Customer Reviews

Subhuman

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a fan of Alan Wilder for a long time. Totally appreciating his contributions to Depeche Mode throughout his career with them. Since he left, I must say Depeche Mode just ain't the same. Alan, however, provided us with two stunning CDs, Unsound Methods (1997) and Liquid (2000). Then, he disappeared to live a quiet life with his family. Well, he's back with a stunning offering and a CD/DVD edition that is clearly a Valentine for his longtime, devoted fans.

First, subHUMAN is well worth the wait. A brilliant, kaleidoscopic opus of textural depth and trademark Alan Wilder brilliance is his compositions and production. Following the trip-hop groundwork laid by Samantha Coerbell's contributions on Liquid, "Last Call For Liquid Courage" and "Supreme, Alan draws from the Louisiana delta and Joe Richardson to put a blues edge to the the trip-hop sound. And the tracks with Carla Trevaskis are equally amazing, especially "The Intruders" which at a rocking 11 minutes (most of the tracks are lengthy) gives Alan freedom to move his compositions through some interesting transitions. This will clearly be one of the best CDs of 2007. Ear candy at its finest with so much depth, the listener will find new pockets of sound upon repeated listenings.

2) Then you get a nearly 60 minute ambient reworking of the entire CD and it is pretty awesome to say the least and is a great counterpart to the original CD. That Alan would take the time to do this not only proves he was eager and happy to get back in the studio but he wanted to reward his fans with not a little, but a LOT extra. The ambient version is a lush soundscape that goes in different but equally maginificent directions than the original version. There is also a 5.1 Dolby sound mix of the original CD on the DVD with the ambient version and also 5 videos. There are also 2 easter egg videos for "Shunt" and "Electro Blues For Bukka White.

So, if you enjoy Alan, you probably already have this, but if you are unfamilar with his work and enjoy artists like Massive Attack or Portishead, then you will not be disappointed with this masterpiece.

Yes! Finally something new from Alan! No! I can't believe how amazing this is!! *pinches self*

Heavily blues influence, and heavy on the dark electronica. Audio is masterfully set in 3-dimentional motion (or so it seems) even while listening in two-channel stereo. If you're looking for something new and innovating, pick this up and pay attention to the magic going on between your ears!

subHuman is a collection of intelligently crafted songs hosting guest vocalists Joe Richardson (5 songs) and Carla Trevaskis (2 songs). Despite the over-all brilliance of subHuman, I woulda liked to hear more of Carla on more tracks. Additional collaboration at the mixing helm from Paul Kendal and mixed at Alan's Thin Line recording studio.

I purchased the album electronically from 7-Digital, as recommended from the Recoil web site (for those interested in the downloads). They are all ripped into a very high-quality 320kps, non-DRM, MP3 format. However, they aren't in 5.1 surround, so I will probably pick up the CD/DVD combo too. Included in my download were the Ambient tracks (the entire album mixed as "ambient" versions)....so I'm not entirely sure if these are included in the *hard* CD/DVD copy you get at amazon, the description here at Amazon doesn't provide any clue that they do...except reviewer bobby digital clues us in that there are, and easter eggs too! :)

Favorite tracks (well they're all good!) are: Allelujah (reminds me of "In Your Room" - you'll see why...), Intruders, Prey (especially the end). But there's a great hook in every track!

Highly recommended!

It's been a while, but Alan's back with "subHUman:" another trek through the dregs of the human condition. Virtually a continuance of his last album, "Liquid," his latest release taps into the dirtiness of life on Earth. War, slavery and prison life are all touched upon (in theory) in their own dark and often creepy way.

