Customer Reviews

Playing the Angel

5 star:		(161)
4 star:		(100)
3 star:		(35)
2 star:		(29)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

It was not an incredibly difficult feat for DM to surpass the ironically-titled (yet underrated in my opinion) Exciter, but little did we know that they would surpass most of our expectations to this degree. This album rocks. Overall, it's their darkest album yet, especially following the somewhat sweet and tender mood of Exciter.

I don't normally do this, but here's a track by track:

1) "A Pain That I'm Used To" - A great intro track with definite NIN influence. Soft, dark, electronic beats that explode into a cacophony of loud guitars at the chorus. I heard this is going to be the second single.

2) "John The Revelator" - Influenced by a classic gospel track of the same name, this would have fit beautifully on Songs of Faith & Devotion. A heavy electro beat with Dave's preachy, aggressive vocals and a gospel choir that joins in at the chorus. My immediate favorite. I really hope this one becomes a single.

3) "Suffer Well" - The first of three songs written by Dave Gahan instead of Martin Gore (a first for DM). More than worthy of the Depeche Mode moniker, this is another favorite of mine. It's fast and catchy and very reminiscent of old-school pre-Violator DM. Reminds me of "Behind The Wheel."

4) "The Sinner In Me" - Another NIN-esque track. Dark and moody. Awesome synth line. I love it.

5) "Precious" - The first single. Also reminiscent of older DM - a very catchy song with a nice beat, a cool guitar part, and Dave's smooth vocals. For some reason I like this song a lot better within the context of the whole album. A very worthy first single. Many are saying it's one of the best singles of their career. I can't argue with that.

6) "Macro" - The first of the obligatory Martin Gore ballads. This is actually one of my favorites of his. The verses are kind of odd (which is typical of Gore), but I absolutely love the chorus ("see the microcosm in macrovision / our bodies moving with pure precision / one universal celebration / one evolution, one creation"). Severely underrated.

7) "I Want It All" - The next of the Gahan-penned tracks. It's strange and floaty and quite different from a typical DM song, but really good nonetheless. The beat is similar to Bjork's "All Is Full of Love" (which is one of my favorite songs, by the way).

8) "Nothing's Impossible" - The last of the Gahan-penned tracks, and definitely my least favorite of the three. It has an old-school feel, but Dave's vocals are a bit odd and monotone. It's not one of my favorites, but it's grown on me significantly and now I like it quite a bit.

9) "Introspectre" - A creepy little instrumental interlude. Could have been pulled right off of Radiohead's Kid A. There's not much to it. Eerie sound effects among minimal electronics.

10) "Damaged People" - The other Gore ballad. Slow, slightly creepy circus music with Gore's odd vocals. This has grown on me a lot, too, but is definitely one of the weakest tracks.

11) "Lilian" - An awesome, retro-sounding, fast-paced, catchy song about some spoiled, sadistic woman who likes to break hearts for fun. The sound is not stereotypical of DM, though, and I can't put a finger on why.

12) "The Darkest Star" - Another somewhat creepy slow song that's probably the darkest on the album. I didn't care much for it at first, but now I love it.

Since the release of Ultra, it's been my favorite DM album (even though many fans disliked it for some reason), followed very closely by Violator and Songs of Faith & Devotion. Critics keep saying Playing The Angel is their best since Violator. I really think, though, that it has risen up to possibly be their greatest masterpiece yet. Only time will tell if I feel the same way down the road, but right now that's where I stand.

This ain't a 5-star release nor a "Violator", but anything less than 3-stars are probably from non-DM fans trying to get a rise out of real DM fans. The first half of the cd mostly contain the more 'upbeat'(as in mid-tempo for DM) songs that all sound really good and are immediately accessible, esp 1,2,3,4,&5. The second half mostly contain the slower songs which are less accessible and requires more listenings to in order to let them sink in and judge them on their own merits; and these are the songs that will probably make or break this release as either 'just another good effort' or 'slightly underrated classic'. All of us can agree to what an up-tempo song has to offer, but all of us will have a different take on a slower song that requires us to take in the lyrics and music more at our own pace.

