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Highlights from the Clearance Bin, March 2018
In case you weren't aware, Sorry State has a massive clearance section full of releases available for 50% or more off their original retail price. Why does stuff end up in the clearance bin? Well, I suppose sometimes because it sucks, but more often than not it's because it didn't really catch on. Maybe we were super excited by a release and ordered a ton of copies, but the band never toured and the label forgot to send out promo copies and Jimmy never posted it on his YouTube channel, so it just kind of gradually faded into obscurity. Regardless, there's still tons of great, cheap music availabe in this section. Here are a couple of highlights:
Sorry State New Release Cheat Sheet for March 19th 2018
All Things to All People Vol 27
So, on this round of posts on the Sorry State blog we’re talking about split records. Honestly, I don’t have a lot of feelings either way on split records. I don’t hate them, but I definitely don’t love them either. Unless I’m forgetting something, there isn’t a single split release in Sorry State’s 100-ish release discography, which isn’t so much because I hate them, but rather because I don’t see much point in them. Aesthetically, it’s hard for me to come up with a really good reason why two bands’ recordings should be paired together or how the split-release format enhances the aesthetic worth or impact of either side. I mean, is the Faith or the Void material any better for having the other band’s work on the b-side? If each of those sessions had been released as separate 7”s I dare say that they would have been just as lauded as they are now, if not more. The same goes, in my opinion, for pretty much any other split release you could throw at me.
While splits are a tough (impossible?) thing to get right, it’s easy to cite examples of where they go wrong. I’ve heard these flawed splits referred to condescendingly as “one-sided records,” i.e. records where one of the two bands is so inconsequential that they may as well not exist. The example that leaps immediately to mind is the Career Suicide / Jed Whitey split. If I remember correctly, Brandon from No Way Records took a screwdriver to the Jed Whitey side of his copy and defaced the record to the point where it could never be played again. I don’t remember hating Jed Whitey that much, but I also probably haven’t listened to their side of the record in over ten years and honestly could not tell you what they sound like. To this day it still seems really weird that these CS tracks were paired with a band from Australia whom none of us had ever heard of. I feel like I remember the members of CS being asked about why this was the case and they didn’t even have a good explanation.
The only good arguments that I can think of for splits are economic ones. It certainly makes sense for both bands to share the manufacturing expenses for a release (and I think this may be the origin story behind the Faith/Void split), but a split can also, theoretically at least, be a good marketing tool. If you have a popular band and another, less popular band whose sound would appeal to fans of the popular band, a split release seems like a logical way for the smaller band to expand their audience. If things work out really well then maybe the bigger band can even share in the cred of being associated with a smaller, presumably more cutting-edge band. I believe that this was the idea behind the BYO Records Split Series that trickled out five volumes in the late 90s and early 00s.
Indeed, Hot Water Music and Leatherface are pretty much a perfect case for the popularity-for-credibility exchange I outlined above. When this record was released in 1999 Hot Water Music were absolutely huge and they owed an obvious aesthetic debt to Leatherface. And, I must say, if this was a marketing ploy it definitely worked! While I didn’t pick up the actual album until afterward, I went to see the Leatherface / Hot Water Music US tour that happened shortly after the record’s release. I wasn’t a fan of Hot Water Music and I’d never heard Leatherface, but I went to the show anyway and I was absolutely blown away by Leatherface. If I remember correctly they were sold out of the split by the time the tour hit Richmond, but I picked it up soon after and proceeded to track down all of Leatherface’s numerous previous releases.
Leatherface’s contribution to the split is great, and a crucially underrated contribution to their catalog in my opinion. The band had reformed with most of its classic lineup in 1998, but guitarist Dickie Hammond left the band shortly before these tracks were recorded, with Leighton Evans moving from bass to second guitar (this is from memory, so apologies if I’m wrong!). I’ve always loved Evans’ guitar playing, and while it’s different from Dickie’s it works just as well with Frankie’s, and the records that he played on are a heavier, more intense—but just as intricate—version of the band. Just check out that crazy bottomed-out E chord on “Punch (Drunk),” which still gives me chills to this day. What’s more, that added heaviness perfectly suits the emotional heaviness of Stubbs’ lyrics, which tend to be far more introverted and downcast than either the biting social commentary on the band’s earlier records or the playful, surreal poetry he would experiment with on later releases. The follow-up full-length, Horsebox, was just as good and is also highly recommended.
However, as much as I liked the Leatherface side I could never get down with the Hot Water Music side. For years I only had the CD of this release, and I would listen to the six Leatherface tracks, then Hot Water Music’s side would start. I still remember the first line of their first song, “How do we get back?,” because that would be my signal to hit the eject button and listen to something else. I became increasingly annoyed that the HWM side even existed, which eventually blossomed into an almost irrational hatred of the band. However, I’ll leave my critique of them for another day.
As for the BYO Records Split Series, I remember the second one came out a few months later, and the bands were Swingin’ Utters and Youth Brigade. I could see how that pairing carried forward the setup from the first volume, but I just wasn’t really interested in either band at the time. Subsequent volumes also failed to get things just right. Eventually, the final volume of the series was a NOFX / Rancid split where they covered one another’s songs. So, you know, take from that whatever lessons you will.
Post-script: why is it that both of the split records I chose rip off graphic design elements from the Blue Note Records catalog? Coincidence or conspiracy? You be the judge!
X-20 / Subdom: Split cassette (D4MT Labs) Split cassette from these two New York projects on Kaleidoscope’s house imprint. X-20 is a solo project by Kaleidoscope’s drummer, and as it expected it bears some similarities to Kaleidoscope in places, but it also it’s own thing. While some of the songs are more straightforward (“Substance Death” has an almost Dead Kennedys-esque vibe in places), in general it seems like X-20 feels a little looser and more out-there than Kaleidoscope, so if you dig the progressive / adventurous end of what Kaleidoscope is doing you will almost certainly like X-20 quite a lot as well. As for Subdom, this side of the tape has a real “anything goes” vibe, and moves from sinister-sounding, Screamers-influenced synth punk to straight up hardcore punk to more abstract/ambient passages that resemble Coil or even the darker end of Krautrock. It’s easy to see how Subdom fits in with the D4MT camp as, like X-20 and Kaleidoscope, they seem determined to stomp all over the lines between subgenres that define and restrict most punk bands. Perhaps this tape demands a little more of you as a listener than the latest Kaleidoscope 7”, but I assure you that your effort will be duly rewarded.
The Child Molesters: 1978 Hound Dog Recordings 12” (Negative Jazz) Four-song 12” of vintage recordings from these California KBD provocateurs. Unless I’m mistaken, these tracks were first released in 1981 as a 12” called Wir Lieben Die Jugendlich Mädchen (with much cooler artwork IMHO), then as a double 7” on Sympathy for the Record Industry (with artwork far more tasteless than what you see here). If you’ve only heard the band’s classic “(I’m the) Hillside Strangler,” this is very much the same band… like that track, these songs are mean, nasty, and provocative, essentially the late 70s equivalent of what an internet troll might do today. However, the recordings on these tracks give them a very different vibe. Whereas “Hillside Strangler” is super dense and fuzzy, these tracks have a clearer, more professional recording. While they probably sound “better” by most people’s definition, to me they don’t have the same sonic impact as the single, though they do allow the band’s personality to shine through much more clearly. Whether or not that’s a good thing depends on your interest in the kind of provocation that the Child Molesters traded in… they’re very much into playing the heel, and while it’s clear that they rankled some feathers in their day, some of the imagery that they were playing with has become downright taboo in the nearly 30 years since these songs were originally recorded. To me, this probably goes more in the “historical curiosity” category than the “total rager” category, but if you’re into the deeper history of the KBD world this is certainly an interesting release.
Retirement: S/T 7” (Iron Lung) Debut (I’m pretty sure) record by this midwestern hardcore band. I think that Iron Lung hits the nail on the head when they note in their description that there’s “a slight open-chords-garage-rock undercurrent” to this record. I feel like you can hear a palpable difference in a band’s sound when there is youth crew hardcore somewhere in their DNA (even if it’s only a distant, actively suppressed memory) versus when they don’t. Case in point, Retirement remind me a whole lot of the Repos in many respects… like that band they’re really heavy, noisy, super negative, and oh so slightly artsy, but there are none of the heavy breakdowns and vague youth crew-isms that you can hear in almost any given Repos song. Whether or not the absence of that influence is a good thing very much depends on the listener, but I think that Retirement is totally killer. Iron Lung also notes that they bear a passing resemblance to modern noisy hardcore bands like Bib and Q, and I definitely hear that as well. I think it’s safe to say that if you’re a fan of the aforementioned bands—or really Iron Lung Records’ whole aesthetic in general—you’ll probably dig this one.
Control Test: Verdadero Criminal 7” (Iron Lung) Debut vinyl from this west-coast synth-punk band. Apparently this group shares members with Lysol, Nudes, and Kid Chrome, but aside from Lysol’s nihilistic attitude I don’t hear much of those bands in Control Test. What I do hear is a whole lot of Screamers influence… it seems like they’ve taken care to get really similar synth tones (though, honestly, these are way heavier and fuller-sounding than any Screamers recordings I’ve heard), and the vocals are like a more manic, crazed version of Tomata du Plenty. I wouldn’t go quite so far as to call Control Test Screamers worship as they definitely have their own thing going on, but the comparison does give you a pretty good idea of where they’re coming from.
