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What’s up Sorry State readers, my name is John Scott and you’re going to start seeing me around the store more. I’m excited to get to know all of you, so if you see me around don’t be a stranger! I’ve been in Raleigh for about ten years now, but I’ve moved around quite a bit in the Memphis and Nashville areas. In my free time, I enjoy going to the flea market and antique stores and places like that and just looking out for anything that catches my eye. I love finding old random stuff you can tell someone really cared about and give it life again. Naturally, that led me to start collecting records. A few years ago, I moved a couple blocks down the street from Sorry State and I discovered the store at some point down the line during my ritualistic morning walk. It quickly became my favorite place to shop. I started coming here in my free time whenever I was bored and wanted to find some new music to listen to. There is nothing more rewarding than digging through the bargain bins and finding something that looks cool, you take it home and it sounds equally awesome. This is how I discovered my love for jazz records. I would come in near the end of the day and go through the Jazz bargain bins and grab a few records (often along the lines of Bossa Nova or Brazilian Jazz) that piqued my interest. I’d go home and throw them on and lay out on the couch and just go over the things that were running through my head during the day or maybe think about nothing at all and just listen to the music. Have you ever had Astrud Gilberto serenade you at the end of a long day? It’s very soothing. They’re also perfect to throw on when having people over for a nice laid-back shindig. My friends tell me I have a great selection of “Lounge Music” to pick from. That’s why I love throwing on a record. There’s something about the act of physically picking out an album and putting it on and getting everything just right that makes people really appreciate the music.

More recently, I decided to embrace my southern roots and dive into more country and bluegrass, and I’ve been loving it. I used to be one of those dorks that would go around saying “I listen to all music genres EXCEPT for country.” How lame is that? I guess I was that way because I was exposed to it all while growing up in the south, so it didn’t seem very exciting to me. There’s so much cool shit to be heard when you don’t limit yourself, though. Who doesn’t love getting back home on a late Saturday night with some friends for a final final and moaning out “Lord I love to hear her when she calls me sweet da-a-addy” along with Hank Williams? If you haven’t before, I highly recommend it. This leads me to my first staff pick, Country Casanova by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. I found this a few weeks ago in the country section and the cover art alone was badass enough to make me check it out. I immediately loved it after my first listen. “Everybody’s Doin’ It” is one of the most fun and catchy songs I’ve ever listened to, and it is exactly what you think it is. That is, of course, if your first thought was truckin’ and fuckin’. I’ve yet to play that song for someone without seeing a smile come over their face. “Shall We Meet” is also a great song and sounds like something you would hear Billy Strings cover today. Another one of my favorites off this album is “My Window Faces The South,” a classic country song that’s been covered by many artists over the years. It’s just got such a warm feeling to it that reminds me of a southern summer day. Maybe I also just really like it cause I’m usually listening to it laying on my couch that faces a big window I’m aimlessly staring out of. At the time of writing this, there’s another copy of this album in store so if you ever feel like a little bit of honky tonkin’, come stop by and pick up this record!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4U81z9WSaM

Hi Sorry State fam! I hope everyone’s doing well out there, considering. Like a lot of people, I’ve been sort of stuck in a state of anger, fear, and disappointment with our fucked up government for a while now and the current state of absolute insanity. But music is a great outlet for all those shit feelings, and it’s always given me a sense of community.

Ya know… community is great and all, but I also feel like kicking some heads, and that’s my segue into this week’s staff pick. I’ve been really digging Headkicker’s debut release, presented by our own Sorry State Records.

Headkicker’s debut is an exhilarating 13 minute ride that keeps the same energy from start to finish. “The Law” is the opener and the standout track for me, as it just busts the door down and immediately grabs your attention. It’s fast and intense, with great vocal delivery to match. It’s got a bouncy post-punk beat with a dash of garage rock. Another standout, “Televise,” is reminiscent of late 70s punk, both with the vocals and the more urgent guitars. And the song “Future” feels like the punk anthem of the bunch, so it makes for a great closer.

