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Happy New Year Sorry Staters!

Here we are in 2024 and beginning another turn around the sun in what will undoubtably be a year for the history books in many ways. Let’s hope that by this time next year we’ll be talking about great music and art and not the end of democracy.

Anyway, back to January and what is the obligatory look back to the year before, where folks like us and anyone with a social media account and internet access wax lyrically about all the great things that came out and what their favorites were. We’re not spoilsports here at Sorry State and although I might be a bit of a grumpy old man about stuff sometimes, we are going to play along. So here we go with our reminders to you, dear music lovers, of some things that we thought were cool in 2023.

On a personal note, the last year was the proverbial rollercoaster for me. Some highs and some lows. Unfortunately, I lost furry buddies and ended the year living the lyrics of a country or blues song when my relationship took an unexpected turn. However, earlier in the autumn, I was finally able to return to the U.K. and visit my family and that was without doubt the best part of my year. I can honestly say that the most enjoyable moments I had were walking my sister’s and cousin’s dogs out in the woods or along the beach. It was exactly what I needed.

Another great restorative for my mood and well-being has been the form of LFC, who ended the year top of the league. Halfway through the season and it’s been a great one, with any one of four teams looking a good bet still to win the title. As I write this, it’s ours to lose and theirs to win. Up the Reds.

Collectively, we lost many loved celebrities, musicians, artists, actors, poets and countless others who gave of themselves and made the world a better place. Rest in peace all of you.

There were some great moments though, and Sorry State’s ten-year anniversary festival was an absolute blast. So cool getting all these great bands in town for the weekend to party and play. It was one for the books. The cities of Raleigh and Durham get blessed with great bands and artists coming through to play, and the Hopscotch festival this year, for example, was one of the best yet. That and the Dreamville festival curated by J Cole, showcasing the best in hip-hop, have helped keep this part of the country on the musical map. Add all the gigs going on in the clubs, bars and alternative venues and you have quite a healthy scene. After the plague years, we were all so happy to get back out there and see live music.

In any given year, there are literally hundreds of new records released, and keeping up with everything is an impossible task. Not that anyone would, really. I don’t know too many people who like every single genre and style of music going. We all have our preferences and personal favorites in our listening habits and at the end of the day, who has the time to listen to it all? I read lots of other people’s best of lists and often there are similarities to my own, but mostly they are completely different. Either things I don’t care that much for or mostly things that I have never even heard. I work in a record store and have a bit of an advantage over most, but I realize even that leaves me uneducated to all the new music created. So, end-of-year reviews serve their purpose and hopefully us mentioning some of our favorites will steer you towards good things you may have missed or need reminding of.

Mine are in no order of importance or ranking, but are all records that I spent my lunch money on or were gifts. I will divide them into two sections though, new music and reissues of older stuff. Being the old dude here, I naturally listen to a lot of 20th century music and buy a good number of used records throughout the year. Unfortunately for me, I guess, I like a lot of different styles of music that span decades, and so find lots of reasons to take home more vinyl. My sweet spot would be the years spanning the mid 1960s to the mid 1980s, but I listen to old music made at the beginning of the recording era through to the jazz and swing of the 30s and 40s and love the 90s. I’ve always bought records and will never stop digging, and although a lot of modern music isn’t for me, will always keep an open mind and ear to anything new I hear. Thank you so much to all the musicians and artists who have enriched my existence through your music.

Quickly before I begin. As much as I would like to include all Sorry State ‘s own label releases on my list and the Screaming Death compilation on Bunker Punks, I will resist the temptation and will leave that to others less biased to include in their lists. Tell you what though, we put out some killers last year. Cheers to all the bands and to you guys for supporting us and them.

First the new: -

Gruff Rhys – The Almond And The Seahorse Original Soundtrack – Rough Trade Records
I’m going to begin with this little gem that my DJ partner Matt gave me as a gift. We both have a mutual love for Welsh band Super Furry Animals and have followed the solo career of main man Gruff Rhys. I’ve picked one of his previous albums here before and will have a lifelong love for the music he makes and for his voice that always sounds like a long-lost close friend talking to you. He’s done soundtrack work before, the excellent jazzy score to Set Fire To The Stars from 2016 being his first. I have not seen The Almond & The Seahorse yet, but really love the soundtrack. It’s a nice mix of pop songs and mood music. Obviously scored for scenes in the movie, the music is appropriately created, but can be enjoyed just as much without having seen it. There’s plenty of nice moments throughout, and at times I was kinda reminded of stuff that The Orb did back in the day.

