David Bowie’s “Heroes” was released on September 23, 1977—40 years ago tomorrow. To celebrate the anniversary, British electronic legends and dapper gentlemen Depeche Mode have shared a studio cover of the song. The band have been playing “Heroes” on tour lately and it sounded intriguing, so it’s nice that we don’t have to wade through the crackle of shitty smartphone mics to hear it now. It is, obviously, the opposite of Motörhead’s maximalist “Heroes” cover. Pared down to an electronic beat, some hazy synths, an echo of Robert Fripp’s iconic guitar line, and Dave Gahan’s perfectly restrained vocal theatrics, it sounds delicate and insistent all at once. It comes with a Tim Saccenti-directed visual which you can watch at the top of the page. But then go listen to Bowie’s Heroes—the LP, not just the single—in full anyway.
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