Since the 1980's, I've been pretty fond of the music of Depeche Mode.  Back then, their music was heavily loaded with synthesizer sounds and became pretty mainstream.  This 2005 release, "Playing the Angel" from Depeche Mode is quite a departure from their earlier sound, though the synthesizer element and vocals remain.

Playing time for the album is about 51 minutes.  Individual tracks range in length from about 1:42 to 6:09.  Most are in the typical 3-4 minute "radio length" range.

For a fan of the 1980's Depeche Mode, today's group takes some getting used to.  Along with the familiar vocals and synthesizer sound, there's a new edge to the lyrics and a screaming guitar sound that is a very sharp contrast to the Depeche Mode of 20 years ago.  I think I still like the older sound better, but I can appreciate that it sounds "eighties" enough that the band would have a very hard time attracting newer listeners to their music without this modern "grunge" element that is popular in a lot of today's alternative and hit music.  If you're not familiar with the band's sound today, this album might be too loud and edgy for your tastes. For me, it's pushing the limit.

The opening guitar riffs of "A Pain That I'm Used To" are loud, distorted, and quite frankly disturbing to someone familiar with the "old" Depeche Mode.  Once you get past those sounds, it's definitely a Depeche Mode sound.  Updated and slightly different, but definitely the same band.  On a 1-10 scale where 10 is excellent, this track gets about a 5 from me.

"John the Revelator" reminds me a little of the earlier Depeche Mode song "Pleasure Little Treasure".  It's very catchy and one of the better songs on the album.  I give it a 7.  Without some of the experimental sounds and distortion, it'd probably get an 8 or a 9.

"Suffer Well" talks about how life can be painful and we just need to "hang on and suffer well".  There are some "staticy" sounds near the end of this track that I could do without.  Overall, this one gets a 6.

"The Sinner in Me" talks about how the "sinner" in each of us makes our lives less pleasant than they might otherwise be, wishing that the "inner sinner" could be suppressed to make life better.  I'd rate it a 7.

"Precious" could be moved to one of the older Depeche Mode albums and not sound much out of place.  The instrumentals, lyrics, and vocals are very much like the Depeche Mode of the eighties.  Lyrically, it is one of the better Depeche Mode songs.  It gets an 8.

"Macrovision" sounds like it would be a song about copy protection on DVDs and VHS tapes.  It's not.  The lyrics talk about seeing the universe as one creation ("macrovision").  Overall, it sounds very little like Depeche Mode or the rest of the album.  Still, it's an enjoyable song, scoring 6 out of 10.

"I Want It All" is pretty well summed up in its title.  Not the strongest song on the album.  I'm giving it a 4.

"Nothing's Impossible" has a "Depeche Mode" sound to it but is a mediocre song at best. It gets a 6.

"Introspectre" is an instrumental piece just under 2 minutes long.  Since it's one of the better works on the album, it gets a 7.

"Damaged People" sounds pretty much nothing like Depeche Mode aside from the synthesizer sounds.  If you told me this was some other group, I'd believe you without thinking twice.  On its own merits, it's a decent song but nothing overwhelming.  I give it a 6 out of 10.

"Lillian" sounds like a cross between Depeche Mode and some other band.  It's probably the weakest song on the album from a lyrical point of view.  The vocals are at times distorted, barely harmonious, and simply not up to what I'd expect from the band.  The instrumentals have a very "experimental" sound to them that doesn't help me like it any more.  I give it a 3 overall.

"The Darkest Star" reminds me of some of the alien music in the movie "Forbidden Planet".  It has traditional Depeche Mode music elements combined with experimental sounds and a 50's sci-fi soundtrack.  Lyrically, it seems quite uninspired and uninteresting.  It's not terrible, but only slightly better than Lillian.  I'm giving it a 4.

Calculating an overall rating for the album from the average of the individual tracks, we get (5 + 8 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 6 + 4 + 6 + 7 + 6 + 3 + 4 = 70, 70 / 12 tracks = 5.8) approximately 5.8.  For as little as I enjoyed listening to the entire album, that feels pretty high.  I think we're going to round down to 5.0 on this one because it just doesn't impress me that much.  When it's good, it's pretty good.  But when it's not, I don't care to listen.