Can you believe that Depeche's Construction Time Again turned 40 this week?

The first Depeche album I ever owned was "The Singles 81->85" on vinyl. It's not an exaggeration to say that it changed my life forever. Every single song on that album is fantastic. But one song stood out head and shoulders from the others: Everything Counts. A song, to this day, that never fails to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. So, naturally, I wanted more of that and went looking for whatever album had that song.

You can make a solid case that Depeche Mode are one of the most influential bands electronic music has ever seen. They've left an indelible mark on the music industry with their innovative sound and thought-provoking lyrics. They've left a mark on me personally; they wrote the soundtrack to my youth. Among their impressive discography Construction stands out as a pivotal album that marked a real shift in their musical direction.

When you listen to their studio albums in order, you can hear this album is where everything changed. Construction marked a significant departure from Depeche Mode's earlier synth-pop sound, introducing a more industrial and experimental edge. The album's distinctive sound was partly influenced by the band's collaboration with producer Gareth Jones, who brought a fresh perspective to their creative process. Incorporating unconventional sounds like clanging metal and sampled industrial noises.

The great Synth Britannia documentary has a behind the scenes look at their use of samplers. I love that scene of Martin rolling the pebble along the track of a patio door. A sound that would be sampled and included on the song Pipeline.

The album paved the way for Depeche Mode's evolution into a band that was unafraid to tackle complex subject matter. The album's fusion of synth-pop sensibilities with industrial undertones influenced numerous artists and helped shape the trajectory of electronic music. When you listen to Ministry's Twitch, or even Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails you can't help but think they listened to Construction Time Again. A lot.

So Happy Birthday Construction Time Again, you hold a near and dear place in my heart. I'm going to listen to you again now. Loud.

I've mostly ignored Taylor Swift except when I tell the kiddo to turn her music down. But credit where credit is due. This song is really good.

Things that should have been Tweets, yet weren't, but stayed in my head nonetheless.

• Man those early Simple Minds albums are so good. Sons And Fascination and Sister Feelings Call just sublime.

• Apple TV+ has some pretty great shows you should watch. Severance, The Shrink Next Door, Ted Lasso, Silo, Foundation, The Essex Serpent, Slow Horses, Shrinking.

• A round up of other TV shows worth your time. The Peripheral, Wednesday, 1899, The Last Of Us, Black Sails, Beef, Hunters, Outer Range, From, Night Sky.

• I'm suffering from Marvel fatigue. It's the only thing I can think of why all of a sudden the thought of watching the TV shows or movies makes me go meh. I might be missing out on some gems by not watching anything since Loki. But I just can't bring myself to watch them.

• I found my old Dr Martens boots the other day. Nostalgia of the olden goth years. I mean, I still have a thousand black t-shirts, that's never changing but they're the grown up ones.

• After trying both Mastodon and Bluesky, I keep getting drawn back to Twitter. A cesspool of a service undoubtedly made worse by Musk certainly, but everyone I like following is still there. And lo, you go (or stay) where the people are.

The Doctor Mix YouTube channel is fun. He's just so into playing synths it's really a joy to watch. A recent video was shot this side of the pond in LA at the Perfect Circuit Showroom.

Who among us hasn't wanted to see a recreation of Axel F anyway?

In January I mentioned I have a complicated relationship with Depeche. A new album had been announced, and once again we long time fans brace ourselves and hope for something moderately decent. The lead single Ghosts Again was released a month later, and good heavens it was magnificent! Could the new album actually be any good?

Memento Mori has arrived.

The first listen was nerve wracking. I only really liked two songs so decided to give it a few days of repeated listens for everything to sink in. After each listen I found there were more things I liked that time around. One night while loading the dishwasher I found myself humming one of the new tracks. A good sign.

So, five days in, is it any good? Yes it is. It's much better than Spirit and Delta Machine. And to be honest that's all I could have really hoped for. There's less bluesy guitar work this time around and the synths & strings used to great effect.

