专辑简介

by Ned Raggett

With Violatorthe smash hit it was, and Depeche Modecoming off a huge burst in popularity and attention, Alan Wilder's solo project was never in a better position to get wider notice for itself in turn. Bloodline didn't produce an "Enjoy the Silence," but in many ways, this was and remains Wilder's most distinct Recoil album: a sharp combination of his ear for arrangements and notable guest singer turns. Wilder's production skills became even more influential with time. Electro-clash was a decade off, but Nine Inch Nails' own breakthrough was just around the corner, and the combination of pulsing energy and cold, brutal punch was perfectly evident throughout Bloodline. The two strictly solo tracks on the album, "The Defector" and "Freeze" are both strong and cinematic examples of Wilder's ear for propulsive atmospherics come to life, metallic percussion, and shimmering string synths put together just so. But Wilderwisely played off collaborative energy here as with his time in Depeche, and it's a stellar collection of singers he draws together. Semi-protégé band Nitzer Ebb's Douglas McCarthyhandles the vocals on a dramatic, bombastic rip through Alex Harvey's "Faith Healer." It's one of the best covers ever of that song. Meanwhile, Toni Hallidaytook time off from Curveto sing two songs, and her cool slink unsurprisingly suits "Edge to Life" and the title track perfectly. Intriguingly, Moby, then still riding his initial exposure due to Go, raps (!) on "Curse," but even more intriguing is what Mobyclearly took as inspiration for his own work elsewhere on the album. On "Electro Blues for Bukka White," Wilderchops up and reworks the titular singer to create a strange, unsettled tension between White's soulful roots vocals and Wilder's looming dread mixed with sudden, soaring beauty. It may not have been as pop-friendly as Play, but Mobyclearly hadn't forgotten Wilder's earlier effort when his own mainstream splash happened.