The musical direction that Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan has pursued in his solo efforts and his contributions to the two latest albums of the collaborative production team known as Soulsavers, his current preoccupation, should not be surprising to anyone who has long followed the development of Depeche Mode’s music. This sonic transformation is actually a long and very gradual process from the Twee Synthpop of 1981’s debut album, Speak & Spell, to the dark atmosphere of 1986’s Black Celebration, the Alternative Rock assertion of 1993’s Songs of Faith and Devotion, the metallic punch of 1997’s Ultra, and the further organic electronic experimentation in 2005’s Playing the Angel. Notably, this 2005 album was the point where Gahan has finally been given the chance to contribute to the songwriting. Two more subsequent Depeche Mode releases followed, 2009’s Sounds of the Universe and the latest, 2013’s Delta Machine, both of which have also featured Gahan-penned compositions. Music enthusiasts who are familiar with the thirteen-album discography of Depeche Mode should know that, apart from its founding member Vince Clarke’s having written most of their debut, Speak & Spell, Martin Gore was the one who took over after Clarke’s departure and who has practically single-handedly written the majority of Depeche Mode’s songs, starting from 1982’s A Broken Frame all through 2001’s Exciter.
Gahan’s troubles, restlessness, and frustration, for the most part of their group’s tenure, because of his perceived small role might have played part in Gore’s documented steering of Depeche Mode’s music towards darker themes and heavier sounds. This might have been Gore’s subconscious way of appeasing Gahan. After all, despite Gore’s soul-baring and heart-wrenching ballads, which also featured him on vocals such as “Somebody,” “It Doesn’t Matter,” and “A Question of Lust,” at the end of every album, the dancefloor stompers powered by Gahan’s distinctly deep and imposing voice remain the outriggers that keep Depeche Mode’s boat afloat. His having finally been welcomed to the songwriting core means something special and would have definitely recharged Gahan and have reinforced his being an equally important member of Depeche Mode, no longer just the band’s baritone singer, but also one of its songwriters.
Understandably, despite his ever-increasing role in Depeche Mode, Gahan still needed to pursue a solo career and other collaborative projects, perhaps to further exploit his newfound sense of identity, songwriting, and singing abilities. “About 10 to 15 years ago, I started really finding my voice with exploring my own melodies and lyrical content on my own solo albums [Paper Monsters, 2003; and Hourglass, 2007],” reveals Gahan in a recent interview with Rolling Stones (October 2015). After all, music has been very instrumental in Gahan’s being able to turn his troubled youth around for the better and to survive his notorious drug-addled, misdirected ’90s Rockstar phase; so, every new endeavor of Gahan may be regarded as a painstaking, yet soul-saving personal experience for him. As what Gahan said in 2001 in an interview with Uncut: “To be honest, music saved me.” The newly released Angels & Ghosts has indeed proven that Gahan has ultimately found his real voice and inner angelic self, at least in a musical sense. That music has really saved him from his ghostly demons. This should be enough to kindle the interest of not only the longtime fans of Gahan and Depeche Mode itself, but also music enthusiasts who get drawn to honest, heartfelt music.
Released on October 23, 2015, Angels & Ghosts is the fifth full-length album of Soulsavers, their second with Dave Gahan as the featured singer; with 2012’s The Light the Dead See being the first. It opens with the lyrically affirming midtempo “Shine,” whose groove harks to the melodic brashness of Depeche Mode’s “I Feel You” and even exudes a psychedelic glimmer of Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You, Crazy Diamond.” The mood becomes a bit more relaxed and assuring with the next song, “You Owe Me.” Following in the same beat, but a little jagged, “Tempted” features wiry and slightly fuzzy guitar hooks and organ drones that may remind the listener of the Blues Rock styling of Jeff Healey (“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”).
The pounding “All of This and Nothing” features an eerie-sounding guitar plucking and ear-catching circular strings, evoking, albeit from a distance, the Gothic Rock laments and sentiments of The Sisters of Mercy (“Lucretia, My Reflection”). This is followed by the beautifully orchestrated, piano-led slow ballad “One Thing.” Then, with “Don’t Cry,” Gahan and Soulsavers take the listener back to their Blues Rock indulgences, only to dim the lights once again with the sluggish, string-laden “Lately,” which finds Gahan’s voice in its crooner predisposition. “The Last Time” is another slow-tempo yet textured affair that seems to condition the listener to the album’s impending end. Finally, the album closes with the reflective yet hopeful “My Sun,” in which Gahan sings, “I’m a sinner, I’m a saint / I feel your sorrow, I feel your pain / Behind the darkest clouds, the sun always shines again.” This and the opener are what clearly connects Angels & Ghosts to the organic quality of Depeche Mode’s eighth album.
Dave Gahan and Soulsavers’ Angels & Ghosts certainly presents a fully grown and matured Gahan, musically, lyrically, and vocally. As confirmed by Gahan himself in the same Rolling Stones interview: “I’m way more confident…with these Soulsavers records, I feel like I’m writing where I really am.” At first listen, Angels & Ghosts may not sound anything like the trademark Synthpop architecture of his main band; however, upon further inspection, the initiated listener should be able to glean from it the soulful bareness of Songs of Faith and Devotion. Besides, not only fans of Depeche Mode, but also of Alternative Rock music, should embrace Gahan’s latest offering for all its honesty, even if only to rediscover and truly understand what has been beating for a long time in the heart of Depeche Mode’s previously troubled child. In simple words, Angels & Ghosts is Gahan’s songs of strength and redemption. CrypticRock gives this album 4 out of 5 stars.
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