Tracks I like:

My Cosmos Is Mine
Wagging Tongue
My Favorite Stranger
People Are Good
Always You
Never Let Me Go

Tracks I love:

Before We Drown
Ghosts Again
Speak To Me

Tracks that make me go hmmm:

Don't Say You Love Me
Soul With Me
Caroline's Monkey

Before We Drown is majestic, and Speak To Me is the best album closer since Clean from Violator.

Depeche albums do take a while to fully sink in. I have to remind myself that some of their albums I consider classics I've listened to with the benefit of years of reinforcement. Of course the Alan Wilder years are long gone, they're never going to be that band again. But I could grow to like this new version of the band based on this album.

If this proves to be their swansong, so be it, a fitting book end to an amazing career.

Manic Street Preachers are one of my favorite bands of all time. To Repel Ghosts.

Espen Kraft (who has a wonderful YouTube Channel by the way) released his latest album Dreams at the end of last year. It's a great trip down 80s synthwave nostalgia lane. I'm loving the instrumental track Lullabye that closes out the album.

Today Depeche Mode released Ghosts Again from their upcoming album Momento Mori. In January I mentioned I have a complicated relationship with the band but ultimately I was cautiously looking forward to the new material.

And here it is. And I must say, I love it. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up in a way no Depeche song has done in a long time. So bravo gentlemen.

I have a complicated relationship with Depeche Mode. But first some history.

The very first Depeche Mode song I can remember hearing was Shake The Disease back in 1985. I must have been eleven years old? There was a boy who lived across the street that I was friends with. He was a couple years older than me and had bought the song on 7" single. I can distinctly remember him bringing it over and we listened to it on my Dad's record player in our living room.

I didn't know it at the time, but that would change things forever. I'd found the exact song, the exact band, the exact type of music that would become the soundtrack of my youth.

One of the first albums I ever bought on vinyl with my pocket money was The Singles 81→85. I played that album to death. And it was the start of my teenage Mode vinyl addiction that spread to buying every album and 12" remix of any song I could get my hands on. Any excuse to go into a record shop to look just in case there was a rare mix I didn't own.

It wasn't just vinyl. I'd go on to buy every single VHS tape of videos or concerts – eventually wearing out my copy of The World We Live In And Live In Hamburg. Over the years I'd end up seeing them live six times, the best of which on the Devotional tour at Crystal Palace in London 1993.

So why a complicated relationship?

The Depeche of the Alan Wilder golden years is my favorite band of all time. Hands down. Not even close. To me, this body of work will never be bettered:

Construction Time Again
Some Great Reward
Black Celebration
Music For The Masses
Violator
Songs Of Faith And Devotion

Alan left of course. The band continued without him and would release a further six albums. All of which I still bought, because Depeche Fucking Mode.

But herein lies the rub. Any long time fan will tell you the albums of the later years are (whispers) not great.

And so we fast forward to the year 2022. Two major things happened. Fletch passed away. Dave and Martin announced a new album.

So, yet again, even after being burned so many times before, I find myself looking forward to a new Depeche album. Maybe this time it will be good?

I've been a music stats junkie ever since I heard about last.fm in 2006. And every year I look forward to the end of year review. Unlike Spotify with their 'Wrapped', last.fm actually do this correctly by acknowledging that December is a month in which people still listen to music.

So how did it shake out? 20,493 scrobbles – a slight increase over 2021 – but I'm still listening to less music than I used to. Podcasts are 100% to blame here. And there are only so many hours in the day for competing media attention in my ears.

No surprise Depeche were the top band. Fletch's passing meant I went on a bit of a nostalgic re-listen to their body of work. A decent year for synth acts overall and I'm really loving Korine at the moment. Kinda funny that stalwarts Rammstein still make an appearance in every one of my end of year lists. And I really really really loved Suede's new album and played that a lot.

Here's to 2023 in my ears!