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Hi Sorry State friends! Happy holidays to all of you who celebrate and have a good day to everyone else! I always stay at home for the holidays, but for the last several years I have gone up to Ohio for about a week and come back a couple days before Christmas, and this year I didn’t. It feels like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Usually I stress out about it the couple weeks leading up to the trip and then I get cranky a couple of days before I leave, and this year I feel free. I will really miss seeing some of my family, though. But so glad to not be in an airport or on a plane. If I could press a button and land there, I would do that for sure. Where I live is about 8.5 hours and the route is kind of the worst. And for someone who suffers from car sickness, the thought of making that drive makes me feel nauseous. Anyway, I will have a low key Christmas and holiday season just the way I want! Hopefully reading the newsletter today will help you mentally escape from your family for a little bit (only if you want to, of course). Let’s get into it!

I’ve always liked the Lemonheads, but I guess my opinion is only based on their two early 90s albums, which doesn’t cover the full spectrum of their sound. They don’t evoke super strong feelings of love, but the sound of Evan Dando’s voice is so nostalgic. He just has that voice. That quintessential 90s alternative college rock voice. I think he’s a great songwriter. That said, a lot of the Lemonheads discography is uncharted territory for me. Like this EP right here! Their very first EP, Laughing All the Way to the Cleaners, released independently in 1986.

The EP gained some underground popularity and caught the attention of an independent label, Taang! Records, who would scoop them up shortly after. They released a compilation of hits in 2012 also called Laughing All the Way to the Cleaners. I found it interesting and strange that they used the same album name, but they didn’t include any of these EP songs on the compilation. And by “any,” I just mean the first song on the EP, which 1 million percent should have been on the 2012 comp. More on that below.

Before the Lemonheads entered the alternative rock universe, where they would stay for a million years and with a million lineup changes, they were just a few young Boston punks. In fact, they were still in high school when they recorded this EP. It’s just under five minutes long and it’s good. Especially given they made it in high school. It’s clearly influenced by the Descendants. Side note, they would go on to recruit a member of the Descendants as their bassist.

The first track, Glad I Don’t Know, is the outlier of the bunch, in a really good way. It sounds like Bad Religion meets Screaming Trees. And when I say Screaming Trees, I’m really only talking about the Nearly Lost You song. And when I say Bad Religion, I am specifically referring to the vocals and cadence. I’ve definitely heard this song before. In my opinion, this song is a poppy, alterna-punk gem that showcases Evan Dando’s songwriting ability. You can definitely hear the Evan Dando-ness in his voice, which is more obscured in the next few tracks. It’s this track that gives you some insight into how easily they could transition to the indie/alt-rock scene of the 90s.

The other three tracks are a departure from the style of the first track, but they are all catchy and enjoyable songs. They sound influenced by the Descendents’ Milo Goes to College album. I’ve also heard people say the Replacements. It was rather common in the late 80s for bands to abandon their punk roots, smooth out their rougher edges and transition to a radio-friendly, more money-making, alternative band. Honestly, Evan Dando was better suited for that style, because like I said, he just has that voice.

The Lemonheads, or maybe I should just say Evan Dando, as he is the only original member, have had an interesting career. They’ve amassed just enough fame to secure an audience if they tour, but their set list must be absolutely dominated by the early 90s hits and fan favorites to make the audience happy. Every old band has to play some of their classics, but a lot of bands from that era still make albums that people are excited to hear. Given that I only know It’s a Shame About Ray and Come on Feel the Lemonheads, it was really cool to hear this EP and their first full length (Hate Your Friends, 1987) and become more familiar with their origin.

Anyway, check it out. It was put out by Taang! Records and on orange vinyl. We only have a few left. And I truly mean only a few. And that’s a wrap for me! Thank you so much for reading. It’s been a really fun year here at Sorry State Records, and it flew by so fast. Again, happy holidays! Have fun and be safe! Until next year!

Thanks,

Angela

Hello and thanks for reading. Wow, it doesn’t feel like it’s been a week already since I was last writing, but here we are. This week I am going to be writing about DISFEAR’s Everyday Slaughter. I brushed off DISFEAR for a long time. My introduction to the band was a mid-2000’s split they did. That, alongside their name, pushed me away. I can’t remember how or when, but luckily one day I heard their 1992 self-titled 7”. I’m not sure if it’s cos I’m a D-beatoholic or what, but fucking hell it doesn’t get much better than this record for me. I really can’t emphasize how much I enjoy it. The sound is RAW, but the production is still nice and clear. The songwriting is super primitive, but the sound is meaner than ever. I think because of the straight-forward songwriting and Swedish lyrics, it made them sound more like an ‘80s band. I feel like a lot of ‘90s bands sounded rather tough or were too busying doing “experimental” type shit, so this really made the release stick out more to me. When I heard this EP, it was a turning point, and I immediately checked out everything that followed. While this 7” was never reissued as a proper 7” again, it is in print and can be found on the back side of A Brutal Sight of War. This was originally released on a CD in 1993 by Lost and Found Records. The CD also included the tracks from their debut 7”. When I first heard these four new tracks, I thought they were a bit boring. But that opinion is actually wrong, haha. The songwriting is just the same as their 7”, however the production is certainly different. The lyrics are sung in English instead of Swedish as well. I think those two factors made it seem much more different to me than it really was. Now, I think these four tracks are excellent, and a perfect bridge into their debut 1995 LP Soul Scars. This one was released on CD and LP by Distortion Records. It depends on what day you ask me, but this one is probably my favorite DISFEAR release. The sound changed a bit here; they get noticeably heavier and faster. There is a line-up change before this recording, and Jallo Lehto of TOTALITÄR joins DISFEAR on the drums. Maybe that’s a major factor in my favoritism of the release, haha. Following this, in 1997, they released Everyday Slaughter on Osmose Productions. This album is the definition of a complete monster. If you thought the sound was huge on Soul Scars, wait ‘til you hear this one. I think some might ignorantly associate this record with “stadium crust.” I foolishly thought the same and got my ass slapped into place when I finally heard this beast. While this band or album or whatever has some characteristics of stadium crust, what sets them apart is the fact that they’ve got riffs and certainly know how to play them. Here is a killer video of them crushing it the same year Everyday Slaughter was released. As we can see, there is absolutely no banana on the guitar. Ah yes, there was another lineup change before this album was recorded as well. Jallo was replaced by Robin Wiberg on the drums. (I mentioned him playing drums in DISFEAR when I wrote about his current band SVAVELDIOXID last week.) So, the Everyday Slaughter LP took me forever to track down. I’m not sure if it’s cos it appeals to metalheads too or what, but it didn’t make sense to me. Soul Scars was not nearly as hard, and their 7” was a bargain bin record forever. I think this reissue of Everyday Slaughter is excellent and has really done this beast the justice it deserves. The record sounds and looks great. With detailed, full color artwork like this a lot can go wrong, and I think the gatefold jacket came out beautiful.

