Spirit

Really enjoying the album. Been a fan since the 80's and DM never fails to impress me. I think some of the context could be interpreted as political, but - as it is with art forms - it's subjective to the listener. We often forget in today's popular music (radio play), that music used to be about presenting a point of view from the artist's perspective, be it about their perspective on life, love, politics, or feelings of anger or joy, segregation or sadness. This album has those things, so new listeners likely aren't going to like it. As an example, I can see other ways that 'Going Backwards' could also reflect society and technology other than a political statement, but that is only personal point-of-view. Again, it's subjective. If you're a long time fan, give it a try, and I think the lyrics are clever enough that people can think of other ways that the lyrics could fit to other situations, other than political POVs. Or they can think of it, if they want. Still a free country. Either way, given the quality of the music and production, I don't find this a disappointing album at all. It's relevant and it sounds fantastic, even better turned up loud. Good going, guys! I appreciate this album, very much!

When I was in my young tennage years, my mother showed me Depeche Mode and I've been a hardcore fan ever since. This was right after Sounds of the Universe same out. I loved their old stuff such as Violator, Music for the Masses, etc. I also really love their new music such as Playing with the Angel, Sounds of the Universe, and Delta Machine. Many people now are saying that Depeche Mode's new music is not like it was before. This might have to do with Alan Wilder's departure. Nevertheless, their music is still extraordinary. To be honest, Violator, Playing with the Angel, Delta Machine, and Spirit are my favorite albums from them. I love their new music so much. I listen to it everyday. People say that Depeche Mode's new music has become darker. I still like it. I love the music because of the message, amazing electronic sounds, and amazing vocals. I am very happy with this album. I listen to it everyday when I drive. Do not listen to the haters. I love the music in this album and hope you too.

It is important to keep an open mind when listening to Spirit by Depeche Mode because the music on this album is a different music quality from maybe some of the their love songs that they are known for (Personal Jesus, Just Can’t Get Enough, Strange Love, A Question of Lust, I Feel You, In Your Room, Only When I Lose Myself, Halo etc.). This album is more of a music energy that can be symbolized as their song Heaven (from their 2013 album release) meets Condemnation, Walking In My Shoes andor People Are People. I confess that I enjoy their relationship type songs the most from Spirit (Cover Me, So Much Love, and a machine remix version of So Much Love if you have an Amazon music subscription), yet I would keep an open mind to hearing some of their other songs andor watching music videos that may feature other songs on Spirit.

I've been an avid DM fan for 27 years now, ever since I was a 5th/6th grader in 1990 (yes, "Enjoy the Silence" is what got me hooked!). Their music truly resonates with me, it strikes a chord. Simply put, DM are mesmerizing! They could release an album of bubblegum pop covers (of course, they would clearly never do this!), and I would still somehow find a way to appreciate it, and maybe even like it. DM do what they want to do, not what record label execs tell them to do. DM are real, authentic, genuine musicians, which I feel has been a rarity for quite a while. That being said, I admit I have been a little disappointed with their work in recent years, which I personally feel has included a lot of "filler material." There is always that one song on each of their last few albums that is an absolute standout, and should have been a single, but was not, and therefore has not been played live in concert. And then there is always that one B-side that is just so, so great, and for whatever reason was completely overlooked as an album track. Ugh, that is so frustrating to me! My initial reaction to DM's new music was actually negative. I had not been all that impressed by "Where's the Revolution," and thought that it sounded like an extremely disjointed song. I still don't exactly love it, and the thing I like best about it is the "Trump Train" reference. Upon my first Spirit listen, I thought it sounded very haphazard and uninspired, like it was slapped together in a jiff just so they could make a few quick bucks. On my second listen, I quickly started to have a change of heart. I realized that this album actually sounds pretty consistent throughout. Overall, it has a very raw, demo-like quality about it, and I believe this was intentionally done as an art form and was not the result of bad producing/mixing. So far, my favorite tracks are "You Move," "So Much Love" and "No More (This is the Last Time)," as these songs, in my eyes, are very indicative of quintessential DM. I believe it is impossible for even DM themselves to recreate the magic of Violator (it truly is one-of-a-kind), but I'm grateful that they are still releasing new music every few years for their fans and hope they continue to do so for years to come. I will listen to Spirit some more, no doubt, and very much look forward to seeing them live in concert for the umpteenth time this coming September!

