The Fashionably Late Top 66 of 2017: Depeche Mode

It’s been a hell of a year. 2017 was exhausting, stressful, and at times just plain terrifying. But for all the mess that’s happened over the past 12 months, and there’s certainly been so much, there’s also been a lot of good going on in the world. From a musical standpoint, for instance, 2017 was rather exceptional. There were so many glorious new sounds to take in.

I’ve put together my list of favorites from the year that was, a touch fashionably late as always. Once again, I’ve decided to eschew a ranking system and instead give you an alphabetical look at the records I fell for this year. There’s some names here that will come as no surprise to anyone, and perhaps a few that might surprise you. These are simply my favorites from 2017, the albums I went back to again and again, the albums that I swooned over. So, without further exposition, here’s my list. I think you’ll find you can get your kicks from any and all of the 66 records I’ve chosen, and I truly hope you’ll find some treasures to cherish, as I cherish each and every record here. Many, many thanks to the artists who put out this fantastic music, their sounds helped make 2017 bearable.

Who: Depeche Mode

What: Spirit

When: March 2017

Where: Columbia Records

Why: Drawing from the darkness that's been so prevalent for the past year plus, Depeche Mode's Spirit is a record tailor-made for our current unstable times. The band's synthpop par excellence is heavy with the weight of frustration and displeasure, taking aim at both the dirty deeds of politicians and the general apathy that comes from a jaded global populace. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world, and Depeche Mode doesn't flinch from making that very point.

[posted 1.28.18]