‘Hourglass’ Press Release
Depeche Mode front man DAVE GAHAN will release his second solo album – HOURGLASS – in late October (exact date to be announced). The Mute release is the follow-up to his 2003 solo album Paper Monsters, which marked his debut as a full-fledged songwriter. The disc earned critical acclaim worldwide (with Q magazine citing it as one of the Top 50 Albums of the Year) and spawned sold-out solo tours of the U.S. and Europe (as captured on the 2004 live DVD release Live Monsters).
Gahan’s growth as a songwriter was represented on Depeche Mode’s 2005 album Playing The Angel, the group’s first album to feature Gahan originals; his three contributions included the single ‘Suffer Wel’l. A two million worldwide seller that vaulted to Number #1 in eighteen countries, the album was accompanied by a 2005-2006 international tour reaching 2.5 million people across 30 countries.
While Depeche Mode is catching their breath, GAHAN recently returned to the studio to record an array of songs that would become HOURGLASS. Created without the pressure of a deadline, GAHAN wrote and produced all the songs in collaboration with Christian Eigner (drums) and Andrew Philpott (guitars) of the Depeche Mode touring band. They worked at Gahan’s 11th Floor Studios in his adopted hometown of NYC where he’s lived for the past 10 years. Tony Hoffer, known for his work with Beck, Air, the Kooks and the Fratellis, has been tapped to mix the album in July.
Gahan says HOURGLASS is more electronic-sounding than Paper Monsters, “but we were very aware of the importance of keeping urgency in the sound and a feeling of spontaneity. We didn’t want to get bogged down in trying to make everything sound perfect. You want to keep the rough edges.”
Gahan adds: “Christian plays drums and Andrew can easily find his way around bass and guitar – and then we’re basically cutting all this stuff up and fucking with it by using ProTools, effects and all kinds of stuff. Accidents do happen, and they’re good.”
With its themes of racing against – and running out of – time, the songs on HOURGLASS dig deeper into Gahan’s psyche. “I’m still that teenager who’s desperately trying to grow up, but in total fear of it really happening,” he says. The album’s tracks include ‘Saw Something’, ‘Use You’, ‘Endless’, ‘21 Days’, ‘A Little Lie’, ‘Deeper and Deeper’, ‘Love Will Leave’, ‘Down’, ‘Miracles’, ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Kingdom’.
Stay tuned for news on the album’s first single.
Source: Dave Gahan Dot Com
