Last three albums by Alan Wilder's Recoil to be reissued in October

Mute will put out a series of reissues from RECOIL (Alan Wilder), starting with three long out of print albums – Unsound Methods, Liquid and subHuman – due out on double colored vinyl and CD on October 7.

Unsound Methods (1997), Liquid (2000) and subHuman (2007) are the final three studio albums from Wilder’s Recoil project. These new editions will be available in transparent green/clear, silver, and curacao blue respectively.

Pre-order here. Listen to “Drifting” (from Unsound Methods) here.

Talking about the albums, Wilder recently said, “Having not really listened in full to any of the Recoil albums for many years, the requirement to sit down and closely scrutinize the new test pressings meant that I was obliged to focus on everything once again. It was a surprising and pleasurable adventure to hear the work with fresh ears and I was able, perhaps properly for the first time, to experience all the detail which I had either forgotten about or hadn’t fully appreciated at the time.”

Unsound Methods was Wilder’s fourth album as Recoil and his first release after announcing his departure from Depeche Mode in 1995. Recorded at his Sussex studio, Unsound Methods saw him working with four very different collaborators – Nitzer Ebb’s Douglas McCarthy, New York spoken-word artist Maggie Estep, and vocalists Siobhan Lynch and Hildia Campbell. 

Liquid followed in 2000 and the collaborations continued, this time working alongside Diamanda Galás, Nicole Blackman, Samantha Coerbell, Rosa Torras, The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet, and more.

subHuman arrived after a seven-year break and saw Wilder working with vocalists Carla Trevaskis and Louisiana bluesman Joe Richardson whose voice is complimented by guitar and harmonica performances. 

Alan Wilder’s decades in the music industry saw 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. Recoil emerged in the mid-Eighties as an antidote to the demands of Depeche Mode.

Wilder explained, “I always kept an open mind about what the Recoil project could be – allowing it to head off in any direction. It reflects my taste in music which involves a certain darkness, plenty of atmosphere, depth of orchestration and collaborative elements. Utilizing various voices writing their own words not only gave the music a varied feel but, indeed, filled the gaps that I couldn’t provide myself while still allowing me to pull the strings and executively produce.”

The first three albums – 1+2 (1986), Hydrology (1988) and Bloodline (1990) – give an indication of his expanding horizons and are currently being remastered for release at a later date.

Liquid Track LP Track listing:

A1. Black Box (Part One)
A2. Want
B1. Jezebel
B2. Breath Control
C1. Last Call For Liquid Courage
C2. Strange Hours
C3. Vertigen
D1. Supreme
D2. Chrome
D3. Black Box (Part Two)

subHuman LP Track listing:

A1. Prey
A2. Allelujah
B1. 5000 Years
B2. The Killing Ground
C1. Intruders
D1. 99 To Life
D2. Backslider

Unsound Methods LP Track listing:

A1. Incubus
A2. Drifting
B1. Luscious Apparatus
B2. Stalker
C1. Red River Cargo
C2. Control Freak
D1. Missing Piece
D2. Last Breath
D3. Shunt

Pre-order the reissues