A Perennial Classic

It's been 36 years since the debut of Depeche Mode's "Violator," and it remains as relevant as ever.

Representing a tremendous shift in sound and songwriting, there's little left so say about the 1990 classic, this album was definitive of a specific time and sound in a way few albums ever get to be. It's both that historic and that good. Wall-to-wall quality from track 1 to track 9. It is one of the "sweetest perfections" of the era.