Today's featured shit

Like Troy McClure, you may better recognize Dave Gahan as something else, in this case the lead singer of Depeche Mode. He is here with a solo effort, 10 tracks of, for lack of better phrasing, post-modern Depeche Mode.

Different songs seem to be from different eras. “Deeper & Deeper” has a mid-90s Daft Punk feel. It also makes me think of a Depeche Mode song from the same era: It’s No Good.

When he focuses on music instead of lyrics, the result is better. “Saw Something” is the first track on the album and also allows for his programming skill to thrive.

“21 Days” sounds like something Trent Reznor would do. If you’re a NINny, give it a shot. There’s not much originality here. Also lacking originality is “Use You,” which has the same beat as Kate Bush’s “Eat the Music.” That’s great if you are a DJ.

Remember when White Zombie experimented with beats on “More Human Than Human”? “Insoluble” travels down this path. I’m not saying Gahan wants money, but he seems to have run out of ideas after 30 years in the biz.

This is another pianist’s interpretation of Christmas music, including opportunities to do the piano equivalent of guitar wanking. Seriously.

“Jolly Old St. Nick” starts things off and is innocent enough. I could hear this in a department store, possibly Nordstrom, without batting an eye. But it’s not all like this.

“Joy to the World” has the fervor of last minute holiday shopping, complete with unnecessary detours of measures and measures of crazy Christmas tangents. This song doesn’t need to be nearly six minutes long.

“Angels We Have Heard on High” sounds like a piano interpretation of a video game’s interpretation of Christmas music. So really if you like any of these things, especially the Legend of Zelda, this track is for you.

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is great if you skip the elongated introduction. Seriously, is piano wanking a phenomenon I was unaware of?