MG (Martin Gore) – MG

Martin Gore (the brainchild behind the lion's share of Depeche Mode's catalog, and my personal all-time favorite songwriter) released an instrumental record. The songs are fully fleshed out, and much more full musically than his previous instrumental project, VCMG (a duo-project with Vince Clarke). Sonically these tracks could very well be the music for Depeche Mode songs – they're dynamic, well structured and arranged. They don't need vocals – the tracks stand on their own, though I do wonder what they'd sound like with DM vocals over the top (and have caught myself trying to imagine what the vocals would sound like if they existed). That's not a slight to the songs – just the opposite. This album stands well on its own, it makes great background “while working” music yet is also intelligent enough for active listening.

Verdict: Buy it
Highlights: Pinking, Europa Hymn, Southerly, Featherlight
For fans of: Depeche Mode, VCMG, Kraftwerk