Depeche Mode has finished recording the new album - 18 songs recorded

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sounds_of_the_Universe

01.14.09

DEPECHE MODE
ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF
SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE
APRIL 21, 2009


January 15, 2009- Groundbreaking, chart-topping electro legends Depeche Mode are proud to announce the release of their long-anticipated new studio album, Sounds Of The Universe on April 21, 2009 (Mute Records).

Eclectic and energized, the band's new release is their most dazzling and diverse album in decades. Recorded in Santa Barbara and New York, Depeche Mode returned to using a lot of vintage gear, from analogue synthesizers to drum machines, in order to conjure up the retro-futuristic arrangements featured on the album. Lyrically the release contains many of the group's enduring obsessions plus more overt black humor than any of their previous collections.

Like with their 2005 studio album, Playing The Angel, Sounds Of The Universe features writing credits for both Martin Gore, the group's primary songwriter, and Dave Gahan who after honing his talents on two solo albums, has earned his place as Depeche Mode's second writer. The release also marks a reunion between the band and producer Ben Hillier (Blur, Doves, Elbow), who worked with the band to help give their new album its timeless sound. The first single from the release, "Wrong," grabs the listener's attention from its first stack-heeled, staccato shriek. Over stomping beats, screeching synthesizers, and Dave's overlord chant, "Wrong" already feels like a Depeche Mode classic. Other standout tracks include Martin's velvet-lined Scott Walker croon on the sensual lounge-music ballad "Jezebel," to the sci-fi gospel-blues hymn "In Chains" and "Hole To Feed," which marries modern electronics to a floor-shaking, bone-rattling Bo Diddley beat.

As one of the most influential bands of the post-punk era, with global sales in excess of 100 million, Depeche Mode belongs to a select premiere league of super groups who have survived from the early 1980s with their ideals, creative vision and core members intact. Formed in 1981, Depeche Mode - Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and Andy 'Fletch' Fletcher - continue to win critical and commercial acclaim across the world both in the studio and on the road. All of the band's 11 studio albums have reached the Top Ten in not only the UK and USA but 20 plus countries around the world including Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Belgium. Additionally, since their inception Depeche Mode's live shows continue to be a must-see attraction, with the group playing to 2.8 million people across 31 countries on their last tour alone.

Depeche Mode will be announcing additional album details and tour news in the coming weeks. For more information please go to www.depechemode.com.


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Billboard says: Depeche Mode Unveils New 'Sounds'

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/depeche-mode-unveils-new-sounds-1003931129.story

"Universe" is led by the three-minute, hard-edged single "Wrong," which Fletcher calls an antidote to "bubble-gum pop" inappropriate "for where we are in society at this moment."

"We think this album has got quality. And we recorded a lot of extra tracks which will be on a deluxe version," Fletcher says of the follow-up to 2005's "Playing the Angel," the band's first album since extending its longterm deal with EMI to include North America.
 
Web clip #5 - Martin doing backing vocals through a water bottle:

 
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Web clip #6 - vocals for the new single "Wrong"



New interview with Fletch:

Question (Daniel Barassi): Ben Hillier is the producer of the new record. What's it's like having Ben back producing this new record, and what do you feel he and his crew bring to a Depeche Mode project?

Answer (Fletch): We were very pleased with Ben on the last album. Normally, Depeche Mode don't use the same guy twice. Maybe that's because the same guy doesn't want to work with us twice (laugh). Ben's been more tyrant-like on this album. We've recorded a lot more songs than usual, so there was a lot more work to be done. He was really on the case.

Q: In some of the studio video clips, one of Ben's crew is playing a lot of guitar with Martin. Can you tell us more?

A: His name is Luke Smith. On the last album we had Dave McCracken. Luke is doing the same role on this album, basically acting as an extra musician. To be honest, the atmosphere is generally very very good. It was quite smooth. It was even good fun, and we're very pleased with what we've produced. I think we've produced something that is very good.

Q: Was there any particular sound the band was aiming for, going into the studio?

A: There never normally is when we go into the studio. Obviously, we had Martin's demos, but I think one of the driving forces, inspirationally, was Martin's obsession with eBay and analog synthesizers.

