Delta Machine
I've been talking about making this post for a few months, but hearing Top Gear use part of "Long Time Lie" for a segment on a new sport hybrid Porsche brought it back to mind. (I don't know who Top Gear has choosing music for them, but over the years I've heard Depeche Mode, Killing Joke, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rob Dougan, and Lords of Acid among others, so I approve.)
Sometimes an album comes into my hands at the perfect time to match a fandom. Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero showed up as I was getting into the Trinity Blood manga, and here Depeche Mode's Delta Machine came to me as season 1 of Hannibal ended and I was hunting down its earlier episodes. It's not every day most of an album fits a show about a cannibal serial killer playing mind games with a fragile FBI-affiliated profiler. Songs I find especially applicable will have an asterisk after the name.
A little more about Delta Machine as an album. I found Depeche Mode's last album, Sounds of the Universe, deeply underwhelming, so I worried what the next one would be like. Needlessly worried. While more of the songs are slow than I prefer, I really like Delta Machine. While I know they've been moving more into using bass in the last decade or so, as a long-time listener I still find it weird when Depeche Mode's work spends so much time rumbling through the speakers like this. All the deep tones add more of a sinister effect, with darkness and texture. They haven't abandoned everything--sometimes you hear pieces of older work showing through--but they're looking toward the future. That they occasionally use some old synthesizer and video game sounds to do so amuses me.
It rumbles and rains down drama well on a car stereo, but there are so many intricacies that only show up when listening to it through headphones. (I got the two-CD deluxe edition, and I think the additional four songs are worth it.)
(disc 1)
1. "Welcome to My World" *
"And if you stay a while
I'll penetrate your soul
I'll bleed into your dreams
You'll want to lose control
I'll weep into your eyes
I'll make your vision sing
I'll open endless skies
And ride your broken wings
Welcome to my world..."
I first heard this on my car's stereo at night, where the thumping intro really made an impression. It's a very strong opener, and HBO used it in its commercials for its summer documentary series, though it skipped a lot of the darker lyrics of course.
2. "Angel"
"The angel of love was upon me
And Lord, I felt so small
The legs beneath me weakened
I began to crawl..."
The sung sections feel so wrongly timed against the music. For all I know that was deliberate, but it prevents me from really enjoying this one. I do wonder though, since I felt the timing on the music was a bit off leading into the chorus on "Welcome to My World."
3. "Heaven"
"Take comfort in my skin
Endlessly
Surrender to my will
Forever and ever
I dissolve in trust
I will sing with joy
I will end up dust
I'm in heaven..."
It's slower than I prefer, but I like it when I can get into its groove.
4. "Secret to the End" *
"The problem should've been you (should've been you)
Should've been you (should've been you)
Should've been you (could've been you, should've been you)
If it hadn’t been me (could've been you, could've been you)
Should've been you (should've been you)
Should've been you (could've been you)
Should've been you
If it hadn’t been me..."
I really love this one. It's from the POV of the betrayer and schemer.
5. "My Little Universe" *
"My little universe is expanding… slowly
Those who know me say I’m growing every day
Beautiful emptiness surrounds me
I take small steps
I'm making progress in an unspecific way
Here I am king
I decide everything
I let no one in
No one..."
This one's chilly but fun. In the context of Hannibal, Will might have been better off staying in his own little universe. Though who knows what might eventually come of season 2....
6. "Slow"
"I don’t need a race in my bed
When speed’s in my heart and speed’s in my head
Instead
It’s tempting for fools to rush in
When something’s so good why should we rush and fail?
It’s the same
Slow, slow
Slow as you can go
That’s how I like it..."
I'd like this song better if the guitar piece didn't sound like something recently used in a Viagra commercial. If this song keeps you erect for more than four hours, please consult a doctor. Yeah, this is a slow song mostly about slow sex.
7. "Broken"
"There’s a place where I go
Without any sand
Only you can reach me
Only you’re allowed
And you’re so far away
You’re so far from here
Do you remember
Our time without tears?
When you’re falling
I will catch you
You don’t have to fall that far...."
A good song, but not really appropriate for Will, who was failed by everyone who should have had his back.
8. "The Child Inside" *
"There is darkness and death in your eyes
What have you got buried inside?
The shallow grave in your soul
The ghosts that have taken control
You really should have dug a little deeper there
Body parts are starting to appear and scare
The child inside away..."
Martin Gore takes lead vocals for this dark, sometimes weirdly whimsical-sounding song.
9. "Soft Touch/Raw Nerve" *
"It's seeming
That you're dreaming
With my eyes
But why protest
When your success
Is my prize
Oh brother, give me a helping hand
Oh brother, tell me you understand..."
