NASHVILLE |DATE: OCTOBER 27, 2005
FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN/LATHUM NELSON
DEPECHE MODE RETURN
‘PLAYING THE ANGEL’ DEBUTS AT #1 IN 10 COUNTRIES;
TOP 10 IN FOUR ADDITIONAL COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE U.S.
Praised as “arguably the best thing they’ve done” (Entertainment Weekly, 10/21/05), DEPECHE MODE’s PLAYING THE ANGEL descended last week, landing on top of the charts around the world and earning some massive critical acclaim. 25 years into the influential and pioneering band’s career, their newly released 11th studio album (Sire/Reprise) debuted at #1 in 10 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Portugal, Poland and Chile. In addition, the album registered four Top 10 debuts: U.S. (#7), U.K. (#6), Belgium (#6) and Iceland (#8). In the U.S., the album is also the #1 Alternative and the #1 Digital album of the week, with digital sales accounting for 15% of total scans.
PLAYING THE ANGEL’s grand entrance was fueled by the album’s first single “Precious,” which currently holds the title of #1 Commercial and #1 Maxi single in the U.S., plus the #1 position on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart.
In the last quarter of a century, DEPECHE MODE–DAVID GAHAN, MARTIN GORE, ANDREW FLETCHER–have sold over 50 million records and have played to approximately 10 million people. Boasting multiple dates in New York (Madison Square Garden) and Los Angeles (Staples Center), the group’s North American arena tour will launch November 2 in Ft. Lauderdale and continue through mid-December (for dates, visit www.depechemode.com).
Here’s what critics have to say about PLAYING THE ANGEL:
“…arguably the best thing they’ve done–Angel mixes tomorrow’s electronics and yesterday’s analog synth in the service of human laments strong enough to reignite ‘black celebrations’ throughout the land.”
–Chris William, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, 10/21/05
“One of rock’s most underrated survivors plumbs the depths of personal and emotional darkness—again. But instead of sounding like manic-depressive forty-somethings, they revel in the bleakness. It’s crushing dance pop, and their best album since Violator.
–Bart Blasengame, DETAILS, 10/05
“Playing the Angel has a zip and hook appeal reminiscent of the band’s ‘80s surge with albums like Black Celebration and Music for the Masses. A song like ‘Suffer Well’ stands among the group’s most engaging dance tracks. The album also features some of Depeche’s most stinging synth lines, along with some richly sinister electro-textures. Depeche has outdone itself in balancing abrasion with pleasure. No wonder their style of music sounds so authentic.”
–Jim Farber, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, 10/16/05
“Musical architect Martin Gore crafts sounds tauter than ever on Playing the Angel, inventing new shades of gray and managing to be both challenging and inviting, while lyrics by Gore and singer Dave Gahan balance familiar expressions of doubt and helplessness with a brightened sense of hope confidence. It’s a pleasant revelation to hear an act at peak strength this far into a career.”
–Steve Hochman, LOS ANGELES TIMES, 10/16/05
“Twenty-five years into its storied career, Depeche Mode charges back with Playing the Angel. The CD opens with ‘A Pain That I'm Used To,’ a gritty, up-tempo stomper with a killer chorus that sets the tone for much of the set. It is followed by the inspired throwdown of ‘John the Revelator’ and the beeping bump of ‘Suffer Well.’ Any of those would make a great follow-up to lead single ‘Precious,’ which blends tinkling programmed beats with crunchy rock.”
–Keith Caulfield, BILLBOARD, 10/22/05
“…their ambient soundscapes show that they were electronica before electronica was cool. The first single, ‘Precious,’ is a moody gem in the vein of ‘Enjoy the Silence,’ while ‘Damaged People’ is a glorious, gothy ballad. But the gloomy dudes actually flash a bit of optimism in the darkness of ‘Nothing’s Impossible.’”
–Chuck Arnold, PEOPLE, 10/31/05
“…remarkable return to form, which recalls many of the band’s provocative peaks. Songs like ‘A Pain That I’m Used To’ seethe with the twisted sexuality of DM classics circa Black Celebration, with Gahan’s ominous baritone leading the way. ‘John The Revelator’ is a gospel-tinged blast that harnesses the arena-readiness of Songs of Faith and Devotion numbers like ‘I Feel You,’ only with even more passion and resolve.”
–Permanent Ink, URB, 10/05
“While this is a brand-new disc, it could easily serve as a retrospective for the band. For early DM fans, there are bright, catchy electro-hooks that would shake any disco dancer’s hips. There are also songs that reference the band’s middle period, when industrial clunks and clangs ruled, and there’s a healthy dose of guitar power for those into DM’s ‘90s experiments.”
