by Joe Buffaloe
Daily Lobo
Yes, Depeche Mode is still around.
After 25 years and 10 albums, lead singer Dave Gahan said band members felt there was unfinished business.
Their latest effort, Playing the Angel, is still deeply rooted in their new-wave, goth-dance heritage. The album does not branch out into new genres. Instead, it sets out to prove that Depeche Mode's peculiar style of gloomy electro-pop still has places to go.
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Except for a few modern touches, the production of Playing the Angel isn't radically different from Depeche Mode's work in the late '80s and early '90s, when their seminal album, Violator, was released. They still rely heavily on the synthesizer and electronic dance beats. The melodies can't shake the distinct aroma of the late '80s.
Musically, the performance is top-rate. The bass and drums hook up to form the foundation of the songs. Synthesizers and the occasional guitar provide colorful riffs and atmosphere. Touches of clean guitar or piano pop-up throughout the album at surprising moments. Instruments are laid on top of each other gracefully in the quiet songs or smashed together to form a wall of noise on the loud ones.
The album opens with a jarring, low-pitched siren, fading into a bouncy, minor-key bass line. Soon the electric drums and synthesizers come in, followed by Gahan's signature baritone vocals. It's a standard Depeche Mode song - perfect for dancing, feeling sad and scaring your grandma all at the same time.
The second track, "John the Revelator," finds the band at its best. It places classic blues-gospel vocals on top of a driving electronic beat and gloomy three-chord syth part. The result is an electro-rock song along the lines of "Personal Jesus," exploding with energy from beginning to end.
"Suffer Well," shows a level of songwriting rare for Depeche Mode, especially in the catchy, new-wave chorus.
The album doesn't lag until the middle, where a sequence of lackluster songs is followed by a typically pointless minute-and-a-half instrumental segment.
The quality picks back up with "Damaged People," an intense, synth-heavy ballad with rich harmonies on the chorus. They pick up the pace for one more dark dance song with "Lilian," then close with the moody and quiet "The Darkest Star."
Playing the Angel is impressive at times and dull at others, but at least Depeche Mode sounds in its element. After 25 years, members know the limits of the band. They push their sound a step forward, but don't waste time on genre exercises or awkward experiments. Members progress as a band, but don't feel any need to reinvent themselves.
