Deuce Avenue is Alan Vega's most under-appreciated album, and has been universally shunned by critics. AMG gives it 1.5 stars and calls it "one of Alan Vega's rare misfires", all the while pointing out that it's the album most similar to the earlier Suicide albums. Which is the key here. No, Martin Rev wasn't part of this, and yes, Alan Vega produced this on his own, but what is truly remarkable about this album is that it just flows. Back are the aggressive synth sounds, gone the rockabilly influences of Alan Vega's solo debut. I've learned to love this album while driving at night - it's futuristic and retro at the same time. Body Bop Jive and Sneaker Gun Fire are fine examples where the ... Read more »

It would be easy to say that Josef K had better days ahead of them when leader Paul Haig decided to close that chapter in his life because there's simply no telling. Despite that train of thought and despite the reservations of band members and critics over the way the Scottish quartet's limited studio output was recorded, and despite the fact that the band thought they did their best work on stage, there is still no denying that there is some brilliance apparent in their lone studio album and this compilation, Young and Stupid. Three versions of it are floating around, with each successive edition improving on the one that preceded it. It was originally released on vinyl by Supreme in 1987 with twelve songs that mined their singles; though the tracks were selected by the band and the LP was released by their former manager, it didn't exactly fulfill its ... Read more »

The band didn't hold back at all when it came to the follow-up for Fresh Fruit -- if anything, they exploded to a degree never matched by them in later years. Arguably the sheer speed and lack of any subtlety throughout most of this eight-song EP means there's less to talk about in terms of deathless songs and more in the way of sheer breathless anger and rage. The titles say it all: "Nazi Punks Fuck Off," "Religious Vomit," "Hyperactive Child." The sheer hilarity of the band isn't lost, thankfully; "Moral Majority" may rip along as per always, but Biafra's parody of a typical TV preacher at the start is a scream. The real winners come at the end, starting with "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now." A reworking of "California Über Alles," specifically targeted at California governor turned president Ronald Reagan, benefits from an amusing jazz/lounge start and ... Read more »

With a mixture of jazz-influenced fluidity and nearby noodling, Karate's fourth album delivers dramatic stop/start rock that ebbs and flows and is sparked, at its' best moments, by lost narratives and cutting guitar work. Occasionally it is only the crisp, billowy, unsteady patterns of drummer Gavin McCarthy that remind you that this is not a pop-fusion effort from the late '70s. The unsettling moments and the ever-present tension that make a band like June Of '44 take on the same territory more successfully are replaced by an over-reliance on technical proficiency and shifting time signatures.

Certainly there is some great interplay between the bassist and drummer, resulting in some truly solid rhythms and a pervading sense of anger pops up on "Sever" that attempts to pull the listener in. Throughout the record, Geoff Farina's lyrical asides manage t ... Read more »