After Everyday Slaughter, I stop listening to DISFEAR. I recently came back to the albums that came after and they are still not for me. There were more line-up changes and a bigger change in sound. I don’t want to talk any shit, but I want to share this cool DISFEAR video I just saw for the first time. They still have Robin on drums, but Jeppe has been replaced on vocals by Tomas Lindberg. I have never seen footage with Jallo on drums, but I would die to. Same with any footage of ANTI-BOFORS. Alright anyway, I should get going, but if you want to check out any of the releases I mentioned today, you can stream them from DISFEAR’s Bandcamp. Grab these LPs if you don’t have ‘em. They are essential if you ask me. Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for your support!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all. I hope however you celebrate this time of year (or not) that you have a great festive period. It can be a great time of year for sure, but having had a few bummers for Yules, I am definitely sensitive to those for whom the holidays are not a fun time and actually very stressful. That being said, let’s fill our cups with our brand of poison and raise a toast to friends, family, colleagues and all those in the world that make up our lives.

As our newsletter is getting delivered down your chimney on Christmas day, I thought it appropriate to pick a couple of holiday records for you. One with an added tinge of sadness to it and one that delivers a surprising and satisfying take on Christmas favorites.

We’ll start with the latter record. It’s a compilation called Jingle Bell Jazz that was released on Columbia Records in 1962. Twelve holiday classics interpreted by twelve different Jazz greats. There’s Duke Ellington doing Jingle Bells, Dave Brubeck Quartet doing Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Chico Hamilton with Winter Wonderland, Paul Horn with a terrific We Three Kings Of Orient Are and The Manhattan Jazz All Stars with an interesting one titled If I Were A Bell. All winners. The type of jazz playing that makes you forget you are listening to a Christmas record. My favorite cut is the last one on the album. Miles Davis with Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern). This one is a little different and has a vocal by Bob Dorough, the dude most famous for the Schoolhouse Rock albums. Everyone knows Three Is The Perfect Number that De La Soul sampled. Anyway, he’s providing hip jazz patter over Miles and reminding the listener that not everyone has a merry Christmas. A cool and slightly melancholy way to end the record. I love a good compilation and have enjoyed this one over the years during the Christmas period. The quality of the performances from so many big names in the jazz field at the time raises it above the typical Christmas themed cash-in records that you see. Not that Columbia Records was opposed to making money, but with a wealth of talent at their disposal it seems that a bit more effort was made in the compiling of this collection. It was kept in print through a couple of reissues from Japan and then again in the 70s and 80s, albeit with a slight track change. Looking at Discogs, folks regard this one as desirable, as copies aren’t that cheap. Certainly not the typical dollar Christmas record. Seek it out if you are a Jazz fan and need a good soundtrack for the holiday dinner this year.

Click here for a link to listen to the album.

Next up, a record that has become synonymous with Christmas each year since its release back in the 80s. The Pogues with Fairytale Of New York. Made especially poignant of course this year due to the passing of Shane MacGowan. On this song, Shane and the boys are famously joined by Kirsty MacColl, who really makes the song so special. Fans of her amazing talent have been mourning her tragic loss since 2000, when she was killed by a speedboat whilst swimming in Mexico on holiday. Such a loss to her family and friends and the fans around the world who loved her. Myself included there. I think every rock dude and young man I knew had a crush on her. Fairtytale of New York might not have the most PC lyrics nowadays, but blow that. If you know what I am talking about, I think you’ll agree that there is no need to get excited and overreact. That lyric was not meant as a slight or insult to a community, I’m certain. I’ll leave it at that.

I have the 12” version of the single, which adds three other live cuts recorded at Glasgow’s Barrowlands Ballroom in 1987, including a decent take on Rod Stewart’s Maggie May. This version came out in 1991, whereas the original 1987 single has different B-sides. Obviously, the fan needs both formats. The single sold well and has always been in demand, but now with Shane leaving us I’m sure prices may increase. Still, this is one record you almost don’t need to own as you’ll hear it at least once on the radio each year and no Christmas knees-up is complete without at least one airing. So, this year raise your glass of eggnog or pint of Guinness Shane and Kirsty. Two stars reunited in the heavens.

Have a good one friends. Hopefully you’ll get some records from Santa and there’s nothing better to spend your Christmas money from Grandma on than records. We’ll be making sure the store is full to the brim with new and used records for you, so come and visit.

Cheers and catch up with you all next year- Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Happy Holidays, everybody! Hope everyone is curling up by the fire with some bourbon-spiked vegan eggnog and the soothing sounds of depressive Satanic black metal. Or Bing Crosby. Whatever floats your boat. Me personally, I do all I can to avoid your typical played-out Christmas music that cycles ad nauseum on the radio and in grocery stores. There’s nothing worse than a white dude playing electric blues guitar while gruffly crooning about Santa Claus. Makes me wanna puke even more than the aforementioned spiked ‘nog. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t hate this time of year or anything. I just care more about the wholesome family time and couldn't care less about the whole colorful lights and Jesus part of it. Anyway, I won’t drag on about the holidays. I’m sure any of you Sorry Staters reading this on Christmas Day could use a welcome break from all that.

