Playing the Blues: A View of Depeche Mode's 'Playing the Angel' release

Depeche Mode is now a bunch of middle-aged artistes who are best remembered for their edgy, dark, underground eighties dance hits like 'Strangelove' and 'Everything counts'. When they first burst upon the scene in 1981-82, they were playing a brand of futurist pop like 'New Life', 'Dreaming of You', 'Photographic'. Their sound were unusual and totally different from the prog-rock of the seventies. It was a milestone. This was then followed by a few darker albums with industrial sounds and themes. These albums were innovative, trendy-setting and daring despite being hated by traditional hidebound critics.

Today Depeche Mode are blues pretenders with a bad case of the rock-god syndrome.

Previously, I felt that Gahan and Depeche Mode were able to express and give a personal sense of darkness and anguish that is uniquely Depeche Mode. Martin Gore's lyrics and songwriting captured that mood well and created a form of electronic darkness of that is distinctly their own. Depeche Mode was individual and different from the typical rock band. From 1993 and after, Gahan's lapse into the rock-god syndrome and Gore's venture into the blues territory, Depeche Mode veered towards a electro-blues mode with rock vocal leanings. There were stomping stadium rock ('I feel you') and gospel numbers ('Condemnation'). The vocal stylings and lyrics began to reflect that new direction. Bands evolve. And Depeche Mode did. Gahan and Gore had spoken of their personal heroes in interviews and have covered their favourite artistes in solos and compilations. Sadly, in an interview, Depeche Mode has even compared themselves to middle-aged rocker crap like R.E.M. and U2 and they claimed to have nothing in common with their contemporaries (ie other New Romantics, "we are rock/blues gods now, they are poor people with no money and we hate their hair-dos.") A case of hubris for these New Town Boys...

I think the drift towards that direction will continue tempered with whatever producer they choose in subsequent albums which is not unlike what Madonna is doing except that Madonna probably does less (not even the songwriting!). Some producers may stamp their signature on the resultant effort while others are less authoritative, so we are likely to see a variety. The uniquely Depeche Mode sound, supposedly crafted by the now departed Alan Wilder is gone.

'Precious', easily the best track on the album, appears to be a concession given the current direction. Despite the 'new-style' vocals, 'Playing the Angel' appears to have less of a pronounced 'blues and rock' feel (except 'John the Revelator' and a track or two) than the previous two. 'John the Revelator' is possibly the worst track on the album and it would probably be better to have been a B-side. The track is littered with blues stylings and harmonies which is extremely grating and it detracts from the album. Perhaps, if the vocals can be changed...

The Gahan-penned tracks (with his compatriots from his solo album 'Paper Monsters') proved surprisingly to be in the Depeche Mode vein despite his often stated rock-god pretensions. 'Nothing's impossible' is possibly his best track on 'Playing the Angel' and as such, is quite a worthy track. Note also that none of the Alan Wilder compositions have ever made it to any Depeche Mode album. (Except in the B-sides of singles)

For me, stand out tracks include 'Nothing's impossible', 'Damaged People' and 'Lilian' and the feel of these tracks do re-capture a little of the gloom in 'Black Celebration'.

On same topic regarding some critics describing 'Playing the Angel' an electro-dance album, I am not surprised as I think these critics have obviously not listened to it. The tracks here have to be radically remixed or stripped to be playable in a discotheque or club and I can't see how the tracks can stand on their own in a discotheque. Imagine 'Precious' coming on after a Perfecto or DJ Tiesto track. I don't think so. It would seem that often critics pigeon-hole Depeche Mode without ever really listening.

With 'Playing the Angel', Depeche Mode has in a way, come of age, they have lost the mantle of electronic (and synthpop) pioneers, taking on the distorted sounds and directions of other industrial bands, tempered with the decidedly average songwriting (at least for this album). Depeche Mode has, in my opinion, never really been comfortable or confident with their pioneering synthpop which has influenced so many other bands, and ultimately, they became a follower and slave to commercial rock radio. (MOR or AOR).

'Playing the Angel' has grown on me quite a bit. The album track arrangements with 'Introspectre' interspersed in the nineth spot as a musical interlude and 'Precious' coming in at the fourth spot did give a certain sense of integrity, a wholeness that is consistent to the overall theme.

All in all, 'Playing the Angel' is a good worthwhile album although lacking the greatness of 'Violator', 'A Broken Frame', and 'Some Great Reward'.

My favourite Depeche Mode albums (Ranked from favourite to least liked)**

1. Violator
2. A Broken Frame
3. Music for the Masses
4. Some Great Reward
5. Black Celebration
6. Speak and Spell
7. Songs of Faith and Devotion
8. Playing the Angel
9. Exciter
10. Construction Time again
11. Ultra

My first impressions of 'Playing the Angel'.
My first impressions of 'Precious'.

*Again, not a review but a view of the album.
** Excluding compilations, singles collections, live albums, remix albums

"So bury fear for fate draws near and hide the signs of pain
With noble acts, the bravest souls endure the heart's remains
Discard regret, that in this debt a better world is made
That children of a newer day might remember, and avoid our fate."
'Winterborn' The Cruxshadows