(Single from album, "Delta Machine")
Depeche Mode have had two legions of undying fandom at their mercy since the early 1990s, and it's only really in recent years, that the two have joined in unifying elation as 'the band that once was', creeps gingerly back into earshot...
From 1981's new romantic "Speak & Spell", 12 tracks of squeaky popping synthesiser bliss, to 1990s "Violator", a matured and darker electronic sound, embellished with the subtle presence of guitars, Depeche Mode maintained pretty much one fan base, loyal to pretty much one sound; that of a slowly ageing, English electronica band, sat precariously on the ledge of the mainstream, halfway between the safety of the top 40 and the tumbling, abyss of outer-chart territory. Ok, so this was a band who got radio play, but a band that was respected for their pure and famously well produced electronic sound; superbly squelchy and dependably danceable.
As you may well know from reviews I've done before, 1993 saw the release of "Songs Of Faith & Devotion", a cutting betrayal of the synth-pop Depeche heads, but responsible for the genesis of an entirely new following of guitar-biased musos. Which was fine, but what of the core fans? Well, then there was "Ultra". That sucked. Then "Exciter". That sucked badly. Then "Playing The Angel" - which had "Precious", but ultimately - sucked. 2009's "Sounds Of The Universe", however, saw the synth gods bounce back a little; keyboards left, right and centre, awesome graphic design, and some seriously bassy synth mixing. The songs weren't very strong, but it was evidence, at least, of a comeback - well, that's what I thought anyway...
"Heaven", the lead single from the band's 13th album, "Delta Machine", released at the end of January, carries many of the stereotypical traits of post-'93 Mode. The video, for one, is shockingly bad. This time, a bit of overtly sexual imagery carries the ridicule indefinitely onwards; in fairness to the band, though, their videos have been fairly shoddy since 1981. Likewise, the single sleeve - just no! What even is that? A blurred, inky photograph of some trees, tinted blue and with a hideous typeface over the top. Depeche Mode's corporate image changes with each album, and, invariably, leaves something to be desired. There have been some very good graphics occasionally, as with the previous album, but this is just lazy, and, more importantly, damned ugly. Again, however, these are things that have been popping up since the very beginning.
Thankfully, the sonics are great. The not-so wonderful "Songs Of Faith & Devotion"-ness here, is more subtle, and though the gentle guitars and odd note change at the chorus, aren't especially genius, this song, combined with "Angel", revealed last year, paint a pretty picture if what "Delta Machine" has yet to serve.
The Casio VL-1 drum-beat slurs in the background, opening the track with all the electronic majesty of Kraftwerk's best song played at full volume in a stadium - and more. The opening synth, bassy and fuzzy, comes in soon after, accompanied by Dave Gahan's beautiful yet damaged vocal as a variety of hair-rasingly exciting synthetic layers enter and leave accordingly, climaxing at the chorus, and the bright, dazzling swamp of slowly-layed guitar chords that this section of the song entails.
The song's slow serenading quality is what perhaps gives it a little weakness, but oppositely, it shows, as all bands should, variety and a willingness to experiment. The intelligent, calculated and electronically bassy sound also really lifts the song out from the current charting crowd. Whilst this is, by no means, my favourite Depeche Mode song, it certainly isn't the worst, and, to a degree, the soulfulness is appealing in it's refreshing quality with comparison to the band's otherwise lyrically weak back catalogue.
I like it on the whole - it's got some stuff going for it, and equally, some against. For instance, not only is that artwork really 'not-all-that', it's also £7 for the 12" single - and you don't even get a straight version of the song for the pleasure! Or the B-side for that matter! Similarly, the Depeche Mode fanbase seems not to have amassed enough interest to generate a UK chart placing, either.That could be because physical copies of "Heaven" don't go on sale until mid-March; that said, it does seem much more likely that bands like this just don't stand a chance of mainstream success anymore. Even the top-quality B-side hasn't sold this song! And it's damn good - arguably better than the lead single, "All That's Mine" retains all the fat, squelchy synth glory of early '80s Mode, and then some - it's funky, soulful and amazingly produced. Genius, if you will.
All of that aside, "Heaven" has seen a little success, elsewhere in the music-loving world, to the point that the band have enjoyed as high as the #2 spot in Germany. Buy this single (preferably not the vinyl) and enjoy one of 2013's finest offerings so far, part, it seems, of a resurgence of songs by comeback artists from time since passed...
★★★★
Versions of “Heaven”
Album/Single Version - 4:03
Owlle Remix - 7:14
Owlle Remix (Edit) - 4:48
Steps To Heaven Remix - 6:07
Steps To Heaven Voxdub - 4:48
Blawan Remix - 5:43
Blawan Dub - 6:07
Matthew Dear Vs. Audion Vocal Mix - 5:59
Matthew Dear Vs. Audion Instrumental Mix - 6:11