Headkicker pays homage to its predecessors with its diverse mix of punk styles, but it’s by no means just a walk down memory lane. It incorporates such an interesting blend of different sounds that keeps you on your toes. There’s also a well-crafted shift in musical styles and structures throughout, and they maneuver these shifts with ease. It can be a tricky thing to experiment in a short amount of time without sounding like you’re throwing shit at the wall hoping something sticks. It’s clear Headkicker knows what they’re doing, because everything seems to stick. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for this band.

Oh, we need to talk about the packaging for a second, because it’s just so fucking cool! The retro vibe of the polka dots really makes it stand out, but it’s the braille on the pink outer strip for me.

By the way, this is a limited run and we only have a handful of these cassettes left, so I would grab it while you can. You won’t be disappointed!

Check out the opening track, “The Law” linked below.

https://sorrystaterecords.bandcamp.com/album/headkicker

Hello Sorry Staters. Thank you for joining us again. I hope you had a great week. Leaving the news aside, as we all know what horrible stuff is going on around the world and especially here in the United States, where we are fighting off our version of the far right. Kudos to the French for voting for democracy and giving the fascists the middle finger. Same here please.

Personally, I’m happy this week, as the Mighty Reds continue to win football matches. We are now in our tenth European Cup final and still competing for an unprecedented quadruple – the first English side to play every possible game in one season. Win or lose, it’s a great time to be supporting Liverpool. With so many other not so good things going on in my life, at least there’s footie and music.

There were a few record release anniversaries this week – Stone Roses debut, New Order’s Power, Corruption & Lies, The Cure’s Disintegration and some holidays of note including Eid al-Fitr (ending of Ramadan) and Cinco De Mayo. The latter being one of the most misunderstood celebrations of the calendar year. Not Mexican Independence Day, but rather commemorating a famous battle and victory over the French. It’s a celebration of defeating colonizing imperialism but that part has been somewhat lost over the years and now the day is more an excuse to drink tequila and eat Mexican food and is far more celebrated in the U.S. than Mexico itself or anywhere else for that matter. Anyway, that aside, I would like to use the day as an excuse to recommend a record that was made by a Mexican artist and hopefully one that some of you will enjoy hearing.

Ernan Roch Con Las Voces Frescas: La Onda Pesada. 1971. Discos Rex / Shadoks Music / La Onda Records

Ernan Roch, born Herman Rocha was a music mad teenager from the Veracruz region in Mexico. Like all teens during the early and mid-1960s, he became obsessed by the pop, rock and folk sounds coming from the US and the UK. A talented musician, he entered a studio for the first time aged just thirteen. These early recordings were apparently not released but are said to anticipate the sounds that Carlos Santana was preparing to release on the world. Roch increasingly added more western psychedelic influences to his music. His parents not appreciating this side of their son, shipped him off to an American military academy, thinking that would put him straight. However, being in America during the late 1960s only encouraged him more and when he returned to Mexico, he took up with his early producer to begin work on the songs that make up his album.

Singing all the songs in English with backing from a group called El Amor who would go on to record several albums themselves, the album was recorded in late 1969 to early 1970 and saw release in 1971 on the Discos Rex label. It’s a fabulous mix of West Coast psych and pop with great fuzz guitar playing on several songs. There are several highlights, but lead track The Train is the one that usually shows up on compilations or DJ mixes, and rightfully so. People have compared the sound to that of Damon and his amazing Song Of A Gypsy album. That record is incredible and highly regarded and there are similarities. One being the price for an original copy. Either of these will set you back four figures if you find one for sale. The Damon LP goes for several thousand as an original. I’m happy with my reissue. Lol.

I first came across the Ernan Roch LP via a grey area reissue on the La Onda label a few years ago. For a fan club pressing it doesn’t sound too bad. I have recently upgraded to the Shadoks pressing now, as that comes with nicer packaging and sound. The OG copy will have to wait unless I get lucky and find one on my next Mexican vacation.

