Dave Gahan - Hourglass (Double vinyl LP)

The inimitable Dave Gahan makes a dynamic return on 22nd October with ‘Hourglass’ - his eagerly awaited second solo album. Best known as the iconic frontman of Depeche Mode, he continues his impressive career with a blazing new side-project, which follows his critically acclaimed solo debut ‘Paper Monsters’.

Produced by Dave with Christian Eigner & Andrew Phillpott, both members of the Depeche Mode touring band, ‘Hourglass’ also reflects Gahan’s growth as a songwriter. Initially showcased with 2003’s  ‘Paper Monsters’, he later wrote 3 stellar tracks for Depeche Mode's recent 2-million selling ‘Playing The Angel’ – ‘I Want It All’, ‘Suffer Well’ & ‘Nothing's Impossible’.

Hourglass highlights include the gospel-tinged ‘Saw Something’, which kick-starts the album with stealth before effortlessly setting the tone for the other nine tracks. “That was the catalyst that started the idea to write again,” Dave recalls, adding that is was also “the first lyric, and the key to open the door to thinking, ‘Okay, I can go here.’”

Other standout moments include the exhilarating, tour de force roar of ‘Deeper and Deeper’, the soaring epic first single ‘Kingdom’ (8th Oct) and the addictive pull of ‘Use You’, where he scathingly lets loose his disgust with people, and specifically, himself. Meanwhile, on ‘Down’ - perhaps the most confessional song on the record - he confesses “I feel so old, down on the ground is where I’m bound to end up.”

Sonically, the record cuts across a range of influences and styles with grace. Decidedly more electronic than his previous solo work, he has seamlessly swapped the guitar of ‘Paper Monsters’ for the synthesizer he epitomizes so well.

“It doesn’t feel so much that the band is my identity anymore, although I owe everything to it. I’m starting to really feel that I have my own voice, and it’s definitely coming out in the songs. For me, it’s the best possible record I could make at this time. And it’s gone well beyond what I expected of myself.”

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