News

Hey there everyone. How’s it going? Are you enjoying your summer? Or winter for those readers on the other side of the equator. There’s certainly been plenty of news and sport to keep us occupied besides the music we’re listening to.

Firstly, I was shocked and saddened by the news out of Southport, Merseyside this week. Any violent attack is a tragedy, but when it’s kids, it truly is shocking. Even more sick was the violence afterwards when far right fucks hijacked the vigil all hyped up on conspiracy and fear mongering. Dumb shit fascists exist in jolly old England just like they do in France and here in the US. Fuck all of them.

Currently, I am trying to catch as much of the Olympics as possible. It has been great so far. So glad I’m not a fuckwad far right Christian Maga loon because if I was, there would be nothing to enjoy watching the Olympics as it’s all about things they hate. Different cultures, nationalities, religions, sexual identities, you name it. All the things they are against. Still, they have Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan and Chachi to keep them entertained. Losers.

My Liverpool FC are currently stateside too, which is cool. I unfortunately haven’t been able to attend the games this visit, although I was holding out for a possible ticket to the game in South Carolina. At least I have been able to catch the matches on TV. It’s all friendly, pre-season stuff, but a good opportunity to see some new signings and younger lads play. Looking forward to the start of the new season which will be upon us before we know it.

Cool new records continue to get released and I’m currently really liking the new Peace De Resistance record. It ticks a lot of boxes for me. Not to oversimplify the artistry going on in the record, but if you dig 70s era Lou Reed, David Bowie and Iggy Pop, then you should give this one some consideration. We are very excited to be the exclusive US distributor for this slab. Get yours now.

Occasionally here at Sorry State we may feel as though we haven’t had as many “good” used record buys as we would like, but just like waiting for buses, eventually several turn up one after the other. That seems to be the case right now as we sit on so many good used records. Each week Jeff ponders what to tempt you with for our Friday used arrivals drops. The bins are almost too full right now. Those making extra pocket money mowing lawns or life guarding this summer should beeline to the store and get to digging.

A couple of collections that we bought recently also came with compact discs. We don’t sell them in our store (mainly space reasons) but have begun listing them on our webstore. If you are into CDs and looking for titles that are tough to find on vinyl and, in some cases, on any format, you might see something you need in the weeks to come as we add more titles. One of the collections had a cool four CD set that the British music magazine Mojo put out in the early 00s called Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers and I would like to make that my pick for you this week.

For those that read Mojo, you’ll be more than aware of the quality of writing that has gone into each monthly issue. I used to be a regular subscriber and had every issue from number one. When I moved from the UK to America, sadly my paper collection didn’t travel with me. I had tons of old Record Collector, Mojo, NME, Sounds, Melody Maker and so on in my parent’s loft that my Dad was worried would fall through the ceiling and so took to the dump one day. Sigh. Something that he did on more than one occasion with my old stuff. I would regularly come back from stints working on the ships to find he had decided to throw out my shoes or t-shirts or whatever else because he thought I didn’t need them anymore. LoL. In fairness, it was their place and if I needed to keep my shit I guess I should have bought my own house to store it all in. Anyway, I digress. Suffice to say, I dig Mojo magazine. Their cover mounted CD was always good, especially when it had a certain theme or when they would do a covers one.

For the Acid Drops set they made a special four CD box which was sold separately from the magazine. They selected 72 tracks of 60s UK Psychedelic music and included a few known names, but mostly kept it to the obscurities and the type of records that would set you back a good amount of dough to score as an original. The set came with a nice booklet that had information about the tracks and the bands, and photos and essays from Jon Savage, the music journalist of choice for project. Whilst in New York I was fortunate to have met Jon as he travelled there frequently, and he would invariably pay a visit to the store I worked in. Top, top chap.

The music on this set spans the years 1965 to 1969 and has a few names that you’ll be familiar with. The Who are on there, so is Syd Barrett. The Kinks are there along with The Small Faces and The Hollies. So are Traffic and Spencer Davis Group and one or two more well-known groups. After that, the compilers dig a lot deeper and include a host of rare records that only the hard-core sixties head would be familiar with. By the early 00s I was fully into the rarer side of sixties psych, beat and garage and was working at a store whose owner, a Greek American, knew more about UK psych records than most people around and basically built his store around that focus. My time working at Rockit Scientist was a genuine learning experience, and like college for record collecting. I learnt so much from John and got to hear, see and handle so many cool and rare records. I also got to meet many of the country’s top dealers of psych and garage who, when in town, would always stop by the store for a chat, shop and to sell us records. John would get some amazing stuff from these guys and gals, and occasionally I snagged one or two for myself. By the time this Mojo set came out, I was aware of almost all the songs on it and so probably didn’t feel the need to buy one. It also wasn’t the only compilation of such sounds available, and with the CD era still in full swing, rare music from the 60s and 70s was seeing the light of day faster than most could keep up with it. I believe around about the same time the famous Nuggets set had been expanded into a four CD box and a second volume had also been released, which concentrated on the British Empire. I couldn’t recommend those collections more highly for those with a thirst for sixties psych and garage. Nuggets even went into a third set that focused on the second-generation garage and psych groups from the late 70s and early 80s. That’s a good one also.