The album isn’t just a one-track wonder though. The remainder of the album has lots to offer. On the radio show I do, we played the track All Right / It’s Gonna Take Me Time, which is a good up-tempo number with another stinging guitar solo. There’s more heavy guitar riffing on Gonna Make It, a bluesy number. That song, along with most of the others, has strong acoustic guitar strumming going on and combined with his vocal style reminded me of the great Sixto Rodriguez and his Cold Fact LP. That album, as you probably know, is excellent and was recorded around the same time. If you enjoy Rodriguez, then you’ll be onboard with Ernan Roch.

Also, like Rodriguez who didn’t see his work get recognized at the time, Ernan Roch’s record wasn’t “discovered” until many years later and is still under the radar. He disappeared from the scene, although apparently returned with an album in the mid-80s titled Suenos, but I have not seen a copy or heard that record. There are also some tracks from an unspecified date that have a more polished and Bowie-esque glam sound, but I can’t give you any details on those I’m afraid as I haven’t heard them.

Mexico had a ton of great garage, psych and heavy rock groups during the 60s and 70s and you are encouraged to dig deeper. Groups like Dug Dug’s, La Revolucian De Emiliano Zapata, Kaleidoscope and the aforementioned El Amor all have great records in their discographies.

Have a great Cinco De Mayo everyone and if I have piqued your interest on this one, I noticed there were one or two dealers selling the Shadoks reissue for a decent price on Discogs should you want to take the plunge.

Cheers and see you next time.

-Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

As I’m sitting down to write for our newsletter on this beautiful Wednesday evening, my mind is also preoccupied with getting ready for my trip this weekend. Before I get into talking about my staff pick, I wanna give a little heads up to you readers about what I’m up to! I’m leaving tonight to head up to Richmond to meet up with the rest of Public Acid and we’ll be playing a few dates this weekend. We’ll be support for those UK lads in The Chisel for a couple of shows on their East Coast Tour. We’ll also be accompanied by our good homies in Dark Thoughts and Quarantine for both the gigs that we’re playing. So rad! Thursday night is the Richmond gig, which will be sick. Then on Friday we’re playing The Chisel’s gig in Philly, which Impalers are also playing. I’m very stoked about that. Then we’re heading up to New York to see Warthog shred. We’ll spending be spending a few more days in NY just to hang out or whatever, eat some pizza, maybe do some band business, who knows? ;)

But enough about me. Damn man, Radio Raheem might as well just take all my money at this point. Compilations have always been a killer vehicle for musical discovery, particularly when you’re talking 80s hardcore. The Master Tape (both volumes 1 &2) are among some of my favorite punk compilations to ever be released. And who were the first band I heard on side A of the first disc of the Master Tape: Volume 2? Violent Apathy. From Michigan, this band played pounding, primitive and serious as fuck hardcore. The track “Ignorance Is Bliss” being the faster track on the comp, I always had my fists clenched when that song was blasting. Violent Apathy’s songs just precede Malignant Growth, which is some of my favorite stuff on the whole comp, but that’s besides the point. Now Radio Raheem has reissued a session Violent Apathy recorded in 1981 prior to their first 7”. Short bursts of raw and killer hardcore, with songs so short that the label released all the songs repeated on both sides of the 7”. I love it. At least it’s not single-sided.

We’ve already sold a handful of these 7”s. If this write-up catches your attention, then definitely pick up a copy from us. A small and interesting part of the puzzle when taking a look at 80s Midwest hardcore. Hell yeah!

That’s all I’ve got. By this time next week, I’ll have just returned from Public Acid’s adventure. As always thanks for reading.

‘Til next week (we’ll see),

-Jeff

Peter Hammill: Nadir’s Big Chance 12” (1975, Charisma Records)

My favorite source of musical discoveries lately is the BBC 6 Music program The Freak Zone with Stuart Maconie, which plays left-field music of many stripes, including psych, prog, kosmiche, jazz, modern classical, electronic, and many more that are unclassifiable. I mentioned the show a few weeks ago because it turned me onto the Okay Temiz and Johnny Dyani LP that was my staff pick then, and another recent episode had me heading to Discogs to find a copy of this 1975 LP by Peter Hammill. I can’t remember what track Maconie played on his show, but it was enough to get me interested, and when I did a little digging and found that Nadir’s Big Chance was pretty much entirely in that 70s glam / art rock vein I love so much, I knew I had to find a vinyl copy for the full experience.

