I have a friends who swears Depeche Mode are not only the greatest synth band of all time, but the greatest 1980s band of all time. He prepaid for the album on ITunes and then after finding they were giving a presale code with each sale, bought another copy on Amazon.
For my friend John it is all about the heavy heavy beats, and if you a modern example of what John means listen to the new single "Heaven". or more like the "B" side "All That's Mine" . I've been streaming the album on ITunes and I like it fine I guess. The rhythms are pretty good and never better than the deeper they get where they seem to bottom up the songs. But really, I find it so hard to take Dave Gahan and Martin Gore all that seriously. They act tough but they are like kids you bitch slap on line for the men's room of Danceteria for trying to cut.
It's all leather jackets and eyeliner and junkiedom. Never has junk seemed less appealing, Gaham could be the living embodiment of a A Just Say No ad. He is to heroine what the fat old bag in the "Smoking Is Glamorous" is to tobacco. He should have a sign around his head reading "just because you shoot up smack does not mean you're Miles Davis."
Anyway, I mention this because Dave Gahan has lost yet another chance to be cool. I'll let her tell it: “I will probably get someone in trouble, but we were told we were getting a new award this year. Most Influential Band In The Last 20 Years or something? Basically the old bastard, Lifetime Achievement Award — and we said, ‘Yes that’s cool.’ Then we heard through the grapevine ITV wouldn’t broadcast our segment. So we said, ‘If they won’t play us on air, then we’re not going to be their most influential band. How many other bands have had as many hits as us worldwide and been around for as long? Fuck them then and bollocks to it."
Now if the Brits had invited DM to play and the band had turned em down, that would be cool. That would be (self)righteous. But because they wouldn't be on TV?