Recoil: ‘A Strange Hour’ 8.25

Recoil was once a side-project by Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder. Since he left the band in the mid-’90s, it has become his full-time gig.

I’m a huge fan of Recoil. <3

I’ve been collecting the CDs since the early ’90s and have been totally in love with most of them. So, when a limited edition boxed-set was announced, I just had to get my hands on it. :D

The ‘Selected’ boxed-set includes 3CDs and 1DVD. The DVD is essentially a copy of the visuals that Wilder put up on a screen behind him when he toured to promote this set. Included, of course, is a mashup of Recoil’s music to accompany it.

I don’t know that it’s exactly the same mashup as on the third CD, but they sounded similar. And I don’t know if it’s a proper representation of what one could have expected on the promotional tour, but it’s really good.

In particular, I loved the music. The visuals are a mish-mash of unrelated themes that were edited together by someone else. They’re intriguing curiosities, but they don’t make for essential viewing; they were probably better-suited as backdrop. And, thus, it may become background for when I have guests over (those who can handle Recoil, of course ;)).

Oddly enough, I think I enjoy the third CD more than I did the DVD (I’d give the CD a 9.0), so I’ll have to check to see if it’s the same mix. I guess it’s conceivable that the visuals deterred from the experience somewhat. Or maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood…

Still, this was a good time and I’d heartily recommend it to anyone who likes Recoil, electronic and/or industrial music. 🙂