Depeche Mode are a band that are often unfairly maligned merely because they became known at the same time as a whole bunch of other bad synthpop bands. It's a thoroughly unfair comparison, because the band's cold, alienated sound have a lot more in common with bands like The Cure than other icons of 80s excess like Duran Duran or Eurythmics. The band also have a famously tumultuous history, and this is the first new album that we've seen from the band in some years.

It's obvious that the recent solo albums from both Dave Gahan and Martin Gore have done them well, because "Playing The Angel" finds the band at the top of their game. The biggest surprise is that not only does Gahan contribute some songwriting to the album, his contributions, along with those of bandmates Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott are actually pretty decent. As if rising to the occasion, Martin Gore also provides some excellent songwriting, the best he's done in years, to be honest, and the results are quite impressive.

The obvious starting point, of course, is the single Precious, which has been getting rather a lot of airplay, and rightly so too. Built as every good Depeche Mode song is around a strong beat, but with random spikes of heavily processed guitar cutting through it, it's just accessible enough to appeal even to those who are put off by the thought of synthpop. A Pain That I'm Used To, the album opener, is another good track, opening up with what sounds like a broken siren, before it lurches a haunting, minimal verse.

The non-Gore contributions are interesting too, especially in the way that they manage to completely reinvent the formula while still sounding exactly like Depeche Mode. Suffer Well, for instance, has a much more organic feel than most songs by this band, built around a riff that sounds suspiciously like an unprocessed electric guitar. Nothing's Impossible lives a double life by having very optimistic, uplifting lyrics, while at the same time having the most ominous and menacing music on the whole album. It's a cheap trick, but it's one that works.

Unfortunately, the album does run out of steam a little towards the end, with the song tempos slowing down a lot and melody and hooks being traded in for some sterile retreads of things the band has done before. But if you can look past the few bits of filler on the end, then you'll be happy with this album. Gahan's vocals are better than they ever have been, and while this isn't the band's greatest album ever, it's easily the best thing that they've put out in years. If you're a Depeche Mode fan, then you will not be disappointed by this album. For everybody else, it's a decent enough place to start out, and the presence of some killer songs mean that it probably won't be a purchase that you'll regret.