Hourglass

Dave Gahan's second solo work

The fans of the British electronic band Depeche Mode are happy again: its self-perpetuating leader Dave Gahan releases the second solo album Hourglass, a follow-up to his 2003 debut Paper Monsters. This time Dave once again collaborates with producers and musicians Andrew Phillpott and Christian Eigner who play guitars and drums accordingly with whom he has recorded three songs on Depeche Mode's album Playing The Angel. As Gahan states himself the new record is more electronic than Paper Monsters. Yet the main difference between the two works is that on Hourglass the percentage of hard rocking tracks is evidently much less. The musicians started working on the new material at the beginning of the current year, and as a result there have been selected ten most interesting tracks. Although album Hourglass reminds of Dave Gahan's creative work as part of Depeche Mode in many respects, it is quite obvious that his vocal abilities never cease to evolve and there have appeared more elements of introspection in his lyrics.

Loneliness, search of happiness and obsession on Hourglass

There is no doubt that Hourglass is a typical Gahan's album. The basic themes here are loneliness, search of happiness and obsession, and the tunes are sullen and heartfelt as always. The album opens with one of the best tracks Saw Something: slow and melancholic it conquers at once with the painfulness of the emotions Dave is experiencing that are expressed both in the melody and in the vocals. The first single Kingdom – is a more aggressive composition with penetrating instrumental background. One of the toughest songs on the record is Deeper And Deeper, containing all the component parts of the true electronic music – the groaning of guitars, powerful drums and Dave's voice amazing with the width of its range. A slower but all the same tense track 21 Days pleases with the deep thoughts in the lyrics, and composition Miracles sounds like the soundtrack of a beautiful fantasy movie utterly justifying its name and getting the listeners into trans. Faultless guitar hooks of song Use You perfectly combine with Gahan's stunning vocals, and starting with the sounds of the sea track Endless can be called the most electronic one on Hourglass. The record closes with amazingly melodious composition Down, causing the listeners to reflect on loneliness.

Solo career is a success as well

No matter what the evil tongues say, Dave Gahan creates the same impressive music out of the band as well. At the age of forty-five he knows from his own experience everything he sings about in his songs and has never thought it necessary to hide his dark sides from the audience. In the end it is the frankness of the texts combined with deeply thought metaphors or vice versa, primitive simplicity have always served the calling card of both Depeche Mode and Dave Gahan personally. This time the singer did not reject the formula, so, listening carefully to Hourglass, you will learn a lot of new of him. Gahan's biography rich with events – the loss of his step father when a child, early acquaintance with the police, endless looking for a job, drug addiction and rehabilitation – never ceases to be the source of ideas for the new material. With the support of producers and the loving third wife and of course the band, he keeps creating, and judging by the powerful energy of Hourglass, he is not yet finished. The second album has proved to be as lucky as the debut one and one can say for sure that Dave Gahan's solo career is a success as well.