This week, I decided to write about the new 7” from Chueko we just got in stock. Chueko are from the Portland area, and I’m pretty sure the band has folks from Alienator, Suck Lords, and other bands from that whole crew. A buddy actually gave me a copy of Chueko’s demo tape back in 2022. I guess he’s chums with them, so the band hooked him up with a few copies. I immediately loved it. To my ears, it sounded like a pretty raw 4-track recording. Pretty clean, almost jangly guitar, but with a heavy, groovy rhythm section. This is such a corny adjective, but Chueko is just SLAMMIN’, dude. Stompy, punchy UK82-style punk would be my lazy description. But the singer has this gnarly, vicious voice and sings mostly in Spanish, which is rad and makes the band really stand out.

But now they’ve got this new EP, courtesy of Black Water. The production on this new 7”, titled Tools Of Oppression, is decidedly more blown out and noisy sounding. It’s funny, incredibly more-so than the tape, the bass player is totally killing it on this new EP. Like… SHREDDING it. Because the guitar sound is much more gritty, the bass sounds really pronounced in the mix and honestly comes across like the lead instrument haha. Fuck playing the bass heavy on the low notes to support the guitar riffs. Are you kidding? I’m talkin’ bout combing out that wild hair and rippin’ it up on them high strings, baby. It’s killer.

I did reference UK82 earlier, and the intro to the song “Stupid People” is like a direct homage to “Knife’s Edge” by GBH. But in a killer way. I was like, “oh fuck yeah.” One of the many strengths of Chueko is that they can write a catchy ass tune. I’m gonna sound like a total hater, but in recent years, I feel like punk bands coming out write a series of heavy riffs and stitch them together in a composition that technically qualifies as the benchmark for “hardcore tune.” But rarely these days do I feel like bands write actual SONGS. Sometimes, I’ll listen to newer bands and I just feel like the record just kinda… happens TO me, like a barrage of noise just washes over me. But for my money, Chueko have that knack to write these catchy sing-along choruses. There are gang vocal parts all over this record, and I’m absolutely here for it. It’s easy to imagine this band playing a gig and the crowd piling on top of one another to bogart the mic when the time comes for everyone to sing, “OUT TO GET YOU!” But even with the chanted vocals, I would not say this band comes across as “tough” exactly. The label affectionately describes the 4 characters in this group as a “cluster of weirdos,” which I felt like I could sense immediately. Chueko is queerer, weirder and more ripping than all you punk-ass mofos. Highly recommend.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this time. Catch our end-of-year wrap-ups next round. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next YEAR,

-Jeff

The Red Crayola: Soldier-Talk 12” (Radar Records, 1979)

Back in October, my friend Mike invited me and a handful of our friends to spend his birthday weekend at his family’s beach house in Carolina Beach. Pretty much everyone on the trip is a music fanatic, so of course we visited the one record store in town. If I had been there on my own, I doubt I would have bothered… my appetite for visiting record stores has decreased considerably since the days when I would hit every single shop I could when I went out of town. There are so many shops now, and I already buy more records than I actually have time to listen to. However, the entire group wanted to go to this one, so of course I was game.

When I walked in, my first thought was that this would be an awkward shopping experience. The store was tiny and most of the bins were only half full. It seemed like one of those situations where I’d try to leave quickly, interacting with the owner as little as possible lest they realize I’m thinking to myself that their store totally sucks. However, once I started flipping through those half-full bins, I kept finding things that interested me. I ended up buying 5 or 6 LPs, more than anyone else in our group. A couple of those were Soft Machine albums that, upon returning home, I realized I already had. The one I was most excited about, though, was this 1979 album by the Red Crayola.

The Red Crayola has a wild history. The brainchild of Texas musician Mayo Thompson, the band started in the 60s and operated in the same world as the 13th Floor Elevators. The Red Crayola’s two 60s LPs came out on International Artists Records, the same label as the Elevators and another notable 60s Texas psych group, Bubble Puppy. The Red Crayola was the most fiercely experimental of all these groups, their music reflecting Thompson’s interest in the avant garde. As the Red Crayola’s music moved away from psychedelic and toward more experimental horizons, interest in the group waned among their fans and their record label. Eventually Thompson left Texas, first for New York, where he served as a studio assistant to the artist Robert Rauschenberg, then moving to London as he started collaborating with the avant garde art collective Art & Language.

While in London, Thompson fell in with the post-punk world of Geoff Travis and Rough Trade Records, the second landmark underground scene with which he was involved. With Travis nervous about his lack of studio experience, Thompson became the de facto in-house producer for Rough Trade, producing sessions by post-punk legends like the Fall, the Raincoats, Stiff Little Fingers, Cabaret Voltaire, and countless others.

My interest in the Red Crayola stems mostly from their work on Lora Logic from X-Ray Spex’s 1982 solo album, Pedigree Charm. I’ve mentioned Pedigree Charm in previous staff picks, as it’s one of my most-listened to records of the past several years. While I don’t hear other people mention it too often, it’s become one of my favorite records, and one that never gets old for me. When a record is so interesting to me, I can’t help but pull all the threads that connect to it to see what I find. The first and most obvious was Lora Logic’s work with her band, Essential Logic, and I’ve covered my exploration of their discography in previous staff picks. But while Logic was presumably the driving creative force behind Pedigree Charm, it stands apart from the rest of her work. Given that I hear a very similar sound on the Red Crayola’s 1980 single “Born in Flames” (again, covered in a previous staff pick, LOL), I knew the Red Crayola material from this period was worth exploring.

