Bop 2 Pop

We didn’t have high expectations for the latest Depeche Mode album, Delta Machine (rumored to be their final album). Depeche Mode are arguably the most successful and influential synthpop band of all-time, but we felt they reached their creative peak over 2 decades ago with their masterpiece, Violator (we realize this is a position that may anger fans so, please, no hate, it’s just our humble opinion). After Violator and its massive commercial success, we feel Dave Gahan developed the ego worthy of a rock star which correlated with guitars appearing and becoming more prominent and them moving away from their synthpop roots and embracing a more stadium rock sound. The quality of each subsequent album declined. Things hit a low point with 2009s mediocre, Sounds of the Universe, so we didn’t hold much hope for a return to their original sound we fell so deeply in love with. And things didn’t start well. We confess we were not impressed at all by first single, Heaven, so we were set to write them off again. Soothe My Soul, the second video taken from the album, however, is an improvement. To us it sounds like a second-rate Personal Jesus mixed with touches of I Feel Loved, but it is catchy and doesn’t totally suck, so perhaps we won’t write them off quite yet.