On the Acid Drops collection, each of the four discs has its own name. We begin with Down To Middle Earth, then to Gandalf’s Garden, moving on with Mushroom Soup and finishing with Roundhouse Ghosts. UK psychedelic records could be heavy like their American cousins, but tended to take inspiration from whimsy and Lewis Carroll poems rather than political turmoil and revolution. So, throughout the set there are plenty of very British sounding records. The perfect soundtrack for looking at old Victorian photographs or reading Alice In Wonderland. Not that there aren’t some heavier sounding records here. Check out The Accent and their Red Sky At Night, which for 1967 was on a par with anything Cream and Hendrix etc. were doing. That cut might have been comped a few times, but it is a killer tune. By the time this set was put together, there had been a good dozen plus years of obscure sixties records getting the compilation treatment. The Rubbles series is essential, so are the Chocolate Soup For Diabetics sets and many, many more. What Acid Drops has over many of these is superior sound quality. As much as possible, original tapes were used and the whole set was remastered at Abbey Road. I own plenty of compilations that are needle drops, where the music is taken from actual records. Original master tapes were either non-existent or inaccessible to the compilers depending on how legit they were. Not that that stops actual record labels releasing music taken from records because they don’t have the master tapes anymore. That happens more often than you would think. If the consumer knows what they are getting, it isn’t so bad, but often that information isn’t forthcoming.

I could go on for pages and pages telling you about each of the seventy-two tracks here, as they are all winners in their own way. However, I feel part of the fun of listening to music is discovering it on your own terms. Those curious about this genre of music should just let it play and take note whenever a track comes up that you like and then explore that group or artist and learn what they were about. Having the liner notes of course helps, but nowadays in 2024 the internet is a lot more than it was back in 2001 and makes falling down rabbit holes a lot easier.

I’ve added YouTube links above for each of the discs so that you can begin your trip. Sugar lumps and herbs are highly recommended but not entirely necessary. Bon voyage and have fun.

Cheers - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

We’re back again! Sorry for the lack of newsletter content over the last couple weeks. I’m sure you missed us! What’s new in Jeff world? I dunno. Public Acid drove up and had a nice weekend in Long Guy Land last weekend. We played with Integrity. Kinda funny. Highlights include me getting totally hammered and attempting my best spineless HB strut while raging to Invertebrates with no sense of self-preservation. I’m still a little sore. They played an after show at this tiny, brightly colored, 90s-themed Nickelodeon dive bar in Long Island. A wild time indeed.

There’s a gig in Raleigh on August 12th with Argh all the way from Chile and also a new band from NY called No Knock, which has members of Fairytale and 80HD. Scarecrow is also playing. Spread the word! Hoping it’ll be a rager. Then that same week, Scarecrow will head up to Pittsburgh to play Skull Fest. Hope to run into some homies there. Can’t wait to see Meanwhile play.

And speaking of Swedish hardcore, my staff pick is this Neu-Ronz 7” we just got copies of at the store. I think I already wrote about this record for a staff pick a few years ago. But shiiit, I don’t care. Here we go again! Do people know about this record? To me, it seems like a record that kinda flew under the radar when it first came out. The always reliably killer Adult Crash label released this EP back in 2015. Crazy that the record is already almost 10 years old. But honestly, I don’t think I ever heard it when it first came out. I remember showing Daniel at work one day, and having not heard the record either, he similarly flipped the fuck out and was like, “This RIPS.”

Right after hearing it, it became my mission (and Daniel’s as well) to track down a used copy of the Neu-Ronz 7”. I figured that since the record was on Adult Crash and seems relatively inexpensive on the second-hand market, it wouldn’t be too terribly difficult to track down. Over the years, I would check the used bins whenever I would visit punk record stores out of town. Whether it was Vinyl Conflict in Richmond, or Sit and Spin in Philly, or wherever, I just could NOT find a copy. Not only that, but I would ask the clerks at the record stores and people seemed to have no idea what band I was talking about haha. My difficulty finding the record only heightened its allure for me. I guess its scarcity makes sense. The EP is the sole release by Neu-Ronz, and it was only released on Adult Crash in Europe. So really, the only way the record would have made its way over here is if distros had imported copies. Maybe people would know the record better if it had a US pressing a decade ago?

Okay, so let me talk more about the story with this record and what it actually sounds like. How I first heard about Neu-Ronz is several years ago, my buddy and I were talking about Regulations and how those records from the early 00s are still totally killer. He then asked me if I had ever heard the Neu-Ronz EP, to which I responded, “Nah, what’s that?” He billed it to me as Otto singing in a band with dudes from Nitad and Raped Teenagers. He sent me a YouTube link back then those couple years ago and as soon as it started playing, it knocked my fuckin’ socks off. A Swedish supergroup of sorts, you might say? For any skeptics, let me just emphasize to you readers: this record RIPS. It’s like a lost gem. 6 songs, all about a minute flat or less. The immediacy with which the band launches into these songs will rip off your lid right off your dome. If you’re familiar with 80s Swedish ragers Raped Teenagers, you’ll hear that these folks are involved because all the riffs have this catchy, while also a signature wonky quirkiness and off-kilter rhythm about the way they play. Still, this record is a focus of turbulent rage, and of course is topped with Otto’s hooky vocals that we all know and love. It’s an explosive combination. If you’re anything like me, once you grab this EP, you’ll play it over and over ‘til you puke.

