Electronic albums play a huge role in my fascination with music. For me, synthesizers and drum machines aren’t better or worse than live drums and guitars. They’re just different. They make music much more imaginative for me. I think Nick Rhodes’ synth parts on those early Duran Duran albums were some of my first loves. Shimmery one moment, jarring the next. Rhodes’ keyboard flourishes changed the complexion of every song. This month, I’m featuring my Top 15 electronic albums along with one featured track.
Album: Black Celebration (1986)
Some Great Reward was the album that introduced me to Depeche Mode. But the next record, Black Celebration, is the one that made me a fan for life. This is the album that solidified DM’s brand of dark, ominous electro-pop. The band took a major leap forward on this record. It oozes with confidence and swagger. Gore’s songwriting was in the zone. Gahan sang songs that allowed his baritone voice to elevate and dominate. Wilder created some of the band’s most memorable synth compositions. And Fletch’s behind-the-scenes, unfettered command of bass, drones and support keyboard parts can’t be denied. Want proof? Listen to “Stripped”.
One of the band’s all-time best tracks, “Stripped” is Depeche Mode. And Depeche Mode is “Stripped”. It’s far more characteristic of the band’s defining sound than “Just Can’t Get Enough”, “People Are People”, “Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy The Silence” combined. “Stripped” gets under your skin, inside your bones and messes with your head. The opening sound effect is reminiscent of a car driving incessantly on a flat tire. If that doesn’t rope you in, Gahan’s lead vocals with Gore on back-up will. The insistent darkness is compounded by multiple synth riffs – a darting arpeggio in the lower registers and the ominous treble notes that soar over us. “Stripped” is a song that I can listen to again and again and again.
“Metropolis has nothing on this.”