Recoil – Liquid / Mute Audio CD 2000 / CDStumm173

UPC 5016025611737

Liquid is the fifth studio album by Recoil, released by Mute Records on March 21, 2000. It was recorded at Alan Wilder's home studio, The Thin Line, in Sussex, during sessions that lasted from July 1998 to June 1999. The album was produced by Alan Wilder, with production assistance and co-ordination by Hepzibah Sessa, and additional production and sound design by PK. Liquid is Recoil's fifth album release.

Liquid's music continues in much the same vein as his previous album, Unsound Methods, but it considered to be a concept album revolving around a near-death experience in 1994. Wilder and his partner, Hepzibah Sessa, were driving in Scotland and a Tornado Bomber hit a hillside in front of them, and two airmen were killed. The idea of the album, especially the bookending track "Black Box" (read by Reto Bühler), centered on what was going through the pilot's last moments of life.

Recoil again picked a diverse set guest vocalists - internationally acclaimed (and fellow Mute artist) Diamanda Galás, 1940s gospel singers the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet, New York spoken word performers Nicole Blackman and Samantha Coerbell, and Catalan narrator (and Recoil fan) Rosa Torras. Additional musicians utilized were Curve's Dean Garcia (bass) and Steve Monti (drums), Ian Dury and the Blockheads' Merlin Rhys-Jones (guitar), and Miranda Sex Garden's Hepzibah Sessa (violin).

Of note is the track "Jezebel", which features the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet. There is some debate that it was inspired by the Moby album Play (released a year prior to Liquid) and its use of Alan Lomax field recordings. However, a similar track appears on Recoil's 1992 Bloodline album, "Electro Blues for Bukka White", dispelling this idea. Furthermore, Moby appeared on the Bloodline album.

Nine Inch Nails played the Liquid album before taking the stage during their Fragility tour in 2000.