ALICE DONUT - THE UNTIDY SUICIDES OF YOUR DEGENERATE CHILDREN (1992)

Alice Donut was a band whose impact was immeasurable on my life during my teenage years, a genre-bending, multi-instrumental sonic fiasco who defied both categorization and good taste. They weren't a punk band, per se, as their sound was too streamlined and off-kilter, but the generic "rock" label couldn't contain their artsy presentation and abrasive lyrics either. Quite simply, Alice Donut blew my mind when I first heard this album back in 1995, and I quickly set about locating their other releases at once. Mule (1989), Donut Comes Alive (1988), Revenge Fantasies of the Impotent (1991), and Bucketfulls of Sickness and Horror In An Otherwise Meaningless Life (also 1989) soon found their way onto my tape deck, CD, or record player, and I soon found myself basking in tales of Elvis-cults, sexual depravity, suicide, and killing sprees.

But I really think Untidy Suicides was their swansong. Jams like "The Tingler", "Magdalene", "Medication", and "The Son Of A Disgruntled X-Postal Worker Reflects On His Life While Getting Stoned In The Parking Lot Of A Winn Dixie Listening To Metallica" STILL give me chills when I hear them, no small feat for an album I've been listening to for such a long time. They released another album in 1995, Pure Acid Park, a far inferior work that I associate with los of bad memories (my roommate Brea used to play it really loud to drown out her late-night sex noises - ALOT), and then called it quits in 1996. They re-united for a national tour in 2001 and have been active ever since, but although the show was great and their new records are decent, nothing can compare to the sheer joy of a first discovery.

It's amazing how much head wounds bleed.

Download HERE


PS: I've heard that A.D.'s lead singer Tomas Antona is the son of 60's folk singer Donovan. Can anyone confirm or deny?