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.
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