People putting this cd down off the bat after one or two listens should not be taken seriously. This is a good release as it stands now, with a potential to be even better later down the road. But even if I don't find another personal favorite 'ballad' along the lines of "Somebody", "Home" or "Waiting for the Night" in the second half of this cd in the near future(i actually had trouble with those 3 on first listenings, now all three are personal faves esp "Home"); I still stand by the 4-star rating. For me, the first half is good enough to compensate for the second half. If only there had been a few upbeat 'bonus' remixes at the end to offset the slower second half this might've even been a 5-star release(but i guess that's what cd maxi-singles are for). Btw, is anyone else freaked out by the cd cover? Reminds me of the zulu/zuni(?) fetish doll from that "Trilogy of Terror" horror movie back in the 80's. Spooky.

Stop! This short review is not about the merits of the new album, it's about the mastering job done by the producers. It's awful. The original recordings, which were probably quite good, have had all traces of impact, dynamic range, 3-dimensional space, etc. SMASHED out of them by the unbelievably heavy use of digital compressors and limiters.

I'm of the opinion that this was not the wish of the band, but a corporate decision made in the boardroom by the suits. It's amazing to me that one of the touted benefits of the CD Audio format, way back in the mid 80s, was excellent dynamic range. Don't tell the guy who mastered Playing the Angel. There is virtually no dynamic range present at all.

Don't believe me? Can't trust your ears? If you did purchase this CD or can borrow a friend's, you might bring it up in any wav editor or analyzer. You'll notice each song looks like a solid band, completely flat. There are no ups and downs whatsoever. Now compare that to virtually anything from DM's past releases, and you'll see the volume isn't as high overall, but there's vastly more variation in volume, and you can actually see the beats and the impact of the sounds.

Depeche Mode is a casualty of the current max volume arms race. Yep, it's "loud," but when the WHOLE THING is loud, when a drum (for instance) is not any louder than anything else, said drum loses all impact. When everything is as loud as everything else, there's no sense of space in the recording at all. This CD was mastered to get as close as digitally possible to the max loudness for the redbook audio (16 bit CD) standard at all times. And in fact at many many points it tries to go "over," which means there's digital clipping of the signal. This is not good distortion (like synth-created distortion or guitar amp distortion or even analog clipping), kids, this is ugly.

This is all particularly disturbing because in the past DM has had some beautifully recorded and mastered music. If your sound-producing devices are the stock ipod earbuds, or your $30 PC speakers, or the stereo in your noisy car, then this CD was made for you. If you have any sort of decent or hi-fi headphones/canalphones or speaker system, then you'll probably notice something just isn't right with this CD. Remember back to my review, and then think about how thin and one-dimensional things sound. I was very much looking forward to this CD, but I listen to music like this on nice equipment, and the poor sound is a hard pill to swallow. Somewhere under the oppressive compression is a gorgeous recording trying to claw its way out.

EDIT: two more points. I posted this elsewhere and people had some misconceptions. First, the compression I'm talking about has absolutely nothing to do with data compression as accomplished in conversion to MP3s. Completely different concepts.

Second, a lack of dynamic range due to poor mastering doesn't necessarily mean the production is slick, or dirty, or old or new. There are plenty of 60s and 70s recordings that are somewhat rudimentary as far as mic technology and recording techniques that nonetheless have a very good dynamic range. There are plenty of modern examples of very slick production that also preserves dynamic range, and modern "lo fi" recordings that have poor dynamic range.

It also doesn't mean much about the sounds the band made in putting their vision to tape. It can be the cleanest electronica, the gentlest acoustic folk, the purest classical female vocals, the grungiest indie rock, the hardest speed metal, or the twangiest Texas country. Dynamic range, or the deliberate destroying thereof, is a constant across virtually any type of music. In short, I'm in no way disparaging what DM did creatively or what they WANTED it to sound like, just the final delivery of that vision.

Maybe the SACD/DVD-A versions are better.

Before I really delve into my own review, I'd just like to point out a small piece of absurdism and downright laziness in the Amazon review above. "All hail the 80s"? Please. No one who has followed Depeche Mode's career with any degree of interest considers them an "80s band." And tossing around such shallow catch-isms simply diminishes the lasting and continuing relevance that the band brings to the music world.