Which brings me back to Soldier-Talk. I was excited to drop the needle on this album, but as soon as it started, I knew it wasn’t precisely what I was looking for… it didn’t have that bright, bubbly sound of Pedigree Charm and “Born in Flames.” It turns out that, even though Soldier-Talk came out only one year before “Born in Flames,” it’s a completely different iteration of the Red Crayola. Mayo Thompson is still there, but aside from drummer Jesse Chamberlain and Lora Logic, the rest of the band for this album is made up of members of Pere Ubu, including Dave Thomas on lead vocals for many of its tracks. I think fans of Pere Ubu’s records from this period will get the most out of Soldier-Talk, as (even with Mayo Thompson writing all the material) it has much of the darkness and density of The Modern Dance and Dub Housing, both of which Pere Ubu had released a year earlier in 1978. Those are great records, and while Soldier-Talk is even more difficult than those albums (which plenty of people already find abstruse), it’s still very interesting.

While I like Soldier-Talk, I’m still left jonesing for more of what I hear on Pedigree Charm. After doing more research to write this piece, I think my next stop should probably be the Red Crayola’s 1981 album (in collaboration with Art & Language), Kangaroo?. The Discogs credits on that one show that Pedigree Charm bassist Ben Annesley appears on the record, and since the bass lines are one of my favorite parts of Pedigree Charm, I’m definitely intrigued. Should that exploration bear fruit, the Red Crayola has several more collaborative releases with Art & Language over the next few years, though it appears most of those don’t feature Annesley.

Checking out these albums should be pretty easy, as Drag City re-released most of these recordings in the 2000s, and they’re all available on streaming services. Along with those reissues, Drag City also released a spate of new Red Crayola material in the 2000s and 2010s, when Thompson connected with another vital underground scene—the Chicago post-rock world—and added another act to his life story. But that’s a tale for another time.

What’s up Sorry State readers, It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these so I may be a little rusty. I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and has been enjoying the holiday season. I’ll be road tripping to Memphis this coming week, which is about a twelve hour drive. I’ve never really minded long drives. Honestly, I kinda enjoy them, plus I’ll be picking up my brother in Asheville and my other brother in Nashville along the way, so I’ll have some company to keep things interesting. If you’re travelling somewhere this year, and whichever way you get there, I hope everyone has safe travels. As everyone knows, Record Store Day happened last month and there were some cool titles that came out. One that I was really excited about (and the only one I got) was this Gram Parsons and The Fallen Angels record that contains a live show from 3/16/73 at the Bijou Café in Philadelphia, also featuring Emmylou Harris on vocals. This soundboard recording was recently uncovered after the pedal steel player, Neil Flanz, brought it to light after being in possession of the tape for 40 years, which was then acquired by Amoeba music and forgotten about in their vault for another 10 years. For a recording from a 50 year old tape, this thing sounds amazing. It feels like you’re really sitting there in that small café and listening to this intimate show. As I’ve mentioned time and time before, I love listening to a live show, especially with all the banter and everything in between songs. It’s what gives the performance character and makes it unique. The show starts off with the band intros and a ripping cover of Flint Hill Special, a Flatt & Scruggs bluegrass staple. I love Emmylou’s voice so much. I feel she’s very underrated when people talk about female voices in country music. Which is why I really enjoyed the cover of Hank Williams’ Jambalaya on here where she takes the reins for the song and really belts it out. You can tell listening to this that they’re having a great time up there and the band was really meshing well that night. Other favorites on here include Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man, Streets of Baltimore, Sin City and the unexpected five-sog rock n’ roll medley that caps this show off. I know I would’ve been in the Bijou Café hootin and hollerin that night if I was there. But that was 26 years before I was born, so until time machines exist, this record will do me just fine.

Hi Sorry State friends! Hope you are all doing well! We’ve been busy little technical bees at SSR headquarters with our transition to a whole new system and way of business life. I think the dust has settled and we’re in a good place. I’m sparing you the details, but I just want to say major hats off to Daniel for getting us here.

Now, in honor of our return to normalcy, I present to you my staff pick. I’ve been excited to write about this record since it first arrived, but we weren’t quite ready to launch yet. It’s the new Sorry State Records release by the Cleveland band, Knowso. Knowso has members of Perverts Again and Cloud Nothings. Although the band isn’t new, the record is. It’s called Pulsating Gore, and I loved it upon very first listen. And that’s partially because it’s one of those records that will evoke a strong opinion, good or bad, pretty much immediately. This one isn’t a grower. Being from northeast Ohio, I am always psyched to hear any new punk or punk-adjacent records out of Cleveland. You never know what you’re gonna get from a Cleveland band, but usually it has some vein of weirdness running through it. And I say that in the most endearing way possible. Knowso is weird, but it’s not too weird, but it’s weird enough to make it really difficult to draw comparisons. I guess you could file it under Devo-core, but I don’t even think that’s a great fit.

The best I can come up with is demented post-punk, although it feels like it transcends post-punk. It’s quirky, catchy, and creative, with lyrics that are sarcastic, funny, clever, and even intellectual at times. I love that shit. I love when you’re listening to music and something they say makes you stop and think. Or laugh. They have some really funny lines that make me wonder what the hell they were thinking when they wrote them. The lyrics on the closing track (Where Do You Fit?) is one of those songs. They say “where do you fit in the grid? What if I told you that the universe is knit? Where do you fit if the grid is a quilt? They only like the square! I wish they liked the circle but they only like the square!,” lamenting over and over that “they only like the square!”

The songs are bass driven with tight and simple repetitive drum beats, and steady and focused vocals that command your attention. The vocals are done in a spoken word style often assisted by other interesting voices and echoes to add dimension. Although I do think the dry delivery is symbolic of the dread and robotic repetition of life, as described in their songs. You can almost picture a cult with lifeless eyes chanting some of these lyrics in unison. It’s as if they are creating a picture of what they’re saying by how they’re saying it. Maybe I’m giving them too much credit by suggesting that they are taking us on some sort of philosophical journey, but it’s fun to read into things. It’s fun to come across music that makes you stop and think and zone out for a bit.

Anyway, the weird systematic vocals are accompanied by very sharp angular beats that are unexpectedly catchy. The tempo shifts are sudden and unpredictable. Even though you don’t see them coming, they happen at the perfect times. It’s as if they know exactly at what points you are questioning whether this is too weird for you, and they make sure to do something interesting to knock that question out of your head. The perfect example of this is on my favorite track, Do the Work. This song is so good. It starts out rather unassuming, and then the chorus hits and just becomes the best sound on the record. Heavy Hauler and Drink from the Lake are also standout tracks. They embody that catchy and culty sound in the best way.

