Unsane (album)

Unsane is the debut album by Unsane, released in 1991 through Matador Records.^[2] It is the only studio album by the group to feature founding member Charlie Ondras (with the exception of 1989's Improvised Munitions, which didn't get a proper release until 2021).^[3] Ondras died of a heroin overdose during the 1992 New Music Seminar in New York during the tour supporting Unsane.^[4] The album's cover art, depicting a decapitated corpse on subway tracks, was given to the band from a friend who worked on the investigation for the case.^[5]

Unsane
Studio album by Unsane
Released	1991
Recorded	January 16, 1991
Studio	Fun City (New York City, New York)
Genre	Noise rock[1]
Length	36:52
Label	Matador
Producer	Wharton Tiers, Unsane
Unsane chronology
Unsane (1991) Singles 89–92 (1992)

Death metal band Entombed covered "Vandal-X" on their self-titled compilation album in 1997.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]
Ox-Fanzine	[7]
Select	[8]

Patrick Kennedy from AllMusic called it a brilliant and daring debut that "assaults the senses like the Swans or Foetus before them, but tempers that art-scum priggishness with clear roots in punk and classic rock."^[1]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Organ Donor"	2:10
2.	"Bath"	2:54
3.	"Maggot"	3:17
4.	"Cracked Up"	2:57
5.	"Slag"	2:43
6.	"Exterminator"	5:55
7.	"Vandal-X"	2:04
8.	"HLL."	2:31
9.	"AZA-2000"	2:33
10.	"Cut"	2:48
11.	"Action Man"	2:28
12.	"White Hand"	4:26
Total length:		36:52

All tracks are written by Unsane

Personnel

Unsane Charlie Ondras – drums, lead vocals on "AZA-2000" and "Action Man" Pete Shore – bass guitar, backing vocals Chris Spencer – lead vocals, guitar

Additional musicians and production Simon Bodger – photography Wharton Tiers – production, engineering Unsane – production

References

1. Kennedy, Patrick. "Unsane Review". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
2. Earles, Andrew (2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur Press. p. 346.
3. Manning, Todd (May 4, 2021). "Unsane's Journey Through The Past". Rock and Roll Globe. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
4. Jones, Brad. "Unsane in the Brain". Unsane Biography, October 1994. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
5. Jagernauth, Kevin (2015-10-29). "Exclusive: Have A Religious Experience With Unsane In Clip From Amphetamine Reptile Doc 'The Color Of Noise'". indiewire.com. Indie Wire. Retrieved 2018-02-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
6. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Unsane". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8 (4th ed.). New York : MUZE : Oxford University Press. p. 353. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4 – via Internet Archive.
7. Hiller, Joachim (December 2022). "Review". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Retrieved 2024-01-06.
8. Perry, Andrew (May 1992). "Soundbites". Select. EMAP. p. 73.