gore's exploration of bluesy guitars in "Personal Jesus."

"Songs of Faith and Devotion" (1993): Both touched by the expert production of Flood (Nine Inch Nails, U2), "Violator" and this album represent an artistic high-water mark for Depeche Mode. This release finds Gore reaching for his guitar more often than ever before. The result is a brooding and harder-edged sound, juxtaposing guitars and Gahan's pained, plaintive vocals (the singer would attempt suicide two years later).

"Playing the Angel" (2005): Just released, this marks the first DM release since the downtempo atmospherics of 2001's "Exciter" (an experimental outing well worth a listen). Depeche Mode's latest record returns to the well that sprung "Violator" and "Faith and Devotion": smart electronic dance music. Instead of desperately trying to escape DM's past triumphs, "Playing the Angel" embraces them.

– CHRIS NIXON

Britt Daniel ditches gaming for spooning

Spoon counts on its skillful sonic mix

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
November 17, 2005
Before strapping on a guitar full-time for his band Spoon, Britt Daniel worked for Austin, Texas-based computer game maker Origin Systems, composing sonic moods and background noise for games like "Wing Commander" and "Ultima."

"It was a great job," said Daniel during a recent phone call, sounding worn out on a tour stop in Asheville, N.C. "I was making sound effects for video games; that was my first experience with (computer recording software) ProTools."

After departing from a company whose motto was "We Create Worlds," Daniel spent the past decade creating his own world with Spoon. Filled with details like syncopated hand-claps, intricate strings and the occasional beat-boxing, Spoon recordings overflow with studio minutiae and aural niceties. Still, at its core the quartet's five full-length albums are well-crafted indie rock albums.

The band's first two albums – 1996's "Telephono" and 1998's "A Series of Sneaks" – featured less ear candy and more guitar-drums-bass rock. While both records contain aggressive tracks and a punkish guitar sound, they have their mellow moments ("Agony of Laffitte") and a sense of humor ("Laffitte Don't Fail Me Now").

"Sneaks" almost didn't see the light of day after Elektra killed the album's release for lack of a commercial hit in the disc's 16 tracks. Elektra's loss. Spoon self-released the album, then signed with indie label Merge Records for the three albums since.

"Girls Can Tell" – released in 2001 – found Daniel, drummer Jim Eno, bassist Joshua Zarbo and keyboardist Eric Harvey stretching out. The album added more atmospherics and keys while centering around Daniel's gritty vocals. "Kill the Moonlight" followed just a year later in 2002, recorded as "Girls Can Tell" was in Eno's studio in Austin. Mike McCarthy (... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead) helped to create both records, contributing production skills.

"Moonlight" marked Spoon's crowning achievement (to date), ditching rhythm guitars for more sparse composition. The space allowed for more sonic experimentation, giving more weight to Daniel's vocals and lyrics. After an intense touring schedule, the band would have to wait another three years before releasing its next studio album.

You been gone so long, Daniel sings on "The Beast and Dragon, Adored," the opening track from Spoon's 2005 release "Gimme Fiction." Where you been for so long? / I went to places unknown.

Actually, Spoon went on the road, a place where Daniel has difficulty writing songs.

"We've basically been touring a lot (for the past three years)," said Daniel. "I have two four-tracks I use: one at home and one on the road. But it's hard to write on the road. The one at home gets used more."

The new Spoon album displays a penchant for distorted, atonal guitars solos ("My Mathematical Mind" and "The Beast and Dragon, Adored"), but adds strummy acoustic guitars to even out the sound. While not as experimental or edgy as the previous two albums, "Gimme Fiction" stands as a solid collection of tunes performed by a band with passion.

As Daniel sings on "The Beast and Dragon, Adored": I got a feelin' it didn't come free / I got a feelin' and then it got to me / When you don't feel it, it shows they tear out your soul / And when you believe they call it rock and roll.

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.