REVIEWS

Depeche Mode
Playing the Angel

Mute Records

Posted: Thursday, March 30, 2006
By: Ilker Yucel
Editor

When a band has been around for almost 25 years, there exists a dilemma as to whether or not they are rehashing past successes, or continuing to evolve their sound and style and delivering work that is consistent yet enjoyable. For as long as Depeche Mode has gone on, they are one of the few bands to keep churning out good music for the masses (no pun intended… or was it?). As the unabashed heroes of ‘80s synthpop, they have taken their sound through the guitar-heavy grunge era of the ‘90s, to the tech-savvy 21st century with amazing bravado. They’ve survived where other bands would disintegrate, staying true to themselves while still keeping with the times. After the mixed response by fans and the media 2001’s Exciter received, the band went their separate ways; vocalist Dave Gahan produced a highly successful solo album, while principal songwriter Martin Gore released his second, and keyboardist Andrew Fletcher focused on his record label. Many wondered if Depeche Mode would return. With Playing the Angel, the band shows no signs of slowing down.

This album represents a shift in direction for Depeche Mode, a juxtaposition of the old with the new. The sound of the album is warmer (and even a bit glitch-heavy) due to the use of primarily analogue and vintage synthesizers, but the trademark dark melodies are still present, producing a sound both familiar and yet more organic. Guitars have always been present, but on Playing the Angel, the guitars actually complement the electronics instead of standing above them, making for a smooth and well-produced atmosphere that the band had been probably been aiming for since Violator but could never quite achieve until now. This is especially evident in the pompous opening track “A Pain that I’m Used To,” the subtle chords and arpeggios of the aggressive “John the Revelator” and the leadoff single “Precious.” That song, as well as “Lillian,” is sure to please the dance crowd. And then there is the songwriting, on which Dave actually contributes for the first time in the band’s history with the bluesy yet danceable “Suffer Well,” the somber “I Want it All,” and the almost menacing “Nothing’s Impossible.” As a whole, the album starts off with a kick with the heavy rhythms and sounds of the first few tracks before leading into quieter, darker, and almost jazzier territory with the sparse ambience of “Macro,” and the closing track “The Darkest Star.”

While the days of Black Celebration and Violator are gone, Playing the Angel is not a dramatic departure of any sort for Depeche Mode; rather, the album is more an amalgamation of everything good about the band. The production is top-notch as always, the electronics are as cutting edge as ever, and the songwriting is brilliant with the less-than-standard chord progressions and ambiguous lyrics that run the razor’s edge between hopeful optimism and flat out nihilism. They even take a seemingly political stance on “John the Revelator,” though knowing the band’s lyrical sensibilities it may very well just be words to fill up space. Dave’s vocals are perhaps the best he’s done with the band, as are Martin’s on “Macro” and “Damaged People.” If Exciter left a bitter taste in some listener’s mouths, Playing the Angel will very likely sweeten things up for them, though only by so much. One thing is for certain: it is very recognizably Depeche Mode, showing that they are at the top of their game, sticking to what they know, and doing it as well as they always have before.