Theee Retail Simps – Live On Cool Street – Total Punk Records
I’ve been digging these guys and their records a fair bit. Spazzy garage from Canada that sounds like it could have come out of Memphis and would be equally at home on Goner Records as they are on Total Punk. In truth, the band is more the brainchild of main Simp Joe Chamandy, ably assisted by those around him. Not sure how “live” this record is, but adding a chorus of female vocals, guest musicians and throwing in some choice covers makes it seem like a good time at a cool spot.

El Michels Affair & Black Thought – Glorious Game – Big Crown Records
From my days in New York, I have been a big fan of the music El Michels Affair make. The label Big Crown, along with Daptone and Colemine, have consistently brought the best in new soul and r & b. The Affair typically deals in funky Latin tinged instrumentals. Check out their Wu-Tang cover album. It was no surprise that they would collaborate with the hip-hop world again and Glorious Game features Black Thought of The Roots. Also has my favorite Big Crown artist Lady Wray on back-up vocals. Great album.

Institute – Ragdoll Dance – Roach Leg Records
I joined the party late for these post-punk guys from Austin, Texas, but they are firm favorites here at Sorry State. We all loved member Moses Brown’s solo record as Peace De Resistance and it got me into the Institute back catalogue. Still need a copy of Subordination on vinyl. Ragdoll dance is the group’s fourth record and combines a healthy dose of art-pop and punk rock in equal measure. Some nice nods to the glory days of Siouxsie and Magazine and DIY punk for sure, but enough fresh ideas and interesting songs to make them a part of your contemporary music listening.

The Serfs – Half Eaten By Dogs – Trouble In Mind Records
These guys are a good synth-punk band from Cincinnati, Ohio and have been around for a few years with a previous LP and a cassette release to their credit. This is a good album that delivers songs that aren’t all cut from the same cloth by using different textures and elements of the post-punk and synth-wave sound spectrum. Familiar yet very original stuff.

Morwan - Svitaye, Palaye – Feel It Records
Morwan is the project of Alex Ashtaui from Kiev, Ukraine, who now resides in Berlin and has two albums and an E.P. under his belt. The music style is post-punk with ethnic elements and an Industrial, Coldwave, Goth sound that only recording in Berlin can inspire. The Russian invasion of Ukraine influenced the album greatly. Initially, it was intended as a slightly dance/club sounding follow up to the previous record, but took on the pain, anger, fear, loss, and suffering of the war into the songs. A unique record and worthy of your investigation.

Personal Damage – Atrophy & Entropy – Test Subject Records
L.A. three-piece punk band that has won the hearts of all here at Sorry State. Regular readers will have read all of us here rave about these guys and their take on California Hardcore punk. There’s nothing about these guys not to like. Good energy, good songs, a good look, good humor mixed with a darker take on politics and modern living. Their set at our anniversary festival was a highlight (amongst so many) and it was a pleasure meeting them. Record comes with a sick poster too. Nice one guys.

Blur – The Ballad Of Darren – Warner Records
The 90s and the Brit-Pop years were heady times, but a long time ago now. Blur soundtracked that era for many. Singer Damon Albarn’s voice is another that sounds like a longtime friend or family member. More recently heard with Gorillaz than Blur, it’s a welcome return hearing him with his original band, their first in close to a decade. I was a fan back in the 90s and saw them a bunch of times, beginning with their first album Leisure through to the early 00s and the Think Tank album. They were always good live. When I first heard this new record, I was a little underwhelmed if I am honest, but I have given it repeated listens and really like it now. Certainly, a more mature sounding record and one that finds the band reflecting on where they find themselves now. Still the trademark Damon vocal and although mostly downtempo, still some louder rockers with plenty of sonic texture from guitarist Graham Coxon on display.

