74 replies · 1,706 views
My review... 
As simple as that.
Bring Alan Wilder back please, what's with that fookin minimalist style they have in their album since Ultra?
Precious is by very far the best track on the album.
I'll give it another try, but I think I found why they put all shows on sale before the album itself was released.
First listen happening right now. A Pain That I'm Used To starts the album off with an F grade thus far.
Agreed about Alan.
I don't own any Coldplay so I can't really comment on that.
The first 4 songs on PTA are nothing more than noise. Just a lot of noise. Precious is the first real song on this album.
I really like what I've heard of the album thus far. The first 5 tracks are really good, even if they take a bit of getting used to (like John the Revelator...gospel chorus put me off at first, but I like it now). The Martin songs are pretty dire, remind me of Exciter shit, though Damaged People is okay. My favorite tracks are A Pain That I'm Used To and Nothing's Impossible (an excellent track). Thank goodness they didn't make another Exciter...that lo-fi lounge music had to go. This album is nicely dark, but it's not going to be dancy old DM and you'll just have to get over the fact that they haven't been dancy in 15 years.
C'mon David, don't tell me this album contains any song up to the level of Enjoy The Silence, Strangelove, etc...
Musically, Precious is the gem, the rest is.. pretty boring.
WFTSC is pure gold compared to this !!
I'll give it another try, can't believe I'm saying this about a Depeche Mode album though, I used to be such a fan,there were a few songs that I enjoyed on Exciter and Ultra, but it seems to discrease with time.
As I said, Depeche Mode lost its edge when Alan Wilder left the band.
BTW, I hope people notice there are 3 songs written by David Gahan on that one, that's a first!
I'll agree that they lost their edge when Wilder left, but he's not coming back. I don't think they'll ever make a song as good as some of the gems when Wilder was still in the band, but even SOFAD had its share of dodgy songs and was definitely not dancy or terribly poppy. The band has just gone into darker, more rockier (however slight) territory. Personally I liked Ultra but it took a while to get used to, a very laid back album with the exception of songs like It's No Good. But I can't imagine anyone actually preferring Exciter over Playing the Angel...one sounds like very minimalist lounge love songs but the newer one is back to a gloomy sound like various songs on Black Celebration, Ultra, and Violator. In fact, the new album sounds like a mix of those 3 albums and there are plenty of trademark DM riffs in there that should remind us of Ultra and SOFAD. Although there are a few songs that sound like Exciter holdovers, I would argue that almost any song on Playing the Angel is better than any song on Exciter. Just my opinion though.
On "Nothing's Impossible" the radar pinging sounds like something out of "Hunt for Red October". Nevertheless, that is a decent song, but nothing comes close to "Precious", IMO, and "Precious" doesn't come close to 7/9ths of Violator.
I don't neccessarily long for the dancy days. But if we're going with darker, heavier music then I'd prefer something a little more bearable like "Fly on the Windscreen", "I Want You Now", "Black Celebration", or even "Home". And two or three dancy songs isn't asking for the world - especially after what Exciter produced.
Out of Ultra, Exciter, and now Playing The Angel, the only, according to be, noticable song are:
Dream On, Precious, It's No Good, Useless, Home, I Feel Loved.
That's not much!
I could have included Freelove, but I'm not that much of a fan of that song.
I'm having a hard time loving those albums, Ultra was better, and I didn't like it when it was released... I hate when Martin Gore goes gospel, so even in SOFAD, the Bottom Line and Judas aren't my favorite at all.. but I know my wife loves Judas.
i was so disappointed with this album, Very Bland i thought after precious i totally lost interest which hasn't happened on an album since i poisoned my ears with Keith Urban,i was driving though so maybe not the best place to hear it.
i'm trying it out for a second time now......we'll see
patrick stewart appreciation society wrote: i was so disappointed with this album, Very Bland i thought after precious i totally lost interest which hasn't happened on an album since i poisoned my ears with Keith Urban,i was driving though so maybe not the best place to hear it.
i'm trying it out for a second time now......we'll see
PSAS listens to the new DM album, so that you don't have to!
BIGINOIL wrote:
patrick stewart appreciation society wrote: i was so disappointed with this album, Very Bland i thought after precious i totally lost interest which hasn't happened on an album since i poisoned my ears with Keith Urban,i was driving though so maybe not the best place to hear it.
i'm trying it out for a second time now......we'll see
PSAS listens to the new DM album, so that you don't have to!
Just trying to stop people wasting there hard earned cash, if i hadn't got mine for £3 i wouldn't have bought it
i turned off after track 6 put something else on.
I was a bit interested, then read a review in the Observer Misic paper this weekend and was less interested. Now I've read what you have to say I am completely not interested. So, as you say: money saved! 
£3 is cheap though - where did you buy it from?
Q gave it 4 stars when i listened to it i was shocked, must be behind the scenes ass kissing going on from MUTE to help push sales
i joined Repro, a sales thing for your mobile phone, so for my first order i got £5 off from CD-WOW. So i thought i'd have a dabble, so for what i paid i could whack it on Ebay and make abit of profit haha
Maybe Q think they're a bit cool because they cracked America. I couldn't believe it about 10 years ago (or whenever Personal Jesus was out) when I went to stay in Florida. They were getting slated in the UK for being not-pop-any-more and being fucked on smack. Over in USA they we getting blanket coverage on MTV and generally acting like heroes.
patrick stewart appreciation society wrote: ...for what i paid i could whack it on Ebay and make abit of profit haha
A happy ending then!
Maybe they should get back on the hard stuff, could give 'em abit of inspiration.
i was watching an interview with them, and they we're talking about the producer of the new album.How he was a risk because he wasn't a fan of there music and they weren't fans of anything he'd done.
Surely it makes sense to pick someone who is maybe not a fan but has an interest in your sound and they're interested in the things that this producer has done.
patrick stewart appreciation society wrote: Maybe they should get back on the hard stuff, could give 'em abit of inspiration.
Ever considered a career in band management, Pats?
I take it that John the Revelator is a new M. Gore composition, and not the old religious song.
I loved the album. I'm always back and fourth on DM and NO, so I don't like comparing them like that, especially since the bands sound NOTHING alike. New Order dabbles into brit-rock, pop, house, etc where as Depeche Mode is more into distorted guitars, blues, gospel, electronica, darkwave, and the like.
They're both from the same era, they both make music one is able to dance to. That's about it.
One thing that I have claimed a few times about Depeche Mode and how New Order might learn something about is DM is not afraid to play all new/newer material.
I guess I enjoy the albums equally though.
[darkgreen]Green[/darkgreen] wrote: I take it that John the Revelator is a new M. Gore composition, and not the old religious song.
Apparently it's a cover of the old religious song. And I like it. 
[darkgreen]Green[/darkgreen] wrote: I take it that John the Revelator is a new M. Gore composition, and not the old religious song.
Apparently it's a cover of the old religious song. And I like it.
d13 wrote: sounds like everyone's saying 'good download'?
Not sure... I downloaded it, didn't buy it yet... and for the first time I'm asking myself if I should buy it.
I'll put it on heavy rotation, we'll see.
The song is labelled with Precious on the wrapping "Featuring 'precious' and 'john the revelator'" so its either being downloaded a lot of it is going to be a second single...or both.
speaking of which...I wish Guilt is a Useless Emotion was a single, that had chart topper all over it 
