Having been doing their thing with electronica for over three decades, UK trio Depeche Mode have recently released their latest long player, Delta Machine.
With a strong opening salvo in the form of “Welcome To My World” and “Angel”, there is still life left in this trio and moreover, the way that they have helped shape and form electronic music is in clear view.
However, the weak single “Heaven” and songs like “My Little Universe” are illustrative of a band spinning their wheels, content to revisit what they have done before. This is a shame, as Depeche Mode are a band that tend to excel when they really push themselves.
“Slow” sounds like a distant cousin of the glorious “Condemnation”, off the band’s 1993 record Songs Of Faith And Devotion.
While a decent track, it does have a somewhat second hand feel to it, an echo of a distant time and place where the trio were on stronger ground sonically.
More recent electronica acts such as Animal Collective have really raised the bar as to what a group can do with the advanced technology that now exists in this musical day and age. While a decent release is nothing to be ashamed of, Depeche Mode is very much a band that are capable of much, much more than residing within their comfort zone.
