Recoil was born in 1986 as a two-track experimental EP. Simply entitled ‘1 + 2’, this collection of primitive demos caught the attention of Mute Records label boss Daniel Miller and was inconspicuously released as a mini-album on 12" vinyl. An album, Hydrology, soon followed in 1988 and both were eventually re-issued by Mute on CD as Hydrology plus 1+2. These early Recoil recordings revealed Alan’s position as a pioneer in the newly emerging world of sampling technology and demonstrated how he could turn the Depeche sound around to create something entirely new. Wilder described the project at the time as “... an antidote to Depeche Mode; a way to alleviate the frustrations of always working within a pop format”.
Almost immediately, Wilder found himself back in the studio to record what would become the most successful Depeche Mode album to date,‘Violator’. It wasn’t until the band finally allowed themselves an extended break after the enormously successful 'World Violation' tour that Alan could return to Recoil - not, however, before agreeing to produce Ebbhead, an album for label-mates Nitzer Ebb. It was during this time that he cemented a working relationship with lead singer Douglas McCarthy who would return the favour by singing on Recoil’s next album,‘Bloodline’.
Released in 1992, Wilder recruited guest vocalists for the first time with further contributions from Curve's Toni Halliday and Moby, helping to produce an album that demonstrated his ability to concoct slow-burning soundscapes drenched in drowsy paranoia. Bloodline also marked the first Recoil single, a cover of Alex Harvey’s song ‘Faith Healer' as well as the innovative 'Electro Blues For Bukka White', featuring the posthumously sampled voice of Blues-man Bukka White set into a post-modern context - an influential idea later popularised by others.
Between 1992-93 Wilder resumed his Depeche duties as the band recorded the album ‘Songs Of Faith And Devotion’. Released to universal acclaim, it topped the charts in the UK, USA, Germany and a host of other countries. Enjoying hits with ‘I Feel You’, ‘Walking In My Shoes’, ‘In Your Room’ and ‘Condemnation’, the Mode embarked on their most adventurous tour to date, enduring a gruelling 15 months on the road. Although the group had reached the pinnacle of success, aspects of the lifestyle had taken their toll on everyone and things eventually came to a head. In June 1995, having spent 14 years as an integral part of one of the most popular and influential bands the UK has ever produced, Alan Wilder made the difficult but inevitable decision to leave Depeche Mode.
Free from his group commitments, Wilder could now focus solely on Recoil. In September 1996, he began work in his own studio, ‘The Thin Line’, gradually piecing together the unnerving scores that would eventually reveal Recoil's next album ‘Unsound Methods’. The final results were more impressive than ever. What emerged appeared to take up where ‘Songs Of Faith And Devotion’ had left off. Guest vocalists featured Maggie Estep, Siobhan Lynch, the reappearance of Douglas McCarthy, and Hildia Cambell. The styles of each could not be more removed from one another helping to create a startlingly original and diverse collection. The more organic style of Unsound Methods incorporated every imaginable musical genre from trip-hop to gospel whilst dealing with the subject of obsession in all its manifestations, taking the listener to the edge of unease, through dark, dub-infected landscapes, reverberating with shivering piano, seductive strings and a deep electronic pulse.
In the Spring of 2000, Recoil gave us Liquid which this time utilised the unique qualities of internationally acclaimed fellow Mute artist Diamanda Galás, 1940's Gospel crooners The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet, along with New York spoken-word performers Nicole Blackman and Samantha Coerbell. The worldwide music press received the Liquid album with a host of glowing reviews and Wilder was awarded the Charles Cros Grand Prix 2000. Strangely enthralling and genuinely unhinging, Liquid masquerades as the aural equivalent of a disturbing movie. Wilder's intoxicating soundscapes kick up clouds of the same dark dust that falls on David Lynch or Nine Inch Nails, but where others may hammer out their message with histrionic force, his touch is lighter and characteristically more subtle.
Now, following a 5 year break from recording, Alan Wilder returns with Recoil's 5th studio album, entitled subHuman released in July 2007.
Collaborating this time is Blues-man Joe Richardson with his band Joe Richardson Express, whose evocative vocal style is complimented by accomplished guitar and harmonica performances. Born in Southern Louisiana, Richardson spent years immersed in the murkier side of New Orleans life and offers a unique commentary on conflict, religion, incarceration and personal struggle. English singer Carla Trevaskis, a songwriter in her own right, brings an expressive range and control to subHuman and has worked with artists as diverse as Fred de Faye (Eurythmics), Cliff Hewitt (Apollo 440) and Dave McDonald (Portishead).
Says Wilder: “We seem to have learnt nothing from past experiences and our so called ‘civilised’ world is still awash with personal and global atrocities. From suicide bombings in the Middle East, to ethnic cleansing in the Balkans; from the homophobic rhetoric of the Christian fundamentalist preacher, to the activities of Western governments engaged in their ‘war on terror’".
subHuman asks us to reach within ourselves and extract the very essence of what makes us human - and more importantly what allows us to subordinate others, sometimes with the most brutal consequences. "We are all 'subhuman' in somebody's eyes."
