Send "Recoil " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Given that Recoil is ostensibly the work of one man—Alan Wilder, he who shall be branded “former member of Depeche Mode” for the rest of his days—the success of a single Recoil track generally has surprisingly little to do with that man. This is especially true of a compilation effort that attempts to whittle Wilder’s output down into easily-digestible morsels ready for something like mass consumption.Truly, Recoil is a project ill-suited to career-spanning collection. When you try to collect the individual tracks of Recoil, nearly every song sounds as though it’s falling into a pattern. Every track slowly fades in, usually introducing some sort of atmospheric noise and maybe an identifiable instrument or two. Then a beat appears—perhaps hip-hop, perhaps rock, perhaps even a pop beat—always residing in that tempo range that could be defined as “not fast enough to dance to, but not too slow to be intense”. Once the beat gets rolling, the vocalist gets the all-clear to do whatever that vocalist does. If it’s Nitzer Ebb’s Douglas McCarthy, it will probably involve grunting and growling. If it’s Nicole Blackman, it will be spouting deep-as-a-puddle poetry in the most condescending, sarcastic voice possible. If it’s Joe Richardson, it’ll be something like the blues. They’ll do their thing for a while, Wilder will fill the song to its breaking point with sounds and melodies, and then it will fade out, either by removing the layers or just reducing the volume ever so slowly until it’s silent....full text |
| Thelineofbestfit |
| It would take a cold heart not to be warmed by the sight of Alan Wilder taking the stage to play piano for his old band earlier this year at the Teenage Cancer Trust gigs. For many, Wilder was an integral part of Depeche Mode, as important as Gahan’s voice and presence, for Gore’s songs and nipples, and Fletch for his, ahhh, well, I’ll get back to you on that one. Everyone likes a good reconciliation, allowing one to take stock of what has gone before and to look to what the future brings. And Wilder seems to be doing a similar thing here with this collection of what he considers to be the finest moments from his own band, Recoil, edited by the author into what he hopes is a cohesive listening experience. Recoil started as somewhat of an oddity. Whilst Martin Gore wrote the songs in Depeche Mode, it was Wilder who shaped and honed them, his considerable skills turning rather flat sketches into epic compositions. Anyone who has heard the original demo for ‘Enjoy The Silence’ can truly appreciate this, Wilder responsible for most the decisions that turned it into the iconic song it is, and his baroque, monumental arrangement for ‘Never Let Me Down’ remains the most powerful track of their career. Recoil though is the other extreme. Originally conceived as a way of easing the boredom of touring, they are rather understated in structure, often lose ideas fleshed out with samples and beats, repetitive and often quite low-key. A lot of the songs are instrumentals, occasionally augmented by guest vocalists. The closest comparison is probably label mate Moby, but with less of a knife for the edit, Wilder often letting the songs ramble in a cyclic fashion. At times, this does achieve the required hypnotic state, but often causes the songs to become rather tiresome and tedious....full text |
| Eil |
| RECOIL Recoil: Selected (2010 UK limited edition 2-CD album set - Alan Wilder's years in the music industry have seen him go from studio assistant to session keyboard player, but it was his 14 years as a member of Depeche Mode where he really honed his skills. With his attention to detail in the studio, Wilder pushed the boundaries even within the restrictive climate of commercial pop. As an antidote to the demands of the Mode, his studio project Recoil was born in the mid-eighties. 'Recoil Selected', features a brand new selection of classic Recoil tracks personally chosen by Alan Wilder who explains: 'The collection is made up of my personal favourites, remastered and edited together into what I consider a cohesive and total listening experience'. This 2-disc set comprises a 14-track album featuring a varied selection of vocalists including Diamanda Galás, Joe Richardson, Douglas McCarthy, Samantha Coerbell, Toni Halliday and Maggie Estep; plus a Bonus CD containing 12 new remixes and alternative versions, chosen and edited together by Alan Wilder and Paul Kendall, who has worked with Wilder for the past 10 years; sealed & stickered picture sleeve)....full text |
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