Depeche Mode — Exciter

I wish I was as excited as when Ultra came out. This new Depeche Mode album seems to be the logical continuation after Ultra but there seems to be something missing.

Depeche Mode doesn't stick in the past, that's for sure. Exciter has a slew of sticky beats and modern samples. Together with house producer Mark Bell they got this minimal electro-pop sound. The production is excellent with a crystal-clear sound and reminds me a bit of trip-hop acts like Massive Attack.

It's not strange to compare Exciter with trip-hop since most beats and effects are used in the same manner. The music is also very minimal and built around vocalist Dave Gahan's voice. And that's where I find my dissapointment in the album. Most of the songs are too laidback for me. There are almost no parts on the album where the band does something different. 'Dream On' and 'I Feel Loved' are the big exceptions, and both are singles and my favourite tracks. The rest of the album has some good moments like 'Freelove' and 'I Am You' but also some bad ones like 'When The Body Speaks', 'Comatose' and 'Breathe'.

The fact is that Depeche Mode made an album by their standards and fans should not worry to get it but other people should take a listen to it first. It's not a bad album and it has some good parts but it also contains some really dull, below-average songs.