The music is very tight and honed in and purpose-driven. And fun! Knowso is really refreshing. I can’t think of anyone who reminds me of this band. It is kind of an unusual release for Sorry State, but I think it’s so cool that we put out this record. Give it a shot! Thanks so much for reading! Until next time.

-Angela

Hello and thanks for reading. It’s been about a month since the last Sorry State newsletter. I’m sure Daniel explained a bit of the hell we have been dealing with here for the last month. Although there is still a lot to resolve and work through, it seems like we can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. While we have been dealing with hell here, there have been tons of great new releases in the last month, and I have been buying ‘em like crazy.

Before I get into the photo above, I wanted to mention some records we got in stock from Blown Out Media this week. I’ve been a fan of Sweden’s SVAVELDIOXID since their debut, which was nearly eight years ago now. If you’re not familiar with them, they play DISCHARGE type hardcore but with a super heavy, and somewhat polished, sound. While most bands who play “Swedish style” hardcore are usually influenced by TOTALITÄR with their catchy riffs and groovy breakdowns, there is absolutely nothing catchy about what SVAVELDIOXID has been doing the last eight years. The style they play developed in the early ‘90s I would say, and is not popular at all anymore. The most obvious and known comparison I would make would be to the pre-1997 DISFEAR. The drummer of SVAVELDIOXID, Robin, actually played drums on what I consider DISFEAR’s last good album, Everyday Slaughter. This album was finally reissued recently, and we have copies in stock now. That album is a 10/10 and has been dying for a reissue for years now. Anyway, I think the brand-new LP from SVAVELDIOXID, V​ä​rldsel​ä​nde, is one of their best yet. I specifically thought the production really stood out on this release. When I got the record, I discovered they recorded with Tomas Skogsberg at legendary Sunlight Studios. So sick!!! Check the LP out in the link I dropped above, and if you dig it, you can grab a copy here still.

Also, in stock from Blown Out Media is the debut LP from California’s ANGUISHED LIFE. Shroud of Death consists of ten perfectly formulated DISCHARGE-influenced tracks. The world is overly saturated in DISCHARGE clones, but every now and again I hear a band that hits the spot. While a novice can understand the DISCHARGE formula, it’s not so easy to truly master it. There are the obvious factors that lead to DISCHARGE type bands being boring; like the guitarist banana’s the entire time, the drummer doesn’t quite have D-beat mastered, or the vocalist doesn’t emulate the syncopated vocal patterns of Cal (which are key characteristics of DISCHARGE songs if you ask me.) But there are subtle things about the DISCHARGE formula that I think many overlook; like the way the bassist strums the riffs, and especially how they play fills. Do bassists call them fills on bass? I have no idea...Anyway, the bassist of ANGUISHED LIFE really masters the style, and I love the bass tone as well. You can check some songs from the LP out here.

Alongside those two new releases from Blown Out Media, we also grabbed this 2020 LP from New Jersey’s BURNING//WORLD. While this is predictably another DISCHARGE type band, they lean hard into DISCLOSE territory. The guitar tone is awesome, absolutely punishing. I really like the guitar leads as well. I think an unfortunate symptom of noisey bands is having a painfully digital guitar sound. Does that happen from using too many pedals? Or just a poor combination of pedals? I don’t know shit about pedals, but sometimes I can really get a laugh at the size of some people’s pedal boards. The idea of having enough pedals you need an entire board is also kind of funny to me. It’s like drummers who use a drum rack, or bands with three guitarists. It’s too excessive. (Ironically, there is this DISLCOSE video and the drummer totally has a drum rack, haha. Also, Kawakami has dreads in this video. If you didn’t know about that era of DISCLOSE then you need to check this video). Anyway, I had never heard of BURNING//WORLD, but the cover Peace Is No Reality instantly caught my eye and I’m glad I checked it out. You can check it out here.

Alright, let me get right into BASTARDS. I will try to keep this as brief and as organized as possible, but forgive me if my thoughts are a bit scattered. While my introduction to BASTARDS was when I picked up their EP reissue on Höhnie Records from a friend’s distro back in Indy upon their recommendation, I admittedly didn’t listen to them until years later. Even upon obsessing over the Killed By Finnish Hardcore boot, something about BASTARDS didn’t resonate with me. Maybe I was just being bombarded by too many bands on that compilation. Their first release I intentionally checked out was Siberian Hardcore (1984). This was their final release before reuniting in 2021 and releasing an EP in 2022. I didn’t really do much checking out when it came to Siberian Hardcore though, cos I thought the first track was sloppy as fuck and I moved onto something else. Haha. I’ve made this mistake often in the past, where I’m thinking the first song or two on a release kinda sucks and then I brush off the entire thing. These days I do my best to listen to the majority of a release (old or new) before I decide to quit. I can listen to music while I’m doing almost anything, so it seems silly to not take to the time to really check shit out. Anyway, I can’t remember who was going on about BASTARDS, but this time it was their first EP, Maailma Palaa Ja Kuolee (1982), the same EP I had picked up back in Indy. The tracks instantly grabbed my attention. As you can see from my photo, I lost it from there and I have their complete discography now. Having all those records already, I wasn’t even considering taking a box set home. Yeah, there is unreleased stuff of rehearsal recordings, but do I really need that? But of course, I am a Finnish hardcore fanatic...so the urge to bust open a copy grew quickly. I suspected Daniel would want to take one home, so I did what I do sometimes where I ask him if I can take his copy home before I decide if I want one for myself, haha. Daniel rules.

When I opened up the box set, I saw more shit I didn’t like. I say more shit cos I think the box set artwork is hilariously bad. The record covers themselves are actually just inner sleeves with the artwork printed on the front. Some of them were printed in color, but for some odd reason Siberian Hardcore is not. I hoped it would come with a booklet, in Svart tradition, and it certainly does! Alongside compiling the entire BASTARDS studio output, they also include a few discs of totally unreleased recordings. Naturally, this was the first stuff I checked out. It seemed cool, the sound isn’t the greatest as I suspected. I was at work when listening, so I didn’t have time to really check the booklet out at all, but that came later when I was home. After spending a few minutes reading, I slowly but surely went from thinking this release was whack, to having my mind blown left and right. It’s hard not to become disorganized when I talk about the release more, I think mainly because I find the booklet very exciting. There are also some very significant things when it comes to the records themselves, and it’s all explained in the booklet.

Inside the booklet you will find detailed information about each studio recording and where the tracks appeared. They also do a proper timeline of the BASTARDS, including their gigs, releases, line-up changes, and even formative gigs they went to that lead to the creation of the band. You’ll find tons of photos, complete lyrics, gig flyers, but most importantly there is a “history of the band.” I think this text was released before and is just now being translated for the first time to English, but it’s unclear to me exactly what has been translated. Regardless, this shit blew my fucking mind. Aside from reading some funny stories, I learned some information on their releases I had absolutely no idea about. It’s honestly too much to tell you about here, so I will just say two things that are the most significant to me.

I have the reissue of Harhaa on Assel records. It was originally released on cassette in 1983. Yeah, my record sounds like shit pretty much. It’s an old tape. Who knows what the source even was? It still sounded cool regardless, but at times the vocals do sound a bit “unnatural.” Haha… well inside the booklet they explain exactly why this is. At the studio session for this release, Masa, the drummer, had to use electronic drums. They explain he couldn’t play the drums quite fast enough on the electro-kit, so they sped up the tape after. Hilarious, haha. On the Harhaa tracks included in this box set, they actually restored them to their original speed. Man, they sound killer, way better quality than my previous reissue as well.

The second thing is in regard to the intro track to Siberian Hardcore. I took the time to explain myself brushing off the band cos of this track earlier, cos it was really funny to me when a Finnish friend told me the story of what happened during this recording session. I wasn’t sure if this was popular information or what, but it is now printed in this booklet. During the session, somehow the drum track was erased. Instead of allowing the band to re-record the track, the studio engineer re-recorded it instead. This is hilarious, and a great explanation as to why this intro song is significantly more sloppy than a typical BASTARDS song. I would be so pissed if someone tried to act like re-recording a drum track for me would be cool... I mean unless they crushed it, haha. Anyway, on the Siberian Hardcore LP included in this box set, they re-recorded the drum track to the intro song! What the fuck!!! It sounds so sick!! How the fuck did they do that?! Fuck.

Alright, I should wrap this up. Yes, I think by now all this stuff has been reissued (aside from the rehearsal stuff). I went into this thinking the box set would be pretty whack and had absolutely no intention of making it my staff pick, but my opinion was 100% changed after exploring it. I think the sound quality is great, and of course I love the booklet. The layout of the booklet is easy to follow, and the band’s discography is separated nicely across the six discs. It sucks that others can’t just check shit out like I can, so I wanted to give you my experience with it cos $99 is a lot of money. From another perspective, six LPs and a sick booklet is not bad at all for $99. If the LP packaging itself was more deluxe, then the price would have been certainly more. While the box set wasn’t exactly eye-catching, the amazing content definitely curbed my initial disappointment with the packaging. Don’t be fooled by the cover like I was, haha. Alright, thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for your support.

Hey there everyone. Happy holidays to you. I hope you are doing well and thanks for reading our newsletter. There’s been a lot going on at Sorry State Industries of late, not least being a major change in the software we use to handle our inventory. Perhaps Daniel may have mentioned it, but either way it’s a big deal and as with any transition like this, it’s not without issue and headaches. However, we look confidently to the future, and by this time next year our operation will be very different and a lot more efficient. At least that’s the idea. So, we might be feeling stressed out here and there, but the result should mean more records for more people and that’s what it’s all about.

As we enter the holidays and gift-giving season, we are doing our best to have plenty of great records new and used available for you all. Not just at the store but on our on-line store and Discogs pages also. One advantage of our new system software is that we will be able to list and offer more used items a lot faster and easier. So, start looking out for those if you are an out-of-town Sorry Stater. Jeff made a good start last week by adding a bunch of cool Sunday leftovers to our webstore. These are the records that locals slept on for whatever reason. We’ll continue adding new used arrivals exclusive to the store each week, so there will always be a reason to visit in person. As always, we appreciate your support.

Talking of support, in addition to donating part of my salary to the Sorry State coffers each week, I do try to buy records from other shops in the area or from around the country. I consider all fellow record stores and their staff as brothers and sisters in the community, and if I can throw something their way and help keep the lights on then that’s a good thing. Last week I decided to pull the trigger on a newly released box set that I have had my eye on. It retailed for a little more than I could afford, but a copy popped up on Discogs that was almost half the price. Marked down due to corner dings on the box. I’m not fussy about that so much and jumped on it. What pray tell am I talking about? It’s the Blondie box set called Against The Odds 1974-1982 released by the fine folks at Numero Group.

I think it’s safe to say that everyone reading is familiar with the group Blondie and a deep dive into their career isn’t necessary, as fascinating as it is. Like any group or artist with an extensive career and large discography, however, there are always demos, rare B-sides, and unreleased recordings that accumulate. In Blondie’s case, most of these sat in Chris Stein’s garage at his Woodstock home for years. Work began on this box set several years ago and the release date was pushed back a couple of times, but finally earlier this year the set hit the market. To paraphrase several other reviewers, Numero Group have produced a fabulous set that is an example of how to do a box set right. It really is well put together and feels and looks like quality. There are several versions to choose from, however, and your wallet may dictate which one you go for. The super deluxe versions add the studio albums along with the rarities and unreleased recordings and give you a few little extras like a 7” and 10” record plus a discography booklet. As I felt no need to buy the studio albums, wanting just the bonus material, I went for the 4LP set that had (almost) all the songs and still had the fabulous hardcover coffee table sized book. The book really is beautiful with awesome photos, plenty of track information and what looks like an interesting set of liner notes. I haven’t read them yet.