–Dan Aquilante, NEW YORK POST, 10/16/05
"…['Precious'] is an elegant yet stomping number–the song brings together melancholy lyrics; percolating, ethereal synths with the sounds of battling fuzzed-out guitars; and other distorted effects. All hell breaks loose with the killer bridge."
–Keith Caulfield, BILLBOARD, 9/17/2005
“Now it its 25th year, Depeche Mode has returned with its 11th album, arguably the band’s strongest effort since Violator hit in 1990. From its aggressive introduction through its heartbreaking close, Playing The Angel features Depeche Mode in classic form. Much of the album juxtaposes the harsh, industrial rhythms of 1985’s Black Celebration with the velvet smooth melodies of Violator for a collection wrought with the sort of elegant despair that has earned this band its large and devoted fan base.”
–Liz Ohanesian, OUTBURN, Fall/05
"…the album features some of the pioneering synth-pop group's best work in a dozen years. And Gahan's voice is more expressive than ever."
–George A. Paul, HEAR/SAY, 10/05
"… have rebounded spectacularly…"
–Glenn Gamboa, NEWSDAY, 10/18/05
"Take 1990's landmark Violator, mix in some of 1997's edgy Ultra, and then filter it through 2001's sexy Exciter. You get Playing the Angel, the British band's first album in four years. Angel comes bursting with dark moods, dance-floor-ready synthesized grooves and a simmering-beneath-the-surface vibe that's totally intoxicating. The record stretches from the sultry ‘Precious’ to the abrasive but hooky ‘A Pain That I'm Used To’ and then travels to the funky workout ‘John the Revelator’ before going for the haunting beauty of ‘Introspectre,’ the disc's only instrumental. The Mode still makes stylish music for the masses."
–Mario Tarradell, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/18/05
“Playing the Angel is a work of great substance, not only because it touches on explosive and capricious world politics (‘John the Revelator’) but also because it explores the equally capricious landscape of the human heart.”
–Jaan Uhelszki, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 10/16/05
"…Depeche Mode at its best…Even after 25 tumultuous years, Depeche Mode sounds fresh and renewed…Through 12 challenging songs, Playing the Angel, succeeds and satisfies because it proves that Depeche Mode is again completely comfortable sounding like Depeche Mode"
–Renee Graham, BOSTON GLOBE, 10/18/05
"Not only is Depeche Mode virtually indestructible, the pioneering British synth-pop group also keeps getting better. The trio's 11th studio album, recorded with Blur producer Ben Hillier, sticks to the sleazy electro-funk blueprint of its hits such as ‘Personal Jesus’ and ‘Never Let Me Down Again.’ Only now, the societal outcasts, shadowy religious figures and bleakly sinister losers seem to have a new sense of purpose, coming to life in driving rock songs like ‘John the Revelator’ and ‘The Sinner in Me.’ It's no wonder the stadiums still beckon them."
—E! ONLINE, 10/18/05
“Gahan's singing has never been better…Gore remains as adept as ever at finding different ways to express the same old feelings of doom and gloom, with songs such as ‘John the Revelator,’ ‘Damaged People’ and ‘The Sinner in Me’ sneaking in winking– and winning–nods to Depeche Mode's past glories disguised by some sonic sleight of hand, like shards of distortion or the interplay of plinky guitar and keyboard on ‘Lillian.’”
Joshua Klein, WASHINGTON POST, 10/19/05
"…It's the soft-boiled, brooding melancholy of minor chords and romantic nihilism that electro-composer Martin Gore and vocalist David Gahan nail…"
–A.D. Amorosi, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/23/05
"…their most self-assured and accessible release in over a decade, with highs not heard since the gloomy heyday of 1990's Violator…the first single 'Precious,' an exquisitely understated ode to busted love. It's easily their most memorable track since Violator's sweeping dance hit 'Enjoy the Silence.' Hearing vulnerable lead singer Dave Gahan's detached lament over the subtly busy mid-tempo beat produces a musical moment that might actually appeal to both tortured teens and adults — proving it is possible for dance acts to age gracefully. (And even grow–for the first time in the group's history, Gahan has contributed a few songs of his own, and the resulting three tracks are, surprisingly, among the album's strongest.)"
–Raymond Fiore, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, 10/28/05
"A startlingly successful return to form with just the right amount of sonic evolution…the gorgeous 'Precious,' one of the band's best-ever singles."
–Jeff Vrabel, FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 10/26/05
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