1111111116 E Wheels Ii

DEPECHE MODE that would be unthinkable in the singles-dominated me the other day, but some of their lyrics are more market of Britain. aggressive- 'Crushed by The Wheels Of Industry': "The sound we've come up with recently is slightly It's tempting to read too much into this apparently reminiscent of some of the earlier German electronic sudden turn towards politics- to expect revelations groups, like DAF, possibly," observes Wilder. This of some Damascus-like conversion to The Cause- may explain some of the local enthusiasm. Where yet Mode's attitudes seem essentially low-key, would Mode be without Kraftwerk? perhaps even alittle naive. "Let's take the whole ofthe As if to confirm the Teutonic twist, as soon as world/The mountains and the sand' Let all the the group's tourbus arrives in the industrial boys and the girls shape it in their hands", Gahan city of Düsseldorf, Martin Gore rushes off to the sings in 'And Then...'. Would it were so simple. HQ of local indie label Ata Tak to complete his "On the last "None of us are really into it heavily," says collection of the label's releases (which include Gore, "none of us belong to any parties. Idon't Der Plan, Pyrolator and Die Doraus). album, we think there's one of us that's interested even Ask them why they mixed Construction... slightly in politics." in Berlin's Hansa Studios (check the small Gahan adds: "None of us have studied politics print on The Idiot and Low) and they'll tell really tried or anything like that. Oh, Andy's got an A-level. you it was simply because of the mixing desk Ha ha!Andy's probably more interested than there. And ask them whyAlan Wilder bashes anyone else, but none of us are really serious apiece of corrugated metal on stage during to toughen up about politics." the song "Pipeline" and the answers will be According toAndy Fletcher, they have always less than totally straightforward, slightly the sound" had socialist sympathies-it's just that this is the defensive, as if they're about to be attacked first opportunity they've had to air them. The for ripping off German metal-drummers lyrics on the first album were by Vince Clarke, Einstürzende Neubauten. who "doesn't really care about lyrics at all", and many of Gore's words on "Actually, when we decided about that we hadn't really cottoned on ...Framewere written when he was only 16 or 17, which is "why they seem to all those [metal-beating] bands, but since it came into fruition all like bland love songs". Like Jim Kerr, much of Gore's writing since then those bands have popped up as well, so Isuppose it looks like we're had been influenced by his experiences of travelling around the world. climbing on some sort of bandwagon," says Wilder. "We just thought But why such reticence on the subject, having dedicated awhole album it would suit the song." to social issues?Andy Fletcher comes nearest to explaining their position But Fletcher is alittle more open about their relationship to when he says: "We've got to be careful that we don't become hypocrites. the "movement". It's very easy to write about such subjects as famine, but then people just "I think we all like the idea. When we actually made the album we did go turn around and say, 'You're hypocrites!' I mean, we do earn quite abit of on asound-hunting expedition. We went down Brick Lane and just hit money. I think we're too selfish to give all our money away, although everything and then recorded it and took it back to the studio and then that's what we should do." put it into the keyboard. That's howwe made the track 'Pipeline'. We was, In the wider context of politics, the symbol of The Worker is no longer a like, smashing corrugated iron and old cars. The vocals were recorded in a potent one- in many ways it serves as an almost embarrassing reminder railway arch in Shoreditch-you've got the train three-quarters of the way of the image of the left as nostalgic and backward-looking, based on some through and the aeroplane up above. It's really interesting doing that." mythical, idealised vision of the past. Whether their adoption of asymbol of aworker-hero, hammer poised If the left is to capture the popular imagination, it clearly must find new, above head, for their album sleeve is directly influenced by the similar exciting images and approaches, learn how to vault into the video age, Stakhanovite actions of the likes of Neubauten is, maybe, interesting but play personality politics. But Depeche Mode are not "the left". They are ultimately irrelevant. Gahan tells me that they chose the symbol of The apop group. As such, they are not trying to attract votes, merelywin some Worker simply because they felt it was apowerful image. And as an echo attention, and hopefully asympathetic response. of the sleeve of their second LP, ABroken Frame, which depicts apeasant In the context of contemporary pop, The Worker does represent a at work in cornfields, it is perfect-the hammer and the sickle. But though powerful image, not least because it disrupts the apolitical complicity they describe themselves as "socialists with asmall 's'", or perhaps and glossy surface of the industry. because of it, they can be misinterpreted. But it can only do this for a moment, and not much more. Popular music "We knew the tie between the hammer and the sickle on the two has aremarkable capacity for trivialising serious subject matter, for albums, obviously, but I don't think that was athing we were trying to reducing even the most threatening images and stances to the common put across," says Gahan. He relates astory about the group turning up at denominator of entertainment- sharp content weathered into blunt aBelgian TV studio and being asked to stand on top of agiant haystack style. Surely the punk experience has shown us how easilyleft-wing while behind them peasants stood with hammers and sickles and politics is incorporated into "rock mythology", made subservient to it. Russian flags flapped about insolently. They walked off the set until the Still, even if Depeche Mode are not deeply committed to their lyrical flags were taken down. concerns, there is at least arobust sense of si ncerity behind their feelings. But the choice of i magery is far from accidental-the symbol of Depeche Mode are an individual and increasingly abrasive pop group at "The Worker", the traditional property of the left, is a reflection of atime when the anodyne reigns supreme. the political concerns taken up by Mode on Construction... -ecology, Long may their pop-with-plugs spark. Lynden Barber • nuclear war, multinational power, famine, and the ideas of politics and socialism in themselves ("All of these insurmountable tasks that lay before me" -and that from "Love In Itself", ahit record!). "We're not trying to change anything," says Gore, who wrote the lyrics to most of the songs (Wilder contributing the remaining two). "I don't think our music's going to change anything at all; we're just trying to make people think alittle bit." 1111111116 "Before," states Gahan, "they've been used to Depeche Mode with clever tunes, and alot of earlier stuff was very throwaway lyrics, whereas with this they can hum along to atune, be sitting in their bedroom, look at the lyric sheet and maybe they might actually agree with some of the subjects. EWHEELS "I mean, none of the subjects are really heavy, ramming it down people's throats. Someone mentioned Heaven 17 to II , .

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