Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel (W/Dvd)
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Free Music Notes for Playing the Angel (W/Dvd)
Free Music Review: Almost Shocking
Hit: 4 Stars
The terms "classic" and "return to form" are being handed out so readily that it's hard to take them at face value, especially considering they are usuallly used by fans and critics alike to describe the latest offering from their favorite artist who has suffered from commercial decline or audience alienation due to extreme experimentation. I would love to be able to describe Depeche Mode's eleventh studio album as such but I cannot, simply because they have never released anything like "Playing the Angel". It is almost shocking in its simplicity of arrangement and its rude loudness . Whereas DM's last album "Exciter" was so pristine in its digital finery as to be antiseptic and practically untouchable ( and indeed, anything but exciting ), "Playing the Angel" has an urgency, and an immediacy to its sound that is undeniably refreshing. It has a sensual, very sexy throb to it that I have never heard in a DM album, and it doesn't give the listener the impression that it was fussed over to the point of reaching someone's idea of perfection. That is not to say DM have turned into a garage band. Listen to "Playing the Angel" through a good set of headphones, or better yet, listen to the 5.1 mix through a home
stereo system, and you will find they have made an album that is well thought out but not labored or forced. There is also a very welcome return of 4/4 beats that are dance floor ready without having to resort to the trickery of the DJ/remixer du jour. And, I am happy to say, there is a wealth of really great material here, something sadly missing from the last few DM albums. I was admittedly sceptical when I read that vocalist Dave Gahan would be contributing songs to this release, considering his solo album was intriguing but not exactly rewarding. But his songs stand up very well, and fit in nicely with Martin Gore's latest. From the opening blasts of air raid siren that signal "A Pain That I'm Used To" to the slow, grinding dirge of "Darkest Star" this album has a dirty, raunchy feel to it, probably due to the faint layer of distortion that seems to envelope every sound, from the synths and drums, to the vocals and guitars. The bottome line for me, as a long time fan and follower, "Playing the Angel" represents a new begining for Depeche Mode, and renews my faith in this band as a creative force. Almost twenty five years after their debut, it's almost unbelievable that they could make an album like this and pull it off. Very well done, and Highly Recommended.
Free Music Review: Best album since Violator?
Hit: 4 Stars
The 11th studio album from Depeche Mode is a breeze of fresh air. After the digital Exciter, Playing the angel is completely the opposite. The use of analog synths brought the band new ideas about the songs. Producer, Ben Hillier (Doves, Blur, Elbow, etc) was not a big fan of DM. This element was a key for the recording of the album. He didn't have preconceptions about the previous records or how the songs should sound. He worked really fast and after a couple of weeks according to the band, they noticed the direction of the songs. Depeche Mode don't work like most of the bands. When they get together to make an album they have very complete ideas songwise. Playing the angel is the first record in Depeche Mode history which contains 3 songs penned by singer Dave Gahan (Suffer well, Nothing's impossible and I want it all). Gahan always said that he felt like an impostor always singing Gore's songs, this time after his first solo record Paper Monsters he had the chance to contribute with his own songs, and the songs aren't bad at all, in fact "Suffer well" is the 3rd single extracted from PTA. The album starts with
"A pain that I'm used to", the most difficult song to record, the feeling of the song is similar to the beginning of "I feel you" from Songs of faith and devotion, a sound very strange like the sirens of "Death of night" from Exciter, but the song is very powerful and it's the 2nd single.
"John the revelator" has a bluesy approach with Gahan singing at the top of his voice. Fantastic (4th single).
"Precious", the first single, in my opinion, is one the best songs since "Enjoy the silence". The song made it to number 4th in the UK charts and I think it would have been more popular with a better video clip.
Gore put his vocals on 2 tracks: "Macro" and "Damaged people" and the title of the album is extracted from the last song "The darkest star".
Other strong points about the album are the b-sides. "Free" and "Newborn" are probably the best b-side since "Dangerous" or "Sea of sin". those whose have never listened to Depeche Mode it's a way to start. The sound is really powerful and contemporary. The songwriting and the production are really good and a good complement to this album would be the "Best of" scheduled to be released by the end of the year.