Unfortunately, the repetitive "Bomp! Bomp! Bomp! Bomp! Bomp!" of the music turns me into a raw nerve.
10. "Should Be Higher" *
"I dream of a day
When I dare to believe
You're the answer
When the shame
And the guilt are removed
And the truth appears
Of the touch of your hand
I lose who I am
If I want to..."
This one is so slinky. Love it.
11. "Alone" *
"I saw you at your best
I knew you at your worst
I couldn't tell if you were blessed or cursed
There's a thin grey line
Between the black and white
It's evidently hard to find at night..."
I'm not sure why I like this one so much, but I do, even though for the longest time "I was your father, your son, / And your holy ghost and priest..." kept throwing me when I sang along.
12. "Soothe My Soul" *
"I’m coming for you
When the sun goes down
I’m coming for you
When there’s no one around
I come to your house
Break down the door
Girl, I’m shaking
I need more..."
This isn't a song about love or lust, it's outright threatening. It could be your standard serial killer needing his fix. NBC used it in its commercials for its Dracula series.
13. "Goodbye" *
"I was always looking
Looking for someone
Someone to stick my hook in
And pull it out and run
Now I'm caught on your line
All my thoughts are entwined
In you..."
Slow, bluesy, and dramatic. Yet yay!
(disc 2)
1. "Long Time Lie" *
"It's been a while since you did something
And that's too long since you complained
Can sit around here doing nothing everyday
You're the kind who points a finger
I understand that I'm helping you
You have delusions and some spaced out fantasies
It's what you do
It leaves you all alone in the glory
Catch you down to size
You try to make you believe in all of his lies..."
Sinister. Aw yeah. Though the line "Just remember we know your secret while you moan" is awkward as hell.
2. "Happens All the Time" *
"Sometimes I forget all I will regret
When I leave this world behind
And sometimes I'm not sure
What I'm fighting for
It happens all the time..."
It's so sweet and pleasant sounding while the lyrics are so sad. Poor Will.
3. "Always"
"The bed is made and the candles burning
All our games are played and the clock keeps turning
We're out of tricks with the silence cutting
And the daggers stick as the doors keep shutting
I just wanna be part of the fire
Of the fire, of the fire, of the fire, of the fire in your eyes..."
Such a weird-sounding song, though I enjoy the more standard-sounding choruses.
4. "All That's Mine" *
"I know it's hard to reach you
I know it's hard to breathe
I know it's hard to be you sometimes
I can't imagine what that means
This must be someone else's story
I can't follow what you've planned
How could this be about me
Am I supposed to understand?"
Also sweet-sounding, also sad.
Sometimes an album comes into my hands at the perfect time to match a fandom. Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero showed up as I was getting into the Trinity Blood manga, and here Depeche Mode's Delta Machine came to me as season 1 of Hannibal ended and I was hunting down its earlier episodes. It's not every day most of an album fits a show about a cannibal serial killer playing mind games with a fragile FBI-affiliated profiler. Songs I find especially applicable will have an asterisk after the name.
A little more about Delta Machine as an album. I found Depeche Mode's last album, Sounds of the Universe, deeply underwhelming, so I worried what the next one would be like. Needlessly worried. While more of the songs are slow than I prefer, I really like Delta Machine. While I know they've been moving more into using bass in the last decade or so, as a long-time listener I still find it weird when Depeche Mode's work spends so much time rumbling through the speakers like this. All the deep tones add more of a sinister effect, with darkness and texture. They haven't abandoned everything--sometimes you hear pieces of older work showing through--but they're looking toward the future. That they occasionally use some old synthesizer and video game sounds to do so amuses me.
It rumbles and rains down drama well on a car stereo, but there are so many intricacies that only show up when listening to it through headphones. (I got the two-CD deluxe edition, and I think the additional four songs are worth it.)
(disc 1)
1. "Welcome to My World" *
"And if you stay a while
I'll penetrate your soul
I'll bleed into your dreams
You'll want to lose control
I'll weep into your eyes
I'll make your vision sing
I'll open endless skies
And ride your broken wings
Welcome to my world..."
I first heard this on my car's stereo at night, where the thumping intro really made an impression. It's a very strong opener, and HBO used it in its commercials for its summer documentary series, though it skipped a lot of the darker lyrics of course.
2. "Angel"
"The angel of love was upon me
And Lord, I felt so small
The legs beneath me weakened
I began to crawl..."
The sung sections feel so wrongly timed against the music. For all I know that was deliberate, but it prevents me from really enjoying this one. I do wonder though, since I felt the timing on the music was a bit off leading into the chorus on "Welcome to My World."
3. "Heaven"
"Take comfort in my skin
Endlessly
Surrender to my will
Forever and ever
I dissolve in trust
I will sing with joy
I will end up dust
I'm in heaven..."
