And Now For Something Else At Least Slightly Different
Sometimes, just because you've been listening to the same band for four months straight, the people with you just assume that when you go to four stores to (try to) buy a CD it must be a new release by the same band. Wrong! I mean, it could be. But sometimes it's a CD by an unrelated production team that makes their own albums, each one featuring vocals by one chosen singer. Sometimes those singers front the band you've been listening to for four months straight. Not all the time. Just sometimes.
After a frustratingly futile attempt to buy it in person on Tuesday, my copy of The Light The Dead See finally arrived yesterday. I was not sure what to expect, as I have no clue about what the Soulsavers do (Wikipedia tells me they are a production duo specializing in downbeat electronica influenced by rock, gospel and country), so all I had to go on was the interviews where the one guy talked about how great and pressure-free it was working on the project and how Dave (Gahan. Shocking!) felt like it was among his best work. That sounds good on paper, but it was setting the bar pretty high.
In my quest to hear as much Mode-related music as possible, I have become pretty familiar with Dave's non-Depeche work. There's a lot of variety there, which is a good thing. In his one-off songs, he tends to stick pretty close to where you'd expect to find him... synthesizers, dance music, covers of acts you'd expect to find at the end of the phrase "If you like Depeche Mode, why don't you check out ___?" It's when he gets to making full-length albums that you get a better idea of where his head's at musically. I own (and adore) his first solo CD, Paper Monsters. It's a lot rougher around the edges than any of the Depeche CDs and it honestly took me a few listens to get used to it. I often find it interesting when band members do outside work, because you get a better look at what an individual is into, and what influences their personal work, which allows you to look at the actual group’s work with a new appreciation. (It’s how I was able to go from “Songs of Faith and Devotion? I don’t know about that one.” to “Songs of Faith and Devotion? Yes!” ) That’s what Paper Monsters did. I love that album because it’s not a Depeche album, but hearing it changed the way I listened to the Depeche albums around it. (That reminds me. I really need to listen to his second disc, Hourglass.) But that was 2003, which means it's from a different time and from a different perspective. This new thing was not going to be the same kind of album. That much I knew. But what kind of album was it going to be? (Hint: If it sucked there'd probably be no need for a cut.)
This album? Pretty Great. Although it pulls its musical influences from a lot of places, it’s definitely got an incredibly cohesive feel. I always tell people that I don’t really care for country, gospel or the blues, but if you filter them through the right things (in most cases these filters came in the form of four-or five-person packs of British gentlemen born in the 1940s) they can provide the foundation for some pretty amazing things. That’s how I feel about The Light The Dead See. I did not expect it to be terrible, but knew that there was a chance that the sounds of that familiar voice could end up being the only thing that made me keep listening until it either grew on me or I filed it away and chalked it up to the dangers of buying things you hadn’t heard beforehand. Luckily that was not necessary. By the end of the first play I knew it was great. It hasn’t been far from my ears since. I may have to check out some of their older work.
It's definitely not a Depeche Mode album. It's also not a Dave Gahan album. It's something else. It's been described as "Southern Gothic", "world-weary" and full of "widescreen epics". I remember a review saying it was perfect weather for a rainy day. Another person said they'd listened to it three times and had to put it away until they were looking for the perfect soundtrack for a swan dive off of a skyscraper. It's definitely got a dark sound, and there are some dark lyrics, but it's not "Let me lock myself in a candle-lit room and cry my eyes out" music. There's some positivity there. It's not the sound of someone at the bottom, but of someone who has been to the bottom and has made it out alive. Which makes sense, knowing the source.
The entire album streamed on Soundcloud before it was released. (I did not listen though, because the CD was my birthday gift to myself and I was afraid that if I'd heard it all two weeks in advance I'd be less inclined to actually go out and buy it which, defeats the purpose of the whole legit-music-buyer thing I'm working on. Of course, as I said, I went to four stores to buy it... and ended up ordering it from Amazon. Apparently music stores these days only specialize in music that is already big, albums by artists that are dead and things I can't imagine actual adults exchanging money for. Why are all of the new music racks filled with copies of Adele's 21, Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, Beastie Boys CDs, Now That's What I Call Music 7437236487236 and the new Glee album?). Anyway, you can hear it here ---> Soundcloud: The Light The Dead See. You'd think that meant I was done talking, right? Nope. There's more. There's always more.