Free Music Review: "Pain and suffering in various tempos"
Hit: 4 Stars
I love that Depeche Mode have been around for 25 years and still put out consistently good music, however subdued on recent efforts. That their new album is as energetic and experimental as it is so late in the game, well, the electronic geek that I am is thrilled to the darkest recesses of my heart and soul. The band members have given statements reflecting their newfound invigoration and on _Playing the Angel_ it shows. Mixed within the dour, quintessential synth pop beats are loads of new sounds unheard on previous records. In fact, despite comparisons and nods to its predecessors, _Playing The Angel_ could just as easily be compared to the current trend from another industrial act; VNV Nation's latest _Matter + Form_ also utilized analog synthesizers for interesting wave-like effects. For example, "The Sinner in Me" abrades with scraping synths on the edge of bursting distortion that still manage to facilitate the lift of the melody in the chorus only to cut that melody down even harder like some kind of morose joke. This is then followed immediately by the groove-ready, upbeat didjeridoo-ish percussions of "Precious" (a similar effect repeated again with lesser intensity in the background of "I Want it All") and its sullen and regretful first verse, "Precious and fragile things / Need special handling / My God what have we done to you..." And though the track sequencing may seem jarring at first, after hearing the album straight through for the umpteenth time, the pacing and versatility of arrangements makes for an enjoyably varied listening experience. Perhaps as much fun to listen to as David Gahan claimed of being in DM lately, from the horn blasted intro of "A Pain That I'm Used To" (seemingly borrowed from Exciter's "Dead of Night" - and thrilled to death to hear it, as I missed not hearing more of the same from that album) to the industrial romp stomp of "John the Revelator" to the looming gloom and echoing murk of "Nothing's Impossible" (a personal favorite) to the faintly familiar chorus in "Damaged People," the matter-of-fact statement "pain and suffering in various tempos" printed on the back of the CD jacket is only fitting, especially for anyone who enjoys trolling the dark waters of the human spirit.Free Music Review: Playing 'Playing the Angel' over and over again
Hit: 4 Stars
I am a big Depeche Mode fan. Have been since I was 13, now I'm 30. Exciter didn't ring my bell and I listened to PTA a few months before it's official release at Warner Brothers' headquarters here in Mexico City. I was blown away by the way it sounded and the fact Depeche Mode went back to their dark side which I had loved for so much time. Anyway, I wrote a lot of reviews for mags in my country, but wanted to give it some time to write a personal review. Everything good and bad about this album has been said before. If you want to know what it is like, forget the sound of it's first single 'Precious' and focus on the sound of the second one 'A Pain that I'm Used To'. It's true that DM have taken the path of the dance floor once more, but there's a lot of sinister ballads here, specially Dave Gahan's input -I just can't get enough of 'I Want it All' and 'Nothing's Impossible'. 'John the Revelator' is damn strong, though the lyrics sound empty when you compare it to 'Personal Jesus', something you won't resist to do, as both songs have this bluesy feeling to it and sound hard and violent. 'Suffer Well' must be a single, and I bet Mr. Gahan would be happy to have one of his songs remixed by ten thousand DJs and producers, as it often is the case with this band.
Make no mistake, Playing the Angel is not Depeche Mode's best, and wil never beat Violator, Music for the Masses or Black Celebration off the throne, but it's a powerful album from a band that has been around for almost 30 years and still sounds impressive. The lyrics are the only weak point of the whole thing. I think Martin Gore is more interested in overcoming his divorce than other topics, and you can really see that from the lyric sheet. Anyway, you must buy this record if you like the band or love electronic pop, you will get something no one else can give you.
Free Music Review: Good album, but not their best - and a very brief DVD.
Hit: 4 Stars
My wife and I are pretty big fans of DM; so of course, once this came out, we had to get ourselves a copy. We've had it for a little while now, and here's our take on it.
The first single, Precious, is a great DM track - and the first half of the album is really easy to listen to, and very accessible. There's a slightly more industrial sound to some parts of it - a little grating in places, actually - but it's still very clearly Depeche Mode.
The second half of the album is a little harder to get into; few of the songs have the immediate bite of the first half. The only song I flat out don't like is Damaged People; that one just seems to grate on me. The rest are an odd mix; some definitely grow on you, though.
Overall, I think this is a decent album by Depeche Mode, but not their best offering. I would put Ultra, Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion ahead of it, I think; and I don't think the album will convert many people who aren't already fans. For existing DM fans, it's a mix - some will be delighted by it, and some will be disappointed. For the rest of us, I imagine it'll be somewhere in the middle.
The one thing that's a little disappointing here, though, is the attached DVD. We picked it up mostly to have the Dolby Surround version of the album (with a view to actually owning a surround-sound system at some point), but the rest of the DVD is very limited - the video of Precious is good, and the brief Making Of featurette is interesting, but all that's left after that is a video of a recording of Clean - quite nice - and a disappointingly short slideshow. I can't help but think they could have made this part of the special-edition package much richer than it ended up being.