Narcoleptics: 2018 7” (Warthog Speak) Long-awaited vinyl pressing of this latest (and maybe final?) recording from New York’s Narcoleptics, and it’s by far their best work. An utterly crushing release, this is basically a bunch of stuff that you really like all smashed together… a lot of Shitlickers, a little bit of Japanese hardcore a la Warhead’s Cry of Truth EP, and a touch of the wildness of Finnish classics like Tampere SS. There aren’t a lot of nods toward subtlety here… it’s just all manic, everything-in-the-red d-beat with the band playing as hard and as fast as possible and never letting up. While a lot of bands go for more complex or subtler approaches, records like this that are a full-on dead sprint (the Shitlickers EP being the ultimate example) are really something special when the band pulls it off, and Narcoleptics totally nail it here. If you have studs on any item of your clothing this should be a mandatory purchase.
Ghoul: S/T 12” (Fan Club Import) Unofficial collection LP from this 80s Japanese hardcore punk band that mostly takes its track listing from a 2004 CD-only collection compiling all of the band’s 80s-era releases. This collection starts off with the band’s Carry Out Fucking EP (which was bootlegged a while back… I also wrote a description of that release here), which is one of the truly great Japanese hardcore records of the 80s. Carry Out Fucking is interesting in that it really seems to anticipate where Japanese hardcore would go in the later 80s and 90s, combining the full-bore sonic attack of bands like Discharge and Disorder with elements of metal and more straightforward, classic punk like the UK Subs. However, this collection fills out the picture of Ghoul’s career quite a bit more, and it takes some unexpected twists and turns. For instance, their OI OI single from 1985 is, indeed, an oi! record, and a rather poppy one at that… definitely more Toy Dolls than Blitz with its bright, melodic chord progression. After that, Ghoul moves in more of a thrash metal-influenced direction, bringing the griminess and sinister quality of their earlier work to material that is way faster and more straightforwardly metallic, recalling the punked-up thrash of Nuclear Assault or Kreator. I’m not really a thrash metal guy, but Ghoul do a really impressive job of fusing the strongest elements of their punk-era approach into their metallic material, ending up with something that’s not all that dissimilar to where G.I.S.M. ended up going.
Beta Blockers: S/T 12” (Static Shock) I wrote a sales blurb for this release for Static Shock, and while it’s intended to sell the record I still think it’s a pretty accurate description, so here you go. One additional, note, though: fans of Broken Prayer should strongly consider picking up this record as it’s very much along the same lines. “Remember that time when Black Flag’s 'Live ’84' lineup jammed with Einstürzende Neubauten? OK, so maybe that never happened, but if you took two stereos, cued up 'In My Head' on one and Neubauten’s 'Zeichnungen des Patienten O.T.' on the other, synced them up 'Zaireeka'-style and did enough acid so that they seemed to lock together into one roaring piece of gestalt, your experience would roughly approximate what we lucky citizens of the year 2017 can hear on this debut record from Beta Blockers. I keep coming back to this idea of duality in attempting to describe Beta Blockers because their music sounds like a tenuous, explosive marriage of ego and id. It’s a distant descendent of the Stooges’ 'Fun House' in that Beta Blockers’ rhythm section lurches and crawls with the raw, primal power of an apex predator, while the upper register of sound (on 'Fun House', the sax, but here a buzzing, whirring synth) engages in full sonic deconstruction… or maybe combat is the more appropriate metaphor? There’s certainly no truce between Beta Blockers’ deep-in-the-pocket hardcore and industrial noise elements… it’s less like they’re collaborating and more like they’re fighting, and if one side seems to gain the upper hand temporarily it only ends up making space for the other to build momentum and hit you with even greater force. Much like the other records I’ve mentioned thus far, Beta Blockers’ debut is neither immediate, easy, nor friendly, but if you seek out music that confounds, disorients, and overwhelms this record is just what the doctor ordered.”
Warm Bodies: S/T 12” (Lumpy) Debut 12”-er from this band out of Kansas City who just so happen to be one of my very favorite punk bands going at the moment. Like society as a whole, punk rock seems to go through eras of conservatism and progressivism, and despite (or maybe because of?) the fact that the right-wingers seem to be ascendant in the United States’ wilder culture, we seem to be experiencing a moment in the punk scene when nothing is cooler than letting your freak flag fly. It seems to me like Warm Bodies are part of that wave… they don’t have obvious sonic antecedents and their riffs and rhythms are very non-intuitive. But on the other hand they’re very much a guitar-bass-drums-vocals rock band, albeit one who consistently defies and inverts your expectations of what a hardcore punk band should do. At its worst, this type of confrontational, counter-intuitive music can calcify into prog (indeed, Lumpy even drops a Rush reference in his description of the record), but in Warm Bodies’ hands the intricacy feels freeing… their ability to play their asses off and fuck with the established hardcore formula is more like Miles Davis and John Coltrane’s deliberate and inquisitive questioning of musical convention than, say, Rush or King Crimson’s more stifling and baroque approach. Why the fuck am I writing about Miles Davis and King Crimson in a description of a hardcore record? Well, I suppose because Warm Bodies create music that is challenging and interesting enough that you can appreciate on that level, but they’re also pretty killer if you just want to dance. And I can’t think of anything better than a band that leaves open the opportunity to choose for myself whether I want to be smart or dumb.
Nasho: demo cassette (self-released) Demo cassette from this new Australian band featuring Bryony from Good Throb on guitar. I’m not sure that any of the information in that previous sentence is valuable because Nasho doesn’t sound particularly Australian, nor do they sound at all like Good Throb. They’re definitely a hardcore band, but they seem to be taking a slightly avant / artsy approach to the genre, with rhythms and harmonies that strike me as slightly askew. While I’m not sure the reference would carry much weight outside of North Carolina, they sound a bit like Raleigh’s own Essex Muro in places. I’m also reminded a little bit of some Toxic State bands… like those groups, it’s clear that the members of Nasho love hardcore (or at least find something about it interesting), but aren’t satisfied to simply ape the bands they’ve heard and liked.
Aquarium: S/T 12” (Lumpy) Debut vinyl from this catchy new punk band out of Minneapolis. At first listen I’m reminded a lot of that old Dangerhouse band the Eyes for some reason… in addition to having production that’s remarkably similar to their Dangerhouse single, like the Eyes, Aquarium do a great job of walking the line between being accessible and catchy but also a little quirky. Actually, they share a drummer with Uranium Club, which makes sense because that group walks a similar line, though Aquarium is faster, more frantic, and punkier. This balance is incredibly effective on tracks like “Hospital” and “Consumer,” either of which you could drop onto one of those compilations of Dangerhouse singles and few listeners would bat an eye. I suppose that I should also mention that the singer sings in German, which is a really interesting choice. German is not a naturally mellifluous language, and while it’s easy to imagine how these songs might have had really melodic vocals, the natural rhythms and accents of the German language make these songs far more distinctive than they might have been otherwise. (Though I don’t mean to imply that the vocals are off-putting or harsh… like the Polish lyrics of Janitor Scum or even Post-Regiment, Aquarium’s vocals are still quite catchy and memorable.) If you’re into that Genpop EP that Lumpy released a while back (and you should be!) you should check this out as well as it has a similar thing going on and is just as good.
All New Arrivals
Neil Young: Harvest Moon 12" (Reprise)
Bad Religion: Stranger than Fiction 12" (Epitaph)
The Promise Ring: 30 Degrees Everywhere 12" (Epitaph)
Tom Waits: Closing Time 12" (Anti- Records)
of Montreal: White Is Relic / Irrealis Mood 12" (Polyvinyl)
Morbid Angel: Formulas Fatal to the Flesh 12" (Earache)
The Electronic Circus: Direct Lines b/w Le Chorale 7" (Animated Music)
Nuke Cult: Stress Relief 7" (Animated Music)
Plastic: S/T cassette (Animated Music )
Kaleidoscope: 2017 7" (D4MT LABS INC)
X-20 / Subdom: Split cassette (D4MT LABS INC)
Warm Bodies: S/T 12" (Lumpy)
Aquarium: S/T 12" (Lumpy)
The Child Molesters: 1978 Hound Dog Recordings 12" (Negative Jazz)
Various: Typical Girls Vol 3 12" (Emotional Response)
Various: Typical Girls Vol 4 12" (Emotional Response)
Bent Wind: Sussex 12" (Ugly Pop)
Jimi Hendrix: Both Sides of the Sky 12" (Experience Hendrix)
Brian Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets 12" (Astralwerks Records)
Bon Iver: For Emma Forever 12" (Jagjaguwar Records)
Retirement: S/T 7" (Iron Lung)
Control Test: Verdadero Criminal 7" (Iron Lung)
Narcoleptics: 2018 EP 7" (Warthog Speak)
Drudkh: They Often See Dreams About the Spring 12" (Season of Mist)
Destroyer 666: Call of the Wild 12" (Season of Mist)
Twitching Tongues: Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred 12" (Metal Blade Records)
Gecko: Enter the Gecko cassette (self-released)
Gorgoroth: Antichrist 12" (Soulseller Records)
Nail Polish: Authentic Living cassette (Help Yourself Records)
Advertisement: This Is Advertisement cassette (Help Yourself Records)
Titus Andronicus: A Productive Cough 12" (Merge Records)
The Men: Drift 12" (Sacred Bones)
Moby: Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt 12" (Mute Records)
Kreator: Coma of Souls 12" (Noise Records)
Kreator: Renewal 12" (Noise Records)
The Breeders: All Nerve 12" (4AD)
Casanovas in Heat: Twisted Steel Sex Appeal 12" (Katorga Works)
Brain Killer: Live in Power 12" (Katorga Works)
Titus Andronicus: A Productive Cough 12" (Merge)
Ghoul: Night Out 12" (Ghoul Records)
Vultures United: I Still Feel Cold 12" (Black Numbers)
Perverts Again: Friday Night Light 12" (Total Punk)
Gino & the Goons: Rip It Up 12" (Total Punk)
Crusade: First cassette (I Hate I Skate)
Army: S/T cassette (I Hate I Skate)
Skeleton: Live cassette (I Hate I Skate)
Enemy One: S/T cassette (I Hate I Skate)
Soccer Mommy: Clean 12" (Fat Possum Records)
Christian Death: Catastrophe Ballet 12" (Season Of Mist)
New Order: Power, Corruption and Lies 12" (Rhino)
Stress Relief: Losing / Failing 7" (Forever Never Ends Records)
Instinct of Survival / Fatum: Split cassette (Doomed To Extinction Records)
Tiny Moving Parts: Swell 12" (Triple Crown Records)
Electro Hippies: Deception of the Instigator 12" (Boss Tuneage Records)
Chaos Echoes: Mouvement 12" (Nuclear War Now!)
