Algebra Suicide

[shadowplay]

...chainsaws under the stars...

So way back in 1986 I was in a record shop and saw this seven inch by a band called Algebra Suicide and I thought the girl looked cool enough on the sleeve (a split image with Don Hedeker her husband who handled the music*) to just buy it and take it home. On playing it I was really glad I did because I was just captivated by it's sizzling Suicide minimal drum machine, delicious bass repetition and utterly seductive spoken word sass, which seemed to me to be Exhibit A in proving simple is fucking hard. Despite being American I filed them as more in the European DIY continuum like say the French band Fall of Saigon (weirdly also re-released on DE) and the likes of Young marble Giants.

I then managed to get their other single and a bit later an album and I just adored it's minimal Velvets style and (sadly deceased) Lydia Tomkiw's **drop dead deadpan voice which just brims with world weary seductive chutzpah and a real ear for memorable and often wise observations.

As is the case with anything that doesn't catch on but has something about it I always wondered why they weren't better known and I remember playing their tracks at a Saturday afternoon pub thing I played records at and always getting asked to write their name down..

I think I've mentioned them a few times here over the years and the records are long out of print but a few years ago the very wonderful Dark Entries put out a collection of their earlier material as Feminine Squared (packed with a live DVD) and the last year released Still Life which did a similar job with slightly plusher later material (and a few strays). These have been very much my go to gifts over the last few years, at least until Feminine Squared sold out and have universally went down well.

So...a few Favourites from Feminine Squared;

Algebra Suicide - An Explanation for That Flock of Crows

Algebra Suicide - Little Dead Bodies

Algebra Suicide - Recalling The Last Encounter

Algebra Suicide - [A Proverbial Explanation For] Why No Action is Taken

Algebra Suicide - Father's by the Door

And off Still Life

Algebra Suicide - Heat Wave

Algebra Suicide-Seasonal Zombies

Algebra Suicide - Connoisseurs of Lightning

Algebra Suicide - Alphabet song

Algebra Suicide - Tractor Pull

Anyway thoughts, impressions and answers on a post card

D

*gear geeks might get their tails up to the fact that he used a Vox guitar organ early on before transitioning to heady heights of a Casio MT-40.

**also a published poet

[zhivago]

Never heard of this band before, but I really like the songs you linked, David!

It is amazing (and criminal), that bands like this fly by under the radar.

[shadowplay]

Never heard of this band before, but I really like the songs you linked, David!

It is amazing (and criminal), that bands like this fly by under the radar.

Yeah I agree, sad to say the attention that should have went to Algebra Suicide ended up going to Huey Lewis and the News.

Really glad you like them, I was very happy to see them reissued. Funnily I really thought they would be just the lofi ticket for OSG but it would appear that as usual I've misread the room.

One of my kids got her teacher to use the very clever (A Proverbial Explanation For) Why No Action is Taken as a prompt for a class discussion which I thought was great.

D

[zhivago]

One of my kids got her teacher to use the very clever (A Proverbial Explanation For) Why No Action is Taken as a prompt for a class discussion which I thought was great.

D

Wow that is awesome! Great lyrics on that track!

Indeed, it is strange no-one else chimed in on this thread...I passed on the links to a good friend of mine who should love this band as well, so you got two converts.

[DeathJag]

I like it although I wish the vocals were buried or had some kind of effect to make them less in my face. Thanks a lot for posting! I have Suicide but I have never heard of this. I actually go pretty deep with similar (kinda!) electronic experimental stuff, although I tend to like more noise. Bands like Cold Cave and Primitive Calculators are great, as is one of my all-time favorite bands Smersh!

[sammynb]

These guys are great, looks like another rabbit hole trying to get some of their stuff.