This album is a culmination of Depeche Mode's middle-period experimentation. More informed by goth than techno, it is still anchored by plenty of the larger-than- life-baritone melodrama so distinctive of David Gahan's vocals. The most experimental track is "Pimpf"--a song that heave-hoes along with the synthesised emulation of a Russian men's choir. Although nowhere near fast enough to be danceable, the commanding "Never Let Me Down" ranks as the best single on the album, with the most hummable "Strangelove" coming in a close second. Each song is a praiseworthy accomplishment, but the singles here set off the experimental tracks, making the album seem thematically schizophrenic. --Beth Bessmer