Irreversible Entanglements – Protect Your Light – Impulse Records
Those of you into spiritual free jazz that combines hip-hop, funk and spoken word poetry need look no further. This is their debut on Impulse, the label that they were almost destined to be on. They’ve been around for half a decade or so now and have three previous releases. I was lucky enough to catch them play here in Raleigh alongside Daniel and it was an experience we won’t forget. Very powerful stuff.

Fairytale – Shooting Star – Quality Control HQ / Toxic State Records
I’ll let others here at Sorry State tell you about hardcore punk, but I will say that of the many ripping punk records that came through the store last year, (other than our own releases) this was one of my favorites. They do so much with their sound, albeit within the contexts of a d-beat punk framework. The vocals and how they blend into the sound really impressed me. This is a record that initially blows your wig off with its intensity, but like an onion has many layers that reveal themselves each time you listen. We sold out our copies so snag one if you see it, but if ever a repress was needed, this would be it.

Now for a quick mention of some of the reissue highlights I would recommend you investigate.

De La Soul – Buhloone Mind State – Chrysalis Records
It took years, but finally the group took control of their back catalogue and 2023 saw the reissue of their long out of print albums back onto vinyl again. One of the best hip-hop groups ever, this album was their third release from 1993 and might well be my favorite. I’ve kept the CD I bought when it came out and had always hoped to get a vinyl pressing, but as the years went by that became an expensive task. Overall, the reissues of the records have been well done, although why the interstitial skits were dropped on this one is a question some are asking.

Inu – Don’t Eat Food – Mesh Key Records
Late 70s/early 80s post-punk from Japan that has remained Japanese punk’s best kept secret. This was the first licensed and remastered from original tapes reissue of this seminal album. Comes with a nice booklet of photos, lyrics and liner notes. I was new to this record and was impressed.

Dolly Mixture – BBC Radio Sessions – Sealed Records
Primo girl group post-punk from the UK circa late 70s/early 80s. Didn’t really get their due during their lifetime and I always thought that their unreleased material was way better than the actual records. Check out the album of demos and this collection of Radio One recordings for evidence of that. More famous during their time for being complete amateurs and one of them dating Captain Sensible. The group backed him on his solo album and classic single Wot. Thank goodness for the likes of John Peel and the Beeb for having bands cut live sessions like this. Joyous indie pop that never goes out of style.

Jimi Hendrix Experience – Hollywood Bowl, August 18, 1967 – Experience Hendrix / Legacy
When it comes to guitar heroes, there is Jimi and then everyone else. During his Experience era, he was literally recording music every day, whether in the studio, at home or on a stage somewhere. There are countless live recordings out there, and since the Hendrix family has gained control of his music there have been a whole slew of terrific live recordings officially released. This show from 1967 was recently discovered and is a great sounding soundboard recording. Hearing Jimi play never gets old, and this set kicks ass. He also covers Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band here, a song still freshly released in that summer of love. Like all Experience Hendrix releases, this comes with a great full-size booklet of liner notes and photos.

Shabazz 3 – Late Night With Shabazz 3 – Skylark Soul Co.
Legendary underground hip-hop album from 2000 that finally got a proper release as part of Record Store Day. Original copies of the scarce vinyl release were going for big bucks, so this repress was needed. I had a tape copy given to me years ago and was happy to get this cool set on wax. Fans of conscious jazzy hip-hop should look this one up.

Pharoah Sanders – Pharoah – Luaka Bop
Seminal 70s jazz from the master. One of his most beautiful and accessible albums that for years was only known by fans and collectors. We’ve had two original copies come through the store since I have been here. This release gets my vote for reissue of the year. An amazing package that comes in a box that includes an additional album of live recordings made around the same time along with great liner notes and photos. The live version of money track Harvest Time is worth buying this set alone but getting all the other goodies makes plonking down sixty bills a great deal considering original copies are getting close to four figures now. Invest and enjoy.

Blondie – Against The Odds 1974- 1982– Numero Group
Runner up for best reissue of the year for me was this four LP version of a massive Blondie boxset superbly put together by the good folks at Numero Group. Brilliant stuff throughout. (Mostly) all the demos and out-takes you could hope to hear and own. I love Blondie so much and hearing many of these familiar songs stripped down and differently has been a real treat. The book that comes with the set is worth the price of admission alone and makes for a great coffee table book to flick through and is chock-full of great insights and photos.

