Dave Gahan - Hourglass

Depeche Mode represented the dark, dehumanized side of ’80s electropop. Despite frontman Gahan’s velvety vocals, Martin Gore’s deeply moody lyrics and the band’s cold, industrial sound always cast a pall. Gahan’s second solo album is no less depressing. Songs like the dreary “Down,” on which he sings “I feel so old, down on the ground is where I’m bound to end up,” deal with themes of aging and mortality. “Use You,” meanwhile, is a harrowing ode to self-loathing. Has Gahan never heard of Prozac?

Oct. 23