I didn’t know it until I started doing research in preparation to write this piece, but I already had several Peter Hammill records in my collection. However, they were not under Hammill’s own name but Van Der Graaf Generator, the group he co-founded. I’m not super knowledgeable about Van Der Graaf Generator, but I pick up their records whenever I come across them, and I always enjoy them. Hammill was prolific in the 70s, releasing a spate of LPs under his own name and Van Der Graaf Generator, sometimes multiple albums in a year. The solo and Van Der Graaf projects seem fluid as well, with the same musicians and songwriters contributing to both projects. In fact, Nadir’s Big Chance features all the musicians in Van Der Graaf’s 1975 lineup, and songwriting contributions from Judge Smith, who played drums in the original lineup of Van Der Graaf Generator.

While I’m not well-versed enough in this universe of musicians to explain precisely how it fits into the bigger picture of their discographies, I can tell you that Nadir’s Big Chance differs from Hammill’s other records in that, on these tracks, Hammill inhabits the character of Rikki Nadir. On the back of the jacket, Hammill calls Nadir a “loud, aggressive, perpetual sixteen-year-old,” and Nadir’s voice gives these “three chord wonders” an extra jolt of energy. While, in 1975, the glam rock movement was losing steam in Britain, Nadir’s Big Chance huffs from the same bag as records like Electric Warrior and Ziggy Stardust, all pomp and drama and exuberance. Nadir’s Big Chance doesn’t sound like kids’ music, though; what it resembles more than those mainstream glam touchstones are the artists from the artier end of the glam spectrum, particularly early Roxy Music and Brian Eno’s first couple of solo albums. Like those records, Nadir’s Big Chance struts and preens, but it also reaches and challenges, and the record is produced with a raw, homespun feel I love.

Famously, when John Lydon played some records on Capitol Radio in 1977, he dropped in two tracks from Nadir’s Big Chance, “Institute of Mental Health, Burning” (what a title!) and “Nobody’s Business,” noting that Bowie might have stolen a few moves from Hammill (though by 1975, one must note, Bowie had killed off Ziggy and was moving into his Thin White Duke phase). If I’ve piqued your interest, Lydon’s selections are a great starting point, but I’ll also mention “Birthday Special,” another of the highest energy tracks on the album.

What’s up Sorry Staters?
 
I don’t know what’s going on with me lately… Sure, I wrote about some Mexican new wave last week, but beyond that, I do feel like I probably have sounded awfully sentimental for the last couple weeks. I hope all you reading this don’t mind me waxing nostalgic about hardcore. Is this what happens when you get to a certain age? I don’t think I’m unhappy with my current existence in the punk world, but whether it’s been talking about Big Boys or Career Suicide, I guess I have been reminiscing like a dum dum.
 
I’ve been listening to DRI a lot again recently. I know, big surprise, right? I’m pretty sure that about a year ago, I wrote about DRI in the newsletter when I finally scored an og copy of the Dirty Rotten EP. I’m worried that I’m just gonna regurgitate a bunch of the same shit I said in that newsletter from last year, so I’ll try to make this fresh. By pure coincidence, as I realized I might be repeating myself sitting down to gush about DRI, this young dude came into the store today with his dad. It was like the punk-metal universe was trying to tell me something! This dude must’ve been about 14 or 15, and he was wearing a vest just totally decked out in patches. And of course, right on the chest panel of his vest was a big DRI patch. I was like, “Hell yeah, kid.” I must’ve been about his age when I first became obsessed with DRI. While I was standing at the counter listening to this kid and his dad chat with Dom, it sounded like they go to gigs together… which is cool! I don’t recall ever going to see Circle Jerks and Negative Approach with my Pops haha, my dad is more into hard rock and metal. Then his dad bought a copy of Crossover, which admittedly is not my favorite DRI record. They’re not quite into the lyrical territory of “Don’t be tardy,” and shit like that yet, but even by this album, they’re already getting a little too thrashy for me. But THEN, the kid bought both Death Side CDs we had in stock. Didn’t matter that we didn’t have any copies on vinyl -- he was happy to buy them anyway. That got me stoked. He had never heard Wind of Pain by Bastard, so I told him to immediately go check that out.
 