Sabbat: Envenom 12" (Nuclear War Now!)
The Conventry Automatics aka the Specials: Dawning of a New Era 12" (Free Range Project)
Aus Rotten: The System Works for Them... 12" (Profane Existence)
City of Caterpillar: Driving Spain Up a Wall 12" (Repeater Records)
The Cowboys: Live at Tony's Garage 7" (Feel It)
Nasho: Demo cassette (self-released)
Cruz de Navajas: Dominacion 12" (Going Underground Records)
Chiller: S/T 12" (Dirt Cult Records)
Canadian Rifle: Peaceful Death 12" (Dead Broke Rekerds)
Fifteen: Choice of a New Generation 12" (Dead Broke Rekerds)
Future Virgins: Doomsday Raga 12" (Recess Records)
Deathcult: Cult of the Goat 12" (Soulseller Records)
Life Fucker: Z 12" (Static Age Musik)
Padkarosda: Tetova Lelkek 12" (Static Age Musik)
Puff / Ausmuteants: Split 7" (Static Age Musik)
Arms Race: The Beast 7" (Painkiller)
Great Plains: Mark, Don & Mel + 4 12" (Rerun Records)
Great Plains: Born in a Barn 12" (Rerun Records)
Teenage Depression: Skank or Die 7" (Rerun Records)
Flackoff: S/T 7" (Inflammable Material Records)
MGMT: Little Dark Age 12" (Columbia Records)
Tyndall: Sonnenlicht 12" (Bureau B Records)
Tyndall: Traumland 12" (Bureau B Records)
Kawabata/Pinhas/Yos: Trax 12" (Bam Balam Records)
High Rise: II 12" (Black Editions)
Lee Scratch Perry & the Upsetters: Scratch & Co. Part 1 12" (Clocktower Records)
Delroy Wilson: Worth Your Weight in Gold 12" (Radiation Records)
Univers Zero: Heresie 12" (Sub Rosa)
Magma: Retrospectiw 12" (Southern Lord)
Mean Jeans: Jingles Collection 12" (Fat Wreck Chords)
Taake: Kong Vinter 12" (Karisma)
Reggie & the Full Effect: 41 12" (Pure Noise Records)
Tenement: Music Composed for the Motion Picture "Smother Me in Hugs" 12" (Malokul)
Keiji Haino & Sumac: American Dollar Bill 12" (Thrill Jockey Records)
The Dwarves: Are Young and Good Looking 12" (Burger Records)
Screaming Females: All At Once 12" (Don Giovanni Records)
Death Ridge Boys: Right Side of History cassette (WHMH Records)
Testament: Demonic 12" (Nuclear Blast)
Testament: First Strike Still Deadly 12" (Nuclear Blast)
Testament: The Gathering 12" (Nuclear Blast)
Sun Kil Moon: Ghosts of the Great Highway 12" (Rough Trade)
Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy 12" (Matador Records)
American Nightmare: S/T 12" (Rise Records)
Napalm Death: Utopia Banished 12" (Earache Records)
Songs: Ohia: Travels in Constants 12" (Temporary Residence LTD.)
Belle & Sebastian: How to Solve Our Human Problems (Part 3) 12" (Matador Records)
Belle & Sebastian: How to Solve Our Human Problems (Box Set) 12" (Matador Records)
Shannon & the Clams: Onion 12" (Easy Eye Sound)
Superchunk: What a Time to Be Alive 12" (Merge Records)
Ought: Room Inside the World 12" (Merge Records)
Pianos Become the Teeth: Wait for Love 12" (Epitaph Records)
Lose Lose: Kill or Be Killed 12" (Lose Lose Records)
Systematic Death: Systemania 1 12" (Partners In Crime Records)
Systematic Death: Systemania 2 12" (Partners In Crime Records)
Ecstasy: S/T 7" (Digital Regress)
Courtney Barnett: Nameless, Faceless 7" (Marathon Records)
Ride: Tomorrow's Shore 12" (Wichita Records)
Fu Manchu: Clone of the Universe 12" (At The Dojo Records)
SBSM: Leave Your Body 7" (Thrilling Living Records)
Scrap Brain: Unhappy Hardcore 7" (Thrilling Living Records)
Miley Cyrus: Younger Now 12" (RCA)
Justin Timberlake: Man of the Woods 12" (RCA)
Offspring: S/T 12" (Craft Recordings)
Panic at the Disco: All My Friends We're Glorious 12" (Fueled By Ramen)
Exhumed: Death Revenge 12" (Relapse)
Intense Molecular Activity: IMA 12" (Dark Entries Records)
Baxaxaxa: Hellfire 12" (Nuclear War Now!)
Perverted Ceremony: S/T 12" (Nuclear War Now!)
Cadaveric Incubator: Sermons of the Devouring Dead 12" (Hell's Headbangers Records)
Carach Angren: This Is No Fairy Tale 12" (Season Of Mist Records)
Senses Fail: If There Is Light It Will Find You 12" (Pure Noise Records)
Windhand / Satan's Satyrs: Split 12" (Relapse Records)
Impotentie: Demonstratieve Opnamens cassette (Swollen City Records)
Al Green: Greatest Hits 12" (Fat Possum Records)
Runt: S/T 12" (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Various: America's Hardcore Volume 4 12" (Triple-B)
The Soft Moon: Criminal 12" (Sacred Bones)
Unwound: New Plastic Ideas 12" (Numero Group Records)
Ramones: Leave Home 12" (Rhino)
Ramones: S/T 12" (Rhino)
Ramones: Rocket to Russia 12" (Rhino)
Franz Ferdinand: Always Ascending 12" (Domino Records)
Parasite: Zankyo 12" (Tadpole Records)
Totür: Demo 12" (Farewell Records)
Drunk Mums: Denim 7" (Pissfart Records)
The Cavemen: Band in B.C. 7" (Weirdly)
Dianetics: Book Learned 7" (Weirdly)
Slopers: S/T 10" (Weirdly)
Liquids: Evil 7" (Weirdly)
Food and Money: 1979-1982 12" (Alonas Dream Records)
Trial by Fire: S/T 12" (Alonas Dream Records)
Remedy: Golden Voice Sessions 1970-1974 12" (Alonas Dream Records)
Gidians Bible: 1969 10" (Alonas Dream Records)
The Contents Are: Four Each Other 12" (Alonas Dream Records)
The Wombats: S/T 7" (Alonas Dream Records)
Erik Nervous: Assorted Anxieties 12" (Drunken Sailor)
Mauser: Isolation 12” (Vinyl Rites)
Scumraid: Control 12" (Iron Lung Records)
Sect Mark: Worship 12" (Iron Lung Records)
Intensive Care: Everything Has Its Price 7" (Iron Lung Records)
Various: Iron Lung Mixtape III cassette (Iron Lung Records)
Normil Hawaiians: More Wealth 12" (Upset The Rhythm!)
Green Child: S/T 12" (Upset The Rhythm!)
Beta Boys: Brick Walls 7" (Total Punk)
Laughing Hyenas: Merry Go Round 12" (Third Man)
Laughing Hyenas: You Can't Pray a Lie 12" (Third Man)
Social Unrest: Rat in a Maze 12" (New Red Archives)
Fall Out Boy: M A N I A 12" (Island Records)
Typhoon: Offerings 12" (Roll Call Records)
Childish Gambino: Camp 12" (Glassnote Records)
Mumford+Sons: Sigh No More 12" (Island Records)
Tool: Lateralus 12" (Volcano)
Tool: Undertow 12" (Volcano)
Jeffrey BLVD & the Main Drag: Normal Girl EP 7" (Highly Questionable Productions)
Lihhamon: Doctrine 12" (Nuclear War Now!)
Wrathprayer / Force of Darkness: Wrath of Darkness 12" (Nuclear War Now!)
