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Hello, and thanks for reading. This week I was not sure to make the focus of my Staff Pick. When in doubt, I can’t fail with using a photo of a hot ass slab. I chose this slab cos it is brand new to my collection, aka I’ve been playing the fuck out of it. To be honest, I never thought I would secure a copy of this pressing. They are pretty damn hard to find. I got this copy direct from a Finnish pen-pal of mine who fucking rules. I am grateful for the slabs and flyers he has granted me, alongside the many stories and info he has shared with me. According to discogs, there are 200 of the first version of this legendary split and 150 of the following version, which is pictured here. When I got the disc, I was curious when I noticed the matrix and center labels were identical for both versions. I wondered if they were pressed at the same time or if it was actually repressed like discogs says. Well I learned from someone else that discogs is wrong, surprise. I notice errors on discogs often these days, however I don’t take the time to correct them haha. If you are familiar with this pressing, you already know the CADGERS covers were identical for both versions, while the KAAOS cover was different. I learned that Vote V. from P. Tuotanto ran out of KAAOS covers after the first 200 copies, which is why 150 more came out a bit later featuring a different cover. Once I learned this, I decided I won’t worry about finding a ‘first press’ cos they are essentially the same record! Plus, it seems as though I have the sleeve that is harder to find...
Speaking of rare, I mentioned the VARAUS reissue we were getting a little over a month ago, but I intentionally left out the part about all the copies being on an exclusive SSR color!!! Why spoil all the fun at once? I can’t even express how fucking cool this is to me. I know Jeff and Daniel feel the same. VARAUS is a fucking killer band and their records are extremely sought-after in collector’s circles. That our shop in Raleigh, USA plays a role in the reissue of this rare 80s Finnish slab is simply unreal. I doubt we will have any copies in stock by the time you read this, so I hope you are like the other SSR fanatics who check the New Arrivals on our web-store each day. I also mentioned we were getting the ‘new’ KAAOS 7” in the same Staff Pick. I wish I had some details on that for you today, but I have none at the moment.
Alright, time to write about something we do have in stock, BOMBARDEMENT! I don’t know shit about this band, aside from that they are French. I did interview them briefly for the 2020 SSR Mixtape cos Daniel featured a track of theirs. I remember not really caring for them at first to be honest, but vividly remember listening to the finished mix tape and their track stood out in the sequence. After I found myself pleased with their new LP, I went back into their catalogue of another LP, 7", and demo. Damn, you can hear the band’s growth from recording to recording. This is awesome cos a lot of times bands get fucking boring after a record or two, and that’s not the case here. Instead, each BOMBARDEMENT record is like an enhancement from the previous release. It’s hard for me to relate BOMBARDEMENT’s sound to other bands, but maybe I could put the sound somewhere between MEANWHILE on their ‘Ghostface Democracy’ 7" and CIMEX’s ‘Criminal Trap’ 12". They keep the songwriting pretty straightforward, but the songs are not short. This drawn-out writing style reminds me of something a classic band would do. I feel like most bands playing this style nowadays keep their songs around 80-90 seconds. The recording itself sounds really good. Everything is super clear, and the tone is very pleasing to my ears. The voice of the front person sounds more calloused than the previous record, making this record hit harder for me. While the songwriting is simple, BOMBARDEMENT maintains a pummeling energy that keeps it exciting for me rather than getting boring. And when the guitar plays the occasional all-out lead, it hits the spot for me. Alright I’m about out of time now, I wanted to mention this BOMBARDEMENT LP cos it’s 100% worth checking out. Grab a copy if you dig it! I hope all my friends and loyal SSR subscribers got a copy of the VARAUS E.P. Thanks for reading. Peace!