Q: I wanted to ask about that, actually. Ben was doing that during "Playing The Angel", right?

A: Yeah, well Martin's got a new obsession I suppose, and he chose analog synthesizers and guitar pedals. Every couple of days, a package would arrive. We'd get the item out, and see what it sounded like. That was quite an inspiration. Generally, I think it's more of an electronic album. There is guitar on it, of course, but much more electronic than "Playing The Angel".

Q: Do you feel with all the new toys in the studio, that it helped or hurt the process of recording? Was there a fear of over-production, or was the new equipment helpful?

A: It was very inspirational, just getting something to arrive that you've heard is good, and then trying it out. You've got a particular sound you like, and we'd say "let's try this thing". There was literally boxes showing up every day.

Q: Obviously some of this vintage equipment was very old. Did all of it actually work?

A: No, they were all in very good condition.

Q: Dave brought some songs to this new album, as he did on "Playing The Angel". What's it like having two songwriters in the band now, and do you feel this adds strength to the project?

A: Well, we did have two songwriters before in the band...

Q: Yes (Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder), but I mean now, in the current lineup.

A: The truth of the matter is I think generally Dave writing songs has really glued him a bit more to the group, and he's so much more confident and fulfilled. It's one of the main reasons the band is really gelling together. Dave's songwriting is improving all the time. You know, it's sometimes hard to actually distinguish between Dave's songs and Martin's songs. On top of that, Martin's been probably the most prolific he's even been as a songwriter for this project. He's written more songs, all of a good quality, that he's done for a long time, which is why I think there's so much quality on this record, going from the beginning to the end.

Q: Do you think the translation for the new songs to a live performance will be difficult, or will it be a smooth process?

A: Certain songs are generally suited to the live situation, and some songs aren't. Traditionally, when we are in the studio, we're not really thinking of the live situation. When we finish the album, then we start to concentrate fully on the tour. We're just in the process, at the moment, of picking which songs on the new album we are going to be playing, which old songs, and what versions are we going to be doing. Sometimes the remixes, for instance, give us quite a bit of inspiration.

Q: Any sort of fights over songs, or versions of songs, that the three of you want to perform on this tour?

A: I don't think it's a battle. I think the main problem is the vast amount of songs. Picking a set of songs, out of 200...if you imagine that you are going to play six or seven new tracks, so that's probably fourteen songs from two hundred songs, that's what makes me very very difficult. And I think the first leg of the tour being stadiums, I think we have to keep an eye on making sure that the set is right for that sort of venue as well.

Q: You have shot some more studio footage. Were you surprised by the positive fan reaction for the FletchCam(tm) footage from Playing The Angel, and how do you feel having the camera in the studio affects the recording process?

A: I don't think the camera in the studio affects the process at all. Basically, what I'm trying to do is film anything that is of any sort of interest. You know, these guys like to be filmed (laughs).

Q: Did you have fun doing it?

A: I do. I don't normally see myself as a very good cameraman. I think on "Playing The Angel", I was shaking quite a bit, so I just tried to keep it a bit more steady this time.

Q: Do you enjoy being in front of the camera, or behind.

A: I don't mind. When I am doing the studio footage, it's sometimes weird because I'm doing nearly all the footage, I'm not really in (the film) that much. I don't mind that too much, but I don't mind being in front of the camera.

Q: The press conference held back in October was so big online that it initially crashed both the official DM site, and the video streaming web site. After all the years, the albums, and the tours, how fulfilling is it that the band still maintain such a high lever of hardcore fans, and what do you attribute that to?

A: To be honest, it surprises us. The live situation is even bigger than it was during the height of our chart fame. Some of these gigs we're playing in Europe...I mean, when Violator was out, we were playing small areas, and we were all over the charts. It's incredible. I think one of the reasons why so many tickets have been sold for this tour is because we put an effort to make every show a really good quality.

Q: It has to be odd to look at record sales being one number, and your live shows be such a higher number. Does that throw you at all?

A: Not really, because Depeche Mode have been going for nearly 30 years. People have been falling in love with Depeche Mode all the time over those years. People like different periods more than other periods. No, I understand that. We still sell quite a few records. It's hard to say that, with not too many records being sold, overall.