Around the time I was first getting into DRI in high school, I was playing drums (badly, I might add) in my first real band called Feeble Minded. I recently stumbled across my old bass drumhead in my closet, which I’ve held onto after all these years. The drumhead had our band’s logo on it. I hand drew that skeleton design when I was around 16 or so. I also burned the screen and screen-printed the logo onto the drumhead myself. I was also skateboarding every single day around that time. Damn, I used to do so much cool shit… What the hell happened? Haha.
 
Anyway, that’s all I’ve got to say this week. Go blast some Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, ya freaxxx. Speaking of which, a heads up for all you local punks: I’m putting out some DRI records this weekend for our used new arrivals. We’ve got an og 12” version of the Dirty Rotten LP going out. But if you crave that original format, I’ve also got a 7” version with all 22 tracks crammed onto a bite-size platter for ya (not an og, of course.) Plus, tons more killer used punk 7”s!
 
As always, thanks for reading.
 
‘Til next week,
 
-Jeff

Hi Sorry State readers! Hope everyone is doing well. Or at least above average. I realized after the last couple weeks that I just jumped right in to the staff picks and never really introduced myself here. I will keep it brief. I’m Angela. I’ve been an avid Sorry State consumer for years and have accumulated some of my most prized vinyl here. I worked at two record stores a long long time ago in college, and then some more years passed and I became a psychologist. I’m also pretty unconventional, and nothing is more fun than working for a record store. Let alone my favorite record store, and with some really cool people. It’s a pretty ideal gig to be surrounded by music, talking about music, and also writing about it… which brings me to my staff pick.

The Neutrals Bus Stop Nights EP has been flying off the shelves here since it released. I keep a stack of them next to me because I pack them in so many orders! It really is SO good. It’s a straightforward, poppy, jangly, post-punk gem with super clean guitar work and complimentary vocals. Allan McNaughton’s Scot accent is apparent, but it comes to the forefront in the ridiculously catchy song, Gary Borthwick Says. This standout track was love at first listen. It’s a song about a bullshitter type of guy, with great lines like “Gary Borthwick is completely sure he played bass guitar for The Cure.”

The EP accomplishes a lot in only 11 minutes. It’s cohesive, and there’s a thoughtful dichotomy between Side A and Side B. The first side is fun and jangly, with clever punchy lines. Side B is less harmonious, and goes deeper, delving a little bit into new wave post-punk. On the song Pressure of Life, I got a late 70s Cure vibe (think of the album Three Imaginary Boys). The EP wraps up with my second favorite track, New Town Dream. The guitar speeds up, and the band delivers what I think is the catchiest riff and best drum beat on the EP. And then it’s over. You’re sort of thrown out of the car while it’s moving, but you’re not mad at it. You just want to get back in that car. So, by my calculation, you need roughly three spins to feel more satisfied.

So yeah, the only downside to the new Neutrals EP is that it ends. After my very first listen I thought, aww, that’s it? And I can’t think of a better indicator we have something special on our hands. Grab it! You won’t regret it.

Link below to check out the standout track “Gary Borthwick Says.”

https://staticshockrecords.bandcamp.com/track/gary-borthwick-says

Thanks for reading!

