Pitchfork

Depeche Mode know their way around synthesizers. They also know their way around hype, so they're doing a good job of trickling out details about their new album...very...slowly. First there was the record's name (Sounds of the Universe) and its release info (out April 21 via Capitol/Mute in the U.S. and April 20 via Mute in Europe), then came the tracklist and the non-U.S. Tour of the Universe dates (Bratislava, Slovakia, what's good?) and now the cover, special edition specifics, and early details of a North American tour itinerary. It's all about the build-up, folks, and it works.

Based on that cover, Sounds of the Universe may be the only album in history to cite pick-up sticks as a guiding influence. And while most major artists wait until about eight months after their album's initial release to put out an expanded edition, Depeche Mode are not wasting all that time. Also due the week of April 21 is a maxed-out 3xCD Universe packed with bonus tracks, remixes, and 14 demos, along with a DVD featuring a behind-the-scenes doc, a track-by-track analysis, and an archival piece called Usual Thing, Try and Get the Question in the Answer.

The video for first single "Wrong" (directed by the guy behind Feist's "1234" and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps", Patrick Daughters) will also be on the DVD, plus four live-in-studio performances. And as if that wasn't enough to satiate even the dude who dresses up like Dave Gahan on Halloween every year, the set also includes two 84-page hardback books with lyrics and photos from the likes of long time collaborator Anton Corbijn. That's a lot of Depeche Mode right there.

But still, if that's not enough to make you actually pay for Depeche Mode's new album, there's one more option: the iTunes pass. This $18.99 fan club-style purchase is akin to a Sounds of the Universe subscription-- you get the album when it comes out along with a host of other downloads (like new single "Wrong" and videos and remixes) across the next 15 weeks.

Oh yeah, there's a North American tour, too. No venues yet, just dates and places. Get enough:

Depeche Mode:

07-24 Toronto, Ontario
07-25 Montreal, Quebec
07-28 Washington, D.C.
07-31 Boston, MA
08-01 Atlantic City, NJ
08-03 New York, NY
08-10 Seattle, WA
08-12 San Francisco, CA
08-14 San Diego, CA
08-16 Los Angeles, CA
08-17 Los Angeles, CA
08-20 Santa Barbara, CA
08-22 Las Vegas, NV
08-23 Phoenix, AZ
08-25 Salt Lake City, UT
08-27 Denver, CO
08-29 Dallas, TX
08-30 Houston, TX
09-01 Atlanta, GA
09-04 Tampa, FL
09-05 Ft. Lauderdale, FL