Definitely more than just a single
Phoncible | 06/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD, while apparently a single from Recoil's "Liquid" album truly lives up to it's 'EP' name. The actual single edit of the title track 'Strange Hours' is not all that interesting and the album version is much more evocative. The remainder of this disk makes it a definite must-have for Recoil fans and a good starting point for those just venturing into the dark, filmic landscapes of Recoil releases. The tracks are all strong and not at all b-side fair. They are somewhat of a depature from the material featured on Liquid, in that they are either long depictions of locations (New York City Nights) or oddly hauntic melodic pieces (Don't Look Back) which are totally absent from the last album. Both of these new tracks are fantastic. 'New York City Nights' features Samantha Coerbell, who also provided lyrics on 'Liquid.' This track is probably the strongest track she has done for Recoil and the mood of the city really comes across well. Like her other contributions to Recoil, it's mostly in the spoken word area. 'Don't Look Back' features the voice of Sonya Madan (of Echobelly) and is unlike any of the tracks on the album. The piece has a very melodic and haunting quality to it and is not spoken-word based at all. The addition of the excellent and very different remix of Jezebel (Filthy Dog Mix) round out the musical portion of this CD quite nicely. The addition of the four Recoil music videos released to date makes this CD a great starting point for the new fan to get a taste of the very different sounds they can expect from the previous released. While you may like or dislike the style of the videos, simply being able to see them is a treat for any fan, as they were all only rarely seen on music video stations such as MTV. I highly recommend this CD to the already Recoil fan and even more so to a newcomer."
What an EP !
nonicksucker | Mexico City | 07/24/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Liquid is an impressive exploration on sounds that work as landscapes. The Strange Hours EP, continues exploring moods and ambiences, but in a different direction. It is important to say that it contains all 4 videos from all Recoil's recordings (Faith Healer, Stalker, Drifting and Strange Hours). Alan Wilder does an impressive job in joining sounds and textures, it's like a motion picture seen trhough your ears. If you liked Liquid, this is more of a mix between that disc and Unsound Methods. Still, my fav songs from Recoil are Luscious Apparatus and Edge to Life."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1