Post by Jeff on Oct 14, 2005 1:07:41 GMT -5
Tonight I found a copy of DM’s new CD, “Playing the Angel.” Gave it a spin. I think it is their strongest work since Violator--that's right better than SoFaD. Here are some impressions from a devoted DM fan’s first audit:
1. A Pain that I’m Used To—The trio is not in pussy-Mode here. I don’t think Jason would make fun of this song: Straightforward, hard-edged DM. The ambient noises have been toned down. The guitars are respected a little more, but this will never be a guitar band. They play with time-signatures, more or less effectively. This is a classic DM song. They used to be infatuated with feeling and sex, now they are singing about nostalgia for such things, but not in an overly nostalgic way.
2. John the Revelator—Love this one, probably my fav on the CD, one of the best, anyway. Hard, abrasive, moogish arps and soulful harmony. New and retro at once. Gospel harmonies meet Kraftwork. The ending is very abstract, even atonal. Two great openers.
3. Suffer Well—There is an edge to this CD that the last two (Ultra and Exciter) have lacked. A great chorus, reminiscent of Music for the Masses. Again, atonal. The sounds are clipped compressed and limited almost too much. The song is aware of its recording process. The three openers are as good as anything this band has ever done. In the verse there are chords that could go either major or minor, and they do.
4. The Sinner in Me—Weaker than the last three tracks. Opens with a clipped mechanical vamp. The bridge is particularly weak. A nice descending progression on the chorus. A break Justin might have written if I were forcing him to work with one of my songs. Another forceful tune. So far they’ve all been: abrasive, clipped, distorted…but clear and cleverly panned and EQed. This is still a good song, just not as good as the first three.
5. Precious—I’ve heard this is the new single. It’s obvious. From the first note, this one is tame, a throwback to what worked in the distant past. What a shame. It is not a hit. The CD will get little airplay off this song. It sucks that you have to be plain to get airplay. It’s not that the song is bad. It’s just that it isn’t new or exciting. I suppose there is a place on the CD for this track (there are several distorted analog sounds, especially in the chorus), but it is one of the lesser songs. Throwaway lyrics.
6. Macro—Aggressive bass line. Martin sings this one, very self-assuredly. An odd song, as Martin’s often are. But I think this one works. He is singing about enlightenment and sex---again. But his religious and musical vision is clearer. Still discordant, but focused: “See the microcosm in macro-vision”: Food for thought. Worthwhile song. "One evolution. One creation." My thoughts exactly!
7. I Want It All—“I see a river. It’s oceans that I want.” I think this is a classic Depeche Mode sentiment, not unlike Randy Newman’s “I’m looking at the river but thinking of the sea.” The song is slow but intense. The synth work here is very assured, and I admire it greatly. Trent Reznor tried a minimalist approach on this year’s “With Teeth.” DM is taking the same tack, but much more successfully, I think. Two things save them: Their soul/gospel influences and their optimism. New stuff at the end of this song.
8. Nothing’s Impossible—Great beginning. Wonderful sounds. New and interesting. Slow and lazy in their evolution. One of the best songs on the CD. Remembering the 80s. “I still believe in love at first sight. Nothing’s impossible.” Imagine this sentiment at the end of a relationship. “How did we get to be this far apart?” One of the more honest songs DM has done in a while. “Even the stars look brighter tonight.” Wonderful sounds at about 3:00. They have used Radiohead’s glock—at this point I think Radiohead owns that instrument. But they use it in a new way.
9. Introspectre—This is one of those connective tissue songs that appear on DM CDs. But I like this one, and probably won’t fast forward past it like I do with so many others. It is interesting to me because of its grainy synths, which remind me of coming down from certain highs and because of its pensive cinematic feel.
10. Damaged People—Another Martin Gore song. “We’re damaged people drawn together by subtleties that we are not aware of, disturbed souls playing out forever these games that we once thought we would be scared of.” I get it. I like it. Decent DM. Lonely guitar at the break. Gore’s voice sounds much better on this CD than it ever has. “When your lips touch mine and I lose control I forget that I’m old and dying.” Vampire love song.
11. Lilian—I was hoping this song was about Lilith, something that DM has not dealt enough with. Their faith in sex has never questioned itself enough. I really like this one. It doesn’t go deep philosophically. “I hear your voice and any choice I had is gone.” I’ve never bought that. There is an addiction here, but this song is aware of it. “Pain and misery always hit the spot. Knowing you cannot lose what you haven’t got.” Exactly. But then…? The next step. Do they renounce their faith or continue with the self-deprecating remarks? At least we have something to hope for. A dance of danger.
12. The Darkest Star—An unsure and discordant start. A stark piano line. “Oh you sad one, playing the angel. It isn’t so easy when you’re from…” The thematic focus of the CD. “I don’t want you to change anything that you do. I don’t want you to be someone else for me.” Will the hope pay off? “Oh you dark one, eternal outsider, caught in the spider’s web you spun. Oh you blind one, gentle and kind one, seeing the world as a loaded gun.” The idea is the transcendent one is not supposed to change for us. “Stay as you are, the darkest star.” Good, but not enough. There is still a denial of self here. Again, easier to be a martyr for love than to have a new kind of faith. (My thought is that the desire points so strongly toward the North Star that the world must be seen in its light. Alas, DM is not there yet.)