Though I feel this release is very well done, I don't much care for the drop-off after the fourth track: the chilling "Killing Ground." Instead of maintaining that experimental, brooding sound that fills the first half of the album, Alan instead takes it down a notch and relies mostly on traditional ambient techno/electronica to finish the project. While the sound isn't bad by any means, it's a bit boring and much less interesting than "Prey" (an apparent return to the "Unsound Methods" opener) and "5000 Years," for example. In fact, "Intruders" and its over-ten-minute excursion is one of the weakest tracks Alan has ever produced. Vocally, it sounds all-too-familiar. I may be a little tired of the ethereal female voice after years of it being used by virtually every other musician out there. Not only that, but considering the final five or six minutes of the track is a sluggish jazzy interlude, it doesn't scream "RECOIL" at all. No real smart sampling, the experimentation takes a back seat to tradition. Electro-lounge jazz artists have been doing the same thing for years. I don't want the same from Alan. He's smarter than that.

There is potential for "99 To Life," however, the music, again, shows a bit of rust and the lyrics are easily forgettable. The guy who created "Incubus" (from "Unsound Methods") should be able to do this better, but it simply feels as if he took a nap during the final three tracks of the album. Strangely enough, though, his slow, uninteresting tracks are still much, much better than those created by his peers. Alan has always raised the bar on dark electronica and for this alone, "subHuman" can be given a pass. There ARE strong tracks on the album, I just wish that the mood and the style held up throughout.

Sometimes, a long period of staying out of the studio can do wonders, yet for some, it shows off more rust than anything else. Had this album come out immediately after "Liquid," I may have received it better.

Four stars is enough for "subHuman." "Unsound Methods," "Liquid" and even the slightly-odd "Bloodline" are better examples of what Alan can do. It may be potentially interesting to those who've yet to hear Recoil.

When I first heard Recoil, it was in the early '90s and Bloodline had recently been released. The vibe of that record really captivated me. While the production left something to be desired, Alan's arrangements - coupled with the contributions of Moby, Toni Halliday and Douglas McCarthy - resulted inn a thoughtful, diverse and musically satisfying record that, in many ways, still holds up today.

After truly absorbing Bloodline, I went back to the beginning; I bought the CD reissue of Hydrology and 1+2. (If nothing else, I wanted to have more context for Bloodline than Alan's previous work with DepecheMode) While the early work is really interesting and, for the most part, engaging, it was Bloodline that I ultimately preferred.

I completely missed whatever followed Bloodline until a few days ago, when I heard some samples of SubHuman and immediately knew that it was time to reconnect with Recoil. I purchased it the next day. I have spent a fair amount of time going through it and it continues to impress me with its depth, energy, textures and good ol' songwriting.

I always thought that "Electro Blues For Bukka White" from Bloodline was a brilliant concept, brilliantly executed. Somewhere deep down, I have wished for more of the same - and now Alan's inclusion of Joe Richardson on SubHuman fulfills the desire for more "electro blues" and then some. Carla's contributions are no less captivating; "Intruders" is truly sublime.

I could go on ad nauseum, but I won't. Just order SubHuman today. It will undoubtedly satisfy your longing for fresh and inspiring music, now and many years to come.

Subhuman is one of recoils better CD's. There is no other music like it out there. A real winner to me.

This is sound of techno, blues, and soul. Each song, you can feel the conflict, pain, sorrow, and joy in the words. This is truly of one of the best Recoil albums out there.

This is just another fine jewel in the crown of Recoil's discography! Awesome! The blending of styles and genres on this disc is truly amazing and quite a departure in this realm of music. But it just goes to show that Alan Wilder is not afraid to cross the lines and boundaries where others don't dare to. What else would you expect from the man behind Depeche Mode's success! This is audio art that defies definition! True fans of AW's work since his departure from DM should get this album, and if you don't already own any previous Recoil albums you are missing out on some really great music!

A bit on the overdone-arty-side, as in 'studio-doodle-ing'... Art? Keith Richards usta muse, "far as I'm concerned, Art is short for Arthur".

I loved Depeche Mode and Adam Wilder but this record is lacking for me. Adam still tries to hold on to the American ghetto culture in a way that does not work like it did on Liquid.

The songs are long and often boring without much substance. An Eh?, spin.