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Hello and thanks for reading. I haven’t been listening to a ton of records lately, just a few here and there. I have found myself playing my partner’s Nintendo Switch basically any time I have free time. This is like a handheld video game for those who don’t know, like a Gameboy but way more advanced. I have even been making time between work and rehearsal to squeeze in some video games, haha. We will see how long this lasts though, as I am not a big fan of video games or television. Usually, I would rather spend my time with something on the turntable rather than something on the television. So let us get to the records then, and I wanted to start with Hardcore Knockouts.
To be honest, the results shocked me, cos in my mind BLACK UNIFORMS is a much ‘cooler’ band. (For the record, I voted for ASTA KASK.) These two bands are extremely different and a bit strange to match up, but maybe a lot of people got my joke. This is a ‘special edition’ of Hardcore Knockouts, cos it’s about beef. I’m not really sure if ASTA KASK really had any direct beef with BLACK UNIFORMS, but BLACK UNIFORMS certainly had something to say about ASTA KASK in their song F.O.A.D. I was a huge ASTA KASK fan for many years before BLACK UNIFORMS, so when I heard this song that started with an ASTA KASK intro, I lost my mind laughing. ASTA KASK is like basically pop-punk by today’s standards (and I hate pop-punk), but the way it’s executed is absolutely perfect if you ask me. They sound a bit meaner and rougher than a pop-punk band would, but they are certainly melodic as fuck. I love how catchy the choruses are, and the gang vocals really hit the spot for me. I wrote about ASTA KASK a handful of years ago when their EPs were reissued on cassette. Going back just now to read, it was actually pretty informative. My memory sucks… But I went back there cos I wanted to point out that while ASTA KASK was on the poppy side of things, they played an important role in hardcore punk from Sweden at the time. The band was started by Micke Blomqvist, who operated his own recording studio through the 80s called Kloakens Alternativa Antistudio. At his studio, legendary bands like ANTI CIMEX, AVSKUM, ASOCIAL, SVART PARAD, CRUDE SS, NYX NEGATIVE, and RÖVSVETT all recorded. You can read a bit more in the link I dropped above, and I am pretty sure I have copies of the tape I mentioned still. If you need one, you know where to find me.
Moving on, one of the best records of 2023 is now back in print on Sorry State, and that is the G.U.N. LP. I remember the first time I heard this. It was when I was listening to a test press while making covers for them. I didn’t know what to expect at all and I could not believe how good it was. I mean obviously right, or I would have been playing the masters like mad before we even got the tests, haha. I think everyone I know thinks this the LP is killer, hence it selling out pretty fast and us being asked about it repeatedly since. Well, it’s back in print now with a pretty small pressing of 300 copies. They are all on yellow vinyl and they all come with a cool color poster. Alongside this LP, Sorry State is also dropping a ‘new’ PERSONAL DAMAGE 7" and I think it is absolutely amazing!! One thing that really gets me with this band is how damn good the recordings sound. At times, it legit sounds like you’re listening to an 80s record. They don’t hide behind some lo-fi aspects with a blown-out recording or something to emulate an old recording. The recording is pretty clean, and the drums sound especially good. Oh, I said new in quotations, cos this 7" was actually a tape not too long ago if you missed that one. Well, it’s excellent, so good thing Daniel decided to put it out on a more permanent format. Dropping these two hot ass slabs together is quite a release day if you ask me. I can listen to both of these records non-stop, and they never get old. Both records end with such catchy songs that stay stuck in my head for hours or even days after listening.
So it’s been a while since I last wrote, and last time I did I mentioned KRIEGSHÖG. We had just stocked the fresh repress of their debut (and masterpiece) LP. Well, that shit sold out fast as hell, but I am sure we will restock it. Since then, we have gotten in copies of their brand-new LP entitled Love & Revenge. I’ve listened to this LP pretty heavily. I was lucky enough to land a test press, and that got some serious rotation on my turntable. I was not sure what to expect with such a large gap between releases, and yet another line-up change. I think it’s safe to say this LP is a certified banger. The sound is extremely different from that of their debut, so don’t go into it ready to compare or you’re going to be let down. I will probably write more on this LP later, as I have a lot of thoughts on it. I also want to do some nerding out on the line-up changes over the years.