Funny enough, I finally locked down my copy of this 7” when me and the dudes from Public Acid went record shopping in Portland while on our west coast tour earlier this year. We went to Blackwater, and I went straight to the 7” used “N’s” section. And there it was… like a golden nugget glowing in the bins. I think it was like $3. I was so stoked. No one in Public Acid knew anything about the record either haha. Then, only a few months later, Scarecrow played K-Town festival and Jakob from Adult Crash had a table where he was selling the titles on his label. Come to find out that he had several dead stock copies of Neu-Ronz 7” available. My first reaction was like… “Are you KIDDING me?” I was sneaky and bought a copy for Daniel while he wasn’t looking. Talking to a bunch of Swedish friends at K-Town, Neu-Ronz was not just a recording project, and the band did in fact play shows. Apparently, they only played around 10 gigs. Lucas from Vidro told me they would count in the first song super fast, and then would just tear it up for like 7 or 8 minutes without stopping. That would be the whole set every time. Perfection.

All this exposition is to draw attention to the fact that I guess Daniel discussed with Adult Crash that next time Sorry State ordered their new titles, that we’d also like to get a fat stack of dead stock Neu-Ronz 7”s. We got ‘em, baby. So, now’s your chance! If my glowing endorsement isn’t enough, the record also only costs $5. Shit, ya know what? Grab that Instängd Konkret Och Brutal 7” while you’re at it.

That’s enough. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Another week, another pick! Thanks again for reading week by week and supporting Sorry State records! This week has been super busy catching up on all the orders that came in over the 4th of July holiday week. Y’all have definitely been keeping us busy. We have tons of great new releases that have come in this week! We got in the new Prison Affair/Snooper split for all the egg punk fans out there and a great hardcore release from Subdued on LVEUM. Definitely something for everyone! This week I decided to continue on my shoegaze/dreampop month with one of my favorite shoegaze adjacent bands, Hum, and their 2nd full length album, You’d Prefer An Astronaut.

Hum is one of those bands that is hard to pin down an exact genre on them, let alone shoegaze or even dreampop for that matter. A lot of bands in the early 90s leaned on what was becoming popular at that time, which was heavy alternative and grunge. Hum blended the heavy guitar riffs of the grunge moment and matched it so perfectly with the ethereal melodies that have made the shoegaze genre famous. Frontman and lead singer, Matt Tallbot’s, lyrics play with themes of love and longing and jump to thoughts of existentialism.

You’d Prefer an Astronaut is a timeless album that continues to resonate with listeners decades after its release. I feel like this album is finally getting the love it deserves with this new wave of shoegaze that is happening in the states. All three records in the Hum catalog have been re-released via Polyvinyl Records after waiting years for a proper repress. The band joined back to do some shows throughout the last few years, but unfortunately, the drummer, Brian St. Pere, passed away in 2021. Since then, the band has not played any new shows, nor have they mentioned anything about finding a new drummer.

Hum’s You’d Prefer An Astronaut, for me, is one of those albums that have made it into my desert island top 5 picks. I always find my way back to this record and it always blows me away like I am hearing it again for the first time. If you came across this record, or hell, any of their records buy them, you will not regret it! I was lucky enough to find an original pressing of this album and it is my pride and joy in my collection. Thanks again for reading!

Hello Sorry State readers! I hope all is well! It has been sweltering here, absolutely sweltering. I feel like we are 10 feet from the sun when I go outside midday. I’m definitely not a summer type of girl. I’ve always hated the summer. Unless I’m in water, I want to be inside. I’ve been checking out a lot of new releases and revisiting my collection. I feel like I’m getting the itch to make a splurge on a record. The kind of splurge that makes you feel uncomfortable for a couple days, and then you get over it. The last splurge was several months ago, and I usually limit them to twice a year. But I’m weighing my options and you will be the first to know when I’ve pulled the trigger. Let’s get into it shall we?

My pick this week is the new 7” released by the band Pyrex, called Bozo. This is my first time listening to the band, but the Brooklyn-based punk trio emerged a few years ago with a debut EP, and released an LP on Total Punk last year. Like I said, I don’t know a whole lot about them, but I’m always happy to take a noisy garage punk record for a spin, so this is me dipping my toes in the Pyrex pool. And I like what I hear! I like to start with a really general description of the music and then get into the weeds a little bit. The record is kind of a blend of ‘77 punk, KBD, post-punk, with glimpses of no wave. More specifically, I’d describe them as raw and noisy, chaotic garage punk. They have a primitive garage style sound, but there are several sonic deviations that make the music more interesting to me.

The vocals are really raw and kind of unhinged in a Greg Ginn type of way. There are three songs that are fast tempo for the most part with some mid-tempo shifts, a lot of rock and roll riffs, played with hardcore-style speed. The drums pound with intensity and there are some ripping riffs. It makes me feel a little anxious at times, but there are layers of interesting sounds and textures that add some welcomed dimension. It’s not for the faint of heart! But I don’t say that because it’s super heavy or ferocious. There’s just a lot going on all at once, but in a way that doesn’t bury or suffocate the melody. I’m a sucker for some melodic punk, so I kind of need it to enjoy what I’m listening to. It took a few listens for me to loosen up, unclench my fists, and enjoy the ride. I really like the first song, Bozo. It opens with a pretty simple mid-tempo riff but speeds up very quickly, and when the beat drops, I’m all in. There is also an ever so subtle surf rock vibe in there too, which sort of whizzed by and was over before I could be sure.

