So I've re-listened to Songs of Faith and Devotion. Wow. Absolutely blown away by how good this album is, from beginning to end.
The first three songs make up the best opening trilogy in Depeche Mode’s entire discography for me. “I Feel You” is an absolute monster, a song with a grunge attitude that doesn’t sound anything like the genre. That bluesy riff is dirty in the best way. “Walking In My Shoes” still stands as one of the band’s best songs. Everything about it clicks perfectly. The distorted keyboard that kicks things off, the lyrics, the way the whole song builds to the final chorus, all excellent. “Condemnation” has one of Gahan’s best vocal performances of his career. Everything about the sound feels so organic, which adds weight to Gahan’s emotional vocals.
The rest is just as good. “Mercy In You” could have easily been a huge hit single too. “Judas” is a gorgeously laid-back tune that brings out another great vocal from Gore. I love those pipes in the beginning. “In Your Room” surprisingly took a while to grow on me, but that chorus is undeniably great, especially when combined with that rhythm. “Get Right With Me” is one of the most industrial songs the band has ever done, just based on the drums alone. I love when the guitar comes up after Gahan says the song title. To put it simply, “Rush” is a complete rush. A kickass album track to keep the second half going strong. I would love to hear the band play this one again. “One Caress” manages to make those strings sound both beautiful and really haunting. A slightly creepy song that keeps you coming back to listen again. While “Higher Love” is my least favorite song on the record, I think it’s a better closer than “Clean” and it definitely builds to a satisfying conclusion.
Yeah, after listening to it now, I can definitely say this is my favorite DM album out of the ones I’ve heard, which are Music for the Masses, Violator, Exciter, Playing the Angel and Sounds of the Universe. It’s really a shame that Alan Wilder left after this record, because combined with Violator, it really showed Depeche Mode reaching their peak potential and I don’t think they’ve had that as consistently a three-piece. I’m really glad I gave this album another listen.