Angela

Hello, and thank you for reading. Today I write about CONSEC from Athens, Georgia. They just released a new flexi on Futile Force. The label is operated by the vocalist of the band, Reeth. He actually recorded, mixed, and mastered this release as well! I became friends with the bassist of the band, Zach, when SCARECROW was down in Charlotte some years ago. (If yer reading this, what up ya’ll!) I don’t think CONSEC was a band back then, but I could be wrong. Anyway, Zach hit me up a few months ago to book CONSEC and unfortunately the date couldn’t work out on my end. I was lucky enough to hear the flexi tracks at this point it time as well. But after hearing it I was really bummed the show didn’t work out, cos I think this shit fucking rips. We did have the privilege of bringing them up here to gig with ZORN soon after though, so I got to see ‘em rip in real life in the end. I’ve been excited to get these in stock since I heard it, and the finally arrived today after some postal delays. Definitely check out the link I dropped above and grab a copy if you dig it! I look forward to what they do next. Cheers, and also fuck everyone that I think sucks.

Greetings Sorry State gang. How are you all? Did you have a great Record Store Day this past Saturday? We hope so. We had a great day here at the store even though we couldn’t please all of our Taylor Swift fans waiting in line. However, that release aside, we did well in getting the other records to those that wanted them. If you stopped by or ordered from us, a big thank you for your support. We appreciate it. I thought this year's RSD list was a good one although I wish some releases that came out in the UK were available here. I was happy with my grabs and perhaps as time moves on I’ll find those missing odds and ends. I wish the same to you for whatever you are hunting for.

This upcoming Saturday is International Jazz Day in case you didn’t know. A global celebration of all things Jazz. My DJ friends over at The Face Radio will dedicate the whole day to special Jazz filled broadcasts as our part of joining the fun. I’ll be working here at the store that day, but there is a Jazz record that I have been enjoying that I recently picked up which I would like to tell you all about.

The Wayne Powell Octet: Plays Hallucination. Lo-Lace Records. 1965 / Mo-Jazz Records. 2022

Fellow DJ pal Tim Spurrier turned me on to this one when he made it his featured album on one of his Soulside shows recently and I must thank him. He got his hands on a limited reissue that Mo-Jazz Records had just put out. I was impressed and immediately secured a copy for myself. I’m so glad I did as this type of record is right up my Strasse.

Originally released as a private press album on the Lo-Lace label out of Los Angeles in 1965 it is rarely seen, and I don’t feel too bad for not having heard of it.

Wayne Powell played vibes, inspired by Lionel Hampton, and put together this combo for gigs and recorded this one album with those players. The record is a nice mix of mood and tempo. Jazz with a healthy dose of Rhythm & Blues. Pop in places and deep and spiritual in others. The main selling point for me though is when the band get into a Mod-Jazz mood and remind me of my favorite Ramsey Lewis, Billy Larkin and The Deligates, and Harold Johnson Sextet records or like on the song Duckin’ similar to The Googie Rene Combo’s tune called Smokey Joe’s La La that is a Mod classic and was sampled nicely by DJ David Holmes for his My Mate Paul track. Compare the two yourselves and see what you think.

Another cut in this style is the song Tootsie, which obviously predates the Dustin Hoffman film by quite a few years. I doubt very much that there is a connection. Interestingly though, is that on the 45 that was released back in the day the song was titled Tutzy. I wonder how and why the change in spelling came about or whether it is just something as simple as a typo. If anyone has the answer, get in touch.

As mentioned, Wayne Powell played the vibes and I just love the sound of a vibraphone in jazz. Roy Ayers, Cal Tjader, Milt Jackson, Lionel Hampton, Dave Pike, Terry Gibbs, Bobby Hutcherson, Mulatu Astatke, Gary Burton, et al are household names round my place and represented well in my collection. So, it was a bonus that vibes feature on some tracks. Title track Hallucination allows Powell to show his chops. It’s a beautiful track helped along by some tasteful Latin conga and tidy piano playing, not to mention great trumpet and horns and a guitar solo rounding out the sound.

Guitarist Don Kobayashi and trombone player Clint Arnold share the spotlight on album closer Quernemoen, another strong cut. The tempo here is more late night or lazy sunny afternoon. A nice plodding bass line and brush work from the drummer help give the track the finishing touches.

There are two cuts with a slow blues feel to them, Blue And Easy and More Blues, and two more danceable R ‘N B numbers called Jurkit and Brown’s Bucket, which are fun. The whole album has a strong R ‘N B feel rather than just straight jazz, and that part appeals to me. Additionally, the jazz component is more of a big band style than a small combo and for these tunes that works.

