Speak & Spell (Deluxe Remastered)

iTunes Review

After several years distilling their sound solely around newly engineered synthesizers, Depeche Mode released several singles and a debut album, 1981’s Speak & Spell, that virtually defined a new genre of dance pop. Leader Vince Clarke’s indelible melodies on obvious highlights such as “New Life,” “Puppets,” “Dreaming of Me” and “Just Can’t Get Enough” established Depeche Mode as one of the most refreshing new bands to emerge from what was then considered Britain’s “New Romantic” movement. Clarke would subsequently leave the group to form Yazoo (known as Yaz in the U.S.) and later Erasure. However, the seeds of his creativity inspired the rest of the band to solider on. Decades later, much of Speak & Spell sounds like conventional wisdom, its telltale keyboard lines and punchy rhythms the obvious mix of Kraftwerk and Human League; however, this is further proof of the band’s lasting impact, as Speak & Spell was a daring, new sound when it first hit the music industry. The expanded version includes several exciting mixes, including the “Schizo” mix of the definitive hit “Just Can’t Get Enough” and the b-side, the darker, mature “Ice Machine.”