Jeff
PS "Suffer well" and "Nothing's Impossible" are the two tracks that I remembered while I finished writing this.
1. A Pain that I’m Used To—The trio is not in pussy-Mode here. I don’t think Jason would make fun of this song: Straightforward, hard-edged DM. The ambient noises have been toned down. The guitars are respected a little more, but this will never be a guitar band. They play with time-signatures, more or less effectively. This is a classic DM song. They used to be infatuated with feeling and sex, now they are singing about nostalgia for such things, but not in an overly nostalgic way.
2. John the Revelator—Love this one, probably my fav on the CD, one of the best, anyway. Hard, abrasive, moogish arps and soulful harmony. New and retro at once. Gospel harmonies meet Kraftwork. The ending is very abstract, even atonal. Two great openers.
3. Suffer Well—There is an edge to this CD that the last two (Ultra and Exciter) have lacked. A great chorus, reminiscent of Music for the Masses. Again, atonal. The sounds are clipped compressed and limited almost too much. The song is aware of its recording process. The three openers are as good as anything this band has ever done. In the verse there are chords that could go either major or minor, and they do.
4. The Sinner in Me—Weaker than the last three tracks. Opens with a clipped mechanical vamp. The bridge is particularly weak. A nice descending progression on the chorus. A break Justin might have written if I were forcing him to work with one of my songs. Another forceful tune. So far they’ve all been: abrasive, clipped, distorted…but clear and cleverly panned and EQed. This is still a good song, just not as good as the first three.
5. Precious—I’ve heard this is the new single. It’s obvious. From the first note, this one is tame, a throwback to what worked in the distant past. What a shame. It is not a hit. The CD will get little airplay off this song. It sucks that you have to be plain to get airplay. It’s not that the song is bad. It’s just that it isn’t new or exciting. I suppose there is a place on the CD for this track (there are several distorted analog sounds, especially in the chorus), but it is one of the lesser songs. Throwaway lyrics.
6. Macro—Aggressive bass line. Martin sings this one, very self-assuredly. An odd song, as Martin’s often are. But I think this one works. He is singing about enlightenment and sex---again. But his religious and musical vision is clearer. Still discordant, but focused: “See the microcosm in macro-vision”: Food for thought. Worthwhile song. "One evolution. One creation." My thoughts exactly!
7. I Want It All—“I see a river. It’s oceans that I want.” I think this is a classic Depeche Mode sentiment, not unlike Randy Newman’s “I’m looking at the river but thinking of the sea.” The song is slow but intense. The synth work here is very assured, and I admire it greatly. Trent Reznor tried a minimalist approach on this year’s “With Teeth.” DM is taking the same tack, but much more successfully, I think. Two things save them: Their soul/gospel influences and their optimism. New stuff at the end of this song.
8. Nothing’s Impossible—Great beginning. Wonderful sounds. New and interesting. Slow and lazy in their evolution. One of the best songs on the CD. Remembering the 80s. “I still believe in love at first sight. Nothing’s impossible.” Imagine this sentiment at the end of a relationship. “How did we get to be this far apart?” One of the more honest songs DM has done in a while. “Even the stars look brighter tonight.” Wonderful sounds at about 3:00. They have used Radiohead’s glock—at this point I think Radiohead owns that instrument. But they use it in a new way.
9. Introspectre—This is one of those connective tissue songs that appear on DM CDs. But I like this one, and probably won’t fast forward past it like I do with so many others. It is interesting to me because of its grainy synths, which remind me of coming down from certain highs and because of its pensive cinematic feel.
10. Damaged People—Another Martin Gore song. “We’re damaged people drawn together by subtleties that we are not aware of, disturbed souls playing out forever these games that we once thought we would be scared of.” I get it. I like it. Decent DM. Lonely guitar at the break. Gore’s voice sounds much better on this CD than it ever has. “When your lips touch mine and I lose control I forget that I’m old and dying.” Vampire love song.
11. Lilian—I was hoping this song was about Lilith, something that DM has not dealt enough with. Their faith in sex has never questioned itself enough. I really like this one. It doesn’t go deep philosophically. “I hear your voice and any choice I had is gone.” I’ve never bought that. There is an addiction here, but this song is aware of it. “Pain and misery always hit the spot. Knowing you cannot lose what you haven’t got.” Exactly. But then…? The next step. Do they renounce their faith or continue with the self-deprecating remarks? At least we have something to hope for. A dance of danger.
12. The Darkest Star—An unsure and discordant start. A stark piano line. “Oh you sad one, playing the angel. It isn’t so easy when you’re from…” The thematic focus of the CD. “I don’t want you to change anything that you do. I don’t want you to be someone else for me.” Will the hope pay off? “Oh you dark one, eternal outsider, caught in the spider’s web you spun. Oh you blind one, gentle and kind one, seeing the world as a loaded gun.” The idea is the transcendent one is not supposed to change for us. “Stay as you are, the darkest star.” Good, but not enough. There is still a denial of self here. Again, easier to be a martyr for love than to have a new kind of faith. (My thought is that the desire points so strongly toward the North Star that the world must be seen in its light. Alas, DM is not there yet.)
Jeff
PS "Suffer well" and "Nothing's Impossible" are the two tracks that I remembered while I finished writing this.
