Album Review: Depeche Mode - Delta Machine

In the 1980s, who would've thought Depeche Mode could sustain themselves for more than 30 years? But here they are, alive and kicking in 2013, so how does Delta Machine, the group's 13th album, stack up?

The group have re-teamed with classic Violator and Personal Jesus era producer Flood in mixing the record, so it might surprise some just how astonishingly electronic the album is. Opener, Welcome To My World, doesn't beat around the bush with this, with throbbing, club-style beats and lyrics like “If you stay a while/I'll penetrate your soul”. The electronic pulses and vocals are turned way up in the mix; any traditional instrumentation, physical drum kit included, is virtually absent throughout the entire record.

Lyrically, the album sticks to the classic Depeche tropes of misery, loathing, vague existential woe and salvation – all crooned out by the seemingly vocally immortal Dave Gahan. Much of the album, funnily enough, is saved by this idea of nostalgia. The often generic synth patterns are saved by classic late-'80s/early-'90s Depeche dance grooves – but these elevate it to the level of a typical DM album, rather than a standout one. 

Highlight, My Little Universe, is their most modern tune in years. Primarily a minimalist pulse with simple, sinister-cum-sexy crooning over the top, it's peppered with an instrumental refrain and showcases the passion the group has for noisier ideas. The band's '05 Playing The Angel record showed them in rejuvenated spirits. Delta Machine doesn't undo this new relevance, but it doesn't help it. This is a good album that could stand as an oddball highlight in a lesser band's oeuvre, but Depeche Mode have set their modern-day standards a little out of this record's reach.