Always a first-class showman as the voice of synth-pop stalwartsDepeche Mode, Dave Gahan utilizes the independence of solo albums toprogress from figurehead to songsmith. With his uncharacteristicallyvivid baritone, Gahan steers his tunes to shadowy corners ofelectronica often with a grisly spirit. Here, “Kingdom,” the firstsingle from Gahan’s upcoming LP Hourglass, gets the remixtreatment courtesy of K10K a.k.a. Kap10Kurt. The NYC knob-tweaker takesthe song to a dungeon of glitchy Reznor-esque drums and grimy, broodingsynths. And without longtime DM songwriter, Gahan is still enamoredwith electronics with some brighter leads poking through the murkyshards of light, but central to the mix is a gloomy bass line, roughwith fuzz.
Consider “Kingdom (K10K Extended Mix)” as a remixin three acts. Panicky, stifled gasps interject a query — “Can youfeel me?” — spliced repeatedly through the song’s first part, givingway to an airing of grievances about God and wisdom. With Gahan setfree in the second act, his verses roll before a third act trancepushes sinister sounds again and Gahan’s voice, though stripped andsynthetic, still sounds at home. Dave Gahan’s new album, Hourglass, will be released in the U.S. on Oct. 23 via Virgin.
Now Hear This
Dave Gahan – “Kingdom (K10K Extended Mix)” STREAMING WINDOWS MEDIA
On the Web:
Dave Gahan at MySpace
davegahan.com
Talk: What do the dark clouds in Dave Gahan’s ‘kingdom’ say for the upcoming Hourglass?
