Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel - Music & Performance - CD

The first new album in four years, PLAYING THE ANGEL is quintessential Depeche Mode- hi-tech electronic pop with enormous hoods and yet faster paced, more urgent then recent albums. The first single is "Precious."

When Ultra was declared the best Depeche Mode album since Violator, those who said so must have forgotten about Songs of Faith and Devotion. When Exciter was declared the best Depeche Mode album since Violator, those who said so must have also forgotten about Songs of Faith and Devotion, in addition to having found a roundabout way of saying that it was merely better than Ultra. There's no doubt this time: Playing the Angel is both the band's best album since Violator and, more significantly, an album that is near Violator in stature. The biggest clue dropped by the band prior to its release was a quote from Dave Gahan, who said that being in Depeche Mode is better than it has been in 15 years. Some quick math reveals that Gahan was hinting at the Violator era, a time when the band's creativity and popularity peaked synchronously. It also turns out that this is a time as good as any other to be paying attention to the band. Playing the Angel lacks Songs of Faith and Devotion's end-to-end chest-beating, Ultra's grinding murk, and Exciter's desiccated patches. It takes the best qualities from those releases, combines them with a few subtle allusions to Violator -- tiptoeing the border that separates retread from reinvention -- and makes for a highly concentrated set of songs that all but demand to be heard in one uninterrupted shot. Gahan, still riding the confidence he gained as a songwriter from Paper Monsters, his 2003 solo debut, contributes three songs co-written with band associates Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott. Though none of them vie to be the album's centerpiece, it's apparent that the move wasn't a concession of desperation on anyone's part. The friendly competition seems to have kicked chief songwriter Martin Gore into high gear; he's in top form. Musically, a lot of analog gear was used, and it's apparent that the arrangements and extra sounds were less fussed over than they have been in the recent past. You get the sense that everything fell into place, as opposed to being forced or aimlessly manipulated. Despite the favoring of older gear, there's no other year in which any of the songs could've been made. Like the best Depeche Mode, almost everything on the album will make an initial wowing impact while remaining layered enough in subtle details to surprise and thrill with repeated listens. It is not the kind of album a 25-year-old band is supposed to make. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi

Performer	Depeche Mode
Music genre	Pop Rock
Music subgenre	CD - Pop
Music release type	Album
Media format	CD
Original release date	2005
Edition	Standard Edition
Language	English
Is collectible	Y
Number of tracks	13
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Series title	Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel COMPACT DISCS
Track listing	A Pain That I'm Used to, John the Revelator, Suffer Well, The Sinner in Me, Precious, Macro, I Want It All, Nothings Impossible, Introspectre, Damaged People, Lilian, The Darkest Star
Record label	Reprise / WEA
Target audience	Adult
Composer	Depeche Mode
Songwriter	Martin Gore
Music producer	Depeche Mode
Number in series	1
Occasion	All Occasion
Track name	Precious
Digital audio file format	Cd
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N