Dave Gahan explained that with the pandemic, and the hard blow of the death of Andy Fletcher, it was even considered that the time had come to close the door of Depeche Mode completely forever. However, it did not have a Martin Gore whose creativity was at its peak and who rescued Dave from that darkness to a comfortable and bright light that continues to fill the group with life. “Memento Mori” It is thus an album of transformation, built with Andy while he was alive and which, sadly, has been filled with a very special meaning with his death. Martin felt that he had to put the pieces in order, expel all the hits recently lived in songs, purify and that all those already created works do not remain buried in a black hole forever.
That full stop burned both of them inside and what they felt could only be explained and developed through music. This is how an album emerges with a clear message of taking advantage of life until the last second and not wasting time. Pain, love, new directions… An album of romanticism and ghosts, which builds a new meaning for the band through the essence of always. At this point, the now duo has managed to grow betting on a more luminous and direct production by the hand of James Ford (Gorillaz) with whom they gave life to “Spirit” and the magic of Marta Salogni (Björk, MIA). In addition, for the first time, Martin relies on someone outside the band, this time Richard Butler, to reinforce the creative process and a change of locations is generated, taking the recording of the album to Martin’s own studio as an escape from everything that remind them of Andy and stop them when they feel his absence.
They leave aside the political struggle and manage to turn the disenchantment they have towards a world exhausted into: illusion, resurrection and positivity. At this point it is not necessary to repeat that “Ghosts Again” It is one of the best themes Depeche Mode of the last years. But obviously this is the case and it had been a long time since we had a song so addictive, warm and with enormous personality released as the first single. The theme has undoubtedly become the soul and flag of this record. An example of that search to build some Depeche Mode dreamy, classic but fresh and starting a new unforgettable journey. Music cannot be just sharp spikes with which to scratch the world. Music is also passion, emotions, a form of language that the duo knows how to use perfectly and that this time they turn to to verbalize the existential crisis they are going through, heal wounds and help each other. It is the disc of mourning and they have not given much thought to what directions they should follow or what old paths to recover. Rather, they try to feel that again this album for Depeche Mode is a present, a whole, it is alive. “Memento Mori” is the story of Dave and Martin achieving peace after the war, the project that has given them everything they needed to push forward.
The album opens with a ball of darkness and tension moving forward ready to destroy everything in its path. so it appears “My Cosmos Is Mine” wanting few friends and as a representation of the most arduous side of the band. A steamroller that luckily stops before creating chaos to make way for new voices in our heads that invite us to believe that a better world is possible. Light begins to emerge “Wagging Tongue” with a much more pop cut, although it sounds like a classic, which brings new paths to explore on this album and which arrive, for example, with a “Don’t Say You Love Me” which is presented almost as the final dance of life and death. A romantic cut with an orchestral soul that blends between strings and distortions to generate a gothic aura that we love. And it is that, although broadly speaking we can say that “Memento Mori” it is a peaceful album and of simple execution; It is full of great moments, details to take care of and pleasant surprises. Another example of this is the development of issues such as “My Favourite Stranger” in which despite evolving in a direct and simple way, it ends up building a final tension that is disconcerting. Or, among the best tracks on the album, that “Always You” with the soul of a hit whose loop is difficult to get out of, with a special brilliance and in which the analogical and obsessive work of Marta Salogni in the production is noticeable.
The more post-punk side of the band is reflected very well in “Never Let Me Go” that appears at the end of the album and invites us to close with a “Speak To Me” strong and powerful that speaks of loneliness and isolation. An orchestral ballad that in turn is transformed, building again a tension that never stops exploding, an anxiety that never disappears and with which today’s society has learned to live. A closure that Martin himself described as perfect. In summary, “Memento Mori” came to light to describe what Depeche Mode it is in the present, beyond any attempt to build a genius that revolutionizes the band. It is a record that has helped them survive in one of the most fragile and sensitive stages of their lives. In addition, it has made them recover their enthusiasm for music and the idea of the importance of enjoying each step they take as a band as if it were their last. An ideal closure, with Andy’s great shadow over them, which leaves the near future of the duo completely open.