Please note: this is the first time I’ve actually sat down and ‘reviewed’ a CD. We’ll see how it goes, okay?

Hourglass is the second solo full-length album from Dave Gahan, the lead singer of Depeche Mode. My background with Depeche Mode is limited; I own two CDs and have heard a few other’s at friends’ houses. The biggest draw for me was the fact that their lyrics are written by keyboardist Martin Gore — meaning Gahan’s distinctive voice, which I’ve always associated with a certain lyric style, may be engaged in something entirely different when the words are from his own pen.

Some similarities are there – Gahan often employs the same contemplative themes with which his voice is already linked. But the whole feel of the album is that of a sharper edge than I’m used to; in particular tracks like “Deeper & Deeper,” where Gahan’s voice takes on a sneering nastiness and is coupled with a more aggressive rhythm. (The implied violence embedded in the lyrics is a bit creepy too; not my favorite track on the album.)

As far as lyric quality, there isn’t much difference between Gahan and Gore’s work that I can find objectively. The same metaphoric elements are there, as well as the simple couplet rhyming and the balance between sensation and emotion. The choice of tone and melody on this album, on the other hand, stand in stark contrast to to the sound in Depeche Mode’s work. This is partly the aggression of the music, as mentioned earlier, but there’s also a certain thinness to the vocal sound. The softness of older tracks by the band (I’m thinking things like “Blue Dress” here) is stripped away, but there’s isn’t enough else to really replace it.

While it’s hard to put my overall impression into words, the sound on Hourglass just didn’t grab my attention the way albums by the full band do. Depeche Mode has the right combination of strengths among it member, and the result is an emotional charge to the music that this solo effort lacks. Generally listenable, but I’m returning the library’s CD today, with no intention of obtaining a copy of my own.

The details:
Artist: Gahan, Dave
Album: Hourglass
Category: Electronic
# of times listened to before conclusions made: about 4