23 April 2021

Artist: ALAN VEGA
Born Alan Bermowitz on June 23, 1938.
Passed away on July 16, 2016 (78 years old)
Active: 1970–2016 (with Suicide,
solo and multiple collaborations )

Album: MUTATOR
Info: In 1995/1996 Vega and his wife Liz Lamere, recorded
an album called Mutator. But it never saw the day of light. Then,
back in 2019 Lamere and close Vega friend Jared Artaud discovered
the original tapes and decided to mix the songs into a proper LP.
Release: 23th April 2021 by Sacred Bones Records.

Order info: here.

NME says: “The late Suicide pioneer’s wife and collaborator Liz Lamere has unlocked
the Vega Vault, spewing forth more NYC gutter rock and apocalyptic proclamations. Vega’s visions have come of age again in the post-indie deconstructions of 2021, and ‘Mutator’ might well find favour with fans of his distant descendants like Squid, Perfume Genius, Sleaford Mods and Black Midi. A quarter of a century on, this lost rumble from post-punk vaults finds new context, as a lesson in uncompromising art from an old master.”
Full review here. Score: 3/5.

Liz Lamere (Vega’s widow) remembers: “Our primary purpose for going into the studio
was to experiment with sound, not to ‘make records. I was playing the machines with Alan manipulating sounds. I played riffs while Alan morphed the sounds being channeled through the machines.’

Sacred Bones (label) says: “Vega was constantly creating. That process naturally led to a wealth of material that didn’t see the light of day immediately when it was recorded, which came to be known as the Vega Vault. ‘Mutator’ is the first in a series of archival releases from the Vault that will come out on Sacred Bones Records.”

Turn Up The Volume: Most of the lost albums that eventually came/come to the
surface one day should have stayed lost forever. If they were good enough to be
released the moment they were recorded they would have never ended up in a
smelly cellar or, worst case, in a trash can.

So what about Alan Vega’s lost one? One: it feels special to have the legend back. Two:
the album seems to come from a very dark place, from the deepest corners of Vega‘s soul, creating a nightmarish and Kafkaesque chill-out atmosphere for a 30-minute David Lynch film-noir. Yes, it’s not a lost album, it’s a lost soundtrack, a thrill-ing one where reality is disguised as surreality. A most welcome find.

Tasters/tracks: Nike Soldier / Fist

– NIKE SOLDIER –

– FIST –

Stream/buy full album here…

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ALAN VEGA: Facebook