Anyway, enough time spent on such petty issues. Now that "Playing the Angel" has had time to settle in and take its place among the rest of Depeche Mode's canon of works, we can look at it for what it truly is: a rather stunning piece of work. Although it's far from a perfect album, I can safely say at this point in their lifespan that Depeche mode is having the type of career that U2 SHOULD be having, but for whatever reasons simply are not. If you look at the careers of the two bands, you will notice some similarities.

Both are among the few bands who originally gained fame and noteriety in the 1980s, yet who continued to release material and maintain their popularity through the present day. Both reached a career apex of sorts in the late 80s, and reinvented themselves in the 90s--U2 towards a more technologically-savvy, European sound, and Depeche into a more musically diverse and harder sound. Fast forward now to 2005, and both bands have released albums that represent a return of sorts to their "core" sound. However, while U2 delivered the flat, uninspired mess "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb", Depeche emerged with their musical integrity firmly intact with the fantastic "Playing the Angel."

While DM ventured off into a grittier electro-rock sound in the 90s (with more success than failure, it should be noted), Playing the Angel finds them crafting an analog synth-driven sound that harkens firmly back to the bands Violator heydey. Don't be misled, however, by thinking that Playing the Angel is merely Depeche Mode getting lazy and retreating towards familiar sounds and structures. Though the band's trademark synths, and Martin Gore's trademark observations on love, sex and religion, are pervasive on the album, Dave Gahan and Co. understand that living solely in the past dooms a band to a career of mediocrity (I'm looking at you, Bono.)

So we have distorted synths and power chords driving the chorus to album opener "A Pain That I'm Used To", a fuzzed-out guitar break in the album's centerpiece and leadoff single, "Precious", and a thunderous, industrial instrumental breakdown during "Sinner In Me" that serves as a smack on the back of Trent Reznor's head to remind him where this sound came from in the first place. On top of the musical stylistic achievements, the band has also added another "first" to their catalog--songs written by someone other than Martin Gore. Dave Gahan (with some help from studio keyboardist Andrew Philpott and touring drummer Christian Eigner) penned three tracks on the album. And although only one--the bouncy sing-along "Suffer Well"--is truly a standout track, it shows that, 11 albumns and 25 years into their career, the band is not afraid to try new things.

Gahan's songwriting efforts also seem to have provided Gore a swift kick in the rear, as his batch of songs on this album easily ranks as among the best of his career. The aforementioned "Precious" (destined to reside amongst the band's best singles), the gospel-tinged electro stomper "John the Revelator" and cinematic closer "The Darkest Star", among others, highlight a songwriter and a band still brimming with ideas, not relaxing on a staid formula.

Which is not to say that everything here is perfect. Every Depeche album has featured Martin Gore taking over on lead vocals for a couple of tracks. And while his turn on the gorgeous "Home" from 1997's Ultra highlights all that is good about a Gore-sung track, the two offerings here highlight the opposite. Over-wrought, over-embellished and generally sub-par, "Macrovision" and "Damaged People" could easily have been left off of the album to no one's detriment. Ditto the plodding Gahan number, "I Want It All", a 6+ minute tune that doesn't really go anywhere. Also, the creeping "Nothing's Impossible", while not in itself a bad number, suffers from under-production and general blandness (something which was rectified on the band's most recent tour.)

So we have--as with most previous Depeche releases--a generally great album with a few clunkers sprinkled in for good measure. By far an improvement over 2001's ridiculously understated (and mis-named) "Exciter", "Playing the Angel" is a remarkable effort for a band soldiering on after 25 years as synth-driven rock pioneers. The songs are generally top-notch, Gahan's voice is in fine form, and (U2 take note) the band as a whole sounds energized and interesting. A "return to form" that meets all of these criteria? If only all bands could be this interesting.

Finally, after a much too long break, Depeche Mode has returned in 2005 with "Playing the Angel", their best album since 1993's "Songs of Faith and Devotion". While their 1997 release "Ultra" suffered from inconsistency, and their 2001 record "Exciter" had a hollow production and a tendency to be Depeche-lite, "Playing the Angel" is a definite return to form for the band.

The album opens up with the frightening sirens of "A Pain That I'm Used To", a song so shockingly fierce that it reminds us that the band can still kick it into overdrive. The chorus is very reminiscent of their mid 80's anthems, but as it ends, an insane cacophony of distorted guitars breaks out, driving the song into "concert-opener" status.

The album moves on with "John the Revelator", a wonderfully catchy song with excellent production via Ben Hillier (Doves, Blur) who helps turns this upbeat stomper into an instant classic. This song is unlike anything I've heard by the band, but seems like it is what "Personal Jesus" would sound like on LSD.

The album is the first of the band's to include compositions by singer Dave Gahan, as he lends his hand with "Suffer Well", "I Want it All", and "Nothing's Impossible". "Suffer Well" is an interesting fast paced number with excellent vocals by both Gahan (lead) and Gore (backing). The atmosphere created here of heavenly darkness is classic Mode. What follows is "The Sinner in Me", a sinister sounding song with brooding vocals by Gahan. Its dreary grooves sway you in and out as the synths pulse alongside Gore's distorted guitar line.

The album's first single, "Precious", arguably one of the year's most infectious songs, is the safe trademark Depeche Mode song. It has a hypnotic guitar riff and a sing-along chorus that you'd be hard pressed to forget. Hillier showcases his production here, as the sounds blend and ease the song along smoothly. The lyrical content of the track, dealing with Gore's divorce and its effect on his children, shows this album was written in a dark place for him. The album hits the halfway mark with "Macro", a Gore sung track, which is one of the few missteps of the album. Though it is nice to see on the track, oddly enough, Gahan does backing vocals.

"I Want it All", Gahan's second penned track, is like what the singer's solo album tried and failed at sounding like, but here, he succeeds. It's very dark and gloomy, with a crisp beat and some bizarre synth sounds. The album is surely the most organic the band has made in quite some time, and the use of analogue synths over digital shows in songs like this and "Nothing's Impossible". "Nothing's Impossible" is Gahan's darkest of his three tracks, with its creepy sounds and disturbingly beautiful chorus. It's sure to be a real crowd pleaser. The sole instrumental on the album, "Introspectre", is like every Depeche instrumental on an album; in other words, it's practically throwaway, but is useful in transition and keeping the pace during the full album listen. The second track with Gore on lead vocals, "Damaged People", is the better of the two, and has him at his crooning best.

While the previous two albums suffered from weaker second halves, "Playing the Angel" keeps the flow throughout. The quick paced "Lillian" with Gahan's vocals masked with a vocoder displays this. It will definitely get your head nodding as the beats click and smash. The album closes with the 7 minute epic goth of "The Darkest Star", which is both cryptic sounding and vividly powerful at the same time. It helps put the finishing touches on a 50+ minute album that never feels long.

There is no doubt that this is a five star album by Depeche Mode standards, and anyone else's for that matter. This is a necessary buy as it's arguably the best album of the year, and it's a refreshing sight to see a 25 year old band continue to stay fresh and vibrant while still pleasing both their dedicated fans and the constant-changing masses. If you've stuck along to read this entire review, you've wasted time that could have been better spent listening to this glorious album!

I have to agree with the critics, this is a great album. Not the best since Violator as Songs of Faith was equally good. Ultra appeared to be a continuation on Songs, sort of formulaic. The song writing wasnt as strong. But then some of the nice songs on violator and Faith were lifted by the magnificent ones surrounding them.
This deserves 5 stars no doubt about that but it doesnt cover any new ground. Even Gahan's songs fit in perfectly. Perfectly Depeche Mode! Violator was stunning, encapsulating Depeche Mode's development as a band so far. Songs of Faith and Devotion was stunning and shocking! With the heavy guitar and the chunky sound.
Playing the angel is stronger than Ultra in its consistency and way stronger than Exciter. Exciter was an understated effort. Impressive and interesting, but could have been so much better.
Whether you are a Depeche Mode fan or not, this is money well spent. Great Songs, amazing instrumentation and yes, David Gahan singing!

My favorite Depeche Mode ("DM") album before this album was Songs of Faith & Devotion ("SOFAD"). Now, I don't know - I might like this the better than SOFAD. Tough - it's a tie. Anyway, anyone who knows SOFAD will agree that SOFAD was one of DM's darker albums. With Playing the Angel, there are also quite a few "dark" songs, which I love; so it might lead some people to consider this a dark/moody album as well. But I actually think quite the opposite.

My favorite songs from these album are Suffer Well, The Sinner In Me, Precious, I Want It All, Nothing's Impossible. But I know I will love all of the other songs as they grow on me. I know I will because all DM songs do grow on me.

