Dave Gahan
Paper Monsters

THE REVIEW

The year of grace 2003 saw Dave Gahan, the esteemed patron of Depeche Mode, make the arduous yet obvious decision to dive headfirst into a solo career. It was a decision that could only be met with agreement and full support: twenty years of a career with a major band that had reshaped the synth-electronic scene, a respectable handful of albums to their name (the latest, Exciter, released just two years prior), majestic tours extending from Pasadena to the Filaforum. A career that, despite paralysis and rumored breakups (precisely because of the frontman described here), always managed to recover the energy of its debut. And so, good Gahan, having overcome the post-overdose turmoil and the dark specters of Songs Of Faith And Devotion and Ultra, freed himself from his group's classic production, trying both to show valid songwriting and compositional skills (on par with his colleague Gore) and to surpass the traditional Depeche Mode sound boundaries.

The frantic search for an alternative to the exclusive synth device was confirmed as Gahan’s primary goal for his unique debut, for which he opted for a country-rock-instrumental orientation, successful only in part: the near "abnegation" of his origins certainly revealed a Dave who was anything but predictable and repetitive, but at the same time, caused a drastic decline in the vigor and "roughness" embodied by a true "stage animal" that screams, bucks, and moves the masses.

A widespread weakness (also vocal) characterizes much of the album: the very peaceful country-rock mix for Hold On, the ghostly gothic ambient experiment of A Little Piece, the soft and velvety instrumental lullaby of Stay coupled with the synth play that suddenly evolves into an offbeat rock-like breakdown in Goodbye.

Alongside this kind of sonic "relaxation" there are few but significant reminiscences of the ancient Depeche Mode ardor: the first single Dirty Sticky Floors seems to emulate, without overly inflating, the extraordinary electro-rock glories of It’s No Good (1997, ed.) as well as the intrinsic grime of Bottle Living that brings a sigh of relief to those shuddering at the news of a "purified" Gahan. Pleasant, finally, is the playful tender dance note of I Need You and the continued electronic-rock vibe in Hidden Houses.

An oscillating, immature yet simultaneously flavorful work, balancing between tradition and continuity, nostalgia, and future renewal. And even though Dave's maturation seems to have found a worthy continuation in the more rigorous and valid Hourglass, he will never be stripped of the atavistic label of the Depeche Mode "damned" mentor, from which he himself will have to extract precious lifeblood and continually renew it in a solo career sufficiently adequate to his heavy status.

Dave Gahan, Paper Monsters

Dirty Sticky Floors - Hold On - A Little Piece - Bottle Living - Black And Blue Again - Stay - I Need You - Bitter Apple - Hidden Houses - Goodbye.