A Certain Ratio: To Each... 12" (Mute Records)
Big Black: Racer-X 12" (Touch & Go Records)
Big Business: Head for the Shallow 12" (Joyful Noise)
Big Business: Here Come the Waterworks 12" (Joyful Noise)
Big Business: Mind the Drift 12" (Joyful Noise)
Neverending Mind War: Demo I cassette (Self-Released)
Confirmation: ++++ cassette (Hidden Fortune)
Golden Dawn: Lullaby Demo 1995 12" (Seed Stock Records)
Various: Dog City USA cassette (Earth Girl)
Primal Rite: Dirge of Escapism 12" (Revelation)
Chokehold: Prison of Hope 12" (A389)
Chokehold: S/T 12" (A389)
Sonic Youth: Murray Street 12" (DGC)
Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped 12" (DGC)
Sonic Youth: Sonic Nurse 12" (DGC)
Motorhead: S/T 12" (Drastic Plastic Records)
Leatherface: Minx 12" (Fire Records)
The Rival Mob: Hardcore for Hardcore 12" (Quality Control HC)
Christian Death: Atrocities 12" (Season of Mist Records)
Christian Death: The Scriptures 12" (Season of Mist Records)
Project X: Straight Edge Revenge 7" (Bridge 9 Records)
Notorious B.I.G.: Ready to Die 12" (Rhino Records)
Hot Snakes: Automatic Midnight 12" (Sub Pop Records)
Hot Snakes: Audit in Progress 12" (Sub Pop Records)
Hot Snakes: Suicide Invoice 12" (Sub Pop Records)
Heavy Lids: Final Days 12" (Blak Skul)
Mammoth Grinder: Cosmic Crypt 12" (Relapse)
Thee Headcoatees: Punk Girls 12" (Damaged Goods Records)
The Lumineers: Cleopatra 12" (Dualtone Records)
The Avett Brothers: Magpie and the Dandelion 12" (Universal)
King Crimson: Red 12" (Inner Knot)
Queens of the Stone Age: Lullabies to Paralyze 12" (Interscope)
Alice in Chains: MTV Unplugged 12" (Columbia Records)
Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street 12" (Universal)
Bjork: Post 12" (Polydor Records)
Ruler: S/T 7" (Secret Mission Records)
Various: Scrap! 12" (Secret Mission Records)
Restocks
The World: First World Record 12" (Lumpy)
Various: Horrendous New Wave 12" (Lumpy)
Radiation Risks: S/T 7" (Lumpy)
Lumpy & the Dumpers: Those Pickled Fuckers 12" (Lumpy)
Lumpy & the Dumpers: Huff My Sack 12" (Lumpy)
U-Nix: S/T 7" (Lumpy)
Genpop: S/T 7" (Lumpy)
Nosferatu: S/T 7" (Lumpy)
Pack: S/T 12" (Ugly Pop)
X: X-Spurts 12" (Ugly Pop)
Casanovas in Heat: Twisted Steel Sex Appeal 12" (Katorga Works)
The Kinks: S/T 12" (Sanctuary)
The Kinks: Kinda Kinks 12" (Sanctuary)
The Kinks: Kontroversy 12" (Sanctuary)
Hot Snakes: Audit in Progress 12" (Sub Pop)
Sleater-Kinney: All Hands on the Bad One 12" (Sub Pop)
Green Day: 39/Smooth 12" (Reprise)
Green Day: Kerplunk 12" (Reprise)
Van Morrison: Astral Weeks 12" (Warner Bros)
The Refused: The Shape of Punk to Come 12" (Epitaph)
Led Zeppelin: I 12" (Atlantic)
The Fix: The Speed of Twisted Thought 12" (Touch & Go)
Iron Maiden: The Number of the Beast 12" (BMG)
David Bowie: Hunky Dory 12" (Parlophone)
Institute: Subordination 12" (Sacred Bones)
Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 12" (Merge)
Kendrick Lamar: Damn. 12" (Interscope)
Weezer: The Blue Album 12" (Geffen)
Nirvana: Unplugged in NY 12" (DGC)
Nirvana: Nevermind 12" (DGC)
Nas: Illmatic 12" (Columbia)
Guns N Roses: Appetite for Destruction 12" (Geffen)
Kanye West: College Dropout 12" (Roc-A-Fella Records)
DJ Shadow: Endtroducing 12" (Mowax Recordings)
Funkadelic: Maggot Brain 12" (Westbound Records)
Sect Mark: Worship 12" (Iron Lung)
Baroness: Blue 12" (Relapse)
Baroness: Red 12" (Relapse)
Baroness: Yellow and Green 12" (Relapse)
Death: Spiritual Healing 12" (Relapse)
Brand New: I Am a Nightmare 12" (Pmtraitors)
Brand New: Science Fiction 12" (Pmtraitors)
Brand New: Your Favourite Weapon 12" (Triple Crown)
Darkthrone: Transilvanian Hunger 12" (Peaceville)
Darkthrone: Under a Funeral Moon 12" (Peaceville)
Al Green: Greatest Hits 12" (Fat Possum)
Modest Mouse: Building Nothing Out of Something 12" (Glacial Place)
Motley Crue: Shout at the Devil 12" (Motley Records)
Taake: Kong Vinter 12" (Karisma)
Perverts Again: My Accident 12" (Total Punk)
Television: Marquee Moon 12" (Rhino)
Hot Snakes: Suicide Invoice 12" (Sub Pop)
Sleater-Kinney: Dig Me Out 12" (Sub Pop)
Pixies: Trompe Le Monde 12" (4AD)
Motorhead: No Sleep Til Hammersmith 12" (Sanctuary)
Motorhead: Rock N Roll 12" (Sanctuary)
MC5: High Time 12" (Atlantic)
Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti 2x12" (Rhino)
Green Day: Insomniac 12" (Reprise)
Pantera: Cowboys from Hell 12" (Rhino)
Polvo: Shapes 12" (Touch & Go Records)
Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks 12" (Rhino)
Refused: The Shape of Punk to Come 12" (Epitaph)
Iron Maiden: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 12" (BMG)
Dinosaur Jr: Bug 12" (Jagjaguwar Records)
Sunny Day Real Estate: Diary 12" (Sub Pop)
Joy Division: Closer 12" (Rhino)
The Cure: Disintegration 12" (Rhino)
King Krule: The Ooz 2x12" (XL Recordings)
Sass: Demo cassette (I Hate I Skate)
SZA: CTRL 12" (Top Dawg Entertainment)
Sylvan Esso: What Now 12" (Loma Vista)
Albert Ayler: Hilversum Session 12" (Modern Silence)
Pink Floyd: Animals 12" (Columbia)
Weezer: Blue Album 12" (Geffen)
Damned: Damned Damned Damned 12" (Drastic Plastic)
Lana Del Rey: Born to Die 12" (Polydor)
Childish Gambino: Camp 12" (Glassnote Records)
King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King 12" (Inner Knot)
Amy Winehouse: Back to Black 12" (Island)
Dead Kennedys: In God We Trust, Inc. 12" (Manifesto Records)
Misfits: Legacy of Brutality 12" (Caroline)
Misfits: Collection 12" (Caroline)
Descendents: I Don't Want to Grow Up 12" (SST)
Black Flag: Loose Nut 12" (SST)
Black Flag: In My Head 12" (SST)
Bad Brains: Omega Sessions 12" (Victory)
Bjork: Post 12" (Polydor)
The Black Keys: Thickfreakness 12" (Fat Possum Records)
Brand New: I Am a Nightmare 12" (Pmtraitors)
Brand New: Science Fiction 12" (Pmtraitors)
Death: Scream Bloody Gore 12" (Relapse)
Jason Isbell: The Nashville Sound 12" (Southeastern Records)
Run the Jewels: S/T 12" (Mass Appeal)
Wretched: Libero E Selvaggio 7" box set (Agipunk Records)
Extreme Noise Terror: Phonophobia 12" (Agipunk Records)
Odio: Ancora 12" (Agipunk Records)
Aus Rotten: And Now Back to Our Programming... 12" (Profane Existence)
Lebenden Toten: Mind Parasites 12" (Overthrow Records)
City of Caterpillar: S/T 12" (Repeater Records)
Dawn of Humans: Slurping at the Cosmos' Spine 12" (Toxic State)
Hank Wood & the Hammerheads: Go Home 12" (Toxic State)
Hank Wood & the Hammerheads: Stay Home 12" (Toxic State)
Haram: When You Have Won, You Have Lost 12" (Toxic State)
L.O.T.I.O.N.: Digital Control and Man's Obsolescence 12" (Toxic State)
Life's Blood: Hardcore AD 1988 12" (Prank Records)
Career Suicide: Machine Response 12" (Deranged)
Kleenex / Liliput: First Songs 12" (Mississippi Records)
Limp Wrist: Facades 12" (Lengua Armada Records)
Drive Like Jehu: Yank Crime 12" (Headhunter Records)
Neanderthal: A History of Violence 12" (Deep Six Records)
LSD: 1983 to 1986 12" (Schizophrenic Records)
Cryptopsy: None So Vile 12" (War on Music Records)
Dayglo Abortions: Feed Us a Fetus 12" (Unrest Records)
Satanic Warmaster: Nova Ordo Ater 12" (Werewolf Records)
Sadist: Shadow of the Swastika 12" (Regurgitated Semen Records)
Poison Idea: Darby Crash Rides Again 12" (TKO)
Tarantula: S/T 7" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
Jack and the Rippers: No Desire 7" (Static Age Musik)
Left Cross: Chaos Ascension 12" (Vinyl Conflict)
