As the first
Recoil album since
Alan Wilder's departure from
Depeche Mode, some may have suspected that
Unsound Methods would be the first
Recoil album with commercial aspirations. After all,
Wilder might have wanted to ensure a steady paycheck since he was no longer with the group. They needn't have worried --
Unsound Methods is
Recoil's most ambitious, adventurous record to date. Throughout the album,
Wilder is exploring new soundscapes, developing cinematic collages of sound that rely equally on ambient textures, subtle electronic rhythms, strings,l and cavernous dub effects. Over this impressionistic music,
Wilder has drafted a number of guest vocalists, including former
Nitzer Ebb singer Douglas McCarthy, former
Miranda Sex Garden vocalist Hepzibah Sessa, gospel singer Hildia Campbell, and New York-based author/poet/performance artist
Maggie Estep, who all contribute appropriately haunting, evocative performances. The end result is a record that is darkly provocative and resonant, an album that establishes
Wilder as a more viable artist than the latter-day
Depeche Mode. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine