Alan Vega – Insurrection

This is a seriously tough one to review...

If you thought "Mutator" was raw and unapologetic, then "Insurrection" will surely make you grind your jaws even more.

Basically I guess only Alan Vega fans could perhaps "get it", let alone "get into it"... Meaning that I have a hard time believing that anyone introduced to the "artistery" (I do not wish to coin the term "genius" just yet) of Vega through this album would become instant fans. However stranger things have happened and if that would be the case, more power and open mindness to all!

To call this album "minimal" would be a tragedy for the production aspect. Meaning that if repetition now counts as minimalism, then we would need to re-label entire genres as "minimal". I would perhaps attempt to suggest "brutally minimal" in of power and emotion, delivered in such a unique Vega vibe that one just can not see anyone else attempt without sounding like a poser.

You can tell Vega had a lot on his mind when he worked on this album back in the late 90s. One can almost feel that grinding, uneasy caustic state of NYC of the era. If it weren't for "modern day" (re)production, the album almost oozes itself as a catalyst (of sorts): like a doomsday premonition of things to come, while seeping deeper and deeper into a state of fluctuating un-easiness.

This is not an easy album at all. It represents an important part of Alan's vision of the times, even if we are essentially thrust into the thick of tension and paranoia, submerged in waves of what surely must have been the "filth" of the overall state of the nation.

There are also hints of VVV's "Ressurection River" (https://discogs.librosgratis.biz/master/58412-Vainio-V%C3%A4is%C3%A4nen-Vega-Endless), in preparation for their next collaboration.

Suffice it to say this is an important album if you are a true Alan Vega fan, more specifically his latter more "experimental" material. We are a far distance from "Jukebox Babe" and "Magdalena" but still you can feel Vega's ion coming through even though we are more often than not immersed into a dark spiral of uneaseness.

Not my favorite but still a must have requiring re-visiting in order to try to get a glimpse into this man's unique vision of reality as it was.

Excellent pressing and quality, hard paper sleeve. Great release at all. Unfortunately oversized sleeve.

My copy is a transparent dark red w/ black center blob.

Both LPs I received were peach colored with a slight white marbling.