Asylum: Modern Hysteria 12" (Vinyl Conflict)
The Meatmen: We're the Meatmen and You Suck 12" (Touch & Go Records)
Big Black: Atomizer 12" (Touch & Go Records)
Big Black: Lungs 12" (Touch & Go Records)
Big Black: Songs About Fucking 12" (Touch & Go Records)
Hot Snakes: Automatic Midnight 12" (Sub Pop)
The Cure: Greatest Hits 12" (Elektra Records)
The Cure: Greatest Hits Acoustic 12" (Elektra Records)
NOFX: Liberal Animation 12" (Epitaph)
NOFX: The Longest Line 12" (Fat Wreck Chords)
Can: Future Days 12" (Spoon Records)
The Stooges: Fun House 12" (Rhino)
Joy Division: Substance 12" (Rhino)
Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures 12" (Rhino)
Dinosaur Jr: You're Living All Over Me 12" (Jagjaguwar Records)
Angel Olsen: Phases 12" (Jagjaguwar Records)
Fleetwood Mac: Rumours 12" (Reprise Records)
Mission of Burma: Vs 12" (Matador)
Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes 12" (Matador)
Pavement: Watery, Domestic 12" (Matador)
Led Zeppelin: II 12" (Atlantic)
Black Sabbath: Vol 4 12" (Rhino)
45 Grave: Sleep in Safety 12" (Real Gone Music)
Swell Maps: Jane from Occupied Europe 12" (Secretly Canadian Records)
Swell Maps: A Trip to Marineville 12" (Secretly Canadian Records)
Iron Maiden: The Number of the Beast 12" (BMG)
The Cure: Seventeen Seconds 12" (Rhino)
Voivod: Dimension Hatross 12" (Noise Records)
Celtic Frost: Morbid Tales 12" (Noise Records)
Metallica: Master of Puppets 12" (Blackened)
Nirvana: Bleach 12" (Sub Pop)
Jeffrey BLVD & the Main Drag: Normal Girl 7" (Highly Questionable Productions)
Offspring: S/T 12" (Craft Recordings)
The Offspring: Smash 12" (Epitaph)
Audioslave: S/T 12" (Interscope Records)
Baby Huey: Living Legend 12" (Music on Vinyl)
The Lumineers: Cleopatra 12" (Dualtone Records)
The Lumineers: S/T 12" (Dualtone Records)
Nirvana: Unplugged in New York 12" (DGC)
Nirvana: Nevermind 12" (DGC)
Nick Drake: Pink Moon 12" (Island)
Rage Against the Machine: Battle of Los Angeles 12" (Epic)
Rage Against the Machine: S/T 12" (Sony)
Rage Against the Machine: Evil Empire 12" (Epic)
Queens of the Stone Age: Lullabies to Paralyze 12" (Interscope Records)
Guns N Roses: Appetite for Destruction 12" (Geffen)
Dr. Dre: The Chronic 12" (Death Row)
The Strokes: Is This It? 12" (RCA)
Nas: Illmatic 12" (Columbia)
Wu-Tang Clan: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) 12" (RCA)
Husker Du: Land Speed Record 12" (SST)
Black Flag: The First Four Years 12" (SST)
Black Flag: Jealous Again 12" (SST)
Descendents: Milo Goes to College 12" (SST)
Death Grips: No Love Deep Web 12" (self-released)
Bjork: Homgenic 12" (One Little Indian)
Brand New: I Am a Nightmare 12" (Pmtraitors)
Electric Wizard: Dopethrone 12" (Rise Above Records)
Jason Isbell: The Nashville Sound 12" (Southeastern)
Lord Huron: Strange Trails 12" (I Am Sound Records)
Motley Crue: Theatre of Pain 12" (Motley Records)
Power Trip: Nightmare Logic 12" (Southern Lord)
Pretty Things: SF Sorrow 12" (Madfish Music)
Run the Jewels: RTJ 2 12" (Mass Appeal)
Sleep: Dopesmoker 12" (Southern Lord)
Tenement: Proxy OST 12" (Malokul)
SFN / Abrade: Split 10" (Malokul)
Death: Human 12" (Relapse)
Dangus Tarkus: Rock N Roll for the People 12" (Dig Records)
Jaylib: Champion Sound 12" (Stones Throw)
J Dilla: Donuts 12" (Stones Throw)
Priests: Bodies and Control and Money and Power 12" (Don Giovanni Records)
Elliott Smith: Either/Or 12" (Kill Rock Stars)
Elliott Smith: From a Basement on a Hill 12" (Kill Rock Stars)
Elliott Smith: Roman Candle 12" (Kill Rock Stars)
Death Cab for Cutie: The Photo Album 12" (Barsuk)
The Sexual: Disocgraphy 12" (euro import)
Kraftwerk: The Man Machine 12" (Parlophone Records)
Kraftwerk: Trans Europe Express 12" (Parlophone Records)
Kraftwerk: Autobahn 12" (Parlophone Records)
Kraftwerk: Radio-Activity 12" (Parlophone Records)
Ramones: Leave Home 12" (Rhino)
Ramones: S/T 12" (Rhino)
Ramones: Rocket to Russia 12" (Rhino)
Notorious B.I.G.: Ready to Die 12" (Rhino)
T Rex: Electric Warrior 12" (Rhino)
Rancid: Life Won't Wait 12" (Epitaph)
Sleep: Holy Mountain 12" (Earache Records)
Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 12" (Merge Records)
Metallica: Ride the Lightning 12" (Blackened)
Bat Fangs: S/T 12" (Don Giovanni Records)
Elliott Smith: S/T 12" (Kill Rock Stars Records)
Heavy Lids: Final Days 12" (Blak Skul)
SZA: CTRL 12" (Top Dawg Entertainment)
Kendrick Lamar: Damn 12" (Interscope Records)
Khalid: American Teen 12" (RCA)
Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables 12" (Manifesto Records)
Deftones: White Pony 12" (Maverick Records)
Nas: Illmatic 12" (Columbia Records)
Descendents: Milo Goes to College 12" (SST)
Descendents: I Don't Want to Grow Up 12" (SST)
Husker Du: Zen Arcade 12" (SST)
Black Flag: The First Four Years 12" (SST)
Black Flag: My War 12" (SST)
Minutemen: Double Nickels on the Dime 12" (SST)
Husker Du: New Day Rising 12" (SST)
Misfits: Legacy of Brutality 12" (Caroline Records)
Amyl & the Sniffers: Big Attraction / Giddy Up 12" (Homeless)
Butthole Surfers: Brown Reason to Live 12" (Alternative Tentacles Records)
Guided by Voices: Bee Thousand 12" (Scat Records)
Jawbreaker: Etc. 12" (Blackball Records)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: Flying Microtonal Banana 12" (Flightless Records)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: Murder of the Universe 12" (ATO Records)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: Quarters 12" (ATO Records)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: Nonagon Infinity 12" (ATO Records)
Thee Oh Sees: Mutilator Defeated at Last 12" (Castleface Records)
Poison Idea: Kings of Punk 12" (TKO)
Portal: Ion 12" (Profound Lore Records)
Solid Space: Space Museum 12" (Dark Entries Records)
Subhumans: Worlds Apart 12" (Bluurg)
The Fall: This Nation's Saving Grace 12" (Superior Viaduct)
The Fall: The Wonderful and Frightening... 12" (Superior Viaduct)
The Fall: Hex Enduction Hour 12" (Superior Viaduct)
The Fall: Live at the Witch Trials 12" (Superior Viaduct)
The Fall: Room to Live 12" (Superior Viaduct)
Flesh Eaters: A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die 12" (Revolver)
Baroness: Blue 12" (Relapse)
Baroness: Red 12" (Relapse)
Bjork: Debut 12" (One Little Indian)
Bjork: Post 12" (One Little Indian)
Black Keys: Rubber Factory 12" (Fat Possum Records)
Brand New: Your Favorite Weapon 12" (Triple Crown Records)
Candlemass: Epicus Doomicus Metallicus 12" (Peaceville)
Kohti Tuhoa: Pelon Neljas Valtaku 12" (Southern Lord Records)
Lord Huron: Lonesome Dreams 12" (I Am Sound Records)
Parquet Courts: Light Up Gold 12" (What's Your Rupture?)
Sect: No Cure for Death 12" (Southern Lord Records)
Disaster: Warcry 12" (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Patsy: LA Women 12" (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Rixe: Collection 12" (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Rights of the Accused: Innocence 7" (Alonas Dream Records)
Savage Beliefs: Big Big Sky 12" (Alonas Dream Records)
Tarantula: Weird Tales of Radiation and Hate 7" (Deranged)
Total Control: Henge Beat 12" (Iron Lung Records)
Total Control: Typical System 12" (Iron Lung Records)
DAUÐYFLIN: Ofbeldi 12" (Iron Lung Records)
Lebenden Toten: Static 12" (Iron Lung Records)
Terry: Remember Terry 12" (Upset The Rhythm!)
