* * * * <i> Great Balls of Fire</i> * * * <i> Good Vibrations</i> * * <i> Maybe Baby</i> * <i> Running on Empty : </i> : DEPRESSED MODE

* * “MUSIC FOR THE MASSES.” Depeche Mode. Sire. In the appropriately titled song “Nothing” on Depeche Mode’s eighth American album, vocalist David Gahan moans, “I need forgiveness, someone to bear witness / It’s time to make amends for all of the fun / The damage is done.”

Well, sort of. Throughout “Music for the Masses” there’s an overload of monotone depression and a dearth of fun, and only fans of Depeche Mode and synth-heavy dance rhythms will love and forgive the band for this album. Songs such as “Nothing” and “Little 15” are 1987’s versions of Gregorian chants.

On “Strangelove,” “Never Let Me Down Again” and “I Want You Now,” the monotonous rhythms complement the lyrics and the melodies. They are good, extremely stylized songs. But there are just too many tracks that go nowhere, and do it with nothing but style--and style alone is not enough.

The cassette and CD versions of the album contain four additional songs. Three are nothing special, but “Pleasure, Little Treasure” should have made it to the album proper. It’s a standout, and the vinyl version of “Music for the Masses could have used it.