In short:

Suffer Well - the lyrics are dark in DM style, but the melody is really uplifting.

The Sinner In Me - the lyrics are dark. The melody is dark as well but very catchy if not addicting.

Precious - lyrics and melody are the most uplifting among the 5 songs that I have mentioned. If there is one song for the radio, this is it.

I Want It All - Not dark or moody, but not very uplifting. If you've felt you were in a haze at one point, this song does it for you through the ears. It sort of reminds me of Waiting for the Night from Violator.

Nothing's Impossible - although it sounds positive, the melody is quite dark and heavy. It's got heavy beats like The Sinner in Me. It's also very catchy and addicting to listen to.

Overall this is a great album to own. Best album that I've purchased in a long time. I don't know how everyone else feels, but I have an ear for listening to DM as well as the alternative bands and west coast rappers of the 90s. Listening to DM brings me back to my younger gen-X flannel days. I can't wait to see DM live.

I have to say up front that I am a massive Depeche Mode fan, thus this review could be a little bias but in all honesty this record is as good as anything they released in the late 80's and a touch below "Violator" and "Songs of Faith and Devotion". Their last album, Exciter a lot of people wanted to like but it sounded as if the band couldn't be bothered with it and as a result a lot of the songs didn't sound complete. However with "Playing the Angel" Mode have lifted things up a notch and thanks to their producer Ben Hillier created a more darker, abrasive sound very reminiscent of their late eighties work.

The opening track, "A Pain That I'm Used To" literally blares out at you, much like "I Feel You" and gets the listener's attention immediately, setting the tone for the rest of the album. It has a catchy chorus which you expect from Depeche Mode and stomps along like a bull released in a china shop before ending in a siren blasting, guitar smashing crescendo of sonic obliteration.

"John The Revelator", I don't really like the name of this song but this is definitely one of the strongest songs on the album, both lyrically and musically. Dave's voice is in top form, much like "Condemnation" and again there is a great chorus with a subversive bassline that purrs and flows under the lyrics beautifully.

The next track, "Suffer Well" was written by Gahan and fits in nicely here. I especially like the lyrics "An angel led me when I was blind - I said, take me back I've changed my mind" - when you put this in context of Gahan's past it is quite touching, showing a maturity to his songwriting. The chorus is a little bit too poppy for me and it definitely sounds mid to late eighties but doesn't distract too much from the song.

"The Sinner In Me" does what Mode does best. The lyrics are soaked in guilt, repression and a bit of existentialism for good measure, combined with a heavy slab of analogue synths and a dirty bassline which is impossible to scrub out of the recesses of your inner ear. The guitar parts toward the end of the track are a nice touch, resulting in an experimental instrumental which sounds eerily like the intro for "Mercy In You".

I think pretty much everybody has heard "Precious" by now, (a great track don't get me wrong) but it does feel a little bit out of place compared to the other songs on the album. It is not as dirty or raw as the rest of Playing the Angel, although it does bubble along nicely in it's own melodical stratosphere ending with some chopping Gore-esque guitar licks towards the end of the track. In my opinion this is up there with "Enjoy the Silence" although I really disliked Sasha's remix of this, which is a shame if only things were like the old days when they remixed their own stuff.....

Ahh, now for me this is where things go pear shaped. The first track which Martin sings, "Macro" is just over the top, and I understand that he always does this, but I believe he could have done much better. I think he dropped the ball on Exciter too, but previous efforts such as "Judas", "Home" and "Blue Dress" were great! C'mon Mart you know you can do better!

"I Want it All" is really low key, I expected this to be a lot rockier but Dave soldiers on with this one and lyrically he does pull it off but this goes on for too long in my opinion and like he said on the DVD that comes with the album "it was amazing how some of the songs changed in the studio" - and this was one of them.

On the other hand "Nothing is Impossible" is fantastic and one of my favourites on the album. Another Dave track, "Nothing is Impossible" is laden with melodramatic vocals, gloomy guitar parts and chain rattling synths. In fact it kind of sounds like a Cure track circa Disintegration, and you need to listen to this on headphones as it bleeps and grinds its' way into your skull with a chorus that is repetitively hypnotic.

