One of the joys of my job is the occasional new music CD thrown my way.

Depeche Mode’s “Playing The Angel” sounds like a throwback to “Violator,” but with the latest (of course) production tricks as well as a bit of a Nine Inch Nails sensibility… I mean, even more than Violator had. I won’t say the whole album’s great, but parts of it are pretty darned good. Pick it up on sale if you’re at all into the ‘cheMode thing.

Franz Ferdinand’s “You Could Have It So Much Better” is, well, accurately titled. There’s nothing on the album that sounds any different from, let alone any better than, what you heard on the first album. The best moments on the new record, in fact, are those moments that remind you directly of bits from before. It’s pretty bad when a band has to ride the nostalgia wave on only their second album, eh? Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this one, folks.

Why was I too lazy to actually write up proper media reviews in the proper media categories? Easy: My body’s been giving me hell most of the day, especially my wrists and elbows. The less typing, the better. Besides which, neither of these albums really deserve that kind of effort…