Dave Gahan
Hourglass

I recently signed up on this very intriguing site and, perhaps due to the frenzy and let's say the considerable amount of free time I have, I have started reviewing some albums that I believe I know sufficiently enough to give a valid opinion. I noticed that a large portion of reviews on debaser are about albums by groups and singers I am not familiar with (I apologize to everyone for my ignorance, but being very young, I am not aware of musical styles and melodies of different craftsmanship, I'm sorry), therefore I try to review works by artists and/or bands that probably everyone will be aware of. Better that way.

Now I intend to discuss carefully the album by a great frontman of an equally appreciated band: Dave Gahan of the famous Depeche Mode. And the album in question is "Hourglass", dated 2007, the follow-up to "Paper Monsters" from 2003.

Gahan's musical biography mostly coincides with that of Depeche Mode at least until 2003 when the singer decides to take the solo path, without changing his solid bond with his band, and releases the already mentioned Paper Monsters, containing among other tracks, the singles Dirty Sticky Floors and Bottle Living.

In "Hourglass" Gahan brings together in a valid fusion the unmistakable style of Depeche Mode, that is, electronic/synth-pop, with rock, folk, country, and alternative variations, giving the work in general a significantly different connotation from the British band's albums. The album cannot absolutely be defined as "a Depeche Mode album without Gore and Fletcher". Gahan goes beyond the Depeche, certainly without betraying his origins, but accomplishes this by mixing and blending multiple styles and melodies uniformly. Essentially, there's more beyond the sounds of "Personal Jesus" and "It's No Good", just to name two famous titles of the Mode.

All of this can already be understood with the opening track Saw Something and Deeper And Deeper. In the first, the synthesizers merge with the not particularly rough sound of the drums, offering the song a calm, gentle melody, where Gahan's voice is deliberately soft and subdued. Things change drastically with Deeper And Deeper, an explosive track, on the verge of dynamism and power. Here, electronics and rock merge into a track that can be compared to I Feel You by Depeche Mode, released during their hardest and most creative period.

Another valid track is Kingdom, the first single from the album, a tasty mix of rock, folk, and synth. A peculiarity of this album is the presence of extremely quiet and gentle songs, almost like those suited for a lounge bar, bordering on ambient: Miracles and especially Insoluble eliminate any trace of percussion, and immerse the listener in a relaxing atmosphere, in a pleasant and savory summer night vibe.

The latent energy of the album still intends to be present in the songs 21 Days and Endless, where although there are no explosive guitar riffs and frenzied percussion, there is still a sense of darkness and a mysterious aura expressed at best.

Although Dave Gahan's name will remain indissolubly linked to Depeche Mode in the eras to come, the more astute will agree in affirming how he has managed to give his music that theatrical character, present in some tracks of his band, and that atmosphere that only he can express artistically. A mix of various melodies allows the album itself to make itself independent from the works of the Mode and to be a testament to Gahan's solo and intimate talent.