

Essex electro-pop troupe Depeche Mode may not have revealed their full goth status on their 1981 debut album, but the bubbly Speak & Spell is still revolutionary in its own right. Opener “New Life” takes the chilly electronic sound of Kraftwerk and twists it into bright, catchy pop, while “Just Can’t Get Enough” remains one of the most rambunctious, unforgettable songs of the ‘80s thanks to Vince Clarke’s bouncy synthesizers. But tracks like the moodier “Tora! Tora! Tora!” presaged the more brooding music to come.