#2 helpful hint

I am ranked very high among Depeche Mode fanatacism...I simply love most of their stuff. At one time, before this album, I would have said "I simply love ALL of their stuff!". This release was simply a let down. Sure, there are some good songs - in fact, they are all "good"...but they're simply not DM...more like solo MLGore w/ Gahan singing. I am simply shocked, I am...



I hope their next one (2005-2006) will be more like Ultra, or whatever Exciter simply SHOULD have been! (this is helpful hint #2. For helpful hint #1, see my review of Ultra).



Even as a hardcore DM fan (yes, hardcore), I'm gonna have to veto this one. Save your hard earned cash, and buy something like Ultra or Violator or SOFAD or...simply, you get the idea...

A somewhat misleading title

Depeche Mode albums of the '80s and '90s had variety in terms of tempo and theme. Most featured some catchy, upbeat tunes intermingled with the more contemplative work. This album contains some interesting songs; however, the overall effect is sleep-inducing. It takes tremendous effort to endure the entire album, and the listener is not rewarded for the effort, particulary during the latter half of the album, which seems to drag as it proceeds from one languid song to another. The more interesting tracks may be worthwhile singles or downloads.

The Irony of Exciter

"Exciter" is, frankly, anything but. Composed of mostly low key ambiance, the first Depeche Mode album of the new century chose to speak softly rather than carry a big stick. While that means there are no instant classics ala "Strange Love" or "Personal Jesus," it also allows the album to grow on you and stick more than, for instance, the paint-by-numbers "Ultra." With Alan Wilder now out of the band, the remaining trio of Modesters have sobered up and redefined the sound.



It makes "Exciter" a spotty effort, but hard to ignore. The two main hits, "Dream On" and "I Feel Loved" are prime Depeche Mode. "I Feel Loved" even comes across as near Kraftwerk. The remaining songs are almost like a distant cousin to "Black Celebration," DM's darkest album. Where "Celebration" was centered on manipulation, doom and other obliquely depressing themes, "Exciter" is still a downer of a record with the downers more aimed at personal problems. "Breathe" diagrams the rumor mill that tears a relationship apart, and "When The Body Speaks" profiles an obsession. It also happens to be a beautiful, cathartic song, exactly what I always want from my Depeche Mode CDs. It's nice to hear them entering the next phase of their career clean and sober and making mature music for Goth folks.