Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel (W/Dvd)
|
Our Price: $103.40 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $9.99 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Playing the Angel (W/Dvd)
Free Music Review: Depeche Mode finally live up to their undeserved nick-name.
Hit: 2 Stars
Depeche have been my favorite band since my sister got a copy of "Some Great Reward" from a German pen-pal and since then I have devoured everything they've done, particularly enjoying their experimentation, and of course, Martin's awesome, thought-provoking song writing. My favorites are Violator and Music For the Masses, but I honestly did not think they would ever do an album I didn't love (although I can say that "What's Your Name?" and "The Dead of Night" are my least liked songs of theirs). In fact, I downloaded "Precious" off iTunes even though I knew it wasn't different from the forthcoming album version.
Well....they finally lost me. Half of this album is so dismal, so depressing that they seemed to have earned the title "depressed mode" that used to make me so mad. "Precious" is the only ray of light on this set, otherwise it is quite painful to listen to. "A Pain That I'm Used To" and "Suffer Well" are also good tracks, but the concluding track "The Darkest Star" leaves you with a feeling of hopelessness that just isn't healthy-in fact, it should be the title of this album! Lyrically, I would say this is Depeche Mode's career low (except maybe those 2 least liked songs I mentioned before).
Also disappointing is the drop from introspective religious thinking/questioning/soulsearching into the outright blasphemy and ignorance of "John The Relevator" which was a huge letdown for me.
All in all, a fan of Depeche Mode already has this cd or cd/dvd, so this review is probably more helpful for the more casual fan. To them I say: download "Precious" off iTunes, make yourself a "best of" cd, and move on. If you really want to buy a Depeche Mode album on cd, here's my suggestion for order of importance:
(1) Violator (2) Music For The Masses (3) Black Celebration (4) Some Great Reward (5) Exciter (6) Ultra (7) Construction Time Again (8) Songs Of Faith & Devotion live... (9) A Broken Frame (10) 101 (11) Remixes 81-04 (12) Dave Gahan's Paper Monsters (13) Speak & Spell (14) Martin Gore's Counterfeit ep (15) Songs Of Faith & Devotion (16) The Singles 86-98 (17) The Singles 81-85 (18) Playing The Angel (19) Martin Gore's Counterfeit 2 (20) People Are People (21) Catching Up With Depeche Mode
Free Music Review: A Pain That We're Used To
Hit: 2 Stars
Do you remember when Andrew Fletcher was quoted as saying that in his opinion, Exciter would be Depeche Mode's "best album since Black Celebration?" Recently, I eagerly reviewed my copy of their follow-up album Playing the Angel, optimistic that this would not be Exciter 2. THAT album suffered from under-production, gratuituous and annoying blips and bleeps, and an overall lack of energy - indeed no Black Celebration. At first glance, Angel's producer, Ben Hillier, has attempted to address some of these issues, bringing back DM's signature guitar licks and butching up the lower register. Unfortunately though, a new coat of paint just isn't enough to save this sinking ship.
DM seem to have taken the most awful bits from Exciter and made them that much worse on this record (such as opening with a dreadful Dead of Night inspired riff). Martin's gratuitous use of midi produced noises, experimental song structure, and inexplicable gaps of silence or static make enjoying the otherwise tuneful ballads nearly impossible. With the exception of the album's first delicious single Precious and possibly Suffer Well -- sitting like oases in the desert -- the entire landscape between A Pain That I'm Used To and The Darkest Star is a wasteland of misapplied guitar distortion, false starts, and ditty, minimalist sounds cooked up like unfinished demos on a $5 drum machine -- ala Counterfeit 2 with a bass line. Frankly, I'm embarrassed to add this to my collection. Where are the beat/drum loops and the innovative sampling that made this band so cutting edge once upon a time? What happened to the slick production quality from pre-millennial efforts?
So this time around, I took Fletch's most recently expressed confidence "that this album will be up there as one of our best" with a grain of salt. Turns out to have been a good thing. In this post-Wilder era of the band's career, Depeche Mode is becoming a pain that I'm reluctantly getting used to. 2 Stars.
Free Music Review: Don't believe the hype touting a "return to form". DVD: OK
Hit: 1 Stars
In addition to the album, it comes with a dvd. I have to admit I quite liked "Clean (bare)". The "Precious" video isn't bad, either. The accompanying 8 minute studio footage is interesting, especially Gahan singing scales to warm up his voice. For these reasons I'm giving it an EXTRA STAR.
DM was a band I loved to death in the 80's and early 90's. I have all the box sets, import 12" singles, just about everything a true fan would go out of their way to collect. But the wheels came totally off with Exciter, which was a boring, horrible waste. There's something though about fan loyalty. I am guilty of it. I will buy the latest of most any artist I've followed over the years, always hoping that the old magic exists. Sadly it is nowhere to be found on "Playing The Angel" (stupid title). In a way, I kind of knew this was going to be another uninspired mess judging by the sleeve art, which looks like a cross between the People Are People 12" single and Songs Of Faith And Devotion cover art - totally derivative and self-plagiarizing. Looking at the credits you'll see that for the nth time they've let Anton Corbijn handle the artwork. It's utterly pathetic - can't they find it within them to CHANGE DIRECTION?? Apparently not. The music is nothing but more of the same ham-fisted, overproduced electro-sludge found on the last album. I had a good laugh at the editorial review stating this release has "enormous hooks" - hah hah, it's just not true, people. I will say that the song, "Precious" is probably the best track, but really, it sounds like a missing cut from Ultra (which contrary to some opinions IS A GOOD ALBUM). Depeche Mode needs to call it a career and end it all right now. It's over for them. There's nothing inspired here. Nothing which makes your hair stand on end in amazement. The booklet is ridiculous. Martin Gore, failing to pull off a tough-guy pose; the three of them on a junk car in sunglasses looking bored; an overhead shot of them standing single-file in a bicycle lane; Gahan showing the ravages of time; Gahan in a white tee channeling Billy Bob Thornton; a tiered shot of them standing at a motel (a farce); on the back, Gore trying to look what, gangsta? A monochromatic, faux-edgy failure all in all. You put on a track like "Shake The Disease", a work of genius, and listen to this and you just feel hollow, empty - because that's what this album is. It really is time for them to call it quits; to continue on releasing the same dreck over and over puts their legacy at risk. Believe me, if you never hear this album you're not missing a thing. If you're a completist and have to have it, wait until it hits the cutout / bargain bin because that's exactly where it will end up.
Free Music Review: I am disgusted
Hit: 1 Stars
This record is sooo veeerrry BAD.this crappy group performs only with lousy synthesizers.MUSIC IS NOT MUSIC WITHOUT GUITARS AND DRUMS.Dont listen to or buy this lousy album.Get POWERSLAVE from IRON MAIDEN instead.