Perhaps the quintessential '80s electropop band, Depeche Mode - the name was inspired by a French fashion magazine - parlayed a fascination with synthesizers into huge success on the British charts (where all its albums went Top 10) and eventually on the U.S. pop chart. Whereas a more traditional four-piece rock band might feature three members playing instruments and the fourth singing and perhaps playing guitar or bass, the lineup of this British group was thus described in a 1993 press release: "Dave (Gahan) is the singer, Martin (Gore) the songwriter, Alan (Wilder) the musician, and Andrew (Fletcher) the coordinator.” Though Depeche Mode’s stark, synthetic sound and often moody, provocative lyrics buck classic pop convention, the hooks that distinguish its most popular songs are among postmodern rock’s most ingratiating. For a time, the group did share an unfortunate trait with numerous conventional rock bands, however: a troubled, drug-addicted lead singer.
