After The Noise

Everything Is Equal

Friday 20 March 2026

Depeche Mode, A Broken Frame (1982)

Ah, another glorious Manchester day. Three on the bounce? Well, it’s not raining, and that first hint of spring is in the air.

These days, I think quickly when it comes to music. No messing about. No “what shall I listen to?”. I make a decision and that is that.

I managed to tear myself away from listening to the sound of my own voice on the radio and put an album on. One from the archives. One which holds a bit of meaning.

There’s nothing more satisfying than meandering around with an old record that takes you back somewhere else. Another time and place.

Sunshine may not bring complete happiness, but it certainly helps.

Depeche Mode. A Broken Frame. The slightly awkward second album nobody really talks about.

I remember my sister having a copy when it came out. I played it a lot back then. I even bought See You on seven-inch. The details are sketchy now, but the nostalgia is still there.

This was the first album after Vince Clarke left. You can hear the shift straight away. Less bubblegum, more mood.

If Depeche Mode were a football team, the pundits would be calling this a “transitional period”. Yawn.

It’s not as cohesive as what came later, but you can hear something forming. Moody synths, a bit of melancholy, and the early signs of what they’d soon become.

There are moments here that still hit. Leave in Silence. See You. Proper feeling in both.

The Meaning of Love feels like it’s wandered in from the first album. Cheerier, slightly out of place. Like the one mate still wearing bright colours while everyone else has gone full black.

Musically, it’s a mixed bag. Some ideas land, some don’t. But that’s part of it. You’re hearing a band figuring things out.

Shouldn’t Have Done That and Monument? Let’s be honest… not their finest work.

But then there’s the closer, The Sun and the Rainfall. A real gem. Brooding, melodic, quietly anthemic. You can hear exactly where they’re heading.

There’s still something fulfilling about putting an old album on from start to finish. Even if it’s streaming instead of vinyl.

I still toy with the idea of getting a record player and doing it properly.

But for now, this works.

Headphones on. Sunshine out.

And Depeche Mode, slightly awkward but still finding their way.

END OF LISTENING LOG

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