Delta Machine Heaven

New Studio Album ‘Delta Machine’ Set For Release March 26th on Columbia Records Depeche Mode to Debut Video for First Single ‘Heaven’ on VEVO Next Friday, February 1st

(Columbia Records; New York, NY; January 24, 2013) – Depeche Mode have announced they will release their highly anticipated 13th studio album, entitled Delta Machine, on March 26th worldwide via Columbia Records. The album, recorded over the last year in Santa Barbara, California and New York City, was produced by Ben Hillier and mixed by Flood. In addition to the album announcement, Depeche Mode have also confirmed that the video for the first single “Heaven” will debut on VEVO next Friday, February 1st. Alongside a standard CD format, Depeche Mode will release Delta Machine in an exclusive Deluxe Edition with four additional new tracks and accompanied by a 28 page hardcover book including photos by longtime artistic collaborator Anton Corbijn (please see track listing, as well as album and single configurations below).

Martin Gore said of the release, “Writing this album was incredibly daunting as I wanted the sound of this collection to be very modern. I want people to feel good about listening to this record, to get some kind of peace. It’s just got something magical about it.”

Dave Gahan added, “With this release we’ve completely shifted our idea of how to create an album. When we hit a wall where we realize the album is beginning to sound too normal, we’ll mess it up and really give it that organic Depeche Mode Sound. Delta Machine is no different, and I can’t wait for all of our fans to hear it.”

Following the release of their new album, Depeche Mode will embark on a European stadium tour, kicking off in Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park on May 7th. They will perform 34 shows in 25 European countries, featuring appearances at Milan’s famed San Siro Stadium, the Stade De France in Paris, and Moscow’s Locomotive Stadium before wrapping up the European leg of their tour in Minsk, Belarus on July 29. A full North American tour will follow, with details to be announced in the coming weeks.

The tracklisting for Delta Machine is as follows:

STANDARD:

1 - Welcome To My World

2 - Angel

3 - Heaven

4 - Secret To The End

5 - My Little Universe

6 - Slow

7 - Broken

8 - The Child Inside

9 - Soft Touch / Raw Nerve

10 - Should Be Higher

11 - Alone

12 - Soothe My Soul

13 - Goodbye

DELUXE EDITION: (includes hardcover 28-page booklet)

DISC 1

1 - Welcome To My World

2 - Angel

3 - Heaven

4 - Secret To The End

5 - My Little Universe

6 - Slow

7 - Broken

8 - The Child Inside

9 - Soft Touch / Raw Nerve

10 - Should Be Higher

11 - Alone

12 - Soothe My Soul

13 - Goodbye

DISC 2

1 - Long Time Lie

2 - Happens All The Time

3 - Always

4 - All That’s Mine

The tracklisting for the “Heaven” CD single is as follows:

“Heaven” CD SINGLE:

1 - Heaven

2 - All That’s Mine (b side bonus track)

“Heaven” CD MAXI:

1 - Heaven

2 - Heaven (Owlle Remix)

3 - Heaven (steps to heaven rmx)

4 - Heaven (Blawan Remix)

5 - Heaven (Mathew Dear vs Audion Remix)

January 24, 2013 

Lacuna Coil jump on the "rip off the fans" bandwagon...

Lacuna Coil, one of my favourite bands, has recently had their current album Shallow Life re-issued with a bonus disc of extra tracks and live performances. The same thing happened with their album Comalies but at least at that time you could buy the bonus disc from the Century Media shop if you had already bought the original album (Century Media being the bands record label). This time however there is no such option.


When I bought Shallow Life, when it was originally released last April, there were two versions available. A digipak version with a bonus track, Oblivion, and a standard 12 track jewel case version. I opted for the digipak version to get the bonus track (who wouldn't want more music from their favourite bands?). When I found out that a new "Deluxe Version" had been released I wasn't very happy. I bought the album as soon as it came out because I love Lacuna Coil's music and couldn't wait to own it. Now I feel cheated because if I had waited nearly a year I could have had bought the "Deluxe Version" instead of one of the standard versions. Many of the extra tracks in the "Deluxe Edition" are cuts from the Shallow Life recording sessions so would have been available at the time of the albums original release. Why didn't they put them out on a "Deluxe Version" back then?

Stonesour, P!nk, Disturbed , In This Moment, Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Destiny's Child, Foo Fighters, Atreyu, Deathstars, Miley Cyrus, Ozzy Osbourne... So many artists and bands have done this over the years and it is an insult to us, the fans. The fans should be able to have the choice from day one as to whether they should buy the "Deluxe Version" or the "standard version". Chances are it isn't entirely the bands' decision, it's more likely than not down to the record label and management. Either way it still doesn't bode well for the fans, who have to shell out more money for an album they already have just for a few extra tracks. YES I want the extra tracks but NO I don't want to have to buy the album again to get them. Why would I want 2 copies of the same album?

It seems that this is what happens when a band gains more popularity. The record labels decide it's a good idea to screw their fans for as much money as they can. After all of this they still wonder why people download illegally. Any true fan of a band will buy the album when it's first released. They won't wait on the off chance that a "Deluxe Version" becomes available.

Many albums are available from the original release in "Deluxe Edition" and "standard edition" so why can't they all be the same? Why do some bands feel the need to rip fans off by releasing additional content for a premium at a later date?

I should point out that remastered albums I don't have a problem with. With the remasters you're getting remastered audio and a lot of the time access to bonuses that wouldn't have been able to have been released at the same time as the original due to the different technology of the era.
I quite happily got the latest Depeche Mode, Rammstein, Children of Bodom, and Creed albums in the "Deluxe Edition" and was able to do so on the original release dates and not nearly a year later. No wonder the world of music is a mess. It's no longer about the music and creativity instead, as with everything else in the world, it's about money, money money!

In 40 years time what modern day music is going to be as influential and popular as the music of the 1960-70s? Which of todays artists and bands will have a legacy as great as that of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Elvis Presley? Not many, if any.