Search - Recoil :: Subhuman

Tediumanyone?

L. CHANGES | 11/23/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"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"."

Six Years To Fine-Tune

Bryan M. MCNEELY | Fort Wayne, Indiana United States | 11/16/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."