01. Little Dead Bodies 4:50
02. Somewhat Bleeker Street 1:34
03. Gist 2:26
04. (A Proverbial Explanation For) Why No Action Is Taken 2:32
05. Father's By The Door 2:48
06. Tractor Pull 2:24
07. Tuesday Tastes Good 2:53
08. In Bed With Boys 2:11
09. Sinister 3:27
10. True Romance At The World's Fair 1:45
11. Tonight 2:15
12. Please Respect Our Decandence 2:24
13. Heat Wave 3:08
14. No War Bride 1:25
15. Let's Transact 2:28
16. Lethargy 2:13
17. Amusing One's Self 2:26
18. Recalling The Last Encounter 1:51
19. Seasonal Zombies 2:51
20 Agitation 1:28
21. Special Bonus ~ Praxis
'Of the many vocalist/instrumentalist duos to emerge in and around the new wave, this Chicago team was quite unique, a fascinating marriage of Don Hedeker's music and Lydia Tomkiw's poetry. Over the course of its career, Algebra Suicide flirted with pop forms and occasionally shared stylistic ground with both Laurie Anderson and the Velvet Underground but never wavered from its own individual path.
The eponymous debut, a four-song 7-inch, offers a sketchy but atmospheric mix of guitar and rhythm box behind Tomkiw's coolly intoned short texts, which include the haunting and memorable "True Romance at the World's Fair," among the group's most enduring pieces. An Explanation for That Flock of Crows adds bass, better sound and new vocal inflections (Tomkiw nearly sings "Tonight") to the recitation of four more numbers made accessible — even catchy — by tangible, occasionally narrative ideas and strong internal tempos. Algebra Suicide isn't rock'n'roll, but even those with an aversion to poetry should try the pair's concise records.
Originally issued on cassette with a lyric booklet and later revamped on vinyl, Big Skin introduces piano and simple synthesizers to Hedeker's increasingly complex and dynamic music. The duo occasionally stumbles in its efforts to synchronize the verbal/instrumental rhythms, but both the song-form music and the lyrical content [like a fascinating, wry discussion of death entitled "Little Dead Body Poem," also released on a contemporaneous single with two other Big Skin selections] are engrossing.
The Secret Like Crazy is a generous compilation: three tracks from each EP, half of Big Skin, four oldies from various sources and three new cuts. The German CD-only Real Numbers is a convivial 1988 live album, recorded with tapes supplementing Hedeker's onstage guitar work. Introducing new material and revisiting more than a dozen oldies [all benefiting from new backings/presentations and Tomkiw's brief setups], it's an ear-opener for a band that might otherwise seem studio-bound.' ~ Trouser Press
i don't really have the patience for too much sound poetry, but somehow Algebra Suicide are one of my favourite bands. Don Hedeker had a great ear for tunes & a fabulously atmospheric guitar tone that provided the perfect bed for Lydia Tomkiw's seemingly random, yet humourously poignant observations. She had a wonderfully musical & rhythmic cadence with a sexy midwest accent, at once thought provoking & endearing, which she uses to great effect over the moody beds of post punk awesomeness. Apart from the musical matrimony, Don & Lydia were owlso a legit married couple for many years, finally divorcing in 93 & dissolving the band in 95. Lydia then dipped to New York, released a solo album & sadly croaked of unspecified causes in 2007 at 48 years young. there's more to tell no doubt, but it's gonna be hearsay anyhow, cuz i wasn't there. just listening over the years, it definitely sounds like Algebra Suicide were hugely influential to Men's Recovery Project, another righteous duo. this is a high quality transfer of the RRR Records compilation with the special addition of the song 'Praxis', thereby reproducing their eponymous debut ep on Buzzerama Records in its entirety, tho scattered about. anyhu, this is what we been spinning again lately, so please enjoy the superior sounding bits. more forthkommen
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