On May 15, two new releases sent music listeners into momentary bliss as they traveled back in time, to when both bands were in their musical peak. REM’s newest CD, “Reveal” and Depeche Mode’s “Exciter” have found a home in my heart. As well they should. These releases were made in mind of the fans who became disenchanted with the directions the bands took somewhere in the early Nineties.”Reveal” is just as quirky as “Dead Letter Office,” but has the appeal of “Green.”
“Beachball” is full of Mexican horns, reminiscient of Burt Bacharach; mellow and smooth. “She Just Wants To Be” is the most powerful song for me. It seems twingy and twangy at first, but the lyrics are powerful: It’s not like if angels could truly look down / stir up the trappings and light on the ground / Remind us of what, when, why or who / But how’s up to us, me and you / And now is greater than the whole of the past, is greater / And now she knows that, now she knows. Oh yes, I know, Michael.
“Exciter” explodes with everything I love about Depeche Mode: Martin Gore and Dave Gahan singing dark and sexy love songs with a techno beat. A friend of mine asked where I would place it in terms of sound, and the best response I could think of was somewhere in between “Black Celebration” and “Music for the Masses”. These songs aren’t quite as goth or depressing, though; the chimes of minor chords and Sisters of Mercy choirs from the older recordings are fairly non-existent. Most are powerfully sexual, and with a title like “Exciter,” you shouldn’t expect anything less.
REM’s “Reveal”: I’m a Shiny, Happy Person
Depeche Mode’s “Exciter”: I’m Little 15 again