DEPECHE MODE - MY COSMOS IS MINE

 

I think we can all agree that of Depeche Mode's 21st century output, the best album opener they've given us is A Pain That I'm Used To from Playing The Angel. Ok, Going Backwards was good, setting the tone for what was to come with Spirit, but other openers such as In Chains or Welcome To My World just haven't exploded into life like APTIUT.

As the first reviews of Memento Mori start to appear (UK magazine Uncut gave it 8 out of 10 which is encouraging), the band have released the next song from the album and it is the opener My Cosmos Is Mine.

Here it is:

A couple of things jump out from the off. Firstly, the bassline that starts at 17 seconds is highly reminiscent of The Gravedigger's Song by the much missed Mark Lanegan, a friend of Dave's and a great influence on him. The song is also very odd for a Depeche album opener and that is a very good thing. I'd seen the lyrics before I heard the song and feared an In Chains style track, but this is something much more enjoyable.

Martin is of course still writing about celestial bodies but that's what we've come to expect with latter period Gore. The production is what makes this track stand out. Dave's vocal is beautifully understated and Martin's backing vocals float in and out wonderfully, giving the track a unique feel. Depeche Mode haven't sounded like this before - somehow weary but positive at the same time. Musically, there is an industrial feel to it which is tremendously pleasing and overall, there is something almost puzzlingly warm about it.

I will always get over excited about any Depeche Mode release and with a new album on the horizon, my senses are definitely set to annoyingly positive. In an attempt to set my natural reaction to one side however, I've listened to My Cosmos Is Mine a lot and I do genuinely like it. It's a bold, quite strange and a really rather gorgeous start to an album.

If this and Ghosts Again are a sign of what is to come, then these are intriguing times. Who knows, perhaps even a song called Caroline's Monkey might turn out to be a classic? (Hmmmmmm).