A few folks have been griping that some tracks are missing that should have been included, the full-length disco mix of Atomic being one of them. Perhaps as some things had come out as CD bonus cuts on previously released reissues it was felt they could be left off? Not sure really. However, there are over fifty tracks to enjoy, including three dozen or so that have never seen the light of day on any official release. I was excited to get some of the Giorgio Moroder produced tracks. There are some cool instrumental versions that sound great. The early demos are fascinating. The early, reggae-pop take on Heart Of Glass is a highlight. As too is the Yuletide Throwdown, a bit of fun for Christmas that came out on a flexi 7”.

It almost can’t be expressed how much of an influence Blondie had on me as a kid in the 70s. My dad was a social worker and specialized in helping troubled kids. One day he came back with a box of records that had belonged to a lad he had to take to Borstal. Among them was the debut Blondie album. This seven-year-old kid was hooked from the get-go. The band looked cool, sounded cool, was pop but rock ‘n roll too. I was still a bit too young to understand some of the sexual references, but already had New York City on my radar as the epicenter of cool. After London, obviously. It wasn’t much longer after getting that first album that their second, Plastic Letters came into my life. Specially ordered from my small local record shop. That one with the cover of the band posing against the NYC cop car primed me for my visit with my parents later in the year to America, where I made my first visit to New York. Again, still too young to be checking out the music scene, I never-the-less thought it was very cool to be in the city where Blondie lived.

The next few years saw the band explode and take over the world. The album Parallel Lines was huge and the soundtrack of 1978 through 1979, with the smash hit Heart Of Glass being the centerpiece of the album. The albums Eat To The Beat and Autoamerican continued the success and were both chock full of hits. Some accused the band of selling out and being too pop. Rubbish. So what if the song Call Me was featured in a Richard Gere movie? It’s a great tune with fabulous Giorgio Moroder production. I always enjoy hearing the instrumental version of that one.

Against The Odds rounds out with the album The Hunter from 1982. Perhaps not their best compared to the previous ones, but after a solid five plus years it was almost natural that things would come to an end. The pop music landscape had changed dramatically as the late 1970s gave way to the 1980s. Nothing lasts forever and the original group came to a halt after that 1982 album. Debbie Harry continued releasing music as a solo artist throughout the rest of the 1980s and 1990s, leading up to a Blondie reformation at the end of the decade.

I never need an excuse to listen to any of those first five albums and the accompanying singles, so it has been great that John Scott here at the store likes to play them, too. He was the one that was playing some of the outtakes and alternate versions of their music from the internet that first made me aware of the existence of this box. So, cheers to him for that. When we first looked it up, it seemed that it was a bit pricey initially for my blood, but like I said I was able to score a copy for a good price and I would highly recommend any of you who are fans to keep an eye out for one yourselves. It’s so worth it and a perfect Christmas present. I’m so glad I treated myself. Treat yourself.

Okay, that’s all from me for now. Cheers to you all and have a great holiday period. Enjoy listening to music and we’ll see you here next time.

-Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Things have felt kinda hectic around SSR HQ lately. As for me, I just can’t believe we’re right smack dab in the middle of the holiday season. December really crept up on me this year. I’ve already seen some people posting online about their “best of 2023” lists, and I’m like: “WTF?? ALREADY???” I’m not even close to feeling prepared to even think about that yet. I’m still trying to figure out where the last few months have gone. It’s a weird feeling, being unprepared for the coming new year. Whatever.

I’m writing my addition to the newsletter late this round. I’m sitting behind the counter at the store and it’s raining. Another quiet, dreary ass Sunday. But at least there’s a new Tiikeri release! Damn, have I written in the newsletter about every Tiikeri record since we’ve started stocking them here at Sorry State? Whoopsie. I don’t know what it is, man. Especially around this time of year when it starts getting colder, I just gravitate toward listening to easily digestible jams that put me in a good mood. I mean even right now, I’m listening to the first Kim Wilde record as I’m opening the store! (a new wave banger top to bottom, but that’s for another newsletter). But Tiikeri has definitely fallen into that “puts me in a good mood” rotation as of late.

Now, even though I’m a fan, one of the criticisms I’ve made about Tiikeri’s sonic brand of punk and style of songwriting is that they could easily fall into the “way too pop punk for me” category. Have they finally reached a new stratosphere with this new batch of tunes? I guess it’s a weird move to have a “staff recommendation” and kick it off with a judgement. I’m just curious to see if other fans of Tiikeri agree with me. I mean, tell me I’m wrong: When I was listening to the 2nd track “Punk Rock – Hitti!!!” they do this one chord change where I found myself scratching my head. Then, they repeat this same motif a few times in a row at the end of the song… Then, it instantly clicked. I blurted out loud, “FUUUUCK, it’s Green Day.” The way they do the ending sounds just like “Basket Case.” (Chubb, you readin?) It can’t be a coincidence. They did that on purpose. It honestly made me chuckle. These Finns with pop songwriting chops know exactly what they’re doing. 70’s KBD MY ASS!! Nah, I’m just kidding. The songs are still really good and have that enthusiastic, uplifting peculiarity that keeps me interested.

Shit, I’ve blabbed on about Tiikeri for so long that I failed to even mention that this is a split 7”! The band on the flip-side of the record is called Vänsuut. Musically, this band sharing a platter with Tiikeri is a match made in heaven. Very fitting combo. But Vänsuut is maybe a little rougher around the edges. Their songs are certainly still super tuneful, but maybe a little more out of tune, a little more raw, and just generally less squeaky clean than their buddies on the other side of the record. For me though, I find the Vänsuut side very refreshing after the sweetness of Tiikeri. I’m not sure I prefer Vänsuut side exactly, but now I feel like I’ve got a new band to seek out other releases by. And actually, they might be even more authentically vintage KBD sounding than Tiikeri, if I do say so myself. Funny enough, even though they’re certainly trying to emulate early Finnish punk like Ratsia or something, it was a big surprise to find out that they’re Japanese! Pretty cool. Good work fellas.