The five songs that close out the album (Take Me Back Home, Bitterman, I Can’t Stay, Take and Tonight) are about as enjoyable a stretch of music as I have encountered in a long time.
Take Me Back Home
It's a little bit country, a little bit gospel and a little bit soul. It's songs like this that make me feel justified in constantly shoving what I am listening to in my friends' faces, because if just one of them would actually listen, maybe they'd understand why I get so excited about this kind of stuff. I'm like, "Snicker at my synthpop all you want, but you can't tell me this is not fundamentally a good song." That pretty much applies to all of these songs.You take me back there/Take me back home, please/No, I can’t go in there/Just take me back home, home/Is where I wanna be
Bitterman
I cannot decide if this one or the next one is by absolute favorite. There's something about the vocals on this one, not the lyrics but the actual singing that I really like. It may be among my favorite of Dave's vocals, and I have listened to a lot of his singing. This was the song I posted for 2012 for my facebook birthday song countdown. My friend told me, "wow!!! this is bad". I really suspect she is a not-so-secret musical racist, but I can't be like, "I get it... 'White man singing! Gross!', right?" even though I am 100% positive that's what it is, as that seems to be the only time she pops up hating. I guess listening to the same music you've listened to all of your life because you're "supposed to" could be awesome, but I suspect it's not really as awesome as she thinks it is.
There’s a face in the mirror/That I don’t understand/See the one that I wear is not who I am
I Can't StayAs I said, I go back and forth between this and Bitterman. If I could combine the style of the verses on Bitterman with the chorus on this one, whatever the result was would be the best song on the album.
Even as you talk/I can’t understand a word/Lips they keep on moving/Telling tired tales that have all been heard
TakeWhenever someone says "Oh it's so dark!" I just think, "Have you listened to the lyrics? It just might not be as dark as you think."
Take, take all you can/From the life you’ve been given/And stop making plans/This world is all that you need/You just have to notice/Remember to breathe
TonightAgain, it may sound dark, but it's not music to kill yourself by. Maybe music to think about killing yourself but then deciding not to by. Who knows? In closing, Dave Gahan continues to justify his position as the person who ended my lifelong streak of never having a favorite singer. Two thumbs up. This only increases my anticipation for the new Depeche album.
So listen to what I’m saying/Don’t be listening to their fear/You gotta jump into the water sometimes/You gotta risk it all, my dear, my dear
After a frustratingly futile attempt to buy it in person on Tuesday, my copy of The Light The Dead See finally arrived yesterday. I was not sure what to expect, as I have no clue about what the Soulsavers do (Wikipedia tells me they are a production duo specializing in downbeat electronica influenced by rock, gospel and country), so all I had to go on was the interviews where the one guy talked about how great and pressure-free it was working on the project and how Dave (Gahan. Shocking!) felt like it was among his best work. That sounds good on paper, but it was setting the bar pretty high.
In my quest to hear as much Mode-related music as possible, I have become pretty familiar with Dave's non-Depeche work. There's a lot of variety there, which is a good thing. In his one-off songs, he tends to stick pretty close to where you'd expect to find him... synthesizers, dance music, covers of acts you'd expect to find at the end of the phrase "If you like Depeche Mode, why don't you check out ___?" It's when he gets to making full-length albums that you get a better idea of where his head's at musically. I own (and adore) his first solo CD, Paper Monsters. It's a lot rougher around the edges than any of the Depeche CDs and it honestly took me a few listens to get used to it. I often find it interesting when band members do outside work, because you get a better look at what an individual is into, and what influences their personal work, which allows you to look at the actual group’s work with a new appreciation. (It’s how I was able to go from “Songs of Faith and Devotion? I don’t know about that one.” to “Songs of Faith and Devotion? Yes!” ) That’s what Paper Monsters did. I love that album because it’s not a Depeche album, but hearing it changed the way I listened to the Depeche albums around it. (That reminds me. I really need to listen to his second disc, Hourglass.) But that was 2003, which means it's from a different time and from a different perspective. This new thing was not going to be the same kind of album. That much I knew. But what kind of album was it going to be? (Hint: If it sucked there'd probably be no need for a cut.)