It's slower than I prefer, but I like it when I can get into its groove.
4. "Secret to the End" *
"The problem should've been you (should've been you)
Should've been you (should've been you)
Should've been you (could've been you, should've been you)
If it hadn’t been me (could've been you, could've been you)
Should've been you (should've been you)
Should've been you (could've been you)
Should've been you
If it hadn’t been me..."
I really love this one. It's from the POV of the betrayer and schemer.
5. "My Little Universe" *
"My little universe is expanding… slowly
Those who know me say I’m growing every day
Beautiful emptiness surrounds me
I take small steps
I'm making progress in an unspecific way
Here I am king
I decide everything
I let no one in
No one..."
This one's chilly but fun. In the context of Hannibal, Will might have been better off staying in his own little universe. Though who knows what might eventually come of season 2....
6. "Slow"
"I don’t need a race in my bed
When speed’s in my heart and speed’s in my head
Instead
It’s tempting for fools to rush in
When something’s so good why should we rush and fail?
It’s the same
Slow, slow
Slow as you can go
That’s how I like it..."
I'd like this song better if the guitar piece didn't sound like something recently used in a Viagra commercial. If this song keeps you erect for more than four hours, please consult a doctor. Yeah, this is a slow song mostly about slow sex.
7. "Broken"
"There’s a place where I go
Without any sand
Only you can reach me
Only you’re allowed
And you’re so far away
You’re so far from here
Do you remember
Our time without tears?
When you’re falling
I will catch you
You don’t have to fall that far...."
A good song, but not really appropriate for Will, who was failed by everyone who should have had his back.
8. "The Child Inside" *
"There is darkness and death in your eyes
What have you got buried inside?
The shallow grave in your soul
The ghosts that have taken control
You really should have dug a little deeper there
Body parts are starting to appear and scare
The child inside away..."
Martin Gore takes lead vocals for this dark, sometimes weirdly whimsical-sounding song.
9. "Soft Touch/Raw Nerve" *
"It's seeming
That you're dreaming
With my eyes
But why protest
When your success
Is my prize
Oh brother, give me a helping hand
Oh brother, tell me you understand..."
Unfortunately, the repetitive "Bomp! Bomp! Bomp! Bomp! Bomp!" of the music turns me into a raw nerve.
10. "Should Be Higher" *
"I dream of a day
When I dare to believe
You're the answer
When the shame
And the guilt are removed
And the truth appears
Of the touch of your hand
I lose who I am
If I want to..."
This one is so slinky. Love it.
11. "Alone" *
"I saw you at your best
I knew you at your worst
I couldn't tell if you were blessed or cursed
There's a thin grey line
Between the black and white
It's evidently hard to find at night..."
I'm not sure why I like this one so much, but I do, even though for the longest time "I was your father, your son, / And your holy ghost and priest..." kept throwing me when I sang along.
12. "Soothe My Soul" *
"I’m coming for you
When the sun goes down
I’m coming for you
When there’s no one around
I come to your house
Break down the door
Girl, I’m shaking
I need more..."
This isn't a song about love or lust, it's outright threatening. It could be your standard serial killer needing his fix. NBC used it in its commercials for its Dracula series.
13. "Goodbye" *
"I was always looking
Looking for someone
Someone to stick my hook in
And pull it out and run
Now I'm caught on your line
All my thoughts are entwined
In you..."
Slow, bluesy, and dramatic. Yet yay!
(disc 2)
1. "Long Time Lie" *
"It's been a while since you did something
And that's too long since you complained
Can sit around here doing nothing everyday
You're the kind who points a finger
I understand that I'm helping you
You have delusions and some spaced out fantasies
It's what you do
It leaves you all alone in the glory
Catch you down to size
You try to make you believe in all of his lies..."
Sinister. Aw yeah. Though the line "Just remember we know your secret while you moan" is awkward as hell.
2. "Happens All the Time" *
"Sometimes I forget all I will regret
When I leave this world behind
And sometimes I'm not sure
What I'm fighting for
It happens all the time..."
It's so sweet and pleasant sounding while the lyrics are so sad. Poor Will.
3. "Always"
"The bed is made and the candles burning
All our games are played and the clock keeps turning
We're out of tricks with the silence cutting
And the daggers stick as the doors keep shutting
I just wanna be part of the fire
Of the fire, of the fire, of the fire, of the fire in your eyes..."
Such a weird-sounding song, though I enjoy the more standard-sounding choruses.
4. "All That's Mine" *
"I know it's hard to reach you
I know it's hard to breathe
I know it's hard to be you sometimes
I can't imagine what that means
This must be someone else's story
I can't follow what you've planned
How could this be about me
Am I supposed to understand?"
Also sweet-sounding, also sad.