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
Incubus
Recoil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Back in the jungle
Every minute I stay in this room
I get weaker
Each time I looked around
The walls moved in a little tighter
I've never seen a man so broken up
They say my name is death
I've never seen a man so broken up
Ripped apart
But I'm alive, I am alive
I've never seen a man so broken up
Ripped apart
I am born ten thousand times
I've never seen a man so broken up
Ripped apart
Ten thousand ways, I'm alive I am the shadow
I am the evening come
I am your greatest fear
Your greatest love
Born in ten thousand ways
For each and every day
I am alive
I am the victim of lying morality
And so, I am beyond caring
I am born ten thousand times
In ten thousand ways
My head swims in spoiled mothers milk
I am too alive
There are too many of me,
Too many to kill
They're in my head
They know my name
My name is death but I am alive,
I am alive
The song "Incubus" by Recoil is a haunting masterpiece that explores the inner turmoil of a man who is experiencing a mental breakdown. The song's opening lines describe the singer's feeling of being trapped and unable to escape from his own torment. He feels like he is still in the "jungle," which may be a metaphor for his wild or chaotic thoughts. His time spent in isolation only makes matters worse, resulting in him feeling weaker and more powerless.
As the song progresses, the singer speaks of seeing a man who is "broken up" and "ripped apart." The man is identified as Death, and the singer seems to find comfort in the fact that he himself is still alive. He declares that he has been born ten thousand times and in ten thousand ways, suggesting that he may have many different personalities or that his mind is constantly generating new thoughts and ideas. Despite his chaotic thoughts, the singer asserts that he is in control and that he is the master of his own fate. Even though his morality may be in question, he remains indifferent and even apathetic towards his own inner turmoil.
Overall, "Incubus" is a chilling portrayal of a man who is struggling with his own mental demons. The lyrics are abstract, but the imagery is powerful, and the haunting melody perfectly captures the song's dark and brooding atmosphere.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I think I'm gonna wake up
Whenever I expect to wake up from this nightmare
Back in the jungle
To escape this dangerous and unfamiliar place
Every minute I stay in this room
For each passing moment spent in this confinement
I get weaker
My strength diminishes, both physically and mentally
Each time I looked around
When I survey my surroundings
The walls moved in a little tighter
I feel increasingly hemmed in and claustrophobic
I've never seen a man so broken up
I have witnessed someone suffer severe emotional or physical trauma
Ripped apart
Torn to shreds, devastated
They say my name is death
I am identified with death and destruction
But I'm alive, I am alive
Despite everything, I still exist and persist
I am born ten thousand times
I have lived through many reincarnations or experiences
Ten thousand ways, I'm alive
In countless and diverse manners, I continue living
I am the shadow
I am the reflection or embodiment of darkness and mystery
I am the evening come
I am the nightfall, the ending of day
I am your greatest fear
I am the source of your most profound terror
Your greatest love
I am also the object of your deepest passion and devotion
Born in ten thousand ways
I have come into being in many different forms or circumstances
For each and every day
Throughout every period of time
I am the victim of lying morality
I suffer from false or hypocritical ethical standards
And so, I am beyond caring
Consequently, I have lost my concern or empathy
My head swims in spoiled mothers milk
My mind is flooded with toxic or corrupted nurturing
I am too alive
My aliveness is excessive or overwhelming
There are too many of me,
My identity or manifestations are too numerous
Too many to kill
Impossible to destroy or eliminate
They're in my head
They occupy my thoughts, my psyche
They know my name
They are aware of my identity and nature
My name is death but I am alive,
Although associated with death, I am still alive and kicking
I am alive
In spite of everything, I continue to exist and thrive
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DOUGLAS JOHN MC CARTHY, FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA, ALAN WILDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind