Depeche Mode “Construction Time Again” released 35 years ago on this date, August 22nd. Mute Records/Sire Records. Depeche Mode’s third album and for sure in my top five with its dark, almost sinister tone compounded by the heavy use of industrial sounds and socio-polical themes (most especially the track “Pipeline” which in both tempo and lyrics – i.e. “Let the beads of sweat flow until the ends have met through, could take a long time working on the pipeline” –  coveys the drudgery of capitalist labor while employing pipe banging samples; the title of the album comes from the second lyrical line of the song). Depeche Mode released three singles from Construction Time Again. The first was “Everything Counts” which musically is the most uplifting of the album but lyrically among the most scathing: “The graph on the wall tells the story of it all, picture it now, see just how, the lies and deceit gained a little more power.” “Everything Counts” hit #6 on the UK charts and #17 on the US Hot Dance chart. The anti-love song “Love, In Itself” was the second single and it hit #21 in the UK. Allmusic says about the single that it’s “a curious single even for the band, with a stentorian pace and delivery from Gahan matched by a keyboard line that’s more nagging than memorable. However, the deep production throughout, from the soothing wash in the background to the quick interjections of clicks and chimes, not to mention an amusing tradeoff between acoustic guitars and pianos halfway through, shows a definite something.” The third single, “Told You So,” was released only in Spain. I love every other song on Construction Time Again – the juxtaposition of danger and soaring melodic joy on “Two Minute Warning” (written by newly permanent DM member Alan Wilder), the scathing pain of “Shame” and the crazed energy of “More Than a Party” which recalls many many parties I attended in the 80′s.

Critically Construction Time Again received mixed reviews. Allmusic says it “is a bit hit and miss nonetheless, but when it does hit, it does so perfectly…The album’s clear highlight has to be ‘Everything Counts,’ a live staple for years, combining a deceptively simple, ironic lyric about the music business with a perfectly catchy but unusually arranged blending of more metallic scraping samples and melodica amid even more forceful funk/hip-hop beats. Elsewhere, on ‘Shame’ and “Told You So,’ Gore’s lyrics start taking on more of the obsessive personal relationship studies that would soon dominate his writing. Wilder’s own songwriting contributions are fine musically, but lyrically, “preachy” puts it mildly, especially the environment-friendly ‘The Landscape Is Changing.’” PopMatters says “Mostly, though, CTA serves as a stylistic bridge. As such, it’s the most awkward, and perhaps worst, studio album in the Depeche Mode discography” while Rolling Stone gives it either a 2 or 3 star rating (out of 5), Smash Hits a 7 star (out of 10) and Spin a 2 star (out of 10). I obviously wholeheartedly disagree and find Construction Time Again to still be totally relevant and a fantastic listen 35 years later.