The Verdict Is Still Out

03.04.2004 - 6:56 p.m.

Out of boredom yesterday I decided to be that guy that searches his own name on the internet – and I ended up finding a music review I wrote in my old college newspaper! It was such a kick to read. It’s so horrible, but I have to share it with you, cuz a laugh at my own expense is the best kind really.

Bear in mind, this sucker is like 6 years old now. That’s eons in internet years. It's very bad with lots of cliched sayings - but six years ago, maybe I was cutting edge, who knows. I will say it's one bad college newspaper stereotype. But hey - I only did it cuz I got to keep the CDs. I'd write anything for free CDs.

I noticed the same issue of this newspaper had a movie review for something called "Pleasantville", with some wide-eyed young upstart named "Tobey Maguire".

***

Depeche Mode:

The Singles, 86-98

MUTE/REPRISE RECORDS

reviewed by amishboy.

Its amazing that alternative music is old enough to warrant "best of" compilations from some of its founding fathers. Such is the case though with one of the most influential of these bands, Depeche Mode. Seventeen years have passed since the release of their first album, yet all of the singles collected here beat most any current release on the charts in both originality of sound and lyrical depth.

Young adults will always be angry and depressed and nothing helps feed the fire more than a great mope-rock album. Depeche Mode have been making singles that put Morrissey to shame for years, and nothing helps to realize it more than bringing all the best together on one album.

Songs on this two-disc collection range from the slightly hopeful to dark and brooding, which may not seem very eclectic, but DM can make them sound worlds apart. Lead singer Dave Gahan is actually capable of showing us, if only for a moment, the positive side of anxiety and anticipation of love. In "World In My Eyes", Gahan pleas, "Now let your mind do the walking/And my body do the talking/Let me show you the world in my eyes." and then proceeds to take the song to almost ethereal heights with the lines, "All the islands in the ocean/All the heavens in motion/Let me show you the world in my eyes."

Yet other times he’ll deceive us with upbeat songs that are actually dragging us down into the constricting world of drug abuse, and showing us the false sense of security that they provide. In "Never Let Me Down Again", Gahan croons his love for his "best friend" (drugs), "We’re flying high/We’re watching the world pass us by/Never want to come down/Never want to put my feet back down/On the ground." Seductive songs with a hidden agenda abound on this album.

The highlights however are an almost euphoric live version of "Everything Counts", and the track "Little 15" previously available only in France. "Everything Counts" was recorded live in 1988 at the Rosebowl in Pasadena, and for those few minutes humanity had reached perfection. With Martin Gore’s mesmerizing music providing the reason and Gahan’s lilting voice acting as an unassuming instigator, the thousands of fans in attendance take the song over in an eerie chant, as if they had all simultaneously found meaning through their spiritual guides on stage, or at least their own Personal Jesus (track 7). Just to hear this one for yourself would be well worth the price of admission to this album.

With a singles collection the band is providing the perfect excuse for old fans to come home where they belong, and the perfect vehicle for new listeners to come and hear just who is responsible for influencing all of their favorite bands. It’s the work of true genius to make music that one can dance to, mope to, sleep to, and...well...you know what else you can do to it. And this album represents the best of the best.

Recently bombed a test? Had a bad break-up? Or just can’t get happy? Don’t fight it, feed it. Find a dark room, a loud stereo, and Enjoy The Silence.

out to pasture - to the barn raising