Martin L. Gore was the chief songwriter who was responsible for the band’s hits compilations filling 3 entire CDs. Alan Wilder was the multi-instrumentalist that played or orchestrated the songs appearing on Martin’s home demos. He was also largely responsible for the way the band’s sound evolved over the years during his tenure with the group from late 1982 to his departure in 1995. Andrew Fletcher, while playing a vital role in the band, had more to do with the business side of things as opposed to a musical presence. All that remained for Dave Gahan to do was sing the songs; so, in essence, he was and still is, “The voice of Depeche Mode”.
And this is where Paper Monsters comes into being: after 22 years fronting the band that made him an internationally known star, Dave Gahan had more to offer than just his vocal talents. Finally gaining the belief in himself to be on his own, he set up camp at New York’s Electric Lady Studios and began work on his first solo album. So, does Paper Monsters contain any radical changes in musical direction or is it simply Depeche Mode light?
The answer is more of a “not really” to both questions. While there are indubitable traces of DM throughout the album, there is a confidence in Gahan’s vocals that is no longer based on rock n roll bravura but the confidence that comes with having lived through hard times and emerging stronger than before. While Martin Gore tends to be a bit naïve (charmingly so) with his lyrical “fantasies”, Dave Gahan sounds like the ‘voice of reason’ that is here to impart wisdom and tell of lessons learned the hard way. His battle with drugs and personal demons are laid bare in most of the songs and yet, the album is not all gloom & doom, as he talks of his redemption and being able to feel love once again.
“Dirty Sticky Floors” and the wicked “Bottle Living” deal with Gahan’s highly publicized bout with drugs. From the very first song on the album, he lets us know just how far he spun out of control with the lines “I'll soon be lying on my own, on some dirty sticky floor”. Since he is now speaking from his point of view, from experiences he lived through, the lyrics resonate that much deeper than before. On the positive side, “Hold On” and “Stay” are perfectly lovely ballads with gentle melodies and lush instrumentation that feels neither forced nor trite. On these two tracks alone, one can see how far Dave Gahan has grown as a vocalist: where once his deep baritone was the center point, now breathy understatement makes it’s point without sounding contrived. Vocally, he is in fine form throughout the album moving in directions that were not possible in 1989.
There are two versions of Paper Monsters, a single enhanced CD and a double disc that combines the enhanced disc with a bonus DVD. The enhanced CD is quite nice and contains the video for “Dirty Sticky Floors” as well as a making of the video and weblinks for Dave Gahan, Reprise Records and the Dave Gahan mailing list. The disc also serves as a key to unlock online content such as ‘in the studio’ footage and wallpapers. Very nice. The Limited Edition’s DVD contains the aforementioned video and making of documentary as well as a short film on the album, two acoustic performances from Electric Lady Studios and a photo gallery. All in all, the DVD runs about 40 minutes.
This is a fine album, one that could stand on it’s own regardless of the artist's past. After Depeche Mode’s last album, 2001’s ironically titled and completely lackluster “Exciter”, grave doubts came into being over the band’s future – were their best days behind them? With Paper Monsters, there is now reason to believe the band can remain a creative entity with the songwriting talents of Dave Gahan. Let us hope that Martin Gore can loosen his grip and open himself up to a new phase of Depeche Mode.
