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Paper Monsters

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Paper Monsters is the solo debut album by Depeche Mode lead singer David Gahan. It was released by Mute Records on June 2, 2003 in Europe. The album was produced by Ken Thomas, who is best known for his work with Icelandic band Sigur Rós. Upon its debut, critical reception was generally mixed; while many complimented the album's personal subject matter, others described it as lacking depth. Paper Monsters became a modest success in the UK where it debuted at number thirty-six on the albums chart. In North America, the album was released on June 3 2003; however, it failed to make much of an impact on the mainstream charts, alhtough the tour "Paper Monsters Tour" had some impact, especially on Depeche Mode fans. One concert of the tour, the one on 4-5.07 in Paris at the Olympia, was recorded and released on a DVD called "Live Monsters".

From this album, four songs were released on three singles: "Dirty Sticky Floors", "I Need You" and "Bottle living" / "Hold on" (the last was a a double A-side, so two album songs were released on the same single: "Bottle living" and "Hold on").

Gahan first played with the idea of releasing a solo album after the release of Depeche Mode's Exciter in 2001, but approached the project slowly. It was not until he began writing music with friend and musician Knox Chandler that he gained the self confidence he needed to begin to consider working on an album of his own material.

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Gahan and Chandler.

  1. "Dirty Sticky Floors"
  2. "Hold On"
  3. "A Little Piece"
  4. "Bottle Living"
  5. "Black and Blue Again"
  6. "Stay"
  7. "I Need You"
  8. "Bitter Apple"
  9. "Hidden Houses"
  10. "Goodbye"

The album was released in two versions: a single disc version, and a double disc version which included the regular album and a bonus DVD. The DVD contains a short film, music videos, and live performances by Gahan filmed in New York City.

Bonus tracks and footage

All bonus tracks and footage appear on the United Kingdom and North American editon of Paper Monsters.

  1. A Short Film
  2. "Dirty Sticky Floors" music video
  3. Exclusive b-roll footage from the "Dirty Sticky Floors" video shoot
  4. "Hold On" (exclusive New York acoustic performance)
  5. "A Little Piece" (exclusive New York acoustic performance)
  6. Exclusive b-roll footage from the New York acoustic performance
  7. Photo Gallery

Critical response

Upon release, the album received mixed responses from international music-critics. In a review for the BBC, Kate Lawrence called Paper Monsters "an assured debut" with "surprising depth". She was impressed by Gahan's vocals on the track "Hidden Houses", which she called "deliciously devilish and angelic in equal measure" and said that it "demonstrates a vocal range rarely seen in the Mode back catalogue".[1] Slant Magazine echoed Lawrence's review for the BBC, calling the album a "competent solo debut" with "with murky rock grooves and throaty vocals".[2] However, Pitchfork Media reviewer Michael Idov was less impressed with the album and wrote that its personal subject matter made for a "faintly embarrassing listen". Idov criticized Gahan's lyrics stating that his "vocal can still elevate the dumbest lyric to the level of a cathartic mantra, a skill that comes handy in the absence of Martin Gore".[3] All Music Guide reviewer Don Kline called Paper Monsters "a mix of swampy blues-injected rock, slick urban electronica, and atmospheric balladry" and gave it three out of five stars. He also stated that "although it doesn't stray too far from the Depeche mold, Gahan does manage to put his own stamp on the songs".[4] The A.V. Club named it as one of their "Least Essential Albums" of 2003. [1]

Singles

Dirty Sticky Floors, the lead single from the album, became Gahan's most successful solo release, where it reached number eighteen on the UK Singles Chart. Its remixes were also promoted in U.S. dance clubs, and peaked within the top five of the Billboard Dance Chart. This first single had two b-sides: "Stand Up" and "Maybe".

The second single I need you was a ballad based around a synth and drum arrangement, which reached the Top thirty in the UK and number five on the U.S. Dance Chart. The second single also had two b-sides, "Closer" and "Breathe".

The third - and the last - single was Bottle Living/Hold On, a double A-side. This means that two songs were released on the same single. However, this single had as a b-side a remix of another album track, "Hidden Houses". The single continued the album's string of top-forty singles.

Release details

All editions released by Mute and Reprise Records.
Release format Country Cat. No. Release date
Regular album United Kingdom STUMM 216 June 2, 2003
Regular album North America 48471 June 3, 2003
Special edition CD/DVD album United Kingdom LCDSTUMM 216 June 2, 2003
Special edition CD/DVD album North America 48492 June 3, 2003

Charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers albums chart 4
Swedish albums chart 5
Swiss albums chart 10
UK albums chart 36
Austrian albums chart 43
U.S. Billboard Top 200 albums chart 127

Credits and personnel

Notes

  1. ^ Lawrence, Kate. BBC. Dave Gahan – Paper Monsters. 2003. Retrieved May 22 2006.
  2. ^ Blanford, Roxanne. Slant Magazine. Dave Gahan – Paper Monsters. 2003. Retrieved May 22 2006.
  3. ^ Idov, Michael. Pitchfork Media. Dave Gahan – Paper Monsters. July 25 2003. Retrieved Feb 13 2007.
  4. ^ Kline, Don. All Music Guide. Dave Gahan – Paper Monsters. 2003. Retrieved May 22 2006.

References

  • "DaveGahan.com". Track listings and formats. Retrieved May 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "Billboard.com". U.S. Billboard charts. Retrieved May 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "EveryHit.com". UK singles chart positions. Retrieved May 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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