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Depeche Mode: Playing the Angel
Mute Records, Cassette, Rs. 135
I must admit I haven't been Depeche Mode's greatest fan. I've heard them on and off, but never really paid much attention. I developed an image of the band early on as being boring and unimaginative. Playing the Angel, their latest release, therefore, comes as much of a surprise to me. While they haven't made a fan out of me yet, I am more liable to give their future releases a better listen.
The album begins with a loud, wailing siren that gnaws at you and demands attention. As the initial shock wears off, the album rolls right into five great songs. "The Pain That I'm Used To", the first of these, sets the mood for the rest of the album with a slick, sharp grind overflowing with angst. The second, and my personal favourite on the album, is "John The Revelator", a song whose distaste of organised Western religion couldn't be clearer. The song, the credits reveal, is inspired by a traditional work of the same name. With a solid rock feel and strong vocals, this song grabs you like nothing else does in the album. "Suffer Well", follows, one of three songs written by vocalist Dave Gahan. This number shows that Gahan certainly has a lot more than just a nice voice, and the beginning is rounded off nicely with "The Sinner In Me". Halfway through "Precious", a nice breezy melody with soothing vocals, my expectations of the album have begun to soar.
"Macro", a painful, self-gratifying number, however, brings me right back down to reality. Listen to this song in exception of the rest of the album, and you can almost hear DM's final gasp in the background. The second half of the album doesn't live up to the reputation that the most of the first half builds. Notable exceptions are the gritty, hopeful "Nothing's Impossible" and the danceable, vocally superior, "Lilian".
For all the diehard Depeche Mode fans, this album is a good buy. For everyone else, this album could hit or miss. But much of the album merits at least one good listen.
Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation: Mighty Rearranger
Sanctuary Records, CD, Rs. 350
Robert Plant is undisputedly the iconic voice, representative of the best of an era. Together with Jimmy Page and the rest of Led Zeppelin, he gave not just his generation, but also many to follow, such hits as "Stairway to Heaven" and "Kashmir". Which is why it's a strange sensation for me to see Plant with any other band. But Mighty Rearranger proves beyond a doubt that this rock- and-roll god hasn't fallen from grace yet.
For me, the best song on the album is the dreamy and romantic, "All the King's Horses". With an acoustic guitar strumming a pleasing melody, this is the perfect song to lose yourself in. "Dancing in Heaven", which feels like an oddly familiar deja vu, runs in much the same vein.
However, much of the album is not so whimsical and removed from the world. As is demonstrated by the lyrics of the opening song "Another Tribe", there is a strong currency to Plant's music. This song and others also show, by the use of interesting percussion, that Plant still retains his liking for Middle-Eastern element. "Freedom Fries", the shortest song on the album, uses interesting percussion and groove to pack a better punch than some other songs. But nothing proves better than the solid, straight grooved "Takamba" that Page has embraced rather than ignored his past.
Another brilliant addition to the album is, "Tin Pan Valley", which takes a dig at much of the present music world. At first, when he sings of moving to a higher plane, he sounds like someone past his prime trying to hit back at those still with it, but the up-tempo sections of the song soon reveal that he has right to his disdain. The title track, Mighty Rearranger, also vies lustily for top honours. With a smooth blues guitar lick and a piano in the background, this song about the futility of worrying about the future is unforgettable.
The only thing I can find fault with in the album is the final track "Brother Ray". While the song itself isn't unlikeable, its mostly electronic feel somehow doesn't fit into the mood of the rest of the album. There seems to have been a deliberate effort in this album to avoid any overt Zeppelin reminders. Plant leaves behind his trademark wail, and guitarist Justin Adams stays mostly bluesy, avoiding any imitation of Page.
Overall, this textured album is an excellent blend of old roots and new influences, as Plant retains the basics that brought him this far up the road, but adds in the best of what came along on the crossroads.
RAKESH MEHAR
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