Album Notes

Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and electronic composer Unwoman has built WILDNESS & ARTIFICE on the genre-bending, ground-breaking foundation of her acclaimed debut, KNOWLEDGE SCARS. Ranging from the soulful, emotive cello-based "Buried Alive" to the upbeat and futuristic HSEN-423, to the haunting "Resolution," Unwoman successfully unifies fluid and varied movements in one contemporary masterpiece.

Most often compared to Kate Bush and Rasputina, with whom Unwoman briefly played, fans of similar music will be impressed and inspired to find that Unwoman (aka Erica Mulkey) composed, performed, engineered, and produced WILDNESS & ARTIFICE in its entirety, thus dispelling the unfortunate myth that one woman can't do it all herself with the right combination of talent, skill, artistry, and confidence.

Praise for KNOWLEDGE SCARS (February 2002):

"KNOWLEDGE SCARS is an impressive debut release from Erica Mulkey, an independent solo artist from California that under the appellation Unwoman has released a darkly erotic and thought-provoking collection of songs. Erica expresses her instrumental prowess as an accomplished vocalist, cellist, and keyboardist.
"Her style ranges from a kind of experimental trip hop to swirling darkwave atmosphere with just enough static and noise to give it that extra technical punch. Not to mention the use of cello with sensual synthetic rhythms, placing her comfortably in league with such artists as Sunday Munich. This is, to be noted, not a directly smooth ride of ‘pretty’ atmospherics however – there are moments of unorthodox experiment and strange electronic goofiness that will appeal to those who prefer a few manic jars along their musical journeys. These moments are arranged well, and come naturally, never seeming contrived or placed for the sake of it."
-Matthew Heilman, www.starvox.net

"I'm not at all surprised that people might be raving about this debut by Erica Mulkey who tricked people at the university she attended, for she has a persuasive way about her. They saw her lugging her cello dutifully around and thought to themselves, isn't it nice that young people care about the old ways, when by night she was up to her nostrils in toxic waste, chopping down hard on Strontium B discharge, and scheming for the future."
-Mick Mercer, http://www.mickmercer.com

Praise for Artifice, the EP containing 6 songs which later appeared on Wildness & Artifice:

"Stark, politicised electro shot through with crunching noise and acoustic colours."
- Warren Ellis http://www.warrenellis.com/