And then there were two… There’s an argument to be made that, if Martin Gore is the brains of Depeche Mode and David Gahan is the voice, then the late Andy Fletcher was the soul. While the remaining band members are keen to emphasize that work began during the pandemic, which also directly inspired the title and themes of the record; Fletch’s presence, always felt on stage, inevitably haunts Memento Mori, the band’s fifteenth album and their first without him. It can make for a dark listen at times, but then Depche Mode are no strangers to darkness and, as with their best work, there is catharsis and even joy to be found here too,
Opening the album, the industrial percussion of My Cosmos Is Mine lays the framework for a darkly pulsing track, underpinned by snarling bass and layered with atmospheric synths. While Dave’s voice is still a thing of rich wonder, it floats on turbulent seas, reminiscent of the harder moments found on Sounds Of The Universe, and it makes for a compelling opener, even as it drifts into fractured noise at its conclusion. It’s followed by the brighter Wagging Tongue, a surprising throwback to the band’s earlier work, with its arpeggiated synth riff and snappy, 808 rhythms. The recently-released single Ghosts Again keeps things moving forward apace with stabbing synths that, after years of being kept alive almost solely within the Depeche Mode canon, have now swung back into fashion – something that almost certainly amuses the band. Continuing the tour of Depeche Mode’s storied past, the liquid guitar of Don’t Say You Love Me paves the way for a haunting blues that sees Martin Gore pile layer upon layer of dirty percussion onto the original melody as it builds towards its plaintive chorus. A tougher beat emerges on My Favourite Stranger, but the vocals are strangely obscured, with awkward effects glitching through the mix, although the harmonies the band have always done so well emerge at key moments. The first side concludes with the surprising Soul With Me, which deftly moves from Wendy Carlos-esque soundscape to sultry, Gore-led synth-soul. It’s a weirdly schizophrenic piece of music that requires no small amount of work on the part of the listener, but peel through the layers, and the result is a worthwhile and intriguing piece of music that has echoes of Bowie’s Berlin period within its DNA.
Opening the second side, the oddly-titled Caroline’s Monkey places Dave’s voice firmly to the fore, focusing the attention on a lyric that harks back to Spiritualized’s Come Together in its exploration of a flawed central character struggling to come to terms with their addictions. Next up, Before We Drown sees Depeche Mode explore a different sound, with squelchy synths reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails’ work on Year Zero. Nailed by a powerful, almost hypnotic kick and given an airy, expansive chorus, it’s an album highlight that gets under the skin and lodges there. Next up, the dense production of People Are Good provides a sequel to People Are People some forty years after the fact, filtered through the production tricks explored on Sounds Of the Universe. Of course, the superficially optimistic title packs a sting in the tail, as the oft-repeated line is followed with “keep fooling yourself”. A slower piece, Always You has a strikingly future-retro feel, although it’s the creaking, wheezing Never Let Me Go that really captures the attention, harking back to Music For The Masses with its heavily distorted guitar line and driving 303 bass line. The album concludes with the remarkable Speak To Me, a densely-packed finale that just builds and builds as Dave’s voice swirls at its heart. A beautiful, if darkly compelling piece of music, it has a post-rock vibe that perfectly suits the themes of mortality that run through the album, and it provides Memento Mori with a fitting conclusion.
While Memento Mori may have been predominantly written prior to Fletch’s shocking and untimely passing, his absence is keenly felt across the record. From the tastefully arranged photos (especially a beautiful shot that places the two figures of Martin and Dave with three shadows cast onto the rooftop), to haunting pieces such as My Cosmos Is Mine and Speak To Me, the album captures the sense of loss and confusion that so many of us felt during the pandemic, and the results are often cathartic. However, while there is a sense of loss, there is also redemption and introspection, the band having used the enforced downtime to explore a career in music, echoing mega-hit People Are People on People Are Good and exploring a range of synths and textures on tracks such as Ghosts Again and Always You. For over forty years, Depeche Mode have walked by the sides of their fans, sharing their hopes, their fears, their loves and their losses and, in Memento Mori they have once again sought to find comfort in community, crafting a deeply impressive album in the process. 8/10
