On the face of it, the very public exorcism of a lot of DAVE GAHAN'S past demons with his "Paper Monsters" album could have been desperately embarrassing and self-indulgent, but instead he came up with a number of streamlined and nifty tracks with co-writer/ guitarist Knox Chandler and the resulting laudable honesty really suits him.
Third single from the album "Bottle Living" is no exception, and once again confronts Gahan's past with courage, clarity and a decent tune. Indeed, with "Bottle Living"s glammy electro stomp, Gahan has come up with a distant second cousin to Depeche Mode's "I Feel You", with bucking riffs, warped blaring harmonica and a musically playful feel contrasting nicely with Dave's cautionary lyrics (sample: "So come out before you drown, I won't always be around") and re-energised reasons for living.
Unfortunately there's also the usual interminable slew of remixes, but thankfully there's a likeable 'radio mix' of "Hold On" as well, which - with its' gentler atmosphere, vibrato guitar and radio-friendly swoon of a chorus - could easily be a single in its' own right. "You keep sending me all these things, I think I'll stay awhile" coos Gahan serenely, enjoying the space for his vocal the arrangement allows. Very nice indeed.
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Three singles in, then, and Dave Gahan's making this solo career stuff all look rather natural and you're suddenly wondering whether he'd want to be shoehorned back into Depeche Mode again when this current trip is over. That's a lingering question only time will answer satisfactorily, but for now he's carving a credible niche and making us wonder why it took so long to come out of his shell.
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