album // Paper Monsters
It seems a bit unfair - and almost unbelievable - to classify this as Dave Gahan's 'debut' album, but as a solo artist it undoubtedly is. With the exception of an author credit on one of Black Celebration's bonus tracks, the Depeche Mode vocalist has never written a single song with the phenomenally successful Mute band. After listening to Paper Monsters, one is left with the distinct impression that the creative dynamic within Depeche Mode - after 21 years with Martin Gore as chief songsmith - may well change on forthcoming releases.
It would be easy to expect Gahan's solo debut to be filled with naïve vocals, purely from the perspective of him being a 'novice' songwriter. However, what we get is a warm and accomplished ten tracks delivered predominantly in the first person; a personal and confident collection ranging from full-on electro-rock abandonment to drunken blues riffs, taking in subtle electronica and balladry on the way.
Somewhat predictably, there is none of Gore's spiritual soul-searching and guilt here. However, dependency is a key theme on tracks like the single 'Dirty Sticky Floors' and the storming 'Bottle Living'; perhaps to be expected in the reflective wake of Gahan's harrowing drug addiction and 2 minute death in the mid-1990s. As songs go, 'Bottle Living' is best-suited to Gahan's snake-hipped rock-god persona, filled as it is with thumping beats and intense slide guitar blues work. Equally harrowing is 'Hidden Houses', a bass-heavy workout that gets seriously frazzled and wiry as Gahan sings the chorus - 'That's alright / You see that's life' - with his customary grit and soaring vocal intensity.
Dave gets warm and emotional on tracks like 'Hold On' which really captures the moment when someone comes into your life. 'You opened my eyes … Another surprise' he sings, almost disbelieving, eyes wide open as he surrenders willingly to the embrace. Equally moving is the delicate 'Stay' which is again about those first moments in love where all you want to do is stay locked in each other's arms, wondering how it came to be that someone so wonderful had been delivered into your world. Gahan's vocal here is so impressive that I've had to redefine my whole concept of him as a singer.
Sonically, the album is outstanding. Gahan's musical accomplice is Knox Chandler, with Gahan credited with 'vocals, keyboards, Fender Rhodes, harmonica and glockenspiel' (although presumably not as the lead musician). Simultaneously adventurous, inventive and precise, Paper Monsters is different from Depeche Mode releases, in much the same way that Martin Gore's Counterfeit releases are (or even Alan Wilder's Recoil project), but it still fits easily into the band's overall body of work. Unlike the solo projects of Can, where the members would contribute to each other's releases, Gahan has resisted the temptation to allow Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher to help him out, and I think the album actually benefits from relying on Gahan's solo input. Atmospherically, this album is highly inventive and exceptionally well produced by Ken Thomas, deploying strings and deep throbbing textures to soak some of the more tender songs in the appropriate emotional key.
Although simply outstanding, one cannot help but wonder how this album would have sounded if Gahan had chosen to record it in 1993 - at the height of his wretched demagogic self-absorbed destructive tendencies - as opposed to 2003, where we find him calmer, more reflective and generally more 'together'.
single // Dirty Sticky Floors
'Dirty Sticky Floors' was always destined to sound gritty with a name like that, and what we get is a storming rock monster that is not dissimilar - but wholly different - from a favourite Depeche Mode formula : distorted vocals, omnipresent bass-heavy guitar riffs and moody, atmospheric synths. The track conjures up an image of a ravished, desperate man, and of course no-one could pull this off better than Gahan. Alan Moulder's mix brings to mind his work on the single remix of 'Useless' (from Ultra), and the whole affair is a tight, expressive and excellent single debut. Gahan's vocals have rarely sounded so heartfelt or impassioned, and the track really shows off the voice that has been such an important and consistent feature of the Mode sound.
'Stand Up' leans further into the rock oeuvre, with the instrumentation more obviously left alone, blending bluesy slide guitars and breakbeat-style drums. The vocal here is warm and seductive, drawing out every possible facet of emotion. Gahan's mannerisms have frequently held a raw edge, most evident on the gospel wretchedness on Songs of Faith and Devotion, but the closing track, 'Maybe' is perhaps the biggest departure of all here. Ostensibly a sensuous love song, 'Maybe' mixes Knox Chandler's gentle semi-acoustic pedal-steel guitar with one of Gahan's most delicate vocal performances of his career. If this was on a Depeche Mode album, this would be the song that Martin Gore would sing, all gorgeous high-end textures and near whispered choruses.
CD2 contains three remixes of 'Dirty Sticky Floors', which reposition the track in trance and techno frameworks. These work surprisingly well, given the rock edge of the original, but you have to ask whether using Junkie XL, the DJ responsible for last year's Elvis Presley remix, was one of Mute's better decisions. The DVD contains the humourous video for 'Dirty Sticky Floors', a further JXL mix (audio) and a seminal acoustic version oof 'Black And Blue Again' (audio).
single // I Need You
The single remix of 'I Need You' is a fresh and interesting, yet subtle, re-positioning of this stand-out cut from Paper Monsters, with sparse blues guitar adding an acoustic texture to the crisp and slightly clipped beats and deep electronic sounds. 'Closer', with its leaden hip-hop beats and dark and twisted atmospheres, is not the most impressive track from the Paper Monsters recording sessions, mainly for its slightly naïve and unimaginative vocals. 'Breathe', on the other hand, works far better, with another fine example of Gahan's soaring yet always pained vocal style on the chorus.
On the remix front (CD2), I was looking forward to the much-hyped Ladytron's 'detoxxMixx', but found their crunchy electro revision slightly unexciting and disappointing. The remaining two remixes mine trance / techno (Gabriel & Dresden's Unplugged mix) and deep house (Jay's Summerdub) styles and work far better.
Although for completists slightly disappointing to find that the video for 'I Need You' is not included on the DVD, the third chapter includes the footage of the acoustic studio performance of 'Black And Blue Again' (included as an audio track on the 'Dirty Sticky Floors' DVD) which sees Gahan playing the harmonica and looking like a cross between Dexy's Kevin Rowlands and Marc Almond. Also included are what must surely be the final Lexicon Avenue remix of 'Dirty Sticky Floors' and Ladytron's instrumental detoxMixx of 'I Need You', which I actually found much more satisfying.