Dave Gahan - Hourglass

On October 22nd 2007 Depeche Mode’s front man and founding, David Gahan released his second solo album “Hourglass”. He stays close to his roots in the electro rock world, concentrating on dark music and lyrics sung in Gahan’s well known baritone voice, only that this time around the songs are actually written by him, in his band that job is left to Martin Gore most of the time.
It is not a bad thing that his roots in electro rock are laid bare, but for this being a solo record Dave Gahan does not separate himself enough from his Band. The sound and the lyrics of his songs resemble the work of Depeche Mode a bit too much to be taken seriously all the way as a “side project”. It is not like Tim Armstrong of Rancid releasing a solo album, which derives completely from the punk sounds, and is a reggae album. His own band and other electro rock bands that have sprouted in the music world, over the last two decades clearly influence Gahan. There are the songs “Use You” and “Endless” that sound similar to Nine Inch Nails have released in the past.
This album has a dark, sad but also dancy tune to it. The opening track starts out dark in sound and lyrics, it seems as if Gahan has a rather sad love life. “Kingdom” is the first single of the album, once you hear it you can’t get enough of it, but don’t over due it either. It has a promising sound to it, the words reflect fear and danger but also love. “Deeper and Deeper, could be a good song for the dance floor, it is a love song which is quite sad, but the musical score is more or less what you dance on these days.
In an overall listen the album is not the thing to listen to when you are depressed because it will bring you down even more seen that a lot of the songs focus on emotional problems. And don’t listen to it when you are too happy because then you will probably not like it too much. You have to be in a mellow in between mood of some sort.

Review by Solveig Werner