Alan Wilder left Depeche Mode in 1995, maybe because he felt superfluous and didn't feel comfortable with the increasingly rock-oriented and radio-friendly style DM had developed on "Violator" and, in particular, "Songs of F&D". Recoil's first few EP releases in the '80s were primarily notable for their extended ambient soundscapes which had more in common with, say, Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze than with DM and '80s synth-pop, but it was Recoil's first full-time album, "Bloodline", where suddenly an emphasis on vocalists of all sorts became clear. "Unsound methods" marks a further step forward in this evolution and is probably best described as something which has its roots in film-noir soundtracks, spoken-word releases and trip-hop-inclined electronica: still, all these influences are combined in such a brilliant way that the songs on "UM" begin to sound other-wordly in their beauty and intensity. Another aspect is Alan's intricate and innovative production, mixing melodic fragments, shuffling mid-tempo rhythms, sound effects and field recordings with generally dark lyrics and intriguing vocal delivery. There's an impressive variety throughout "UM", even within the individual pieces which are constantly evolving, suddenly shifting to completely different sonic pictures, or combining seemingly disparate elements to great effect, which also means that there doesn't seem to be a real stand-out track -- "UM" is without its "Black celebration", "Faith healer", or "Strange hours". The whole things works as one exceptionally well although it is not directly a concept album. The musical journey begins with the breathtaking "Incubus"-- the first three minutes are particularly gripping -- gradually introducing dark atmospherics, shimmering background textures and overlaid sharp drums. Of course, the vocal performance by Nitzer Ebb singer/guitarist Douglas McCarthy is equally gripping: He can sing, "They say my name is Death/But I'm alive" and escape with his credibility intact. No small feat, really. Douglas returns on the claustrophobic, doom-ladden "Stalker" (the second single off "UM"), another fairly dramatic and well-structured piece which also manages to fascinate and confuse simultaneously. The musically quite irritating "Luscious apparatus" features one of the more frightening narratives on this album, a story about dreams made flesh, eventually building to the simple finale: "Carla didn't think of Jack as a luscious apparatus after that". The audio accompaniment is highly kitsch and almost unlistenable at times (obviously inspired by the Crypt Keeper or so), but it doesn't matter because the lyrics are intriguing and engaging enough to leave a lasting impression. When Alan veers toward straight trip-hop, such as on "Drifting" and the 8-minute "Red river cargo", the music becomes a little tedious at times and doesn't have the intricacy and gutsy drive of "Incubus" or "Stalker"; still, there are lots of interesting textures and vocal performances in these tracks, so they do not detract much from the overall quality of "UM". Listen to "Red river cargo" and try to find out where Moby collected the ideas for his cross-over album "Play". After the quasi-industrial beats and NIN-like sequences on "Control freak" (a song about Alan himself), things calm down a bit with "Missing piece" and "Last breath", easily the most melodic and beautiful pieces on this album, offering a fine interplay between several layers of sound and rather soulful vocal delivery. But something is not quite settled here....in my opinion, the hypnotic nature and the orchestral arrangements on "Last breath" are quite in step with the title of the song, and the final cut on the album, "Shunt", seems to confirm the belief that the subject matter is about suicide. "Shunt" also happens to be musically different from the rest of the album, opening with railroad-noise and intrusive echos (unintentionally distorted because the mastering was done at high volume), then giving away to a notably more slamming beat and gentle sequencer burblings which accelerate into an all-out storm of noise towards the end of the track.
"UM" is a deadly stab in the back of traditional song structures and may be the essence of '90s post-rock music -- it proves that one doesn't need to be a great songwriter or instrumentalist to create engaging and interesting music, and Alan is indeed much more skilled in creating suspense and subtle terror than writing catchy pop songs. This is an album other electronica artists and certain synth-pop bands dream of making; I still haven't found any other record which offers such an intense and sometimes disturbing listening adventure as "UM". Whether you want to further investigate Recoil's backcatalog from here is up to you, but "UM" is one of the finest statements of the last decade and absolutely essential.
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