Solid Space: Space Museum 12" (Dark Entries Records)
Los Monjo: La Vida Gue Todos Envidian 12" (DiscosMMM Records)
Ausencia: S/T 7" (DiscosMMM Records)
Childish Gambino: Awaken My Love 12" (Glassnote Records)
Ed Sheeran: Divide 12" (Atlantic Records)
Radiohead: OK Computer 12" (XL Recordings)
Radiohead: Amnesiac 12" (XL Recordings)
Nirvana: S/T 12" (Universal Music)
Nirvana: Nevermind 12" (DGC)
Nirvana: Bleach 12" (Sub Pop)
Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly 12" (Top Dawg Entertainment)
Etta James: At Last 12" (Jackpot Records)
King Crimson: Red 12" (Inner Knot)
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue 12" (Columbia Legacy)
Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 12" (Roc-A-Fella Records)
Velvet Underground & Nico: S/T 12" (Vinyl Lovers)
Amy Winehouse: Back to Black 12" (Island Records)
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magick 12" (Warner Brothers)
Snoop Doggy Dogg: Doggystyle 12" (Death Row Records)
Daft Punk: Discovery 12" (Parlophone Records)
The Strokes: Is This It? 12" (RCA Records)
Misfits: Static Age 12" (Caroline Records)
DJ Shadow: Endtroducing 12" (Mowax Recordings)
Tool: Opiate 12" (BMG)
John Coltrane: A Love Supreme 12" (Impulse Records)
Nas: Illmatic 12" (Columbia)
Funkadelic: S/T 12" (Westbound Records)
Tyler the Creator: Scum Fuck Flower Boy 12" (Columbia Records)
Beyonce: Lemonade 12" (Sony)
Pink Floyd: Piper at the Gates of Dawn 12" (Pink Floyd Records)
Wu-Tang Clan: Enter the Wu-Tang 12" (RCA Records)
Bjork: Debut 12" (One Little Indian)
Bjork: Post 12" (One Little Indian)
Brand New: Science Fiction 12" (Procrastinate! Music Traitors)
Darkthrone: A Blaze in the Northern Sky 12" (Peaceville Records)
Darkthrone: Transilvanian Hunger 12" (Peaceville Records)
Darkthrone: Under a Funeral Moon 12" (Peaceville Records)
Death: Spiritual Healing 12" (Relapse Records)
Death: The Sound of Perseverence 12" (Relapse Records)
Earth Crisis: Destroy the Machines 12" (Victory)
Geto Boys: We Can't Be Stopped 12" (Rap A Lot Records)
Lord Huron: Strange Trails 12" (I Am Sound Records)
Parquet Courts: Content Nausea 12" (What's Your Rupture? Records)
Power Trip: Nightmare Logic 12" (Southern Lord)
Propagandhi: Less Talk, More Rock 12" (Fat Wreck Chords)
Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels 3 12" (Mass Appeal)
Sleep: Dopesmoker 12" (Southern Lord)
Uncle Acid: The Night Creeper 12" (Rise Above Records)
Uncle Acid: Vol 1 12" (Rise Above Records)
Jack White: Acoustic Recordings 12" (Third Man)
The White Stripes: White Blood Cells 12" (Third Man)
The White Stripes: De Stijl 12" (Third Man)
Ectoplasm: S/T 7” (Vinyl Rites)
Morbid Opera: Collection 12" (Vinyl Rites)
Thou / The Body: Split 12" (Vinyl Rites)
Sunshine Ward: Nuclear Ambitions 12” (Bloody Master)
Hot Snakes: Suicide Invoice 12" (Sub Pop)
Hot Snakes: Audit in Progress 12" (Sub Pop)
Hot Snakes: Automatic Midnight 12" (Sub Pop)
The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream 12" (Atlantic Records)
Rancid: Let's Go (20th Anniversary Edition) 12" (Epitaph)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Lift Your Skinny Fists... 12" (Constellation Records)
T Rex: Electric Warrior 12" (Rhino)
The Refused: The Shape of Punk to Come (deluxe version) 12" (Epitaph)
The Pixies: Come on Pilgrim 12" (4AD Records)
Metallica: The Black Album 12" (Blackened)
Metallica: Master of Puppets 12" (Blackened)
Metallica: Ride the Lightning 12" (Blackened)
Dinosaur Jr: You're Living All Over Me 12" (Jagjaguwar Records)
Dinosaur Jr: Bug 12" (Jagjaguwar Records)
Firewalker: S/T 12" (Pop Wig Records)
Swell Maps: A Trip to Marineville 12" (Secretly Canadian Records)
Swell Maps: Jane from Occupied Europe 12" (Secretly Canadian Records)
Zero Boys: Vicious Circle 12" (Secretly Canadian Records)
Jay Reatard: Matador Singles '08 12" (Matador Records)
Jay Reatard: Watch Me Fall 12" (Matador Records)
The Cure: The Head on the Door 12" (Rhino)
The Cure: Disintegration 12" (Rhino)
Bauhaus: In the Flat Field 12" (4AD Records)
Slint: Spiderland 12" (Touch & Go Records)
Golden Dawn / Aperion: Split 2x12" (Seed Stock Records)
The Faction: Corpse in Disguise 12" (Beer City Records)
The Faction: Epitaph 12" (Beer City Records)
Clitboys: We Don't Play the Game 12" (Beer City Records)
YDI: A Place in the Sun / Black Dust 12" (Southern Lord Records)
Whirr: Pipe Dreams 12" (Tee Pee Records)
Sonic Youth: Washing Machine 12" (Geffen)
Negative FX: S/T 12" (Taang! Records)
Give Up the Ghost: Year One 12" (Bridge 9 Records)
Beyond: No Longer at Ease 12" (Revelation)
Bold: The Search 12" (Revelation)
Burn: S/T 7" (Revelation)
Gorilla Biscuits: Start Today 12" (Revelation)
Inside Out: No Spiritual Surrender 7" (Revelation)
Mouthpiece: Can't Kill What's Inside 12" (Revelation)
Side by Side: You're Only Young Once 12" (Revelation)
Texas Is the Reason: Do You Know Who You Are? 12" (Revelation)
Warzone: Don't Forget the Struggle 12" (Revelation)
Youth of Today: We're Not in This Alone 12" (Revelation)
The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream 12" (Secretly Canadian Records)
The War on Drugs: A Deeper Understanding 12" (Atlantic Records)
The Kinks: Face to Face 12" (Sanctuary Records)
Notorious B.I.G.: Life After Death 12" (Bad Boy Records)
Sunny Day Real Estate: How It Feels to Be Something On 12" (Sub Pop Records)
Sunny Day Real Estate: Diary 12" (Sub Pop Records)
Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy 12" (Atlantic Records)
Led Zeppelin: II 12" (Atlantic Records)
Rancid: Let's Go (20th Anniversary Edition) 12" (Epitaph Records)
The Fall: This Nation's Saving Grace 12" (Beggar's Banquet Records)
Radiohead: Amnesiac 12" (XL Recordings)
Radiohead: The Bends 12" (XL Recordings)
Radiohead: OK Computer 12" (XL Recordings)
NOFX: The Longest Line 12" (Fat Wreck Chords)
NOFX: The Decline 12" (Fat Wreck Chords)
NOFX: Liberal Animation 12" (Epitaph Records)
Mission of Burma: Vs. 12" (Matador Records)
The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy 12" (Rhino Records)
Polvo: Exploded Drawing 12" (Touch & Go Records)
Polvo: Shapes 12" (Touch & Go Records)
David Bowie: Diamond Dogs 12" (Parlophone Records)
Can: Future Days 12" (Spoon Records)
Sleater-Kinney: Dig Me Out 12" (Sub Pop Records)
The Replacements: Hootenanny 12" (Rhino Records)
Green Day: 39/Smooth 12" (Reprise Records)
Pantera: Vulgar Display of Power 12" (Rhino Records)
Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks 12" (Rhino Records)
Bauhaus: Mask 12" (Beggar's Banquet Records)
Angel Olsen: Phases 12" (Jagjaguwar Records)
Pavement: Watery, Domestic 12" (Matador Records)
Pavement: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain 12" (Matador Records)
Black Sabbath: Vol 4 12" (Rhino Records)
The Cure: Seventeen Seconds 12" (Rhino Records)
The Cure: The Head on the Door 12" (Rhino Records)
Motorhead: Orgasmatron 12" (Sanctuary Records)
Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes 12" (Matador Records)
Hawkwind: Space Ritual 12" (Parlophone Records)
Metallica: Ride the Lightning 12" (Blackened)
Metallica: Master of Puppets 12" (Blackened)
Neutral Milk Hotel: On Avery Island 12" (Merge Records)
Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 12" (Merge Records)
Operation Ivy: Energy 12" (Hellcat)
Institute: Subordination 12" (Sacred Bones)
Funkadelic: Maggot Brain 12" (Westbound Records)
45 Grave: Sleep in Safety 12" (Real Gone Music)
Celtic Frost: To Mega Therion 12" (Noise Records)
Celtic Frost: Morbid Tales 12" (Noise Records)
Voivod: Dimension Hatross 12" (Noise Records)
Voivod: Killing Technology 12" (Noise Records)
Sleep: Holy Mountain 12" (Earache Records)
The Kinks: Arthur 12" (Sanctuary Records)
J Dilla: Donuts 12" (Stones Throw)
Dead Kennedys: Plastic Surgery Disasters 12" (Manifesto Records)
Dead Kennedys: Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death 12" (Manifesto Records)
Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables 12" (Manifesto Records)
Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 12" (Roc-A-Fella Records)
Alice in Chains: Dirt 12" (Music on Vinyl)
Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty 12" (Capitol Records)
Beastie Boys: Ill Communication 12" (Capitol Records)
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magick 12" (Warner Bros Records)
Dr. Dre: The Chronic 12" (Death Row Records)
Bjork: Debut 12" (One Little Indian)
Bjork: Homogenic 12" (One Little Indian)
Brand New: I Am a Nightmare 12" (Pmtraitors)
Brand New: Science Fiction 12" (Procrastinate! Music Traitors)
Brand New: Your Favorite Weapon 12" (Triple Crown Records)
Candlemass: Epicus Doomicus Metallicus 12" (Peaceville)
Darkthrone: A Blaze in the Northern Sky 12" (Peaceville)
Darkthrone: Soulside Journey 12" (Peaceville)
Descendents: Cool to Be You 12" (Fat Wreck Chords)
Earth Crisis: Firestorm 7" (Victory Records)
Geto Boys: We Can't Be Stopped 12" (Rap-A-Lot Records)
Jason Isbell: Something More than Free 12" (Southeastern Records)
Modest Mouse: Night on the Sun 12" (Glacial Pace)
Modest Mouse: The Fruit that Ate Itself 12" (Glacial Pace)
Motley Crue: Girls Girls Girls 12" (Motley Records)
Propagandhi: How to Clean Everything 12" (Fat Wreck Chords)
Propagandhi: Less Talk, More Rock 12" (Fat Wreck Chords)
Royal Headache: S/T 12" (What's Your Rupture? Records)
Sect: No Cure for Death 12" (Southern Lord Records)
Slayer: Show No Mercy 12" (Metal Blade Records)
Yob: Clearing the Path to Ascend 12" (Relapse Records)
S-21: Operation Menu 7" (World Gone Mad)
Record of the Week: Kaleidoscope: 2017 7"
Kaleidoscope: 2017 7” (D4MT Labs) Brand new 7” from New York’s Kaleidoscope, who are, in my opinion, one of the most exciting bands in the DIY punk scene, and these three songs only serve to further stoke my enthusiasm. In case you aren’t familiar, Kaleidoscope have deep roots in the NYC / Toxic State Records scene, with members having served time in Deformity, JJ Doll, Ivy, and numerous others I’m sure. An artsy approach to DIY punk has always been one of the trademarks of that scene, but Kaleidoscope seem to be taking that vibe further than anyone else. Their rough, DIY recordings and risograph-printed record sleeves are definitely of a piece with the whole Toxic State aesthetic (and like the best of those bands, the visual aesthetic is ambitious, well-developed, and utterly fascinating), but it’s the actual music where Kaleidoscope truly shines. I’m not sure how they’ve managed to make music that simultaneously feels so inventive and free while still retaining pretty much everything I love about hardcore, but they’ve done it. Whereas it seems like most bands go about things in an additive way, trying to add more layers or finding newer and more arcane influences, Kaleidoscope seem like they’re penetrating to the heart of the matter, trying to latch directly onto that primal, deep-seated nerve that makes great music great. It’s a difficult thing to explain (and obviously an even harder thing to do), but the result is that this record feels refreshingly free of context, like it could have been made at any point in the last 30 or so years, but only by the most committed and adept musicians. The two songs on the a-side are killer, but for me the highlight of the record is the b-side, “Scorched Earth.” This song takes several of the most distinctive elements of Kaleidoscope’s sound—most notably the slightly hip-hop-flavored drum patterns and the wildly fluid and expressive, almost Hendrix-esque guitar-playing—and places them front and center. I can’t help but be reminded of the Folk Implosion’s song “Natural One” in the way that it seamlessly integrates hip-hop into the aesthetic of underground, homemade psychedelic music, and just like “Natural One,” “Scorched Earth” is also an unlikely dance floor banger. I can’t recommend this record highly enough, but I would go even one step further than that and say that Kaleidoscope is a band that you should watch closely. They started out great, yet every new release has been a substantial leap forward from the last. Bands that push the envelope this hard and this consistently don’t come around often, and like a perfect spring day in the South you need to savor it while it’s here.
