"There's a conflict of interest for me to write songs for myself while I am part of a band. I am not the most prolific of songwriters, at the moment there's usually a 3 or 4 year period between Depeche Mode records. So if I write songs for myself and used them on an album for myself, then that gap between Depeche Mode albums would grow even longer."
-Martin Gore, on his constant covering of other artists

This past Tuesday, Martin Gore of Depeche Mode released his first full album of solo material, entitled Counterfeit2. Obviously, Gore considers this album something of a sequel to his first solo release, an EP titled, appropriately enough, Counterfeit. Those titles are self-deprecating references to the fact that every single song that Gore has recorded as a solo artist has been a cover song, thus a "counterfeit" version of the original. Where the original Counterfeit EP felt like a tossed off (but still very enjoyable) collection of songs that Gore finally had the gumption (and, likely, the money) to get up and record, Counterfeit2 feels like a much more finished collection of songs--the production is slick, the music is lush, and it actually manages to work as a unit, rather than just a collection of songs. Ever the amazing songwriter for Depeche Mode (Gore writes all of the Mode's songs), Gore proves equally adept at arranging songs on this album, as it's an extremely well-put-together work that will please just about any fan of Depeche Mode.

"Arranging," you say? Why yes. The individual songs are all put together in such a way that marks them as distinctly Gore's own on this album. Electronic bleeps and gurgles, deep basslines, and lots of nifty keyboards permeate the entirety of the album, making it sound an awful lot like a Depeche Mode album, except with Gore's wonderful voice floating over the top. Gore's voice sounds a lot like Depeche Mode lead singer David Gahan's voice, except with more fragility, more vibrato, and a slightly better ear for pitch--his distinctive voice also contributes to the uniform feel of the album. Then, there's the song selection--Gore successfully does the difficult job of making the primary subject of an album of covers himself. He does this with skillful song selection, as most of these songs are sung in the first person. As such, even if the songs aren't written by Gore, the listener thinks he's singing about himself because he's constantly saying "I" and "me". It's a wonderful psychological trick, one that I think other bands putting together cover albums could learn from.

Once you get past the admirable production and arrangement, the songs themselves are somewhat hit and miss. The album begins very effectively with "In My Time of Dying", a traditional song popularized by Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin. This song uses a fast-paced bassline to counteract Gore's slow, epic-style singing. Lots of background noise comes together to make a very lush-sounding, melodic piece that is simultaneously sorrowful and hopeful. It sounds as if Gore is contemplating his own mortality as he sings Jesus gonna make up my dying bed, and it's enough to send shivers up my spine. David Essex's "Stardust" is next, and as I pointed out in my review of the Stardust single, I'm not a huge fan of this song, if only for what it does to Gore's wonderful voice. "I Cast a Lonesome Shadow" comes next, a song which also made its first appearance on the aforementioned single. It's quicker paced, and fantastic backing synths and drum programming make a wonderful backdrop for Gore's beautiful vocals.

"In My Other World" is a song written by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, famous for their work on Twin Peaks. That creepy quality comes through very well here, as this version of it feels as still as that moment just before the start of a storm, that moment where the birds stop chirping, the wind stops blowing, and impending doom is in the air. The occasional guitar chords and Martin's wonderful (if treated) voice form perfect counterpoints to one another. Nick Cave's "Loverman" is the centerpiece of the disc, a seven-minute epic that's at least as sleazy as anything Gore's ever written for Depeche Mode. Gore sings:

There's a devil lying by your side
You might think he's asleep
but look at his eyes
He wants you, baby, to be his bride
There's a devil lying by your side

It's creepy as hell, and wonderfully done. It doesn't get boring for a second of its seven minutes. Brian Eno's the next one to get the cover treatment, as "By This River" is done as a slow-moving, beautifully sung, but ultimately forgettable dirge of a song. The album's strongest moment comes with "Lost In the Stars", originally the title tune to a musical by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson. The piano here is wonderful, the melodies are perfectly beautiful, and the strings that show up about 45 seconds in are positively exquisite. Gore should do an entire album of songs from pre-1950 musicals. I'd buy it. John Lennon's "Oh My Love" is equally beautiful, if much more sparse. Lennon would be proud.

"Das Lied Vom Einsamen Mädchen" was originally performed by Nico, of Velvet Underground fame. Predictably enough, the German song is given the most "industrial" sounding treatment of the disc, with lots of aggressive (at least for this disc) noises and powerful synths. It translates to "The Ballad of the Lonely Girl", and the emotion comes through the music nicely even if you can't understand the lyrics. "Tiny Girls" is an Iggy Pop tune, one that he wrote with David Bowie, and it has this almost doowop set of chord progressions that suits Gore's voice very well, thank you very much. Finally we have the Velvet Underground's "Candy Says", and Lou Reed's lyrics of uncertainty and self-doubt ring as true today as they did in 1969 when it was originally released on the Velvet Underground's eponymous third album.

Also of note is a pleasant acoustic reading of T. Rex's "Left Hand Luke" on the enhanced portion of the disc. Like I said, pleasant--not much more.

As you may be able to tell from the song selection, the overall mood is dark, depressing, and even kinda scary at times. This is not a happy CD. Even the happy-sounding songs carry lyrics expressing doubt or uncertainty. Of course, if you're a Depeche Mode fan, you're OK with that. Occasionally on Counterfeit2, Gore tends to drown in his own sense of majesty and beautiful darkness, to the point where it becomes a bit overwhelming. Even so, it's a strong effort from a man whose songs are so often overshadowed by the personality singing them.

Recommended to the Depeche Mode fans among you.

Recommended: Yes