Playing The Angel

Performer: Depeche Mode
Engineer: Ben Hiller; Richard Morris; Ben Hillier
Producer: Ben Hiller; Ben Hillier
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Depeche Mode: Dave Gahan, Martin L. Gore, Andy Fletcher. Personnel: Dave McCracken (piano, programming); Christian Eigner, Andrew Phillpot, Richard Morris (programming). Audio Mixers: Ben Hiller; Steve Fitzmaurice. Recording information: Sound Design, Santa Barbara, CA; Stratosphere Sound Studios, NY. Photographer: Anton Corbijn. A stunning return to VIOLATOR-era form, 2005's PLAYING THE ANGEL is arguably Depeche Mode's finest outing since that lauded 1990 album. But, remarkably, ANGEL also moves the U.K. trio's patented synth-pop aesthetic forward, as best evinced by the propulsive "Suffer Well," one of three tracks here co-penned by frontman Dave Gahan and outside collaborators, instead of the band's mastermind, Martin L. Gore. (Gahan gained writing confidence on his 2003 solo debut, PAPER MONSTERS.) The back cover of PLAYING THE ANGEL describes it as "pain and suffering in various tempos," and while that description would doom many records, for Depeche Mode those qualities are virtues. The group clearly isn't kidding around, since the first track, "A Pain That I'm Used To," opens with ominous, jarring noise and shifts into a bleak, surging tune. The more melodic side of DM is well represented, too, as revealed on the gospel-tinged "John the Revelator" and the urgent, emotive "Precious." The result of a long-running ensemble playing to its strengths without seeming repetitive or self-conscious, ANGEL is a welcome addition to the upper tier of Depeche Mode records.

Entertainment Weekly (No. 847, p.83) - "...PLAYING THE ANGEL turns out to be their most self-assured and accessible release in over a decade, with highs not heard since the gloomy heyday of 1990's VIOLATOR...." - Grade: B Mojo (Publisher) (p.104) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[D]arkly synthy, slightly psychotic, and with judicious guitar interjections..."

Depeche Mode (French for "hurried fashion") was one of the first and best of the British synth-pop bands, combining breathless, melodic pop with perky electronics. With main songwriter Vince Clarke's departure for Yaz, Martin Gore took the reigns, and the band's sound became darker and harder, though still true to their trademark synth-driven accessibility. The post-Clarke band's moody dance-pop brought Depeche Mode worldwide superstardom in the second half of the '80s. The band survived overexposure, drug problems, and all the other traditional rock-star travails, and came out older and wiser, entering the 2000s as a fully functioning, mature unit.

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