Q: In the studio, a "No On Prop 8" sign can be seen taped to one of the studio windows (this is a reference to the California proposition against gay marriage). On the sign is written the tag line "Unfair & Wrong". The first single is called "Wrong". Coincidence?

A: There is no coincidence. "Wrong" was actually written before that. An interesting thing was that in Santa Barbara, our studio was right next to the Obama headquarters. We actually nipped next door, and got some freebies, so we had badges and everything. It was quite cool.

Q: Are any of you actually registered to vote in the US?

A: We're all British citizens.

Q: Was there any sort of thought to persuade fans, or is it just that the band had an opinion, and nothing more?

A: You have to remember that Dave lives in America, and is married to an American. Martin was married to an American. I'm really into politics. We were quite aware of Obama, and the whole election was happening while we were in America. We were very pro-Obama, and we felt the excitement.

Q: Is there anything you want to say to fans reading on the web site?

A: There's a lot of information that is going to be coming out. I do understand the frustration of the fans on the web site, but as I've said before, it is an official site. One of the problems with an official web site is you only put things up when they are official.

Q: What do you see in the future for Depeche Mode, long term?

A: Well, to be honest, we always give the same answer. We've done the album, then we're going to the tour. Other than that, we're not really looking beyond that. All I can say that the feeling around the band at the moment is very very good, and bodes well for the future.
 
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i love all the depeche stuff from see you up to personal jesus , the meaning of love is always on my playlist, but lets face it dm haven't made a decent record in 20yrs so i hope this stuff is a new era for them.
 
Depeche Mode Announce Track Listing For Forthcoming Album 'Sounds Of The Universe'

12th Studio Album Released April 20th, 2009
First New Single 'Wrong' Out April 6th, 2009

Depeche Mode have announced the track listing for their eagerly anticipated 12th studio album 'Sounds Of The Universe', released April 20th, on Mute. The release is preceded by their stunning new single ‘Wrong’, out April 6th - the first single to be taken from the album.

'Sounds Of The Universe' marks a reunion between Depeche Mode and Ben Hillier, who previously produced their 2005 album 'Playing The Angel'. Eclectic and energised, the band's new LP was recorded in Santa Barbara and New York.

'Sounds Of The Universe' Track Listing

1. In Chains
2. Hole To Feed
3. Wrong
4. Fragile Tension
5. Little Soul
6. In Sympathy
7. Peace
8. Come Back
9. Spacewalker
10. Perfect
11. Miles Away / The Truth Is
12. Jezebel
13. Corrupt

Stay tuned for more details on the release of 'Sounds Of The Universe'.
 