"Introspectre" is a brief respite from vocals duties for the band and as most DM fans realise by now, every album has to have either an instrumental or an instrumental interlude, my personal favourites from a bygone era include the ending on "Blue Dress", "Pimph" and "Uselink" but there are plenty of others worthy of a mention.

"Damaged People" takes us straight back into Gore territory and I'm not sure if this is better or worse than "Macro". He definitely sings it differently and it doesn't go on as long, but it still sounds like a cliche. Am I being too hard on Martin here or do I need to listen to it some more? This was my first impression though, and I tend to stick with that even after listening to a record numerous times but I wasn't a huge fan of the Counterfeit 2 album either (there were a couple of decent tracks) but if you play these songs to someone who has never heard of the band (or heard little of) expressions do range from disbelief to hitting the "stop" button immediately.

"Lilian" is a perfectly crafted piece of Mode pop and bounces along smoothly, although when Dave sings "Oh Lilian - Look what you've done" I can't help but stifle a little snigger. Reading into the lyrics one could assume that Martin is talking about his marital problems but hey that is just one theory. Again, the analogue synths really shine on this track, proving that Ben Hillier was the right person for the job.

"The Darkest Star" meanders along at a slow pace and doesn't require too much active listening to appreciate it, but it is a good closure for an album from a band that has weathered the storm of the music industry for the last 25 years and still can pack stadiums the globe over.

On another note, the sleeve photography is brilliant with Anton Corbijn once again displaying his unique talents for the visual aesthetic and the collage cover was also designed by him. Incidentally, there are two different sets of photographs to accompany the album (one for the deluxe edition and one for the standard edition) so make sure you check out both of them.

I know this review is harsh in places but I wanted to be honest and constructive rather than say "it's fantastic". Overall this is a good album from a band that has endured through some tough times and there are not many other acts in the world today that could do what Depeche Mode have done over the years.

Dan

Exciter, the band's previous album, released in 2001, left many DM fans wondering if the band still had it in them to create another "exciting" album (pun very much intended). Well, Playing the Angel proves fans need not worry - the boys are still on top of their game. They have put together an extremely fun, yet extremely dark and brooding masterpiece that draws from the best elements of past records, while maintaining its own distinctive sound.

The album begins with the uptempo number, A Pain That I'm Used To. This was one of the three tracks that I allowed myself to listen to before the release date (the entire album leaked beforehand, as is normally the case nowadays). Now, I can't decide whether that was a good choice or not. Hearing that opening note (an alarming and distorted synth) for the first time on release date would have been an interesting (if not heart attack-inducing) experience. Nonetheless, I instantly fell in love with the song's captivating combination of a heavy, yet definitely danceable beat and that infectious gospel-tinged chorus - "All this running around, well it's getting me down/Just give me a pain that I'm used to/I don't need to believe all the dreams you conceive/You just need to achieve something that rings true." This is slated to be the second single from this album.

The industrial pop meets gospel method is perfect on the following track, John the Revelator. From the carousel full of fun sounds to the on-target vocal work, the song is an instant success, and the guys from DM knew it. You can hear a bit of well-deserved pride in lead singer Dave Gahan's voice as he asks, "Well who's that shouting?/John the Revelator!/All he ever gives us is pain/Well who's that shouting?/John the Revelator!/He should bow his head in shame." The song is brimming with radio potential and is rumored to be the third single.
Suffer Well is the third track on the album, and the first of three to be written by Gahan (PTA is the first time record featuring songs with lyrics not written by Martin Gore). The song somewhat drops the in-your-face approach of the first two tracks while adding that intoxicating, yet nonintrusive guitar that has been creeping its way into DM's work ever since Violator. Make no mistake though, the track is still heavily electronic based (as is the entire album), and although the title may invoke feelings otherwise, this is one of the lighter songs on the record.

The beautiful brooding continues with The Sinner In Me. One of the darkest and moodiest tracks succeeds where similar songs on other recent DM albums have failed for many - to maintain interest even when they slow things down a bit. This track with its religious-influenced message and its mid-song distorted guitar breakdown, sounds like something that could have been found on 1993's Songs of Faith and Devotion. Next up is the acclaimed first single from the album, Precious. Many fans are putting this on "Enjoy the Silence" level greatness. While I do not hold out hope that DM will ever regain that level of popularity (especially in the US), I have to say that they could not have done a better job trying. The track features everything that Depeche Mode does best - danceable synth-meets piano line beats, minimal distorted guitar, and an exceptionally contagious chorus - "Things get damaged/Things get broken/I thought we'd manage/But words left unspoken/Left us so brittle/There was so little left to give."

