21st century Suicide
 

It wasn't until the past few years that Suicide got together again and started to do a couple of concerts. This time they were well received by the audience, and this unexpected experience must have impressed Suicide so much they decided to go for it again and record a couple of new songs.

Rev and Vega are obviously aware of their status as fossils from another period of music history, and, while a couple of formerly challenging bands from the 1970ies have recently tried to risk a (not very convincing) comeback, Suicide know of the dangers such an effort can bear. The most popular trap is to celebrate the good old days and try to revive the spirit of the past. That's not a good idea, as most of the stuff that caused an uproar 25 years ago, would just be mainstream by today's standards, hence a new approach is needed.

"American Supreme" is a serious attempt to create an open-minded and modern record, both production-wise and song-wise. Out comes a stylistic mix that might confuse some older fans, but will sound a little bit dated for a younger generation. "Televised Executions" for example starts off with a very funky groove, guitar- and DJ-scratch-samples, "Death Machine" is a pretty simple up-tempo techno track, and "Child, It's A New World" has a pinch of House Music inside. Want a bit of noise? Sure, step to "Dachau, Disney, Disco" (sic!).

However hard Suicide have tried to escape their musical heritage, Rev and Vega stay true to their minimalistic approach, and that 's a strong reference to their past. Of course, any deja-vu experience is mostly due to Alan Vega's unmistakeable voice. "American Supreme" is not very likely to become a huge success for Suicide, but do they care? Probably not, after all they've gone through they might just be a little embarrassed to earn too much respect.

(rh, pictures: blast first and suicide)

Label: Blast First

 


 
American Supreme
 
 

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