Suicide II

The very few listeners Suicide must have gained from their monumentally brash and downright harsh debut album must have thought it a bizarre fluke for such a cohesive first album to be born out of nothing, let alone the idea of following up the record with an equally consistent, and potentially better release, the imaginatively titled Second Album. And what of it? Does it feature more bursts of synth and drum with crooning atop? Does it feature extended pieces about Vietnam Vets having a hard time coping back home? Well no, it doesn't feature any of that really.

From the opening track we see Suicide in a bizarrely different mood, one that pertains throughout, a style of music that seems not too far removed from the sweet dulcet tones of Gary Numan, New Order and Depeche Mode. A music style of geeky, glitchy optimism in the face of nothing but concrete, dirt and decay. These tracks make up the first half the album and while they are upbeat it begins to dawn that Suicide are now recognizing themselves as innovators. Some tracks seem to glisten with a sexy sweat, whereas others immediately change in the light to be bathed in a disgusting hateful cannibalistic sweat. Suicide really knows how to destroy and rebuild a song. On the second half of the album they employ more of a sonic approach to their raw sound, making use of wide sprawling synthesiser drones and although these tracks seem to lack the focus in comparison to the more trimmed and pruned earlier half of the album, they show a band experimenting in what it does best, creating nasty and confrontational music on synthesizers. The album has a wider implication than just being a 'classic' though. This album is one of the first to fully realise the potential of synthesizers in creating melodic pop music, and though it's a huge way removed from 'Just Can't Get Enough', it provides a more than adequate blueprint in terms of the look (one techno-geek on the instruments, and a camp good looking guy singing over the top of it), the instructions and cool nonchalant attitudes surrounding it.

Ripped from the Mute/Blast First release to MP3 @ 320kbp

Suicide; Suicide II

1.      Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne

2.      Mr Ray

3.      Sweetheart

4.      Fast Money Music

5.      Harlem

6.      Touch Me

7.      Be Bop Kid

8.      Las Vegas Man

9.      Shadazz

10.   Dance

11.   Super Subway Comedian

12.   Dream Baby Dream

13.   Radiation

Suicide is still available here