So yeah, after about the third spin, I found myself paying less attention to the vocalist’s raw and unfiltered vocals and more on how much I was enjoying the beat and the unpredictable nature of the song arrangements. Nothing too crazy, but nothing too common, either. The second song, Viper, is faster and meaner, with abrupt tempo shifts and pure chaos. But the third song, Muscles, might be my favorite. Again, I like the way they open up with a simple mid-tempo riff and then throw everything they’ve got at you before pulling back so you can catch your breath. And then dialing things all the way back up and ending abruptly. The three songs play very well together and I like the way they sandwiched the meaner and more agitated song in between the two that are a little more fun. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to really noisy music, and I really enjoyed this one. Give it a go!

Thanks for reading as always. Until next time!

-Angela

Hi and thanks for reading.

I’m leaving work early for the weekend, so this one is probably gonna be pretty short. Some of my friends convinced me to go up to NYC to catch the FEROCIOUS X gigs. I was on the fence cos going to New York is seemingly always a pain the ass, but at least I don’t have any gear to haul or a set to play. I’m sure it will be a good time, and this is like a once in a lifetime opportunity to catch this killer band from Osaka. Anyway, this week I have been heavily spinning the new MASSACRED 7” that was just released on Active-8 Records. In between their first 7" and this one they released a promo cassette that featured a few tracks from this EP, some live shit, plus four demo versions of songs that will be on a LP. I picked one of these up when we played Boston with VIDRO last year, and I have been really looking forward to hearing the real deal 7". I am a big fan of THE MASSACRED so I am always eager to hear what they release next. Their debut 7" was delayed like two years, and I think that has backed the band’s releases up. I say that cos this EP was recorded all the way back in June 2021. I also know they have the proper LP already recorded and coming at us sometime in the future. The demo versions of the LP songs on the cassette are sick. I really can’t wait for the proper release. They sample some songs with their usual straight-forward, catchy UK82 tracks. But they also dish out this song called “Extermination” that takes us deeper in the bowels of UK82, straying away from the traditional DISCHARGE formula. This track reminds of exactly something THE EXPLOITED would do on Horror Epics or Death Before Dishonour. I love the later ‘80s EXPLOITED shit, so this track really got me going. Anyway, I’ve seen THE MASSACRED live twice now and they do not disappoint. They are so tight; like a well-tuned, oiled up fucking machine. And on the records, you can really hear how tight they play together. The guitar picking is so involved and intentional, it seriously sticks out. Mark, the guitarist, has also recorded all THE MASSACRED material to date. The records especially sound so damn good. The drums sound perfect. I asked him how he recorded their stuff and he said he uses a 1/2" 8-track. No wonder it sounds so good... he’s taking the time and effort to record in the most classic of ways, straight to tape. The time they take with their band really shows I think, with their live performance, the recordings, and especially with their packaging. I love the 7" pocket sleeve with the tabs glued on the outside, classic. I also love that they take the time to stamp the inner sleeve not just once, but twice. I think this is a killer record from a contemporary band pulling off a classic style that is kind of hard to emulate without sounding cheesy. If you haven’t heard ‘em yet, check them out! I’m sure you will wanna grab a copy of the EP. Alright that’s all for today. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hey there Sorry Staters, what’s up?

We’re crankin’ along here at SSR trying to get through another week of either unbearable heat or heavy thunderstorms. Today as I write it’s coming down so hard, I could have sworn I saw Noah and his Ark sail by. Honestly, I’ll take the rain when it cools things down over the triple digit temps any day. God, I must be British, always talking about the weather. Ha.

So, a quick correction and disclaimer before I go any further. Last week in the newsletter Dr. D wrote in his stellar piece on the mighty Only Ones that I had instructed him on how the Spooky Tooth album Ceremony was the only Tooth record worth F’ing with. That was true for Daniel, but not for other folk and not my opinion on the merits of other Spooky Tooth records. Their first couple of albums are fine late 60s blues rock and before they were Spooky Tooth, the guys were in a cool Mod band called The V.I.P.’s, who released a few singles, including the nugget Straight Down To The Bottom. That band transformed into Art, who released a great psych album on Island called Supernatural Fairy Tales in 1967 that as an original will set you back some change. So yeah, I dig Spooky Tooth, have nothing against them, and think they’re fine musicians and people. Just didn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea. LoL.

Okay, moving on. Just like buses, you can wait forever for a good collection call, but then they come three or four in a row. That has certainly been the case of late and local customers are being treated to some terrific records hitting the bins, with plenty more waiting in the wings. Several of our locals and indeed the staff are currently shopping their kidneys around. I’ll probably mention something cool that I picked up at some point, but tend not to like to brag and flex about records I’ve scored, ‘cos you know? Instead, this week I just want to make you’ll aware of a fun little reissue that we recently stocked.

Vince Guaraldi: It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown

This is the long-awaited issue of the music and cues used for the 1969 TV special created by Vince Guaraldi and his crack group of musicians. There’s a lot to like here if you are a Peanuts fan as I am and if you love the music that went along with the Charlie Brown specials. You’ll recognize the big tunes such as Linus and Lucy, but you’ll also notice the different arrangements and musicianship going on with these takes. The most obvious is the use of flute on the recordings, which is makes them sound even jazzier. Growing up in the 70s both my sister and I loved Peanuts. We had Snoopy dolls, figures, all the comic book collections, and like everyone else watched the TV specials each year. The Christmas and Halloween ones get shown often, but the summer special sometimes gets overlooked. I have a few of the soundtrack records in my collection and at Christmas time here at the store, we almost can’t have enough copies of A Charlie Brown Christmas. I didn’t have this one though, as I believe it is the first time the music has been officially released. There was an RSD pressing earlier in the year, but now a more widely available version on blue vinyl is out there. Although there are thirty-two tracks on the album, it plays at 45 RPM and doesn’t outstay its welcome. The package includes a four-sided insert full of great information about the music and the special and there are plenty of cool images from the show. Well worth it for fans. I just picked my copy up so haven’t read them all yet. Instead of repeating them here parrot fashion, I’ll let you guys read them for yourselves.