The only thing missing would be some vocals on one or two tracks. Generally, I prefer without, but I could see a good singer tackling some tunes here if they wrote lyrics.

Also of note are the typos on the sleeve. I must assume that Mo-Jazz reproduced the original exactly, and those mistakes were left unchanged. Right? Other than the Tootsie/Tutzy spelling difference between the single and album, which seems intentional. Regardless, who cares? It’s the music that matters. I certainly won’t let that bother me when the music is this good.

Mo-Jazz made this reissue a limited pressing of just 500 copies, so if I have whetted your appetite I wouldn’t hang around on this one. Stateside dwellers might have to stump the Euro shipping charges, though.

Jazz music still has so much to offer the world. Recordings like these that are over fifty years old are being discovered and enjoyed by a wider audience and reaching different generations. I am always excited when I hear something old like this for the first time. Especially when it ticks so many boxes. So, pour yourself a drink and imagine you are in a Los Angeles night club circa 1965 and nod your head and tap your feet to the cool sounds of The Wayne Powell Octet.

Cheers! Until next time - Dom

The Apostles: Blow It Up Burn It Down Kick It Till It Breaks 7” (self-released, 1983)

Like my staff pick from last week, this 7” by the Apostles is another one I removed from my want list recently. Patience has always been the name of my game with record collecting. When someone recommends something to me or I hear about it, rather than rushing out to grab the first copy I can come across, I add it to the want list and wait for favorable terms to present themselves, whether that’s a copy from a US seller, an off condition copy for a bargain price, or the all-too-rare screaming deal. Occasionally, I break these rules and splurge (my impulse toward thrift is apt to dissolve when the item I want is in front of me, like at a shop or record fair), but my patience typically gets rewarded.

I added this 7” to my want list a few months ago when I was hanging out in the well-appointed artist lounge at Sorry eStates. (JK, I was just exchanging emails with a punk whose record we’re putting out from the drab, untidy confines of my windowless office.) Said punk mentioned this 1983 by the Apostles was one of their favorites so I checked it out on YouTube, liked what I heard, added it to the old want list. Eventually, the right deal came along and after a fraught journey from the UK to North Carolina, I finally had the EP in my hands.

I wasn’t a total stranger to the Apostles when I checked out Blow It Up Burn It Down Kick It Till It Breaks. If memory serves, sometime early in the history of Sorry State’s brick and mortar shop, someone (I can’t remember who… maybe La Vida Es Un Mus?) turned up dead stock copies of their 1986 LP for Mortarhate, Punk Obituary, and we carried them in the shop. I’m certain I listened to it, but I can’t remember how I felt about it and it didn’t move me enough to keep a copy for myself. I also knew the Apostles had a massive discography comprising numerous cassette albums, LPs, and singles. When a band has a huge discography, I’m apt to start at the beginning, but the many cassette albums and live tapes that preceded their first vinyl release made it difficult to figure out what one should consider the beginning.

As far as I can tell, Blow It Up Burn It Down Kick It Till It Breaks is the Apostles’ first vinyl release (though Discogs lists both it and Rising from the Ashes as having come out in 1983). The sound is eclectic even by anarcho-punk standards, landing somewhere between the more melodic sound of bands like Zounds and Crisis and the tougher, more hardcore anarcho sound of Conflict and Crass. For me, the standout track on this five-song EP is “Alien Asian,” which leans on an excellent melodic lead guitar line. The playing throughout is loose but powerful, with idiosyncratic touches like falsetto vocals and a lengthy drum solo at the end of “Pigs for the Slaughter.” I love how the Apostles can sound like a messy racket most of the time, but interesting and memorable bits frequently emerge from the din.