Excelente álbum con Tracks extras todo llego bien

L'anteprima del disco già spaccava in tutto e per tutto... sonorità fantastiche che fanno ben pensare ad un ritorno al passato ma sempre in chiave moderna. Dal momento che Amazon mi ha consegnato con supervelocità il disco nuovo l'ho ascoltato se non addirittura già consumato a più nn posso. Le mie tracce preferite "Going backwards" e la super trasmessa "Where's the revolution". Bello, bello, bello... non vedo l'ora di vederli dal vivo perché questo disco merita assolutamente di essere "vissuto" nella sua dimensione live. La copertina è un po' povera rispetto alle grafiche di lavori precedenti ma le foto del maestro Anton Corbijn sono sempre e nonostante tutto meritevoli. In conclusione: un must da avere nella propria discografia dei Depeche :)

Après un SOTU très moyen, j'avais été assez conquis par Delta Machine qui remettait en avant le côté electro blues du groupe, qu'il ont contribué à inventer et qui leur a permis de signer leurs meilleurs albums (la trilogie Violator-SOFAD-Ultra). Quand j'ai vu que le groupe voulait refaire des textes politiques, j'ai eu très peur. Pour moi, le groupe a grandi le jour où Martin Gore s'est concentré sur l'intime et cette frontière entre le spirituel et le salace.... Le premier single n'apporte rien de bien nouveau... Je craignais l'essai raté. Force est de constater qu'il se dégage une grande cohérence dans la production. L'ensemble est brut, sombre et direct. Les mélodies ne sont certes pas les meilleures, mais le propos et la cohésion sont là. L'apport de James Ford est indéniable, cet album a une véritable identité qui plaira ou pas. Pour des cinquantenaires qui n'ont plus grand-chose à prouver ou gagner, c'est déjà un gage de qualité à l'heure où certains autres s'encroûtent. La palme à Cover Me et sa fin planante, l'ovni Scum, Fail qui clôture parfaitement et le caractère brut de Poorman et So Much Love. Une fois la bête apprivoisée, c'est un véritable bonbon acidulé.

Es braucht einiges an Geduld und mehrmaliges Anhören um Zugang zu dem Album zu gelangen. Danach öffneten sich aber sehr tiefe Soundlandschaften. Der Sound ist super komplex und ausgefeilt, voller Enfälle und die Songs entwickeln sich. Einfach genial! Hörbar finde ich das Album nur mit guten Kopfhören oder über einer sehr guten Anlage und vor allen ohne Ablenkung. Die für mich stimmigste Rezension habe ich bei Sonic Seducer gefunden. Besser kann ich selber nicht wiedergeben: "Verdammt, schon wieder keine Hymne! Verdammt, schon wieder kein Radiohit! Was erlauben die sich eigentlich? Haben ohne ihre Fans zu fragen seit 1990 kein Popalbum mehr herausgebracht, sich angemaßt, Unerwartetes zu tun und genau gegen den Trend zu agieren. Hantieren plötzlich mit Klampfe und Schlagzeug, als die ganze Welt auf Techno ist, lassen in düstersten Zeiten die Sonne rein und legen einen fast zwanghaften Minimalismus an den Tag, während alle anderen nach der gewaltigsten Produktion streben. Und jetzt auch das noch: Das sperrigste und finsterste Werk der Bandgeschichte, unüberhörbar politisch gefärbt. Geht’s noch? Klar. Nur so geht es, sonst wären Depeche Mode schon lange Geschichte. Die Frage ist nicht, ob sie es nicht mehr können. Sie wollen ganz einfach nicht. Sie wollen es den Hörern partout nicht einfach machen. Während der euphorische Albumöffner „Going Backwards“ und vielleicht noch „So Much Love“ mit seinem treibenden Analogbass und das klassisch-melodiöse „No More“ halbwegs glatt reingehen, stellt sich der Rest zunächst konsequent quer. Fehlende Refrains und generell kaum ordinäre Songstrukturen, abwegige Rhythmik, Krach, Rauschen, Distortion sogar auf dem Gesang – nach 50 Minuten fühlt man sich wie gerädert. Wer „Spirit“ nun wütend in die Ecke schmeißt, begeht einen kapitalen Fehler, denn wie das nun mal mit Musik komplexer Natur ist: Sie möchte entwirrt werden und benötigt etwas von einem kostbaren Gut, genannt Zeit. Und dann passiert es: Das monströse „Scum“ wird zahm, „You Move“ unwiderstehlich, das bluesige „Poison Heart“ entpuppt sich als bestes von Dave Gahan geschriebenes Stück bis dato, die krummen Gore-„Balladen“ glätten sich und bei „Cover Me“ ist sowieso alles vorbei. Man möchte, sanft gewogen vom Südsee-Twang, hemmungslos heulen vor Glück. Wem 30 Jahre danach noch der Sinn nach Synthiepop steht, hört halt Synthiepop, wer ein verdammt gutes Album erleben will, beschäftigt sich bitte mit Spirit." Quelle: Rezension von Sonic Secuder

Sempre um clássico.