Deluxe version to include some demo versions, old and new !! :D

"Groundbreaking, chart-topping electronic legends Depeche Mode
return in April 2009 with their most dazzling and diverse album in
decades. Sounds Of The Universe finds Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and
Andy “Fletch” Fletcher back at the top of their game after almost 30
years together. Eclectic and energised, they sound like a band reborn.
With global sales in excess of 100 million, including Number One albums
and dozens of classic singles, Depeche Mode belong to a select
premier league of supergroups - alongside U2, REM and Metallica -
who have survived from the early 1980s with their ideals, their creative
vision and their core members intact. They overcame internal friction
and critical hostility to become one of the most influential bands of the
post-punk era, namechecked by everyone from The Killers, MGMT,
Coldplay, Pet Shop Boys and Marilyn Manson.
Sounds Of The Universe is Depeche Mode’s latest forward-thinking
masterpiece, a Violator for the 21st century. Lyrically, it contains many
of the band’s enduring obsessions - lust, spirituality, romantic yearning,
sinful temptation and sadomasochism - plus more overt black humour
than any of their previous albums.
Musically, Sounds Of The Universe will please fans of every age and
taste. From Dave’s overlord chant on the mighty first single Wrong to
Martin’s velvet-lined Scott Walker croon on the sensual lounge-music
ballad Jezebel, and from the sci-fi gospel-blues hymn In Chains to the
sleazy electronic glam-rock stomp Corrupt, this is a classic Depeche
Mode album.
As they approach their 30th anniversary, Depeche Mode are on a
personal and musical high. Old tensions have been resolved, hatchets
buried and bad habits conquered. Recorded in Santa Barbara and
New York, Sounds Of The Universe was born from positive creative
chemistry, and it really shows.
“It’s a tremendous record, just to blow our own trumpet,” laughs Dave.
“We’ve had the luxury this time of recording a lot more songs than we
really need, all of which have been of great quality.”
“All of us have had a really good time being together,” says Martin.
“The overall atmosphere in the studio has been fantastic. Very few
issues. We were very focussed.”
“The overriding thrust of the album is the number of high quality songs,”
Andy agrees. “Martin’s been writing really prolifically, to a high
standard. We’ve recorded about 20 songs, which is pretty good for
Depeche Mode. We’re even doing a deluxe version of the album with
about 17 or 18 tracks, including old demos from current and previous
albums.”
The album title Sounds Of The Universe has various meanings, from its
spiritual subtext to its retro-futuristic arrangements. “We’ve used a lot of
old analogue synthesisers and drum machines, which conjure up
image of the universe and space travel somehow,” Martin explains.
“We’ve gone back to a lot of old vintage gear, without making the
album sound too retro. It’s like yesterday’s future. That’s why for me it’s
a perfect album title.”
Sounds Of The Universe marks a reunion between Depeche Mode and
Ben Hillier, who previously produced their 2005 album Playing The
Angel. A gifted all-rounder who has worked with full orchestras and
rock bands, Hillier gave the album a timeless sound palette blending
vintage bleeps and beats with contemporary electronic textures.
“We all felt it would be stupid not to work with Ben again,” says Martin.
“He’s just one of those people who puts his mind to something and
becomes instantly professional at it. He’s also quite forceful. That’s
important for us, at this stage of our career, to have someone willing to
stick their neck out and disagree with us.”
Like Playing The Angel, Sounds Of The Universe features writing credits
for both Martin and Dave. After honing his talents on two solo albums,
Dave has earned his place as Depeche Mode’s second songwriter.
“The fact that Dave has started writing songs has done a lot of good
for the band because his confidence is much higher now,” says Andy.
“He feels a lot more attached to the band because of that.”
In fact, Sounds Of The Universe is the closest collaboration yet between
Depeche Mode’s two main songwriters. Martin and Dave share vocals
on several songs and they have even co-written one track on this
record. It felt like “a true partnership”, says Dave. “I think in a blind test
people would find it difficult to tell who wrote which songs,” adds
Martin.
The first single from the album, Wrong grabs the listener’s attention from
its first stack-heeled, staccato shriek. Over stomping beats and
screeching synthesisers, Dave hammers out Martin’s darkly comic
reflections on a lifetime of mistakes, misdeeds and bad decisions.
Instantly addictive, Wrong clearly has a guaranteed future as a skypunching
stadium anthem. It already feels like a Depeche Mode
classic.
“We decided at a fairly early stage that we wanted Wrong to be the
first single, because it’s quite different to anything we’ve released
before,” says Martin. “I don’t know quite what category to put it in
musically, but it’s got a kind of rap feel to it. It’s probably as close to
R&B as we’re ever going to sound.”
For Martin, another album highlight is Peace, with its sublime technogospel
arrangement and cascading choral refrain. It was written back
to back with Footprint, a seductive whirl of warped fairground pop,
which became a kind of nocturnal sister song to Peace.
“Both those songs had a spiritual element to them, and to me that
formed a sort of cornerstone to the album,” Martin explains. “We’ve
had spiritual references on previous records, but I think with this one it’
a little more obvious.”
Dave’s contributions to Sounds Of The Universe were written with his
regular composing partners, Andrew Philpott and Christian Eigner,
Depeche Mode‘s live drummer. One of their stand-out collaborations is
Come Back, the dirtiest and rowdiest rocker on the album.
“I wanted to take it away from being a straight ballad,” says Dave,
“with a feel beneath it that was kind of My Bloody Valentine or Jesus
and Mary Chain. A big lush sound with this droning wall of noise
underneath. Martin did some fantastic backing vocals for that.”
Another of the singer’s dirty confessionals, Hole To Feed marries modern
electronics to a floor-shaking, bone-rattling Bo Diddley beat. The lyric, a
blend of rock-star swagger and tender yearning, is vintage Dav
Gahan.
“Lyrically, I’m just being my usual cynical self,” Dave laughs. “I’m the
man who has everything but I’m still just poking around in that little hole
that feels empty, wondering what I can fill it with.”
In keeping with tradition, Anton Corbijn again provides the striking
sleeve design and band photos for Sounds Of The Universe. Now an
acclaimed film director with his Joy Division biopic Control, the “Dutch
Master” has been Depeche Mode’s chief visual consultant for over 20
years.
“It was difficult to get him this time,” Andy laughs. “Now he’s won all
these awards as film director it was very hard to tie him down for an
album cover. But yes, Anton’s still involved, he’s very important to
Depeche Mode.”
The band is set to go on a mammoth global jaunt opening on May 10
with 28 stadium concerts across the Middle East and Europe. Further
legs of the tour will include the US and throughout South America. “We
played Mexico on the last tour and it was amazingly successful,” Martin
recalls. “We did two nights in Mexico City to 50,000 people each night.
Knowing how popular we are out there, we’re expecting a similar
reaction this time - we all felt we neglected South America on the last
tour, so we decided to put that right.”
For a band with such a long and successful history, selecting the set list
for the tour is a major task. Around 230 possible Depeche Mode classics
need to be honed into a 20-song concert. “Every time we tour now the
set list becomes a real nightmare,” says Andy. “Because we’re a
democracy, it’s like the Eurovision Song Contest, voting individually for
each song. But it’s not such a bad problem to have.”
Public response to the Tour of the Universe has been phenomenal, with
many European stadium shows selling out almost immediately. “The
touring thing is where it all makes sense for me,” nods Dave. “Once the
fans are there, there’s always that feeling underneath Depeche
Mode’s music of wanting to be part of something, and there are a lot
of people out there who feel the same.”
Ultimately, all three members of Depeche Mode pay tribute to the
loyal army of fans who have supported them for almost 30 years. Their
devotion is what makes forward-thinking albums like Sounds Of The
Universe possible, and their excitement is what makes Depeche Mode
tours such electrifying spectacles.
“We’ve been blessed over the years by our audience,” says Martin.
“We have the craziest, most loyal fans of any band I know. People who
think Depeche Mode are doomy should just come and see one of our
concerts and see how the audience react. The shows are just an
amazing high, everybody’s there to have a good time.”
In 2009, Depeche Mode are unstoppable. Get ready for the album of
the year from the biggest, brightest, best band in the Universe."
 
