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Rating:
The masters of electropop return to the music scene with more than satisfying results
Many would have bet that the new Depeche Mode album would disappoint the expectations of the millions of fans around the world. It seemed to be a fact, for the reason that already in 2001 "Exciter" had been released, a not exactly unforgettable work, which left a bitter taste in many people's mouths. It seemed like the beginning of a sort of inexorable decline for them; but it wasn't so. After the solo albums by Gahan and Gore, the three masters returned together stronger than ever. An Andy Fletcher in great form (one hadn't seen him like this since the days of Violator), Dave Gahan now capable of producing music and lyrics even on his own, and the usual Martin L. Gore able to move the audience with great skill, despite his calmness and static nature.The album represents a sort of introspection on existential pain, especially reflected in the often macabre atmospheres that seem to transport you to devastating, robotic and implausible scenarios. This is even more underscored by Gahan's voice, a heart-wrenching yet moving voice; a voice that, more than ever in this case, seems to be in the right place at the right time. The style achieved by the three is now perfect and unmistakable, of rare production, which few (if any) have managed to match.
Very few notes of discredit, among which Gore's voice that does not fit well into the general atmosphere of the album (if we can even call this a discredit); and the absence of Gore's much-loved guitar that left us with masterpieces like "Enjoy The Silence" and "Dream On".
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 A Pain That I'm Used To (04:11)
I'm not sure what I'm looking for anymore
I just know that I'm harder to console
I don't see who I'm trying to be instead of me
But the key is a question of control
Can you say what you're trying to play anyway
I just pay while you're breaking all the rules
All the signs that I find have been underlined
Devils thrive on the drive that is fueled
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
There's a hole in your soul like an animal
With no conscience, repentance, oh no
Close your eyes, pay the price for your paradise
Devils feed on the seeds of the soul
I can't conceal what I feel, what I know is real
No mistaking the faking, I care
With a prayer in the air I will leave it there
On a note full of hope not despair
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
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
02 John the Revelator (03:42)
John the Revelator, put him in a elevator
Take him up to the highest high
Take him up to the top where the mountains stop
Let him tell his book of lies
John the Revelator, he's a smooth operator
It's time we cut him down to size
Take him by the hand, and put him on the stand
Let us hear his alibis
By claiming God as his holy right
He's stealing a God from the Israelites
Stealing a God from a Muslim too
There is only one God through and through
Seven lies multiplied by seven
Multiplied by seven again
Seven angels with seven trumpets
Send them home on the morning train
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
By and By
By and By
By and By
By and By
Seven lies multiplied by seven
Multiplied by seven again
Seven angels with seven trumpets
Send them home on the morning train
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
By and By, By and By
John the Revelator
By and By, John the Revelator
By and By, John the Revelator
03 Suffer Well (03:49)
Where were you when I fell from grace,
a frozen heart an empty space
Something's changing it's in your eyes,
please don't speak they're only lies
I found treasure not where I thought
peace of mind that can't be bought,
Still I believe
I just hang on, and suffer well
sometimes it's hard, it's hard to tell
An angel lead me when I was blind
I said take me back I changed my mind
and now I believe
From the blackest room I was torn
you called my name, a love was born
So I believe
I just hang on, and suffer well
sometimes it's hard, it's hard to tell
I just hang on, and suffer well
sometimes it's hard, so hard to tell
04 The Sinner in Me (04:56)
If I could just hide
The sinner inside
And keep him denied
How sweet life would be
If I could be free
From the sinner in me
I'll never be a saint
That's not a picture that your memory paints
Not renowned for my patience
I'm not renowned for my restraint
But you're always around
You can always be found
To pick me up when I'm on the ground
If I could just hide
The sinner inside
And keep him denied
How sweet life would be
If I could be free
From the sinner in me
I'm still recovering
Still getting over all the suffering
More known for my anger
Than for any other thing
But you've always tried
To be by my side
And catch my fall when I start to slide
If I could just hide
The sinner inside
And keep him denied
How sweet life would be
If I could be free
From the sinner in me
05 Precious (04:10)
Precious and fragile things
Need special handling
My God what have we done to You?
We always try to share
The tenderest of care
Now look what we have put You through...
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
Angels with silver wings
Shouldn't know suffering
I wish I could take the pain for you
If God has a master plan
That only He understands
I hope it's your eyes He's seeing through
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
I pray you learn to trust
Have faith in both of us
And keep room in your hearts for two
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
06 Macro (04:03)
Overflowing senses
Heightened awareness
I hear my blood flow
I feel its caress
Whispering cosmos
Talking right to me
Unlimited, endless
God breathing through me
See the microcosm
In macro vision
Our bodies moving
With pure precision
One universal celebration
One evolution
One creation
Thundering rhythm
Pounding within me
Driving me onwards
Forcing me to see
Clear and enlightening
Right there before me
Brilliantly shining
Intricate beauty
See the microcosm
In macro vision
Our bodies moving
With pure precision
One universal celebration
One evolution
One creation
11 Lilian (04:49)
Oh Lilian
Look what you've done
You've stripped my heart
Ripped it apart
In the name of fun
Oh Lilian
I'm a poor man's son
And precious jewels
Weren't found in schools
Where I came from
Pain and misery
Always hit the spot
Knowing you can't lose
What you haven't got
Oh Lilian
I should have run
I should have known
Each dress you own
Is a loaded gun
Oh Lilian
Oh Lilian
I need protection
I hear your voice
And any choice I had is gone
Oh Lilian
Once I'd begun
I couldn't stop
Till every drop
Of blood was sung
Pain and misery
Always hit the spot
Knowing you can't lose
What you haven't got
Oh Lilian
Look what you've done
You stripped my heart
Ripped it apart
In the name of fun
Oh Lillian
Oh Lillian
Oh Lillian
Oh Lillian
12 The Darkest Star (06:55)
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
Oh you dark one
Eternal outsider
Caught in the spider’s web you’ve spun
Oh you blind one
Gentle and kind one
Seeing the world as a loaded gun
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
Shining for me
Majestically
I don’t want you to change anything you do
I don’t want you to be someone else for me
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Other reviews
By AR (Anonima Recensori)
The first notes of the new work announce a return to the origins, a balanced piece that is at the same time simple and brilliant.
Honoring the mysterious charm that still envelops this immortal band and its devotees even after 25 years.
By ma3x
Once the CD was put in the CD player, I shut up (which for some is really an event...).
It’s rough, dirty just right (probably the hard covers from various Manson types added a bit of spice)...
By Torre Ste
"The first track must capture the listener’s attention, and this song succeeds completely, marking a return to the golden years of the group’s sound."
"‘Precious’ is somewhat the new ‘Enjoy The Silence,’ with the same bite, the same melancholy, the same minimalism, yet at the same time as bright as few."
By Boris
"Playing the Angel seems to be a synthesis of two distinct periods of DM: those of the early ’80s and those of the late ’80s and early ’90s."
"DM have conceived an album worthy of their best works, capable of synthesizing 25 years of music as only a few bands can do."
By Giordyboy
"PAIN AND SUFFERING IN VARIOUS TEMPOS" perfectly summarizes the album.
"Perhaps it’s one of the most beautiful Depeche Mode songs ever."
