Sunday, May 16, 2010

People are People



Synth-pop pioneers Depeche Mode performed a rather dramatic volte-face in 1984 with the release of their fourth studio work, the oft-misunderstood 'Some Great Reward'. Where the Mode of yore were content with their plinkety-plonk Casio-keyboard trinkets, the band, in the mid-1980s, wilfully introduced an increasingly darker, more mature streak to their artistry. This meant an increasing use of clanging industrial-noise samples and modulated synth tones, and a noticeable proliferation of socially aware lyrical matter. One of the best examples of this then-newfound sensibility was the forthright social commentary 'People are People', which has the band bemoaning the prevalence of intra-species hatred and malice amongst human beings. Check out the highly appropriate video clip, which interspersed scenes of the band roaming and mucking around on the decks of the HMS Belfast cruiser, with generic footage of naval warfare and street riots.

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