Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode revisit familiar territory on the band's 12th studio album in a 28-year career. But they sound revamped, revitalized and fresher than they have in years. Tumbleweed guitars bring familiar grit and snarl to "Miles Away / The Truth Is." "Corrupt" shuffles in on triplets recycled from "Personal Jesus," while "In Chains" revisits old bondage themes. But the band and Playing the Angel producer Ben Hillier have stripped back to focus on details, with synth-pop arpeggios forming a sturdy skeleton filled with a warm, rock 'n' roll heart.

For their new album, Depeche Mode said they were using analog synthesizers and other
vintage gear to "conjure up images of the universe and space travel." But the result sounds
like a time machine back to the Eighties. The pulsing single "Wrong" oozes classic synth-pop
angst, but with Commodore 64-style beats and laser-tag keyboards, ballads like "Peace" are
comically New Romantic, and the dour "Spacewalker" sounds like the score to S... More >