Alright, now it’s time for my actual staff pick. My pick this week doesn’t have anything to do with a new release, and it really has (almost) nothing to do with hardcore. I don’t know if I have ever mentioned THE SPECIALS here before, but this stuff is integral listening if you ask me. When I got into punk as a teenager, I also learned about ska and reggae around the same time. It’s always interesting when I meet punks who don’t fuck with ska. I understand third-wave ska and beyond was really bad, but that’s not the shit I am talking about. Traditional ska and rocksteady from Jamaica are what I mean. If you don’t know the history of ska and skinhead, then maybe you don’t quite understand what I mean when I say I find it interesting when punks don’t fuck with ska. Just like punk and hardcore, I find ska and punk inseparable. I don’t know enough about the history of ska to confidently explain the evolution and relationship of ska, skinhead, and punk, but I know Dominic can school us all on this stuff. If I remember right, Dominic attended some of those 2 Tone gigs that originally happened back in England. I was introduced to 2 Tone via THE SPECIALS, a handful of years after my introduction to ska. THE SPECIALS actually were the band to coin this term ‘2 Tone’ and they (namely Jerry Dammers) also started the label called 2 Tone Records. If I remember right, it is named as such to reference the unity of whites and blacks in their subculture, as well as the fusion of punk and ska in their music. It was an important movement, as racial tensions in England were getting out of hand, including at these gigs. While I find the ska-punk of today to be pretty hilariously bad, THE SPECIALS were the first band that I know about who incorporated elements of ska and punk together. If you ask me, it’s a beautiful fusion. I can never get enough SPECIALS. It is 100% feel-good music that makes me want to dance no matter what.
After many years as a SPECIALS fanatic, one day I came across this bootleg LP at a record shop. I didn’t know what it was exactly, but it said “THE SPECIALS” across the front so I bought it without question. I went home and discovered it is a very early version of THE SPECIALS. At this point, they were not known as THE SPECIALS, but THE AUTOMATICS. I am 99% certain this stuff was recorded for John Peel (no surprise there). The sound is not quite the 2 tone style I knew them for, as it seems that evolution hadn’t quite hit yet. It seems the line-up is almost identical to THE SPECIALS, however legend John Bradbury (R.I.P.) had not joined the band on drums yet. I think his drumming seriously elevated THE SPECIALS, but man, hearing these significantly different versions of songs I knew like the back of my hand was SO COOL. I can’t stress that enough. I have a lot of friends who get down with THE SPECIALS, and not one has ever known about this stuff before I played it for them. Well, surprise, Dominic was the exception to that, haha. I wanted to mention this here today, cos maybe there are some friends of mine who are reading, or SPECIALS fanatics, who haven’t yet heard this stuff! They recorded almost all the songs again on their debut LP, but there are a few that never appear again. And one of them is one of my all-time favorite SPECIALS tracks, Look But Don’t Touch. While I said earlier that THE SPECIALS are 100% feel-good, this song is an exception for me. Look But Don’t Touch hits me layers deep and brings out a bit of sadness. It’s good to feel sad at times. I haven’t given THE SPECIALS a real listen since Terry Hall passed away. Earlier this week I found myself listening to a later SPECIALS song after talking to a friend... This later era of the band did not have Terry Hall, as he had formed Fun Boy Three alongside another former SPECIALS member, Neville Staple. After watching this music video, I went onto the music video of their first hit track Ghost Town. And down the pipeline I went. You can hear the full LP I’m holding in my hand here. Also, nice timing, my partner coincidentally just sent me this YouTube video. It focuses on Ghost Town in a way, but it also gives a brief breakdown of the culture and influences at that time.
OK, I’ve said quite a bit about not a whole lot that’s relevant to Sorry State, so I should stop now. We recently got these bootlegs of some Japanese shit in stock. Two of these releases I have absolutely no idea about, but I think the GASMASK is unreleased material! I am out of town so I haven’t checked them out yet, but you can expect a review from me sooner than later! Alright everyone, thanks for reading and thanks for your support. Cheers!