Music / Exciter

"Can you feel a little love?"

Exciter is the tenth studio album released by English Alternative Dance band Depeche Mode. It was released on May 14, 2001 through Mute Records (in conjunction with Reprise Records in North America).

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Tracklist

1. "Dream On" (4:20)
2. "Shine" (5:32)
3. "The Sweetest Condition" (3:42)
4. "When the Body Speaks" (6:01)
5. "The Dead of Night" (4:50)
6. "Lovetheme" (2:02)
7. "Freelove" (6:10)
8. "Comatose" (3:24)
9. "I Feel Loved" (4:20)
10. "Breathe" (5:17)
11. "Easy Tiger" (2:05)
12. "I Am You" (5:10)
13. "Goodnight Lovers" (3:48)

I feel troped, I feel troped:

• Chewing the Scenery: "The Dead of Night". Not just Dave's harsh, hammy singing throughout the whole thing, but also the overwhelmingly chaotic instrumentals.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Implied in "The Dead of Night".
  With our decadent minds and our innocent lines
  You'll be playing our games with your bodies in flames
  When delirious fun has seriously begun
  You'll be down on your knees, you'll be begging us, "Please"
• Concept Video: The music video for "Freelove" revolves around the band driving a parade float through a suburb, picking up people who are compelled by Dave Gahan's singing to literally board the bandwagon.
• Dissonant Serenity: A choir-like ambient synth is heard at the beginning of the second chorus of "The Dead of Night", underneath the aggressive isolated synth bass and Dave's shouting lyrics.
• Entitled to Have You: The narrator in “I Am You”.
  No escaping from the mess we’re in
  So much pleasure that it must be sin
  I must live with this reality
  I am yours eternally
  
  No excuses to give
  I'm the one you’re with
  We’ve no alternative
  No, no, no
• Epic Rocking: "Shine", "When the Body Speaks", "Freelove", "Breathe" and "I Am You" are all 5-to-6 minutes long. "Freelove" is the longest, clocking in at 6:10.
• Evil Laugh: Dave gives a subtle one in the second chorus of "The Dead of Night" before the song's climax.
• The Grim Reaper: The first verse of "Dream On" seems to imply the protagonist dying from the representation of death itself, including its skeletal form.
  As your bony fingers
  Close around me
  Long and spindly
  Death becomes me
  Heaven can you
  See what I see
• Instrumentals: "Lovetheme" and "Easy Tiger" are the album's instrumental tracks, lacking vocals.
• Love Martyr: In "Goodnight Lovers".
  When you're born a lover
  You're born to suffer
• Miniscule Rocking: "Lovetheme" and "Easy Tiger", the instrumental tracks, are both around 2:00 minutes long each.
• Satellite Love Interest: The subject of "Freelove".
  And I'm only here
  To bring you freelove
  Let’s make it clear
  That this is freelove
• Surprisingly Gentle Song: "When the Body Speaks" with its Heartbeat Soundtrack and slowcore-ish guitars, as well as "Goodnight Lovers" as Dave sings peacefully about the beauty of a woman over smooth synthesizers.
• Trip Hop: The album takes a turn to this genre, though unlike Ultra preceding it, the general style is ambient than industrial.
• Unrequited Love Lasts Forever: Discussed by the narrator in "Freelove".
  If you’ve been hiding from love
  I can understand where you’re coming from
  I’ve been running like you
  Now you understand why I'm running scared
• Villain Love Song: Combined with Love Is a Drug and Anti-Love Song, "The Dead of Night" is about the two narrators proudly declaring in a parodic fashion their forward desires to do sexual things to girls and how much their burning, unrelenting obsession follows.

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