Rating: NN
A mature, mellow Depeche Mode? Seems so, judging by the misleadingly named Exciter, which, although powered both by electronica and acoustic pop, never gets out of the second-gear speed established on the first song. Dave Gahan sounds strong, and Martin Gore’s songs retain a provocative gothic edge, but the almost complete lack of variation in tempo makes Exciter a snooze. And what’s with the Marilyn Manson rip-off, Dead Of Night? Like Beautiful People for the clapper generation.