Okay, short and sweet this week, but hopefully somewhat appropriate for the time of year. Have a great summer for those north of the equator and we’ll see you around here next time. Cheers - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Another week, another barrage of bleak and depressing news in this fucked world. Some good moments too, of course. “I Shot The Devil” by Suicidal Tendencies has sounded pretty good lately *winkwink. I wonder… what’s the campaign budget for squibs? Who cares.

Hey! I’m booking a show here in Raleigh on August 12th. ARGH is coming all the way from Chilé, and also No Knock from NYC, which I believe has couple of the same members as Fairytale. The show’s at RUMAH. Hoping at least some of you newsletter readers are local, and I can spread the word through this channel. Come to the gig!

Public Acid heads to play with Integrity in New York on July 27th, but the same day NFTW recording artists Bato are playing in Raleigh as well. Don’t miss that. Then Scarecrow plays Skull Fest. Then Public Acid plays Unlawful Assembly. AAAAHHH.

Sorry to start off so negative. Maybe it’s because I’m also listening to this new Subdued record on repeat ad nauseum. But trust me, I have nothing negative to say about this new record. The other night, I was once again a guest on the Analog Attack show What Are You Listening To? The host Mike beat me to the punch talking about the new Subdued on the podcast. So now’s my opportunity to further express my thoughts.

Obviously, I was also way into Subdued’s previous 12” Over The Hills and Far Away. I’ve even been lucky enough to catch them play live a couple times: once on stage in Copenhagen, and the other time was outside, under a bridge in Richmond. But I gotta say, when I first threw this new record Abattoir onto the turntable, it really blew me away. I was like holy fuck, this is a great record. For me, easily their best yet. Whereas I feel like the anger represented in current hardcore can either feel like performative posturing, or if earnest, perhaps a bit corny?... Subdued just feels DEAD serious. Almost in a way that I can’t explain. The vocalist Jack feels less like he’s yelling, and more like he’s pontificating from a pulpit, delivering observations of vile realities in a manner both poetic, and simultaneously like a frenzied stream of consciousness. When the record gets into the third track “Vulturemen,” the lyric delivered so bluntly as “Living in a world with evil bastards who are always wanting more.”—A simple enough sentiment, but spat out with such a palpable feeling of disgust that you believe every word. Even just hearing the repeated refrain of “Nothing good can survive. It dies. It dies.” I just sat there listening, staring at my turntable going, “FUCK.”

Clearly, the band’s influences are rooted in UK anarcho punk. I’ve heard people compare Subdued to Icons of Filth or Exit Stance, which I hear, I suppose. But musically, I feel like I hear the band merge a lot of disparate musical ideas. Slow, dirgey mid-paced riffs with tribal rhythms. Melodic, yet eerie and spider-weaving arpeggiated guitar work. And then brutalist explosions of speed and intensity. The heavy slow parts aren’t too metal. The melodic parts aren’t too cheesy. And the fast parts aren’t too reminiscent of all other “raw or d-beat or whatever.” I love the intro to the track “Children of God” that opens with this lone, trudging bass and when the guitars enter, they play this unexpected “lick” I’d guess you’d call it? It’s so killer. And all these theoretically opposing musical sections don’t clash or feel unfocused. They are blended smoothly and seamlessly, like a natural extension of the band’s unique vision. This record isn’t just a mirroring of the English anarcho punk sounds of yesteryear. It’s like a bleak reflection in its own right—like a cold, psychedelic nightmare.

Most of Subdued is based out of London. But now Cody, who plays in Nosferatu and I’m sure many other bands, has joined on 2nd guitar. Nicky Rat makes the commute to play in Nosferatu, and now Cody makes the commute to play in Subdued. Why not, right? Interesting punk world we live in these days. But I think the recording of this record was split between London, but was mostly recorded at D4MT Labs where the likes of Tower 7 and Straw Man Army do their recordings. The sonic signature of D4MT recordings really suits Subdued, I’d say. 8 songs is the perfect length as well. 12” EP, best format. The peaks and valleys you journey through over the course of Abattoir feel like the perfect amount of sickness for one to stomach. All ending with the grand finale: a pulsing monotonous build into nothing, with the echo of “WE DESERVE ANARCHY NOW.” We do, don’t we?

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Another showstopper from La Vida Es Un Mus. Who woulda thought? You need to hear this new Subdued. It’s really great.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Hello fellow Sorry Staters! Another week, another pick! We have loads of new releases that came out this past week and even more in the weeks to come! For the month of July, I am going to do something a bit different with this platform. I am going to go through one of my favorite genres, shoegaze/dreampop, and just chat about a few of my favorite albums in the genre. I fell in love with shoegaze through a lot of newer bands such as Whirr, They Are Gutting a Body of Water and Full Body 2.