This album? Pretty Great. Although it pulls its musical influences from a lot of places, it’s definitely got an incredibly cohesive feel. I always tell people that I don’t really care for country, gospel or the blues, but if you filter them through the right things (in most cases these filters came in the form of four-or five-person packs of British gentlemen born in the 1940s) they can provide the foundation for some pretty amazing things. That’s how I feel about The Light The Dead See. I did not expect it to be terrible, but knew that there was a chance that the sounds of that familiar voice could end up being the only thing that made me keep listening until it either grew on me or I filed it away and chalked it up to the dangers of buying things you hadn’t heard beforehand. Luckily that was not necessary. By the end of the first play I knew it was great. It hasn’t been far from my ears since. I may have to check out some of their older work.
It's definitely not a Depeche Mode album. It's also not a Dave Gahan album. It's something else. It's been described as "Southern Gothic", "world-weary" and full of "widescreen epics". I remember a review saying it was perfect weather for a rainy day. Another person said they'd listened to it three times and had to put it away until they were looking for the perfect soundtrack for a swan dive off of a skyscraper. It's definitely got a dark sound, and there are some dark lyrics, but it's not "Let me lock myself in a candle-lit room and cry my eyes out" music. There's some positivity there. It's not the sound of someone at the bottom, but of someone who has been to the bottom and has made it out alive. Which makes sense, knowing the source.
The entire album streamed on Soundcloud before it was released. (I did not listen though, because the CD was my birthday gift to myself and I was afraid that if I'd heard it all two weeks in advance I'd be less inclined to actually go out and buy it which, defeats the purpose of the whole legit-music-buyer thing I'm working on. Of course, as I said, I went to four stores to buy it... and ended up ordering it from Amazon. Apparently music stores these days only specialize in music that is already big, albums by artists that are dead and things I can't imagine actual adults exchanging money for. Why are all of the new music racks filled with copies of Adele's 21, Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, Beastie Boys CDs, Now That's What I Call Music 7437236487236 and the new Glee album?). Anyway, you can hear it here ---> Soundcloud: The Light The Dead See. You'd think that meant I was done talking, right? Nope. There's more. There's always more.
The five songs that close out the album (Take Me Back Home, Bitterman, I Can’t Stay, Take and Tonight) are about as enjoyable a stretch of music as I have encountered in a long time.
Take Me Back Home
It's a little bit country, a little bit gospel and a little bit soul. It's songs like this that make me feel justified in constantly shoving what I am listening to in my friends' faces, because if just one of them would actually listen, maybe they'd understand why I get so excited about this kind of stuff. I'm like, "Snicker at my synthpop all you want, but you can't tell me this is not fundamentally a good song." That pretty much applies to all of these songs.You take me back there/Take me back home, please/No, I can’t go in there/Just take me back home, home/Is where I wanna be
Click to viewBitterman
I cannot decide if this one or the next one is by absolute favorite. There's something about the vocals on this one, not the lyrics but the actual singing that I really like. It may be among my favorite of Dave's vocals, and I have listened to a lot of his singing. This was the song I posted for 2012 for my facebook birthday song countdown. My friend told me, "wow!!! this is bad". I really suspect she is a not-so-secret musical racist, but I can't be like, "I get it... 'White man singing! Gross!', right?" even though I am 100% positive that's what it is, as that seems to be the only time she pops up hating. I guess listening to the same music you've listened to all of your life because you're "supposed to" could be awesome, but I suspect it's not really as awesome as she thinks it is.
There’s a face in the mirror/That I don’t understand/See the one that I wear is not who I am
I Can't StayAs I said, I go back and forth between this and Bitterman. If I could combine the style of the verses on Bitterman with the chorus on this one, whatever the result was would be the best song on the album.
Even as you talk/I can’t understand a word/Lips they keep on moving/Telling tired tales that have all been heard
TakeWhenever someone says "Oh it's so dark!" I just think, "Have you listened to the lyrics? It just might not be as dark as you think."
Take, take all you can/From the life you’ve been given/And stop making plans/This world is all that you need/You just have to notice/Remember to breathe
TonightAgain, it may sound dark, but it's not music to kill yourself by. Maybe music to think about killing yourself but then deciding not to by. Who knows? In closing, Dave Gahan continues to justify his position as the person who ended my lifelong streak of never having a favorite singer. Two thumbs up. This only increases my anticipation for the new Depeche album.
So listen to what I’m saying/Don’t be listening to their fear/You gotta jump into the water sometimes/You gotta risk it all, my dear, my dear