Synth City
Rob Harvey
Spring is coming; well the clocks have gone forward anyway, so we will have lighter nights now and here we are at the end of March with loads to look forward to. It feels almost like the COVID situation is a distant memory, and we can maybe see this year as expected, well when I say expected, I guess I mean actually feel free to plan for gigs, events and maybe even proper unfettered holidays away somewhere nice – What say you?.
Now, with the release of the little 15th album from Depeche Mode – Memento Mori. I can say that I am pleased and in my opinion, at first play, it sounds a lot like a collection of their very best new B-Sides, I generally like the album and can say the B-side remark to be the worse thing I could say. The new tracks all feel more genuinely electronic and less Rock blues, which gives us back the essence of Depeche Mode, what made them original and great. Nothing wrong with a rock vibe but to me, it is about evolving their electronic-based sound and not simply trying to evolve into bands they may have grown up to. The collaborative way this album has shared songwriting has been a breath of fresh air, though I wish Dave would not try to sort of ape the style of the person who wrote the song; I mean why sing a song written by The Psychedelic furs frontman in his vocal style and not your own style. For me this album has been played and replayed, with no skips to the next track, despite ‘Carolines Monkey‘, it feels like their best album since Sounds of the Universe; which I may add was the album where they started to cement their blues-rock fetish to a small degree. So, Yes I’m relieved we have a new album after losing Andy Fletcher and after all these years they still have what I have loved about them- “That’s amori”.
Sticking with the above, My chatbit was simple. What tracks do you like or love the most from the new Depeche Mode album? and what do you generally feel about the whole album?
On this week’s show, we had a double bubble and loads of new music. We heard new tracks from Days Become Dark – Depeche Mode – Coolmowee – Nothing But Thieves – Obsession of Time – Rogue FX – Utopia Breakdown – Arcade Skies – Beautiful Crisis, plus loads more delight for your ears along the way.
Tracklist:
1. Apache Darling – BUBBLEGUM
2. BEBORN BETON – Dancer In The Dark
3. Promenade Cinema – Vanish (Scenius Remix)
4. Magnetic Skies – You Shine On
5. Tin Gun – Take Your Time
6. Days Become Dark – A Million Tears
7. Mike Haunted & Chris KD – Unready To Go
8. Depeche Mode – People Are Good
9. Depeche Mode – Never Let Me Go
10. Coolmowee – Not From the Sun (Alex Vecchietti Remix)
11. Projekt Ich – Mr Crowley feat. Pulse Lab
12. Nothing But Thieves – Welcome to the DCC
13. Shiny Darkness – Last Try
14. Obsession of Time – Sorrows
15. airman – the fun fair of life (short ride)
16. Infra Violet – Masochist
17. Rogue FX – American Dream
18. Lifelong Corporation – A Room with a View of the Past (Flashback Mix)
19. Patrik Adolfsson – I found you
20. Utopia Breakdown – Calculating
21. CHVRCHES – Over
22. Vivien Glass – Part Machine (Alternate Version)
23. Arcade Skies – Stranger Things Can Happen
24. Color Theory – The Serious One
25. Shadows and Mirrors, Star founder – Redeemer
26. Beautiful Crisis – Deep (7 Inch Single Mix)
27. The Subtheory – Cut to Black
28. One Of The Crowd – TIME AFTER TIME
Broadcast live on March 28th, 2023.