Macro is the sixth track on the album and the first to feature Martin Gore on lead vocals. This song is the first to really slow the tempo down considerably. While the song is a difficult listen at first (very unlike the first five extremely catchy tracks), to some it will pay off in the end - the gothic minimalist beat combines with Gore's brooding vocals beautifully. Although normally every DM album features a Gore ballad, I think fans will be split on whether or not this track is a success. Continuing with the slower-tempo portion of the album, the second of the Gahan-written songs is track seven, I Want It All. A trip-hop influenced beat (that sounds like it would be right at home on a Massive Attack or Portishead album) backs up Gahan's vocals on this track that could have easily been found on their 1997 album, Ultra. Personally, I think the track is a beautiful success (especially the last two minutes), yet I have the feeling that it could have been condensed to no more than five minutes instead of over six. Some may find this to be a filler or skip-over track. I think that depends on whether you see Ultra as one of your favorite DM albums or consider it to be not-so-memorable.

Nothing's Impossible picks the pace of the album back up, and is the last of the three Gahan written tracks on the album. This song is one of my favorites as it conjures memories of my favorite DM album, 1986's Black Celebration. To me, this song lyrically resembles a less hopeful "But Not Tonight" (found on BC). Next up is the inescapable DM instrumental, Introspectre. However well the track does its job of continuing the mood of the album, I agree with others who think the b-side "Free" (which can be found on the "Precious" single), or any other b-side for that matter, would have been a more desirable choice here.

The second of the two songs featuring Martin Gore on lead vocals is track ten, Damaged People. This one is definitely my favorite of the two. The almost creepy music often brings the listener to a point of hope, then wonderfully crushes back down upon us again. Gore's vocal work on the song is perfect (no, not near perfect - just damn perfect) and so fittingly dark that it makes you feel like he was simply aching to sing the words, "When you're in my arms/The world makes sense/There is no pretense/And you're crying/When you're by my side/There is no defense/I forget to sense/I'm dying." The next track, Lilian sounds like classic DM and reminds me a lot of what "Precious" would sound like had it been released on either Music for the Masses or Violator. Lyrically, it encompasses the general mood of the entire album - "pain and misery always hit the spot, knowing you can't lose what you haven't got."

The last track on the album is The Darkest Star. This is the song where the album garnered its name from. This, along with "Damaged People" are the two most morose tracks on the album. The Darkest Star is a slow, intensely haunting closing track that may unsettle you somewhat, and most likely takes the cake as the darkest on the album - lyrically and musically. Lyrically, it doesn't get much more macabre than this, "Oh you sad one/Playing the angel/Isn't so easy where you're from/Oh you wild one/Devil's companion/You won't stay satisfied for long...I don't want you to change anything you do/I don't want you to be someone else for me/Stay as you are the darkest star." And the pounding piano and synth lines back up the somber lyrics and vocal work of Gahan most fittingly.

4.5 Stars in reality, but 5.0 just because that's not an option!

It never ceases to amaze me when somebody can be so good for such a long time! I am an old fan of Depeche Mode. By "old" I mean that I first became their fan in the mid-eighties. "Speak And Spell", "A Broken Frame", "Construction Time Again" were the first albums I fell in love with. I could listen to "Some Great Reward" all day long over and over again with my walkman headphones practically glued to my ear canals. When the "Violator" came out I thought it was an absolute work of art and nothing could compare to it. I shared my love with a number of friends through college and we even followed the style of Dave Gahan in clothing and hair.

Well, may be the late 90's were not the best time for Depeche Mode. I don't know what the heck they were going through. I would call it the "songs of crisis and depression" instead of anything else. I thought Depeche Mode exhausted itself and started to loose my hope to hear something good gain. However, "Playing the Angel" was definitely a real treat. In my opinion this is their second best album after the "Violator". It's like going back in time. Depeche Mode truly capitalized on what they are good at again. Once more, they showed they had their own unique style that would always remain the style of Depeche Mode.