I also must note the EP’s awesome packaging. The foldout poster sleeve is pretty much de rigueur for anarcho punk, but the Apostles make good use of the format. The giant foldout is dense with text and imagery, much of it reproduced on such a tiny scale that it’s barely legible. You get the usual assortment of underground comics, lyrics, and political screeds along with some spicier content, like public callouts of other scene members and instructions for making petrol bombs and breaking into buildings (presumably for squatting). You get the impression the Apostles were bursting with ideas. I wonder if the other releases in their massive discography are similarly dense?

Blow It Up Burn It Down Kick It Till It Breaks takes me into the Apostles’ world so effectively that I’m eager to explore more of their discography. (As a devoted fan of the Fall, you might guess I have a weakness for bands with huge discographies and a proclivity for immersive world-building.) The small amount of research I’ve done on the group leads me to believe Blow It Up Burn It Down Kick It Till It Breaks might be one of the more straightforward releases in the Apostles’ discography, but if anyone has tips on what to explore next, I’m all ears.

Hi Sorry State readers! So this week I felt compelled to write about the Wet Leg release. I was initially very intrigued and confused by the hype surrounding it. I couldn’t help but notice that people across different demographics with very different music tastes were touting this album all over Instagram. Not to mention, Wet Leg had already been gaining commercial recognition as a front runner in the UK billboard race.

And I gotta say, I really like it. Wet Leg S/T is a bratty, humorous guitar pop album with catchy hooks, and riffs and fuzz reminiscent of indie rock’s past. It also feels retro at times. It’s not super groundbreaking, but it’s super fun.

I’m really into riot grrrl type shit, and Wet Leg isn’t that, but it still has enough edge to keep me engaged. The confidence with which they deliver their lines is pretty infectious. It’s probably the Gemini in me, but I’m attracted to the unapologetic emotional confusion present in the songwriting. It’s like telling someone “fuck you! I hate you!” but motioning for them to call you later.

And given that it’s an indie album, you’re for sure getting some “adulting is hard” content, whether it’s sincere or making fun of the young millennial stereotypes. You hear this in the lines “I went home all alone. Checked my phone. Oh no. Oh my God. Life is hard. Credit card. Oh no. You’re so woke. Diet Coke.” Yeah, it’s silly, but it’s still funny and pretty on point.

I will say that the album’s tempo can be a little samesy in the first half of the album, but there are a couple gentler, wispier ballads toward the latter half to break things up. Personally, I happen to like an album that you can depend on to keep the same high energy, and won’t just abruptly bring you down just as you’re gaining the momentum to do things.

Chaise Longue is the big hit on the album but check out Angelica, Loving You, and Piece of Shit. Songs like these may help to ensure that Wet Leg isn’t buried in the one hit wonder graveyard anytime in the near future.

So again, why is this album, in a sea of indie releases, getting so much attention? The best that I can come up with is that it’s not just a fun album. It’s a fun album that just happened to come along at the right time, and timing really is everything.

Link to one of my faves (Angelica), the fourth single from Wet Leg:

https://youtu.be/8qWHthLQ1Uw

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I will be here with the quickness for real as I am writing mad last minute. With Rachel leaving, me getting Covid, and training our new team member Angela I found myself deeper in the weeds than ever before. Luckily Daniel came to motherfucking rescue and whooped ass at everything fulfillment related. Anyway, today I write about INSTRUCT. A month or so ago I was writing with someone I haven’t talked to in ages. (If yer reading this, what up Devin!) We both used to live in the Midwest and moved to separate coasts. I was obsessed with his Kansas City band NO MASTER so naturally I was very excited to check out INSTRUCT when Devin mentioned he had a new band. The styles aren’t really the same, aside from being filthy fuckin’ hardcore punk. INSTRUCT has a definite metallic edge, while NO MASTER was pretty much on-the-nose DISCHARGE style. It appears INSTRUCT are just making music they want to, rather than what seems “cool” or hyped now days. I guess what I mean is it rules to hear some disgusting, not-give-a-fuck crust amidst all the contemporary hardcore releases coming out these days that all have the same formulas. While I am here to write about INSTRUCT, I would check out the NO MASTER link I dropped as well, both tapes rule. Thank you for reading, and thanks for everyone’s support. Peace!