Post: #17

Rodzaj "recenzji na żywo" podczas słuchania streamu podesłanego przez wytwórnie. Kolejna precyzyjna rozpiska i zupełnie inne wnioski niż te, które zawiera poprzedni tego typu materiał zapostowany tutaj nieco wyżej:

Cytat:Listening to a stream of the new Depeche Mode album, "Delta Machine."

First song: "Welcome to My World" Some dubsteppy stuff going on. Welcome to My World has stripped down dubstep verses, some cool, heavy harmonies on the chorus. Lots of dodgy rhymes.

[b]Angel[/b]: Huge, throaty vocal from Dave, noisy, metallic backing. Can totally hear the Songs of Faith and Devotion influence. Angel sounds like it could be a single. It'll sound terrific live.

Track 3 is the first single, Heaven. It's grown on me since 1st hearing it and being a bit underwhelmed.The sound of Heaven very much fits in with the first two songs. So far, it's a pretty weighty, heavy record. Still love, love, love the last 30 or so seconds of Heaven.

The "Delta Machine" stream says track four is called "Secret." (Wikipedia claims it's "Secret to the End"). Secret opens with a dirty analogue synth and high drama/high sex vocal from Dave.
I thought Secret was going to pick up for the chorus, but it didn't. Looks like it's Dave's first writing credit on the album. The synths sound fantastic on Secret, but the song itself is kind of a bore.

Track 5 is My Little Universe. Opens with rinky-dink synths and low-key vocals: "My little universe is expanding slowly/And those who know me say I'm growing every day." My Little Universe is the most minimal, stripped-down song so far on Delta Machine. Reminds me a bit of some of the weirder Yazoo stuff. My Little Universe ends with an extended, rave-like instrumental section, with Roxy Music-era Eno synths on top. Very cool.

Track 6 is Slow. Opens with heavily treated blues guitar. Wouldn't sound out of place on Songs of Faith and Devotion. Slow is really sexy. I could see this as a single

Looking at the Delta Machine track list: Angel, Heaven, Slow, Broken, Alone ... don't Depeche Mode have songs with these titles already?

Track 7 is Broken. The hook sounds like a slowed-down take on Behind the Wheel. Looks like Broken is Dave's second writing credit on the album. Sorry to say, it's one of the weaker tracks. And I loved all three of Dave's songs on the last album.

Track 8 is "The Child Inside." Sounds like Martin singing. The Child Inside has a bit of a nursery rhyme feel to it. It kinda goes nowhere. Another weak spot. "The child inside you died." Indeed.

Track 9 is "Soft Touch/Raw Nerve." Sounds like a title Bowie would use, no? Soft Touch/Raw Nerve does up the tempo a bit, and Delta Machine needed it at this point. Soft Touch/Raw Nerve has a bit of a Kraftwerk thing going on in the background. Sounds like the fourth single off the album.

Track 10 is "Should Be Higher," which is Dave's third and final writing credit on Delta Machine. Mid-tempo, vaguely poppy. The best of Dave's songs.

Track 11 is Alone. Dark, trancey-opening with Dave's vocals up front.

Track 12 is Soothe My Soul. I'm really hoping for a late-in-the-album gospel injection here. Soothe My Soul feels like it's working up to something big. Hoping it gets there. Oh, and here we are. Big, clanging chorus. Sounds like "Personal Jesus." "I'm coming for you, like a junkie. I can't stop." "Soothe My Soul" sounds like another potential single.

Here we are at the end of the album. Last track: Goodbye. It's got an acoustic guitar loop, a gospel vocal from Dave and noisy synth stabs. Goodbye is Depeche Mode in their electro Johnny Cash mode. This whole new record is VERY "Songs of Faith and Devotion." Goodbye ends with a jarring synth loop that sounds imported from an M83 album.

My thoughts after one spin through Delta Machine. It's a very low-key, downbeat album. Tons of atmosphere. Dave's songs are not great.
I don't think it's as good as Sounds of the Universe, but some of the songs show promise. There are some great synth sounds throughout.