Anyway, I’ll wrap it up. Not sure if Daniel will want us to an “end of 2023” roundup in the upcoming newsletter (or the one after?), but I need to start reviewing what records I even remember listening to this year. Hoping to jam some Tiikeri and Vänsuut and keep the spirits positive while having a nice holiday. Hope all of you readers do the same. Cheers.

As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Mary Gabriel: Madonna: A Rebel Life book (2023, Little, Brown and Company)

Smithereens (1982, Susan Seidelman)

One downside of reading most books digitally these days is that the format erases some of the distinctions between short and long books. Usually, this is a good thing. I always hated reading a book so thick I couldn’t hold it up with one hand, but my ebook reader is the same weight no matter what I’m reading. Also, when you’re buying a book, you have to look into the metadata to notice whether you’re picking up a pamphlet or a tome, and sometimes I don’t think about doing that. That’s what happened with the book I’m reading now. The book I just finished was pretty heady and dense (William Egginton’s The Rigor of Angels, which drew parallels between the lives and work of philosopher Immanuel Kant, physicist Werner Heisenberg, and writer Jorge Luis Borges), so I wanted something lighter. I chose this recently-published biography of Madonna by Mary Gabriel, which weighs in at about 900 pages. I guess I’ll be reading it for a minute.

The length of Madonna: A Rebel Life is kind of nice, really, because it allows Gabriel to go into the kind of detail I want from a biography. I’ve only made it up to the final years of the 80s so far, but Gabriel does a really great job of immersing you in the settings that shaped Madonna’s early life: her childhood in suburban Michigan, the cocoon of late 80s LA, and most of all the deeply troubled artistic playground that was late 70s / early 80s New York. Obviously, being super into punk, that’s a time and place that I’m interested in. Whenever I see movies made or set in that period of New York, they always suck me right in. I wonder if, had I been of age at that time, would I have been drawn to it enough to move there? I certainly would have loved all the art that was happening, but I can’t imagine how exhausting it must have been to live in such a tough, uncompromising environment.

Having read so much about the punk scene, it’s nice that Gabriel’s biography focuses largely on a different corner of that world. That corner certainly abutted the punk world, and figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hell, Fab 5 Freddy, and Madonna drift between them (Madonna briefly played drums for a band that played at CBGB). However, in Madonna’s New York of that period, the gay dance clubs like Paradise Garage and the modern dance scene figure more prominently. Gabriel’s book pulls you into that world and gives you a taste of how it operated.

In addition to detail, another luxury afforded the very long book is the ability to digress. One digression in Gabriel’s book that interested me was about the work of director Susan Seidelman, who made Desperately Seeking Susan, the 1985 film starring Madonna and Rosanna Arquette. In contextualizing Seidelman’s work, Gabriel also mentioned her feature-length directorial debut, 1982’s Smithereens. Gabriel mentioned the film was set in the New York punk scene and featured a number of scenesters as actors and extras, including Richard Hell as one of the main characters. I looked it up, found where I could stream it, and checked it out.

As soon as the film started, I was pulled in. It has that distinctive color palette of New York movies of the period and plenty of establishing shots of a city with pockets of decadence sprouting up in a vast landscape of decay and neglect. As for the plot, IMBD summarizes it as “a talent-challenged girl tries to promote herself to stardom in New York’s waning punk music world,” which isn’t exactly right. There’s no indication of whether the lead character Wren has any talent or not… she never sings or plays because none of the other characters have any interest in whether she has talent or not. And there isn’t really as much punk as I’d hoped there would be either. The Feelies song “The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness” serves as a kind of theme song, there are a lot of cool punk fashions, a couple of scene shot at the Peppermint Lounge, and of course Hell plays a punk musician for a group called the Smithereens, but that’s about it. The movie isn’t really about punk, because the character Wren isn’t really in the punk world… she’s basically a poseur trying to gain entree.

What stuck with me more than the punk content was the sexual politics of Smithereens. Every man in this film, to a person, is a total fucking creep, and Wren barely has a moment on-screen when she isn’t the object of a man’s sexual interest, with these situations taking on a threatening, violent air more often than not. Richard Hell’s character is an obvious creep using her for what he can get, but even the apparently wholesome young portrait artist from Montana makes physical advances Wren clearly has no interest in. In the film’s enigmatic closing scene, a defeated Wren walks, dead-eyed and defeated, along the highway, apparently toward the Holland Tunnel and her childhood home in New Jersey, where she’d vowed several times over the course of the film she’d never go. As she walks, a creep slows down his car to proposition her, refusing to acknowledge her complete lack of interest in him.

I’m too soft for the New York of 2023, much less 1982. But to be a young woman in that time and place… I can’t even imagine the kind of resolve and toughness it would have taken to exist in that world day in and day out. I guess that’s why so many women who came from that world—Madonna included—were so extraordinary. They would have had to be, just to exist.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. I’m still thinking about the 10th anniversary fest, so I figured I’d write about a record by a band that I was really excited about seeing that weekend, 100% Complete and Total Motherfuckers by Delco MF’s. This 12” is a collection of the first two 7”s released by the band over the past year and it totally rips. I was kicking myself because I remember getting the 7”s into the store and never listening to them really, and then when I heard they would be playing that weekend, I went back and checked them out and was blown away. By that point, though, we had been long sold out of both of them. Luckily for me though, they dropped this very convenient 12” record compiling both of them. With 11 songs clocking in at 11 minutes, this thing is non-stop ripping from start to finish. After listening to this a bunch, I was excited to see them live and they did not disappoint, delivering an amazing set at the late show at the Pour House. No beer can was safe from being launched through the air during this performance. The record does a great job of capturing the same energy they had during a live performance, and it’s one you find yourself flipping back to side A when it’s over to do it all again. Definitely check this one out if you haven’t already. Favorite track is March Of The MF’s.