Search - Alan Vega :: Deuce Avenue

Some sparks of genius

Pieter | Johannesburg | 02/08/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The former member of the avant-garde synth-pop duo Suicide made some great solo albums but Deuce Avenue is not amongst his best, although there are some sparks of genius here.Body Bop Jive is a mid tempo number that doesn't seem to go anywhere. Sneaker Gun Fire is a similar slow number with a jerky, nervous beat. The pace picks up a bit for Jab Gee with its spacious rhythmic textures.Approaching but not quite equalling Vega's hypnotic power, Bad Scene has an interesting synth drone, whilst La La Bola has some of his characteristic yelps over atmospheric backing.The title track is a slow eerie ballad with a lilting tune and bursts of white electronic noise and Faster Blaster recaptures some of Vega's energetic spirit with its driving beat, beautiful infusions of organ sounding synth and rockabilly howls.On Deuce Avenue, Vega sounds subdued and the songs lack memorable tunes. Unfortunately mostly out of print to hard to find as of this writing, Collision Drive and Saturn Strip are Alan Vega's masterpieces. I highly recommend them plus the 2-disc Suicide retrospective album."

Spare, tense, and dark

M. Bromberg | Atlanta, GA United States | 02/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This might be Vega's most minimal, impressionistic album to date. Washes of sound, electronic loops and drum machines, make the songs sound sketchy and unfinished but the effect is cumulative. Vega's repetitive phrases -- "Sneaker Gun Fire," "Bad Scene," "Jab Gee" -- become descriptions of things imagined in the dark, or heard down an alley. The album's also filled with Vega's usual concerns: "Wacko Warrior" is an extended set-piece in a mode that stretches all the way back to "Frankie Teardop" on the first Suicide LP. Not a very accessible album ("Saturn Strip" and "Just a Million Dreams" are Alan's most pop-oriented efforts) but an effective one."