The first album I’m going to talk about this month is Drop Nineteen’s Delaware. Released in 1992, it captures the essence of the genre with its swirling and reverberated guitars, dreamy vocals, and layered soundscapes by using a myriad of effects pedals. The band went through a lineup change after this album, but couldn’t get it quite right after they released this juggernaut of a record. A little fact about the cover art of this record, the image of a girl holding a gun was replaced by a flower on the 2024 reissues of the album due to the amount of gun violence in the United States. The band donated a portion of the sales to the Artist for Action charity.

This record is often praised for its production, which balances the raw energy and attitude of alternative rock that was done so well in the 90s, with the textured layers typical of shoegaze. The album remains cohesive throughout while exploring different sonic landscapes, from the more upbeat sounds in the song Angel to the more melancholic song like Kick the Tragedy.

This album is a must have for anyone exploring the genre and looking for an album reminiscent of 90s alternative rock and shoegaze as a newer exploratory sound at that time.

Hi Sorry State fam! Hope everyone is doing well and had a great weekend! I had a blast finally getting out of the house to see some good old local hardcore on Saturday night. Scarecrow played with a couple of bands I had never seen before called Hell is Here and Cyprian. Both were more of the metal persuasion. Always fun to see something new. And Scarecrow kicked ass of course. Their chemistry is unmatched, and they keep just getting better. I think the show officially pulled me out of my social funk and I’m ready to do it again!

So I’ve been revisiting parts of my record collection that have been gathering some dust. You know, those albums that you throw on and remember how great they are, and wonder why the hell you haven’t listened to them in so long. I have a lot of those. And one of them is Elastica’s self-titled debut. I remember how stoked I was to find this record locally. Nothing beats the feeling of coming across a record that you don’t expect to see, haven’t thought about in a long time, and need to buy right then and there. And even better when it’s a really great looking first pressing with the limited edition catalogue (i.e. the Elasticatalogue). Such a great extra. It introduces you to the band, gives some background, shows some merch, and dedicates a page or two to each band member. Flipping through it for the first time in a long time reminded me how much I loved Justine. Who didn’t love Justine? I love booklets like this because it’s so much fun reading about a band while listening to their record. The ultimate record nerd experience.

This album was released in 1995 and is the only album to feature the original line-up, and guitarist Donna Matthews! Elastica sort of exploded with the 90s Britpop scene with the song Connection, but I always thought they were so much cooler than the rest. Effortlessly cooler. Perhaps because they had cooler musical influences like Wire, who they would coincidentally rip a guitar riff or two from. Oopsie. But I mean, if you’re gonna rip a riff, let it be Wire’s riff. I still think the record is ridiculously underrated and under-talked about in the grand scheme of things. At the time, their sound was like a combination of old new wave and the new new wave. Elastica sounded refreshingly different, putting their own attitude in the music,. The record rocks and is consistently melodic the whole way through. One of those no skips kind of records.

This record takes you on a really fun and fast ride and then sort of throws you out of the car while it’s still moving. Leaving you wanting more. The ultimate measure of a great record. The kind of record that you need to play two or three times in a row to get your fill. Like I said, every track is a banger, but my favorites are Smile, Connection, Car Song, Stutter, and Vaseline. So go grab one of those amazing records in your collection that you haven’t played in a few years, and have one of those “why don’t I play this more?” moments.

Well, I’m gonna call it here. Thanks so much for reading! Have a great week! Until next time!

-Angela

Hi and thanks for reading.

Today I will write briefly about the NEGAZIONE / DECLINO split, Mucchio Selvaggio. I don’t know a ton about Italian hardcore, but this record is absolutely essential if you ask me. It seems like 80s Italian hardcore was blessed when it came to releasing killer split records, more than any other country I can think of. I am really happy there is finally an official reissue of this iconic LP, or cassette more like. Mucchio Selvaggio was originally released on cassette in 1984 as a co-production between two labels: Disforia Tapes and Ossa Rotte Tapes. Disforia was operated by members of NEGAZIONE. Ossa Rotte Tapes was a label operated by Stiv Valli and Marco Medici, who was the vocalist of CRASH BOX. These guys were well known for a fanzine they started in the early ‘80s called Teste Vuote Ossa Rotte. A few years after they stared the zine, they also started releasing cassettes under Ossa Rotte Tapes. They only had a handful of releases with this label, including the CRASH BOX demo in 1983. The label kept evolving, and in 1985 they released their first record, INDIGESTI: Osservati Dall’Inganno, under the name TVOR On Vinyl. Mucchio Selvaggio surprisingly had three different printings on cassette, and in 1986 it was finally reissued onto vinyl by UK label C.O.R. Records. I actually always thought there were only two different versions of this tape, but inside this reissue there is a copy of an advert stating “third reprint.” Crazy.

This was the record that really put DECLINO on the map for me, cos I really had no idea who they were before I heard this split. I used to think this was my favorite DECLINO shit, but I don’t think I could choose now. Their 7" debut almost sounds almost like a different band. They play a bit slower and they sound a lot less chaotic. While it was not initially what I expected, the EP quickly grew on me. Call me crazy but I think it sounds like this record could have been released on Dischord, haha. The evolution from this record to Mucchio Selvaggio is pretty wild. Their sound on that record is really how I think of them, but the evolution continues on to their LP in 1985, Eresia. The quality of recording on this record is probably the best of all their records. I am disregarding the sound of the live tracks at the end, even though those tracks don’t sound bad at all for being live. I usually associate Italian hardcore with being fast and chaotic, but on the sloppier side. This record is absolutely fast and chaotic, but played so tight. It is absolutely killer. They can build such a great tension and then fucking explode. God, and the guitar is way too good. This used to be the material I listened to the least, but if you can’t tell, I have been playing the hell out of it lately, haha.