Official site: http://www.recoil.co.uk
Drifting
Recoil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Taste the tracks of the waste
With your wild, with your sweet
With your cold black-eyed teeth
I close my eyes and I pray, yes I pray
Let it slide, let it slide
Ignore me and everything I've done
I take this one
and I taste the tracks
I taste the tracks
of the waste in my head
and you face me instead
I must be drifting somewhere
I held in my hand but it's hard, so hard to see reason
The burning is here, is only here to follow through
But here it is harder than a screaming fist and I hate it
It's dark behind your smile and I can follow through
Let it slide, let it slide
Ignore me and everything I've done
For words, like bullets they know when to come
And taste the tracks, and taste the tracks
Of the waste in my head and you face me instead
Well ignore me and everything I said
For I am stupid, I am poison.
I held in my hand but it's hard, so hard to see reason
It's dark behind your smile and I can follow through
I close my eyes and I pray, yes I pray
With your wild, call the pace
Taste the track of the waste
With your wild, with your sweet
The song "Drifting" by Recoil is a haunting ballad that expresses deep emotional pain and confusion. The lyrics suggest that the singer is lost and disconnected from the world around them, as if they are "drifting" in a state of limbo or numbness. The opening lines convey a sense of recklessness and raw emotion, as the singer implores someone to come with them on a journey that could end in self-destruction ("With your wild, call the pace / Taste the tracks of the waste / With your wild, with your sweet / With your cold black-eyed teeth"). The reference to "cold black-eyed teeth" is particularly striking, suggesting a predatory or dangerous aspect to the one being addressed.
The chorus ("Let it slide, let it slide / Ignore me and everything I've done") repeats this sense of detachment and resignation, as the singer acknowledges their own shortcomings and mistakes. The repeated phrase "I taste the tracks of the waste in my head" suggests a spiral of negative thoughts and emotions that is difficult to break free from. The lines "I held in my hand but it's hard, so hard to see reason / The burning is here, is only here to follow through" suggest a struggle with addiction or self-destructive behavior.
The final lines, "With your wild, call the pace / Taste the track of the waste / With your wild, with your sweet" echo the opening lines, creating a circular structure that suggests the singer is trapped in a cycle of destructive behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
With your wild, call the pace
Encouraging the person to set the pace with their wild nature.
Taste the tracks of the waste
Suggesting to embrace and experience the bad experiences in life.
With your wild, with your sweet
Urging to balance one's wild and sweet nature while living life.
With your cold black-eyed teeth
Referring to an aggressive or strong personality trait the person may withhold.
I close my eyes and I pray, yes I pray
Expressing a sense of submission to the universe, a higher power, or a particular god.
Let it slide, let it slide
Advice to let go of things or to not be too concerned with situations or people.
Ignore me and everything I've done
Acknowledging one's mistakes or bad choices and wanting forgiveness or a fresh start.
For I am stupid, I am poison
Feeling guilty or worthless for past behaviors, with a sincere plea for understanding.
I take this one and I taste the tracks
Taking responsibility for one's actions and learning from previous missteps.
I must be drifting somewhere
A sense of uncertainty, lost or inaccessible at a particular moment or a situation.
I held in my hand but it's hard, so hard to see reason
Feeling stuck or helpless about a specific situation leaves an unsure state of mind.
The burning is here, is only here to follow through
Referring to an unavoidable burden or challenge in one's life that they need to face head-on.
But here it is harder than a screaming fist and I hate it
Feeling overwhelmed or frustrated with the current circumstances or challenges.
It's dark behind your smile and I can follow through
One who is oblivious of the consequences and challenges ahead.
For words, like bullets they know when to come
Believing that some words can be harmful and powerful, only choosing to share them only when necessary.
Well ignore me and everything I said
Feeling like one's voice is unheard, ignored, or dismissed.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@diosamurcielaga9418
I could not stop listening to this album, for years, it is pure art.
@alexgruzglin4239
This is how Wilder would've mixed "Barrel of a gun"
@jorgeqsa
Hell yes!!
@28theli
Alan Wilder's Recoil so underrated, it's unbelievable......
@DmitryAn75
Alan, please come back!!!
@rafalwieczorek3533
Bez Alana moje życie miałoby inny kształt,a tak ma dobry,dzięki chlopie❤
@thomasjunker5628
The Videos in HD please. They are so beautiful.
@bartech72
Masterpiece...
@jrellhrel6538
So dark I love it!
@aprilixpear
Am I the only one who thinks the way Alan touches his body at the end of the video is so sexy? 🙊❤️ The whole video is great, but the end is so catching for me! ✨