Depeche Mode
Playing The Angel

THE REVIEW

Hello everyone, greetings to the "legendary" people of this site who truly love music. I was reading a great report on the homepage about the 30 years of punk '77, a historical event now dead and overused by the mouths of stupid kids who do not hesitate to tell the press: "Oh.... look, we are the new Clash!" Poor us.....

If only they knew the anger, the burst of energy that punk '77 brought with it, what a charm.... even what filth, but when you played and took a hard-nosed attitude for a just cause, everything else became secondary. It was a British-German-American phenomenon, we cannot deny it..... and yet the entire world was left speechless because of punk. If punk '77 had not existed, the new wave wouldn't have existed, thus neither would Depeche Mode (few know that while Martin Gore and Fletch were volunteering as perfect "teacher's pets" of the Basildon pastor, splitting time between school, home, and church, the dandy Dave Gahan was always getting caught by the police with his hands in the cookie jar..... drugs, graffiti, vandalism, wrecked cars, rebellious attitude.... the perfect punk indeed.... Dave).
But other Depeche members in time also embraced a very New Wave cause..... just think of those Mohican haircuts, which even the curly-haired Martin Gore did not resist). The fact is, they were not Duran Duran or Spandau, perfectly groomed in the neo-romantic fashion.

They were dark, playing synth-pop like OMD, Human League, Softcell, New Order, Ultravox, Fad Gadget. They admired David Bowie, who in those years was at the peak of his recording fertility..... Gore liked Kraftwerk (German electronic-industrial), Gahan has always liked heavy rock, hard sounds suitable for his rasping voice, and Fletch liked..... stuffed turkey.

Many will say: 'When will this guy stop annoying us with this nonsense and hurry up to review "Playing the Angel"'? You're right, but if that album is here, it is thanks to many years of stories and enduring from the colorful members of a cursed and fascinating band (but also blessed by Providence), a band that has been talking about death, "pain," darkness, regret, suffering, and hope for more than 20 years. It was '85 the year of "Shake the Disease", a sad but meaningful song. And with these adjectives we can also describe the latest album, PTA. It is an album with dark tones and once again dark as in the past, it makes you contemplate suicide for a few minutes, then you regain your senses and say.... the Depeche are still here, my life is still as it was before..... Yes, and it has even more emotion!

The sound of this album does not remind us of the past (a great load of nonsense says anyone who claims it sounds like an '80s album and that the hit "Precious" recalls "Enjoy the Silence"). There are other sounds, more subdued, sometimes harder and more rock than before, other motivations..... the three guys have matured... Gore first, but also the handsome Gahan, author of three beautiful, catchy, and appreciable songs ("Suffer Well" (excellent 3rd single, beautiful), "I Want it All", a bit more melodious, and "Nothing's Impossible" (very beautiful and raw). Those written by Gore are some gentle, others more wild but all have much more catchy sounds, compared to the long loops of "Exciter," which still needs to mature in our ears. "A Pain that I'm Used to", very lively, indicates suffering (like "Suffer Well", lends itself to listening, so much that radios play it 200 times a day), a good single.

Many argue that a rock riff would have been better instead of distorted sirens, but I sincerely like this initial rawness very much. Then, the mystical and equally exhilarating "John the Revelator", dense text, disco rhythm, makes even the walls dance, single awaited at the beginning of June. Completing the "lively" picture is the sentimental "Lilian", which will be the B-side of "John the Revelator", the catchiest. Then there are the songs sung by Gore, "Macro", beautiful, very orchestral in its progression, electronic and subtle, a typical DM trademark. The second song sung by the blonde Martin is the touching "Damaged People", very intimate in text and sound.... a song from another time..... congratulations Martin! Then there are the slightly dark songs..... like the rough "Sinner in Me", text by Gore, rough, well-done, already proposed on tour, because it made arms swing despite the rather angular sound and perhaps the most electronic....
Then the instrumental "Introspectre", the darkest side of darkness, very simple, like all (or almost) DM instrumental pieces, but very deep. Completing the dark picture "The Darkest Star".... well the title says it all.... this song is darkness personified, a slow and dark piece, not very catchy, but a great piece for fans of the DM Premium Factory. And then of course "Precious", beautiful, calm, commercial in sound, which has NOTHING to do with "Enjoy the Silence", except for the chords and the guitar performance. If the 1990 hit had an almost "disco" and exciting rhythm, with the arrangements of the legendary Alan Wilder on the drum machine, "Precious" is a mature piece, which talks about regret, and hope almost suffocated, but not dead. Constant reference to God, Gore wrote it thinking about his young children now that he is about to divorce his wife. It is an emotion, just like the whole album, which reaches the heart possibly before "Exciter."

PTA is not up to legendary and historical albums (few words for knowledgeable fans!), however, why always yearn for the past? PTA is still a superb album.... many complain about the cover..... but listen to the songs instead.... moreover, the cover is also fascinating and well handled by the "fourth Depeche" Anton Corbjin, also director of the "Suffer Well" video (a cheer for Anton, as always!). What more can I say..... the dark angel, the darkest star, the emotions stirred by Martin Gore's lyrics, and this time also by the now mature Dave, have hit the mark both with the broad audience and with connoisseurs of finer tastes. Comparisons are not necessary, and this album has demonstrated that Depeche are still here, the risk of disbanding is erased, at least for now, because these guys (in their forties) are capable of managing a good musical work along with everything it entails (tours, videos, record promotions, marketing, merchandising...)

Great Depeche Mode "Pain and Suffering" For Fletch: Andy, you're great, try eating less chocolate..... and you'll see you'll become the fit figure of not so long ago! For Dave: keep it up For Martin: Master, once again I am speechless!