So, this reissue was done by a new Italian label called Rocka Tapes. I have no idea anything about them really, but this is their second release. The first release was a reissue of the CRASH BOX demo! I had never heard this demo, but it was a must if you ask me. I really appreciate how the label did a cassette version of the demo alongside a proper LP version. They’ve done the same thing with Mucchio Selvaggio. For any nerds who need the original cassette format, we’ve got you covered. I am one of those nerds and needed both versions. They’ve included nice scans of the complete j-card inside the LP reissue, so you don’t really need the cassette if that’s what you’re really looking for. The sound on the LP is also great. While the packaging may not be the coolest in my eyes, I think the reissue is really well done, and it’s essential in every collection. The original LP version is getting harder to find and more expensive, so I am happy this is available again. Alright that’s about it for today. I hope Rocka Tapes plans to hit us with some more essential Italian hardcore reissues! Cheers and thanks for reading everyone.

Hey what’s up, Sorry Staters? I hope you are all doing well. I know it’s a crazy world out there right now. Elections, sporting tournaments, you name it. Plenty to keep us busy and distracted by. This weekend is also a holiday here in the US; we are celebrating our possible last Independence day. At the same time, we’re experiencing brutal heat waves with the triple digit readings returning. Please people, do not leave your vinyl, kids and dogs in the car.

We recently bought a big collection from an industry guy who, between the late 1970s and early 1980s, must have acquired every promo copy of a new release going. He had all sorts of special promo only 12”s, 10”s and white label pressings. We’ve been pricing them up and selling them over the past couple of weeks. After we had made a couple of passes, I went through again looking for good bargain bin titles and for anything that we might have missed. Among the many decent records I found and brought to the store were a bunch of cool compilations. They were mostly label sampler promo type things and contemporary to the period i.e., late 70s/early 80s. I liked the Urgh! Soundtrack compilation, which had almost all of the artists who appeared in the film. The film itself consisted of just live footage shot at various venues and locations around the world in 1980. There was no narration or talking heads, just the live footage. As for the acts themselves? There isn’t a bad one on there, really. For me, the weakest selection was the very first cut by The Police (which isn’t so bad), but after that you get a ton of great live versions of good songs by good groups. I don’t think it will cost you a lot to buy. This collection had three copies, and I sold two as I was playing it in the store. The third I kept for myself. LoL.

From the same collection was another cool compilation that Columbia records put out in 1982 called Psychedelic Dream. It featured a mix of songs from bigger name bands that Columbia and Epic Records had released in the late 1960s, but also included lesser-known names and songs from records that didn’t sell so well and were, by the 1980s and beyond, quite rare and expensive. So in amongst the stuff from The Byrds, The Great Society, Spirit and The Hollies, you get some cool cuts from the likes of Kak, United States Of America, July, and The Head Shop. Those last four wouldn’t see their records being reissued until years later. So, if you were a punter back in 1982 and took this one home, it probably set you on a quest to track down these more obscure releases. The July album is one of my favorite U.K. 60s psych albums and so to get a couple of cuts from it on this comp was cool. The album jacket sports a third eye graphic with neon colors and cryptic lettering which might mean something and comes with a brief essay of nonsense which ends with, “The secret message lies written in chalk as the rain comes down on the other sidewalk.” Alright. Cool. There’s a track listing and production credits, but no more information. I’m not sure how well this sold and you don’t see it talked about as a cool must have in the same ways that folks talk about Nuggets, for instance, but even if it only draws from a couple of major labels, the track selection is decent and it’s a good listen. Jeff and I gave it a rinse in the store and enjoyed the play back.

Staying with the late 1960s and psychedelic music comes a great reissue of an obscurity from 1969. It’s Twentieth Century Zoo and their album titled Thunder On A Clear Day that originally came out on the Vault label out of L.A. The band themselves were from Phoenix, Arizona and were originally called The Bittersweets, but changed their name on arriving in L.A. to record and being informed that there was already a group on the east coast who had the same name. Apparently, the new name came from a remark made by a girl tripping on acid at one of their shows. The group had put out their first couple of 45s on the local Caz label. These two singles and a couple more that Vault released and then the album in 1969 are the band’s entire output. The album is a nice mix of heavy bluesy psych in a similar vein to Blue Cheer, The Savage Resurrection, The Litter’s Emerge album and of course Led Zeppelin, who were ruling the underground rock circles at the time with their first two albums. The songs that have a more garage-psych sound are the ones that interest me most. Years ago, Sundazed Records put out a 45 that compiled the two A sides from their first two singles, You Don’t Remember and Love In Your Face, plus the B-side of the second, a cover of Tossin’ And Turnin’. It’s been a fave in my collection since buying it. Those two A-sides get included on the album, but I believe they were rerecorded or edited. They sound close, but from what I have read were recorded at different studios. Certainly, the earlier versions didn’t have the sound effects that the album version has. This current reissue adds the B-sides from the two Vault singles whose A-sides are already included on the album, but either due to space, taste or publishing rights does not include the Caz label single B-sides, of which the cover of Tossin’ And Turnin’ is one of them. It’s a shame because the song has some wicked fuzz leads and solos. Otherwise, though, you get the bulk of their best material.