Unconfirmed but it ended up in our mailbox a few days ago. The upcoming Depeche Mode album "Sound Of the universe" will be released in 3 different formats: a regular audio CD with 13 new tracks (with the Japanese edition having a bonus track); a special edition holding the CD and an extra DVD including the 15 minute EPK, the 5.1 mix of the album and 2 mixes; a deluxe box set which is said to be including 2 audio CDs (including 5 extra songs and 5 demos), an extra DVD and 2 books in hardcover.

The details of the boxset - which is 'rumoured' to be sold for roughly € 80 and which is 'supposed' to be released a few weeks after the 2 other formats - are still unclear. What we got in our mailbox seems a bit too good to be true, so we will refrain from posting it until we get a confirmation.

http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=39933_0_2_0_C
 
cant wait to get my hands on this album......
I really enjoyed "playing the angel." They are still fabulous show to watch always had a fun time dancing at their shows/
 
Web clip #9 is up...

"In this week's web clip, Ben Hillier and Martin working on a keyboard riff for the middle break of "Wrong"."



This sounds like it's going to be one hell of a good single.
 
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Pete from HOME said:
wrong isnt full of layers, it has a simple up/down/up/down bassline, guitar on the second and third verses too, martin has some backing vocals at the end too.

whats so good about it is the clever lyrics, and the bleeping / pulsing bits added to the second and third verses.

i would really struggle to understand how a dm fan wouldnt get a stiffy from this song (girls included)

dave is singing the song quite differently, not yelling, but not singing, you know its him - but a harder edge to his voice.

it builds up and up, and then just stops.

as an appetiser what the last webclip and see martin move when it kicks in - its a great scene.


pete

woot!
 
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