http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15802&rws=%2Frecoil%2Fmusic-videos.rssBest known as the shy one of British synth-pop giants Depeche Mode during their mid- to late-'80s heyday, Alan Wilder was originally intended to replace departed songwriter Vince Clarke (now of Erasure fame). Instead, he became involved in the production end of 1983's <I>Construction Time Again</I> and cemented a darker, more sophisticated, multidimensional sound for the band. Wilder's first solo recordings quietly emerged alongside 1986's <I>Black Celebration</I> and earmarked him as the group's technical genius; although only four-track cassette demos, his works featured the cutting-edge sampling and sound design that had become DM's trademark. These skeletal but broodingly vivid audio sketches, captured on the first Recoil LP <I>Hydrology</I>, became fully fleshed as Wilder began to invite a spectrum of guest vocalists, with a preference for spur-tongued New York poets and paranoid personalities. Using their emotional contributions, as well as progressively vigorous instrumentation, Wilder's current, post-modern pop excursions remain compellingly alienating. - Jeff K.Post-Modern Popen720Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:49:30 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15802&rws=%2Frecoil%2Fmusic-videos.rss Best known as the shy one of British synth-pop giants Depeche Mode during their mid- to late-'80s heyday, Alan Wilder was originally intended to replace departed songwriter Vince Clarke (now of Erasure fame). Instead, he became involved in the production end of 1983's <I>Construction Time Again</I> and cemented a darker, more sophisticated, multidimensional sound for the band. Wilder's first solo recordings quietly emerged alongside 1986's <I>Black Celebration</I> and earmarked him as the group's technical genius; although only four-track cassette demos, his works featured the cutting-edge sampling and sound design that had become DM's trademark. These skeletal but broodingly vivid audio sketches, captured on the first Recoil LP <I>Hydrology</I>, became fully fleshed as Wilder began to invite a spectrum of guest vocalists, with a preference for spur-tongued New York poets and paranoid personalities. Using their emotional contributions, as well as progressively vigorous instrumentation, Wilder's current, post-modern pop excursions remain compellingly alienating. - Jeff K.