An original of this record has always been tough to see, let alone afford, and for that reason there have been several bootleg pressings put out over the years and a legit CD version, again from Sundazed Records, which has a bunch of unreleased tracks that might have ended up on a second TCZ album had they had opportunity to release one. Although their record was critically well received, and they did tour and play good size venues with the likes of the MC5, their career was cut short when lead guitarist Paul “Skip” Ladd was drafted. The band attempted to find a replacement, but those attempts failed and after a final single release the group officially disbanded in 1970. There’s a good interview with Skip that you can read here.

Take a listen to the tunes here, which includes those singles and B-sides, and snag a copy from us if you dig it. I know I will be.

Cheers - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Hope everyone reading this stateside had a good time on America’s bullshit holiday. July 4th, aka National Hot Dog Day… Hey, don’t get me wrong. I love a good veggie wiener with mustard. I was supposed to drive up to Richmond and play an outdoor gig with Public Acid, but my fuckin’ tire exploded while I was driving 70 mph on the highway. It was fucking scary. All I had for a spare tire was one of those shitty donut tires, so I couldn’t make the rest of the trip. I saw clips of the gig online, and it looked like a blast. Explosions going off in the background while my dawgs in PubAss ripped a 4-piece set without me. Wamp wamp. I was bummed. I’ve got the shit-eatin’ blues, I guess you could say.

So yeah, if that last little ‘wink-wink’ of a sentence wasn’t good enough to clue you in, I’m talking about The Cheifs for my staff pick. One of the unsung great bands of the early Hollywood punk scene. The other day at work, I was blasting The Cheifs as Daniel was walking into our warehouse. He said something along the lines of, “Good call, stoked to hear The Cheifs today.” For me, the HCPMF appeal of the band is universal, and yet, it seems I rarely hear people talk about The Cheifs (except for a bunch of my punk friends in LA haha).

I remember my first exposure to The Cheifs was on the Who Cares compilation LP. This comp features great tracks by bands like AKA, Suspects, and Civil Disobedience—all of which are bands whose only recorded output was on this comp. I was familiar with Shattered Faith prior to my first exposure to this compilation, but the main reason I discovered the record many years ago was because of Political Crap. Now, for those that don’t know, Political Crap was one of Duane Peters’ first bands. Love him or hate him, I was super into everything revolving around Duane Peters when I was a teenager. Come on dude, he’s the master of disaster! I listened to everything from US Bombs, Die Hunns, you name it. Okay sure, so now those bands don’t hold up for me much these days, but I was just devouring everything I could find when I was a kid. Of course, I was also way into Duane because of his skating. I first saw him in the Black Label video Blackout from 2003, and even back then I was like, “Who is this gnarly OLD dude shredding pools?” Then to discover later on that he had a punk band from 1980 that sounded like an unhinged, youthful version of Black Flag? I was sold. Say what you want, “Slow Death” is an all-time banger.

Anyway, The Cheifs also have 3 songs on the Who Cares compilation, all of which I loved when I first heard them. I came to find out later that The Cheifs’ self-titled 7” single, released on Playgems Records in 1980, is the stuff of legend. Funny enough, Darby Crash is credited as a “creative consultant” on the record? Interesting. And amongst record nerds and KBD heads, this 7” has become quite the coveted collectors’ item. I’d love to have a copy one day. The A-Side track “Blues” is such a killer song. A song that feels like it should be a “hit” in the punk lexicon. Granted, it’s a rough recording and much more obscure than bands that appeared in Decline of Western Civilization, for example. But I mean shit, all of the band’s songs are killer. I just think The Cheifs were great songwriters. Aggressive attitude and style of playing, but still that hooky, sing-along tunefulness we love in our early LA punk, vocal harmonies and all. I would imagine they were super influential on the Orange County sound that would emerge a year or 2 later.

A 13-song compilation LP entitled Holly-West Crisis compiles all The Cheifs’ recorded material. This LP was first released by Flipside in the 90s, and included the band’s legendary 7” single, as well as the songs from both of their compilation appearances. But most importantly, the first 6 songs on the compilation are a recording session from 1982 that were previously UNRELEASED. So crazy, because a bunch of these songs are just as good as the songs on their early 80s vinyl releases. The title track “Holly-West Crisis” is like a long-lost gem and a perfect opener for the whole record. Really, the 13 songs on this compilation function like a perfect full-length LP for The Cheifs… even though the separate recording sessions do sound pretty different from one another. It’s awesome though, because you get all the ragers in one half-hour dose. Since the early 2000s, Dr. Strange Records seems like they have ALWAYS kept Holly-West Crisis in print. And gawd bless ‘em for it, I say! Overlooked yet not difficult to find? I don’t get it. I guess the cover art has gone through several iterations over the years, but the record is available for $20 or less at any given moment. That’s a beautiful thang. The album cover pictured in the thought bubble in my photo above is the artwork from the latest version pressed in 2022, which Sorry State is currently stocking. Not my favorite graphic design in the world, but I much prefer it to the purple artwork on the copy I used to have many years ago.

Yeah dude, you gotta blast some Cheifs this summer. “Knocked Out” or “Eddie’s Revenge” is gonna sound really good out of your car stereo while you’re cruising to the lake, rockin’ those sunglasses with the top down.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff