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Product Description
Review
A return to form. There, I said it. It's a boring old cliché but in this case, an appropriate one. The troubled electro kings have come storming back with album number 11: a deeply personal work which shows off Dave Gahan's dramatic vocals to perfection, and shines with trademark Mode melancholia and dark sexuality.
The mood swings from hurt in tracks like "A Pain That I'm Used To" and "I Want It All" to hope, which tentatively radiates from "Nothing's Impossible". The first single, "Precious", manages to retain a pop catchiness while still remaining very much a lament. The whole album is an ode to isolation and confusion.
Glowing with crystalline synths, softly menacing guitars and fragile contemplation, Playing The Angel conjures up an almost tangible sense of damage. If you want to get a little closer to Gahan's notorious journey to heroin-induced hell and back, you've come to the right place. --Zoe Street
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From the Label
Playing The Angel is the 11 Depeche Mode studio album, and the first to include songs written by frontman Dave Gahan. Playing The Angel was recorded in Santa Barbara and produced by Ben Hillier, who has recently worked with The Doves, Blur and Elbow. Playing The Angel is already being cited by those that have heard it as one of the defining albums of the bands illustrious career.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A broad soundscape.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Playing the Angel (Audio CD)
Although the reviews here are mostly mixed it would be true to say that even the best albums divide opinion. What Depeche Mode have achieved with Playing The Angel is another metamorphosis of their sound. The band constantly develops and this upsets some of their original fanbase but is crucial to their evolution and longevity. Playing The Angel manages to sound very Depeche Mode like but, simutaneously, completely fresh and unlike anything other music of the day. The basis, of course, is electronic sound which on this album is louder and dirtier than on recent records- somewhere beyond 1997's Ultra. It is to the band's credit that they retain their sound while working with different innovative producers on each project- in this case Ben Hillier who brings the music closest to the sound they achieved when Alan Wilder was still part of the band. The single, Precious, at first appears a rather tame melodic track but listen to it on headphones and it becomes evident that it has a hard basis of heavy electronica and is satisfyingly complex- it is a track that grows in stature with repeated listening. The first five tracks are driving, urgent and dirty and contain immediately appealing hooks and surprisingly savvy techno elements which even Underground Resistance purists would appreciate. The synthesisers could be from any period from 1982 to the present day and there is no band better at using them. I would say, though, that the album's core strength is the vocal arrangements. These have developed so much over the years and occasionally bring a deep soulfulness to the music- check out the Dave Gahan penned Suffer Well for an example. Playing The Angel may not appease everyone but it is encouragingly groundbreaking and modern, It shows no signs of the band's creativity abating- in fact they are scaling new heights. We should treasure Depeche Mode who offer real uniqueness among the blandness of modern British music and have been sorely underrated over the years compared with the likes of U2 (Who have borrowed heavily from Depeche Mode over the years). This is a very good album- here's to the next one!
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
RAISE YOUR GLASSES "THE MODE" ARE BACK.,
By
This review is from: Playing the Angel (Audio CD)
I have been a life long fan of "THE MODE" from my teenage years,what with the advent of the synthesizer and the ground breaking sounds they produce.Here we have Depeche mode a band that have stood the test of time and with this album still prove to do so.Their music still as popular as ever. Like all "MODE" fans I wait with anticipation when new material is released and I think this was worth that wait.The Album starts with the track "Pain that I am used to" which is a good excellent track then moves on to "john the revelator" which is one of my favourites Gahans vocals are superb as always.Apart from "Precious" which is very commercial,Other tracks that stand out are tracks:4,7,8+11 with only track 6 disappointing. On the whole this Album suceeds where Exciter bitterly disappointed and is well worth the investment.Welcome back "Depeche Mode"
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm a convert,
By A Customer
This review is from: Playing the Angel (Audio CD)
Unbelievably clever production. Distortion and dirty sound are used very, very effectively on this album, transforming relatively simple pop tunes into something much, much better, and contrasting crunchy, rough sounds (including a very effective "blown speaker" sound which made me panic for a moment) with pure tones and perfect clarity. If you've any interest at all in electronic music or music production it's a must-hear album. If you've liked a couple of Depeche Mode tracks in the past, but generally prefer metal, industrial, or rock, buy this album and be converted. I was.
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