Life Of Waste: Doc. 7
What’s crackin’?
So, we’re talking about splits on this round of blog posts. I really enjoyed reading Jeff’s analysis of splits in punk and hardcore. I think it’s safe to say that for the most part split releases are not my favorite format (especially split 7”s) but there are always exceptions! Nothing beats the classics (Faith/Void, or Totalitar/Disclose as Jeff wrote about), but I found it to be a difficult task to write about a spilt that I particularly enjoy aside from the obvious. After some careful consideration, I have decided to write about probably my most spinned split that I own.
Pygmylush / Turboslut: This record might be (one of) the first record(s) I ever bought when I was 16. This split is different from most other spilts I’ve heard because both bands are so very different.
Pygmylush, featuring ex-members of Pg. 99 and other Virginia legends, has always offered a special brand of punk AND folk (esc?) tunes. They are known for their output of raging punk songs followed by slow, droney, and soothing acoustic songs. Seeing them live in the DC area was always exciting because you never really knew which set they were going to play that night; their spastic agrressive punk songs or their slow sentimental shit (which people affectionately referred to as their “loud” and “quiet” sets). This split has what I believe to be their best “quiet” material, but not my favorite “loud” stuff.
Turboslut, hailing from Washington, DC played a brand of slow droney punk. I feel like it might be easy to categorize them as a teetering on metal and/or doomy stuff, but I really don’t get that vibe from, they’re punk as fuck. This split has my favorite material of theirs by far. Extremely fuzzed out, melodic, and catchy. I believe Turboslut broke up not too long after the release of this split. I only got to see them a few times, but they also delivered a powerful live show.
Overall, a very influential record for me, as well as a very unique split in my opinion.
Some shit that fucking goes:
Hank Wood and the Hammerheads: S/T 12”: We just got the brand new Hank Wood LP in store! I’ve seen this band several times, and I know they are known for their explosive and high energy live performance. It took me a long time to come around to listening to this band on record. There is something very circular sounding about this band’s brand of punk, like sometimes I feel like there aren’t really any parts or structure; it’s more like every song is a two minute jam sesh. This band has aged well on me, and I haven’t stop listening since it’s been posted. Very Highly recommended, BABY!
Hot Snakes: Jericho Sirens 12”: Hot Snakes' first studio album in over 14 years, and it fucking slaps. Hot Snakes has a knack for song writing that I think is so unique. Riffy and suspenseful punk for true rockers, another highly recommended release!
Pick it up on Friday!
Casanovas In Heat: Twisted Steel Sex Appeal 12": Freaking awesome melodic punk from Massachusetts. This album has very distinct vibes of Bay Area style punk that is reminiscent of early Green Day, while also transcending into straight up power pop territory. This record was a very pleasant surprise, and right up my alley!
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Jeff has a list of gigs coming up on his blog, check it out!
Thx,
E. Chubb
Outta Style Volume 8
I couldn't tell you when I first became aware of this. I never know. I'm sure I came to it due to loving Dow Jones' Can't Stand The Midwest (from here on out refered to as CSTMW). The Dow Jones songs here are definitely more akin to the rocking weirdness of their song Indeterminism than the punky and super catchy CTSMW so I'm sure I was initially turned off by this, but have come to love it (along with the rest of their 7"). Songs like Set Yourself On Fire and Hold That Coed have become just as essential in my life as CSTMW. Even the goofy Rocking Farmers is still pretty awesome.I feel like Mr Science's synths seem to pop in a little more here also than on the 7". Here's a clip of DJ&TI playing Hold That Coed, this came on the bonus DVD with the Dow Jones Discography that came out a while back.
The Gizmos side doesn't slack. It is actually probably more so non-stop hits than the Dow Jones side. It definitely has an innocent teen feel to it. Especially on songs like Bible Belt Baby. Progressive Rock is silly as they come but still rocks and makes me laugh (and gets stuck in my head constantly). Pay is probably the hit though, it's one of those tunes that bops hard and makes it hard for you to not nod your head back and forth to the beat. It sounds like a Pointed Sticks outtake without any synth. All the songs feel like they could have been the A-side of some unknown 70s punk 7" that's worth hundreds of dollars now. Here's the Gizmos doing a silly lip synced version of Pay.
It's funny because really I couldn't think of many good punk splits. Hardcore has a plethora of them (most featuring Totalitar or Disclose) which I guess makes sense since if you have ten songs that don't add up to that many minutes it's hard to fill up a whole record. I'm sure if I dove into split 7"s I'd think of a ton but I was trying to stick to lps for some weird reason.
Anyways for my sake post your favorite punk/weird splits in the comments. I'm sure I'll feel like an idiot for ones I forgot.
Record of the Week: Perverts Again: Friday Night Light LP
Perverts Again: Friday Night Light 12” (Total Punk) Latest release from this incredibly unique punk band out of Cleveland. Perverts Again are, without a doubt, one of the most singular bands I’ve ever heard, and while Friday Night Light isn’t a huge departure from their earlier releases it does continue to develop the band’s trademark sound and aesthetic. If you haven’t heard them, I really don’t know how to describe Perverts Again… they’re definitely punk, but they’re not retro and don’t seem to reference any established styles or motifs. In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to identify any direct influences on the band… there’s a little bit of the quirkiness of early Devo, but that’s about all I can come up with. You simply have to hear Perverts Again to get a sense of where they’re coming from musically. Lyrically, a Devo comparison probably isn’t out of order, either, as Perverts Again have a similar way of taking slice-of-life scenes from everyday American life and amplifying the surreal and sinister qualities of them. It’s also not dissimilar to what Mark E. Smith’s lyrics tend (or, rather, tended… :( ) to do in the Fall, so if you like that sensibility you will absolutely love this. Like the Fall, Perverts Again also demonstrate an ability to make a cover tune their own, turning Billy Joel’s “It’s My Life” inside out and incorporating it seamlessly into the remarkably well-developed Perverts Again worldview. For a band who seems, on the surface at least, to revel in dumbness (their mascot is a featureless figure with his hands down his pants), there’s a ton to chew on here. Not only are there a ton of lyrics to digest, but there’s even a novelization of the album available separately. There are bands who make songs and records, and there are bands like the Misfits and Devo who build universes.Perverts Again are solidly in the latter category.
Live Fast Jeff Young: Vol. 10 - Picking One Side Gives Me A SPLIT-ting Headache
So, this time around for our blog topics we are talking split records. Hopefully I don't give the impression that I'm reducing all readers to n00bs, as if they had no knowledge of this subject, but let's assume we're all unitiated: "Splits" are records in which at least 2 different artists release material shared on one record, usually each artist designating one side as their own.
For some reason, when we decided that splits would be our blog topic, I remember thinking that this is somewhat a divisive issue. I know for a fact that there are some people out there, even hardcore kids and punks, who think that splits are downright lame. I've had many a friendly debate about it, and usually the commonality that kills the argument is: "Well what about the Faith/Void split?" Generally, this record is agreed upon, where, for punk and hardcore at least, it's a legendary moment that set the standard for what a split record should be like. Still, I've honestly had people respond and ask: "Okay, well name one good split besides that one..." Personally, I think there are plenty!
