Audiosurf album "review" : Violator (1990) Depeche Mode

The 80's and my secondary schooling have come to an end, and Depeche Mode in specializing in 4-6 minute, medium traffic tracks.  There are no "great" rides here, but Waiting for the Night, Blue Dress, Clean, and Enjoy the Silence (in that order) are good for practice when you're new to Pointman Elite.

1. World in My Eyes -- Time 4:26 -- Traffic 233
   The only song that cracks 200 traffic on the album, it starts off herky-jerky on that initial uphill run, then suddenly the blocks seem to come out of nowhere and you're fighting the track rather than riding it, and there are little fits and starts throughout.  Mildly exhausting and unsatisfying for a song that is otherwise fun outside Audiosurf.
   
   
   
   
2. Sweetest Perfection -- Time 4:43 -- Traffic 190
   Not as interesting a song, but it's a better ride than World in My Eyes.  It's smoother; there's still enough traffic to keep you on your toes, but not a lot of traffic on the final downhill run so you're not overwhelmed.
   
   
   
   
3. Personal Jesus -- Time 4:56 -- Traffic 162
   Very surprised at first that is an uphill track; I'd always thought of it as having a driving beat, and it does, but it's very deliberate and not fast.  There's almost too much time at the end; I kept thinking the song was about to come to a close, but no, we're reaching out to touch faith again.
   
   
   
   
4. Halo -- Time 4:30 -- Traffic 155
   I ran through this track 5 times and still don't have a good read on it.  Twice I didn't clean finish because the uphill part at the end came before I expected it and had leftover yellow and red blocks because that uphill bit is too short to have any yellows or reds.  Twice I finished clean but didn't score very many points along the way.  I don't remember enjoying the song along the way on any run -- I was too focused on the track, which is weird, because it's not high traffic or downhill.
   
   
   
   
5. Waiting for the Night -- Time 6:07 -- Traffic 75
   Slow, uphill, and sparse, this is an exercise in patience and planning, and perfect for practicing, especially when you first try out Pointman, and especially on Elite.  There's time to place blocks just how you like, and you can practice getting chain bonuses and 21-block matches.  Fun for "cerebral" players.
   
   
   
   
6. Enjoy the Silence -- Time 6:12 -- Traffic 171
   A good downhill practice track because it has has uphill runs at the beginning, allowing you to get set up before the downhill run, and at the end, allowing you to correct any mistakes and finish clean.  Good luck getting into the top 10, because it's popular.  Worse, most people in the top 10 seem to be playing some version other than the album track, and I can't tell whether that's just because that's the version most people get off iTunes or that version is advantaged over the album track in some way.
   
   
   
   
7. Policy of Truth -- Time 4:55 -- Traffic 199
   A bit too herky-jerky to be really fun.
   
   
   
   
8. Blue Dress -- Time 5:42 -- Traffic 119
   Another good practice song like Waiting for the Night.  It's nice and slow and low traffic and there's absolutely acres of time at the end.
   
   
   
   
9. Clean -- Time 5:28 -- Traffic 147
   I tend not to look at the overall map and just go by the song, and always think this one is closer to ending than it really is -- I'd start to wrap up blocks for a clean finish, and suddenly a whole 'nother set is coming my way.