reviewed by Wes May
I've realized two things that amaze me upon the release of Depeche Mode lead singer Dave Gahan's first solo album Paper Monsters; First, Depeche Mode, those purveyors of the Goth-Synth sound that all but defined late 80's- early to mid-90's modern rock, have been making music for more than two decades; Second is that its members have waited this long to go solo. DM's brains, keyboardist/writer Martin L. Gore released a critically and commercially dismissed album of covers early this spring, and now the face of DM has released his own solo disc.
I'm a fan of DM, and I knew this could go one of two ways. Either Gahan could decide to stretch his wings with a true departure from DM's brooding electronica, or adhere to said formula and hope the fans fly along with him. He chooses the latter over the former, with expectedly mixed results. Oh, all of the staples are here; the songs about addiction (Bottle Living), hitting bottom (Dirty Sticky Floors), and the other various pitfalls of fame and the relationships that are intertwined with the famous. The sad thing is that Gahan shows a heretofore unexplored knack for songwriting, but tends to go the safe route, exorcising his demons and turning the audience into armchair psychiatrists.
Only towards the album's end does some life begin to seep into the record with the Cure-like Hidden Houses, and the end track Goodbye, which does a slow boil before rocking on the choruses. This is an example of too little too late, unfortunately, as by then the listener is weary of being his therapist. The album does show promise for future solo outings. Just as long as, if this album tanks, he doesn't spend his next album crying about it's failure.
-Wes May