So the question becomes: What makes for a good split? I think that beyond there being strong showings by either artist, it's important to factor in the concept that the two halves make a stronger whole. Some splits (particularly from the 90s) are plagued by a suspicious feeling that bands only released a split to save money... Some of these same releases are also guilty of having a joint-release between 5 different labels (not exaggerating). Needless to say, I would not qualify these as good examples. There are some splits in my collection where one side just kicks the other sides ass -- basically, the record never gets flipped over. As much as I like Chaos UK, not only are the Death Side tracks better on the Chaos UK/Death Side split, but it's my favorite Death Side material period. I also might throw in the No Side/Out Cold split in this example, because even with Out Cold being one of my personal favorites, the No Side tracks are just so killer! I guess I could have committed to the blog concept of "Japanese bands that are better than the band they share a split with" theme.
Released in 2001, this split LP features material from each band that was recorded in 1998. When comparing these recordings against each band's individual releases from this time period, this when both Totalitär and Disclose were in their prime in terms of delivering intense material. Totalitär released the Vansinnets Historia EP that year and Disclose was hot on the heels of the Aspects of War 10" and would release Nightmare or Reality the following year.
Disclose released a good majority of the tracks on this split previously on the Total Dis-Lickers demo, but thank the lort these tracks got a proper vinyl treatment! Perhaps with a reference to Shitlickers in the title of the demo version of this release, it was pure destiny that Disclose would re-release some of these songs with another Swedish band. The song "Endless War", one of the few tracks exclusive to the vinyl release of this Disclose material, is a definite hilight, a force of pure Dis-fury.
You could argue that with a limited variation across multiple releases that neither band deviates from their signature sound. Still, each band also delivers material that is emblematic and consistently as powerful as any of their other releases. I might even argue that this record has some of each band's best efforts in their entire catalogues and that each side of this slab of wax is just as powerful and raging as the other. Picking a favorite is nearly impossible, but also worth a headache over.
While this record is pretty hard to find these days on vinyl, a recent boot of the Totalitär/Disclose split has been released on cassette that sounds great! Do yourself a favor and grab a copy at one of these places:
Velted Regnub
Vinyl Conflict
Apt 512 Bootique
Runstate Tapes
Capitalist Crusty
Padkarosda: Tetova Lelkek 12" - Definitely topping my list of favorite new releases this round is the new record from Budapest punk band Padkarosda. I was a big fan of some of their previous full-lengths released on cassette, and I believe this new LP is their first proper vinyl release. Granted, I don't know much about Hungarian punk, but to my ears, Padkarosda has such a fresh and unique sound. On the previous tapes, I remember thinking their sound had elements of hardcore, but with a dark sense of melody and atmosphere. This vibe has remained consistent on Tetova Lelkek, where moments almost bring Die Kreuzen to mind, but with a distinctly Eastern European flavor not unlike Tožibabe or Siekiera. When listening to this new record, I think that there are fewer up-tempo tracks in exchange for the spooky, post-punk elements to become the primary focus. Great listen, highly recommended.
Ghoul: Night Out 12" - Compilation LP featuring a collection of tracks from this Japanese '80s punk band. While I had heard Carry Out Fucking, I wasn't super familiar with Ghoul or their association with other Japanese bands like GISM. I will say that for being an earlier Japanese hardcore band during the period where many noisier bands were releasing flexis, Ghoul stands out as being way heavier for the time. That said, the comp LP has a lot of material I'd never heard including a track released as a one-song flexi and some later era material where Ghoul became very thrash metal sounding. To me, this pressing sounds really great and is an interesting glimpse at an underrated Japanese punk band.
Beta Blockers: Stiff Prescription 12" - Debut release from this hardcore punk band out of Leeds, UK. If I remember correctly, this band shares members with The Flex and some others. Beta Blockers don't really have that primitive 80s hardcore vibe like the members' other bands though. Rather, almost more like DiE or No, this band is much noisier and abrasive in the production. Where the sonic landscape is almost harsh and claustrophobic at times, I like how they break their intense bursts with more subtle and dynamic interludes. But with a track like "Who", Beta Blockers manage to creep some melody and hooks into their brand of noisy weirdo hardcore. Killer first release.
The Cowboys: Live At Tony's Garage 7" - On paper, The Cowboys seem like a band that I would normally not really enjoy. The front cover of this new single on Feel It finally depicts the members' physical forms, whom I'd previously never really been able to visualize. Frankly, they look pretty normal. And when you listen closely to their music, they're not even really very punk. They're kinda more surf-country? Something about the singer's vaudevillian approach to singing makes the band seem tongue-in-cheek, maybe they're all just trolling us? I don't know. But still, I find myself thinking the songs are really good! This 7" is a live recording that features a few re-recordings of songs that appeared on previous albums. The energy of these performances is smile-inducing, I gotta say, and are genuinely well-performed. I guess I won't be able to help myself when I start finding the country twang of "Laugh Enough" stuck in my head later on. Oh well.
Army: S/T cassette - We got in a few tapes from this I Hate I Skate label out of Austin, TX. Between Enemy One, Skeleton, and other bands from this crew like Nosferatu, this Army tape might be my new favorite. This band is ferocious, kinda reminding me of Necros, particularly in the drums where it's not sloppy, but kinda manic and powerful simultaneously. Army has crushing mid-tempo sections but it's not overly tough and also pretty catchy. Also, for some reason the vocals kinda remind me of Zach from Socialcide. Live, I would wager that this band just goes berserk, impossible to contain. While not an actual live set, the video I posted of Army below is a public access show of sorts. I thought this video might give a more vivid impression of Army, more-so than the tape. Skip to 4 and a half minutes in to see the singer vomit. Rad.
3/13/2018 - Radiation Risks @ Nightlight
3/17/2018 - Stiff Love @ Fantasy (GSO)
3/19/2018 - Bugg @ Fantasy (GSO)
3.28.2018 - Kaleidoscope @ Sabine (GSO)
4/1/2018 - The Flex & Arms Race @ Nightlight
4.3.2018 - Drool @ TBA
5.15.2018 - Lace @ The Bunker
5.19.2018 - Cement Shoes @ The Bunker
There might be some more coming up also that it's my fault for forgetting, I'll try to re-update next blog!
I think that'll do for this round. As always, thanks for reading!
'Til next time,
-Jef Lep
Record of the Week: SBSM: Leave Your Body 7"
SBSM: Leave Your Body 7” (Thrilling Living)
Debut vinyl from this group out of Oakland who combine hardcore with harsh industrial and power electronics sounds. I feel like their music is something I’ve been looking for forever—hardcore punk comprised of sounds that are unsettling and alien rather than the familiar timbres of electric guitar, bass, and acoustic drums—but SBSM do it better than just about anyone I’ve ever heard. A big reason that this record is so powerful is because SBSM understand dynamics so well… these songs’ dramatic shifts in timbre and tempo are rooted in hardcore’s dramatic “thrash part / skank part” shifts, but the dynamics are subtler and more surprising, at times even resembling Celtic Frost’s disjointed songwriting style (while, of course, sounding absolutely nothing like Celtic Frost). It’s very rare for me to hear a record that is simultaneously so exciting and new-feeling yet instantly gratifying. Usually I feel like meat and potatoes hardcore is a guilty pleasure while “experimental” or noise music can feel too cold and intellectual, but SBSM really is the best of both worlds. At the risk of making SBSM seem like a collage of their influences (which they certainly are not), imagine the feeling of looseness / freedom from early Flipper combined with the dynamic songwriting / arrangement of Crossed Out and wrapped in the mechanical ferocity of prime-era SPK and you’ll have a pretty good idea of where SBSM are coming from. Without a doubt one of the freshest and most exciting records I’ve heard in a long time.
I should also note the packaging here, which is a black-on-black screen print with the inner sleeve and lyric insert bound to the cover with thread like a simple, handmade book. It’s a really beautiful package that feels perfectly suited to the music etched into the vinyl.
Record of the Week: Runt: Positions of Power LP
So, I'm going to try something new here. I've been having trouble keeping up with our featured release descriptions, so I'm going to instead try highlighting one record per week. It might be a record that's the current talk of the scene or it might be something we personally like a lot and think you should check out. We love comments, so please feel free to sound off on why you think this should or shouldn't be the record of the week.
Runt: Positions of Power LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Do you like Crass, bro? There have been a lot of bands doing the anarcho revival thing over the past few years, but for my money Runt do it better than pretty much anyone I’ve heard. I think the key here is that they’re not really retro-sounding at all… the production isn’t super vintage-y sounding and they tend to avoid the corny and obvious tropes of anarcho punk like endless snare rolls and long spoken intros that most bands doing a deliberate take on the genre tend to rely on as signifiers that HEY WE’RE AN ANARCHO GROUP. Instead, Runt channel the confrontational energy and the intellectualism of Crass but feel very much like they’re responding to a modern context. Lyrically, there’s a focus on identity and power that feels very much like a product of the last few decades of academic and intellectual culture and thought. Musically, this has that looseness that I love so much in other London groups like Good Throb and Frau (incidentally, vocalist Ash plays/played in both of those bands), but it’s denser, more aggressive, and in a word more hardcore. So, this has a lot going for it if you like your punk cutting-edge and forward-thinking, but if you’re an anarcho purist you’ll still love Ash’s very Eve Libertine-esque vocals and other little nods to anarcho punk history, like the way the record begins and ends with the same musical motif a la Part 1’s Funeral Parade EP.
Note: we also have limited blue vinyl copies available while supplies last!
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