Depeche Mode - Memento Mori

  by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 26 / 5 / 2023

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The sad loss of founder member Andy Fletcher who died, aged just 60, in May last year will inevitably have had a profound effect on Depeche Mode. Over the past 40 years, Andy Fletcher was always a stabilising influence in what was often a volatile band – and his absence is certainly felt on this newly released album, [Memento Mori’. “I'll meet you by the river, on the other side,” sings frontman Dave Gahan on ‘Wagging Tongue’, one of several tracks recalling the group's days as Kraftwerk-inspired synth-poppers who successfully rode the 1980s New Romantic wave. “You'll find it hard to swallow when you watch another angel die,” Gahan continues. ‘Memento Mori’ is Depeche Mode's first album as a two-piece featuring Gahan plus principal song-writer Martin Gore. It invites comparisons with the classic synth tradition of Soft Cell or the Pet Shop Boys. The record is Depeche Mode's second collaboration with producer James Ford and it is a big step up from 2017's ‘Spirit’ which was the band's fourteenth album – and which had fewer good tunes and was less cheerful! The Latin title of the new release translates as “remember you have to die” - but there's something revitalising about the record which addresses mortality but definitely concludes that life is worth living – now! ‘Ghosts Again’ is an exhilarating song written by Gore with Richard Butler (of The Psychedelic Furs) and performed with a charming lightness of touch. Gahan is in great form and plays the snake-hipped rock god with aplomb whilst also showing his softer side – as on ballad ‘Soul With Me’ where he sings with all the tenderness of a traditional crooner. Gore also reignites his flair for writing memorable melodies.... ‘Never Let Me Go’ is driven along by synths and sounds straight out of the 80s whilst ‘Don't Say You Love Me’ is a powerful enough ballad to merit featuring in a Bond movie! ‘Memento Mori’ is a definitely a tour de force from Depeche Mode - and their fans will enjoy this newly released album. The band are playing concerts at Twickenham, London as well as in Dublin in June and they will be undertaking a major tour in the USA later in the year.

Track Listing:-

1 My Cosmos Is Mine
2 Wagging Tongue
3 Ghosts Again
4 Don't Say You Love Me
5 My Favourite Stranger
6 Soul With Me
7 Caroline's Monkey
8 Before We Drown
9 People Are Good
10 Always You
11 Never Let Me Go
12 Speak To Me

Band Links:-

http://www.depechemode.com/
https://en-gb.facebook.com/depechemode
https://twitter.com/depechemode
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depeche_Mode

Label Links:-

http://www.sonymusic.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/sonymusicsouth
https://www.facebook.com/SonyMusicSouth
https://www.youtube.com/user/essonymusic
https://instagram.com/sonymusic
https://plus.google.com/+sonymusic/posts

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