All I Ever Wanted

Hello, this is Bryan speaking/typing. As Shawn mentioned I am now a part of Half of a Wing and hope to put in my two cents on a somewhat regular basis. For my first entry I wanted to talk about an album I received from both Shawn and his wife Eileen for Christmas. Throughout the past several months they've been mentioning to me how much I would appreciate Depeche Mode, and that Violator is their best album by far. I've heard a good portion of the band's radio hits, but never a complete album until now.

Some related info on my personal music-listening history: My first real favorite band was Nine Inch Nails. Early on in high school I didn't know anybody and I wore a lot of black (I often blame the prior 9 years of catholic grade school), so NIN was absolutely perfect for the "Mr. Self Destruct" kid that I once was. I still love Trent Reznor's music, however the anger behind most of the songs hasn't stuck with me over the years.

As I currently listen to Depeche Mode's seventh album Violator, it becomes evident that most of NIN's material holds some definite sonic similarities. In general they're both dark and synth-heavy. They both have material produced by Flood. They're both cool to listen to while driving at night. However, the main difference between this and NIN is it's more pop/melody and less insanity...which is something that appeals to me more nowadays.

This album makes me feel like I'm being transported to another dimension. It's dark, dancey, beautiful, and retro-catchy. It has a certain dated cheesiness to it which I feel only adds to how good it is. The passionate vocals are loaded with reverb. The synthesized instrumentation ties the whole album together but is different enough from song to song where it never gets boring. I immediately recognized the radio hits like Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, and Policy of Truth. The other album tracks are easily welcomed upon the first listen. Some of the lyrics can be a bit melodramatic and cheesy (Takes me completely / Touches so sweetly / Reaches so deeply / I know that nothing can stop me), but you accept it for how original the overall production is and for how easily the songs will loop around in your head throughout the day.

If you have even the smallest bit of curiosity about Depeche Mode you'll probably appreciate Violator. It has been playing in my car regularly since receiving it for Christmas. The only gift that would have been able to top it is a Texas Instruments A-100 calculator (see previous entry).