Depeche Mode
Sounds of the Universe: The 12" Singles
MUTE/COLUMBIA
If Depeche Mode has been good at anything as they’ve grown from their Basildon-based synth-pop roots, it’s been a ready willingness to lustrously expand the parameters of their initially cloistered sound—from light to dark to light again; from their mid-period’s Euro-romantic swashes of melody to a more worldly, open atmosphere in their later days; and, lyrically, from lonely solitude to something more hopeful, even when dealing with grief as they do on their most recent album, Memento Mori. And while all of those changes were in place by the time of their 2009 globally astute opus Sounds of the Universe, nothing has allowed Gore, Gahan, and Fletcher to expand their twilight’s first gleaming more than the world of remixers who widened Depeche Mode’s vibe via their 12-inch singles—and since each of the trio’s 11 albums that came before Universe has its own unique dedicated box of 12-inches, why stop there?
Considering that the angled, spacious remixes for such broadly optimistic tracks as “Wrong,” “Peace,” and the double A-side “Fragile Tension” / “Hole to Feed” are over a decade old, the overall effect of the new Sounds of the Universe: The 12" Singles collection is surprisingly fresh and modern—glossy in spots, but with a sense of sweat-equity edginess necessary for the dancefloor. Without picking through each of the seven discs’ remixers’ tones, drones, and sequenced rhythmic efforts, I can recommend the spacious, stammering Thin White Duke’s take on “Wrong,” as well as the effervescently high-energy Boys Noize version of the same woeful song—both of which allow for the track’s Gahan/Gore co-lead vocals to shine despite their deconstructed wobble.
The clarion call of “Peace” is blurred and stretched (though still recognizable) throughout producer Justus Köhncke’s Extended Disco Club Vocal and the Exploding Plastic Inevitable JK Disco Dub mix. And the aptly titled “Fragile Tension” is surprisingly toughened up by one-time tour openers’ Peter Bjorn and John’s clubby rework, one that keeps Gahan’s brooding baritone far up front while leaving ample room for dance music’s clicks and buzzes. Add in yet another Anton Corbijn cover design, and this version of Depeche Mode’s Universe sounds winningly weird.
