ULTRA
[From Bong 32, June 1997. Words: Lajos Borbely.]
Summary: The president of the Hungarian Depeche Mode fanclub reviews Ultra in glowing terms.
Although Depeche Mode only took leave of their fans in the summer of 1994, the band has not produced any new pieces of music since the spring of 1993. The long break held many thousands of fans in a state of uncertainty and almost despair. Still, when we first heard the new songs of the perpetually renewing Depeche Mode, I am sure that everybody was overcome by some kind of an inner trembling. The first listen to the new album will remain an experience for life. Some sort of a magic spell reaches you, a spell which takes hold of you for years…
The first thing that attracts attention is that the album is relatively long. The length of almost 59 minutes promises to be a good omen. Instead of the usual nine or ten, there are twelve songs. The interviews also indicated that we can expect maturity in their music because of the growing flood of session musicians. Much can be guessed from the statements made by the band’s members… the music, however, should speak for itself.
The familiar sounds cleave the air… “Barrel Of A Gun”! The opening drums blow your head off. The singing is almost unrecognisable because of the distorting effects, the music is quite chaotic… The song clears up by the second verse. The questions of the chorus fly in the air… what do you expect of me? [sic]… what is it you want?… is there something you need from me? In the echoing lines, there lies Dave’s sorrow: I’m not the one! Martin’s inkling of Dave’s state of mind? Who knows? However, it appears to me that Dave sings of his own grief, no doubt about it.
The second song begins with the sound of drums and percussion… creating a cunning atmosphere. “The Love Thieves”! The guitar that slowly enters the intro indicates the calmness of the song. The sentimental voice of the first verse and the lines full of images of life definitely ensure that this must be the most peaceful song. As always, the religious elements turn up in later verses. The Bible, Adam with Eve and other references to existence and faith. The intensified mood of the chorus is strengthened by a recurring guitar scale passage. A number of interesting lines… love needs its martyrs… love will be the death of my lonely soul brothers… At the end, the guitar becomes more intense, dictates a monotonous pace, and ends the song in a long scale passage, thus leaving behind a positive feeling.
The next song is called “Home”. A word which has always taken up Martin’s attention, a word which appears on each and every album. The faltering sensuality of the chorus undoubtedly indicates that the song is a perfect fit for Martin. Somehow, it could not be sung by anyone else! The rising musical atmosphere in the refrain becomes complete with the stringed instruments and the guitar joining in. This is the peak of the song, with the message of destiny within the lyrics again… I should have known from my first breath. The song ends with a guitar solo and an intense stringed accompaniment that calms down in this, almost one minute long, instrumental final.
An amplifying bass and a strong drum line break the peace… “It’s No Good”. The excellent and shocking bass is complemented by an even better sound of the synthesiser. Dave’s modulation of voice is simply excellent. The lyrics of the first verse and the images created set the song in to an inexplicable atmosphere. Yes, this is the right word – atmosphere – and a positive one. And this feeling arises throughout the whole album. So far, this is the most positive song with regard to the music and the lyrics… it’s written in the stars above… you’ll be right here by my side… you can run, but you cannot hide… and we didn’t get to the end of the first half of the album yet! The song ends with the repetition of the first verse and after the final musical chords, the song simply fades away… The perfect choice for the second single!
“Uselink”, a short but brilliant instrumental link-up between the songs, recalling the atmosphere of “Violator”. One of the best ideas for any album. One might even suggest a similarity with Jean Michel Jarre, but this is Depeche Mode, yet another masterpiece!
After the instrumental piece, it’s about time we hear some drums and guitar again. “Useless” evokes a comparison with “In Your Room” in the way some of the instruments and sounds are used. This track surprising comes to an abrupt end in contrast to the other songs which run for five or six minutes.
We have now got to Dave’s current favourite, “Sister Of Night”. By the lyrics, this song may well be compared to “Waiting For The Night”… the words like fire, flame and burns becoming characteristic of the soul. The strange sound of the guitar creeps in and re-occurs time after time. The beseeching lines of the chorus bring about a possibility of recovery… you heal me, hey sister, I feel it too. After the touching refrain, everything seems to run mad… sharp and almost harsh drums break the silence. Then the intermezzo comes to the end and everything is quiet again. The music is angelic and the chorus is prominently good.
“Jazz Thieves”, the second instrumental. Brilliant. It almost feels as if this theme was the brother of Recoil’s “Freeze”. The xylophone accompaniment makes the song even more interesting. I sometimes would not mind listening to these instrumentals only…
“Freestate”, a promising song. Somehow, there is always a song on every album that touches me at the very beginning. I feel it here as I did in the case of “Walking In My Shoes”. At the beginning of the song, you are flung away to another world by the chords of a distorted country guitar giving the song a unique atmosphere. The recurring three lines at the end of the verses and the accompanying guitar tell me that I must be listening to the best song on the album, at least in my view.
It is Martin’s angelic voice again that breaks up the musical effects emerging from the twilight. “The Bottom Line” is the second song sung by Martin. The lyrics at the beginning of the track offer you a possible comparison with Dave’s life again. Dave being nicknamed The Cat and the cat that has several lives, always lands on its feet and survives… like a cat dragged in from the rain, who goes straight back out to do it all over again…
“Insight”. An interesting title. The last song of the album is awaited with curiosity. The Dave-Martin vocal that I like so much appears in some of the verses and in the chorus and I must admit I missed their link in some parts of the album. I can feel the positive energy again. Dave’s trembling voice and the lines of the chorus remain burnt into my mind forever… The fire still burns.
Somehow, I always become a little bit gloomy by the end of each and every album. I become gloomy because something has come to an end and I don’t know whether there will be a continuation… The closing song, the well-known “Painkiller”, is a real painkiller for the fans listening to the album. The song is inexpressively good. I can now see why this song was put here at the end. This is the lull!
The album comes to an end. I feel something indefinably positive, and positivism is the best thing on earth. This is our, the fans’, extra ULTRA destiny… Thank you, Depeche Mode!!!