Alright then, I think that is going to do it for me this time around. Still loads more stuff to potentially talk about but hopefully there are one or two here that you might find just as enjoyable as I did if you missed them. We’re all fans of music first and foremost here at Sorry State and it is an absolute honor and a pleasure to talk about cool records with you all and help get them into your hands. 2023 was a great year. Let’s see what 2024 brings us.

Cheers to you all and as always thank you for your support.

Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

2023 has come to an end. Ooooooh and what a year it was. I was reflecting on all the dumb shit I got myself into and all the records I listened to this year, and you know what? Not too shabby. I always have my ups and downs, and SURE, there’s been some speed bumps along the way, but there’s also been plenty over this past year to smile about.

Here’s my Top 10 of 2023. Forgive me for the overly long write-ups about records I’ve probably already talked about plenty this year. Maybe it’ll be worth your time to read what I have to say. Or if you end up scrolling past a whole bunch of it, shiiit, I don’t blame you haha. I decided to not even mention anything released on Sorry State. Surely GUN, Sirkka, Mutant Strain, and even Koro would be mentioned.

Whatever, here we go:

1. Personal Damage: Apathy & Entropy 12” - Easily one of my favorite records of the year. When Personal Damage first emerged onto my radar a few years back, they caught my attention immediately. It seemed like they became prolific right out of the gate, beating me over the head with a tape, then a 7” flexi, then another tape, then a proper 7” EP. I was curious how well the band would make the leap to the full-length format, and they did not disappoint. You can hear the influence of early 80s LA hardcore like Circle Jerks or The Stains, but Personal Damage has their own thing going on too. Catchy, snotty, memorable, not to mention amazing sounding production and beautiful packaging. Killer.
   
   
2. Electric Chair: Act Of Aggression 12” – I think I may have mentioned the pre-release cassette version of this LP in my end of 2022 review and said something like “this will surely end up in my best of 2023” haha. So yeah, I’d already been listening to this record a lot for over a year now, but it was exciting when the vinyl version finally dropped earlier in 2023. The band’s first full-length LP took their already frenetic style of hardcore and added even more craziness to the mix. Insane shredder leads, weird sort of trippy, psychedelic passages in songs like “Security Camera” – it’s wild. But still the same awesome, outta control, catchy songwriting you’d expect. Electric Chair really got around this year. Even myself, I saw them multiple times, in Minneapolis for the Thrasher event, in Philly for Something To Talk About Fest, at Sorry State 10th Anniversary, and on Halloween in Richmond. I don’t know what it is about Electric Chair. All the dudes are funny as fuck, and there’s something cartoony and silly about them. But they are also undeniably one of the most dead serious, potent, explosive and raging hardcore punk bands out there. They rule.
   
   
3. Tozcos: Infernal 12” – This record snuck its way onto my list right at the tail-end of the year, but it had to be included. First non-NY band to be released on Toxic State? Tozcos have been active for over a decade now I believe. Infernal is their 2nd LP, and it is worth the wait. Tozcos brings an element of “song-based” hardcore punk that I think is sadly missing at the moment. There’s a really thoughtful, dare I say, almost “pop-oriented” attitude toward their constructing of songs. I don’t even speak Spanish very well, but I find myself continuing to sing the vocal hooks after I’m done listening to the record. Not to mention the monster musicianship in the band. Limon’s razor-sharp guitar tone, Corrina’s super in the pocket, pounding, groovy drumming… Also, Kevin’s gotta be one of the best bass players in the game. Walkin’ all up and down that neck. When I heard the bass break intro in the teaser track “Presos”, I was like “deeeeeeyum”. And Monsé’s vicious vocal delivery brings it to the next level. What a great record made by genuinely cool people. This is the real shit right here.
   
   
4. Sick Thoughts: Born To Blitzkrieg 12” – So, I will admit, I was way late in discovering Sick Thoughts. Even over the years with Drew releasing a TON of records, I just assumed I wouldn’t really be into it. I’m choosing this 2023 EP in part because I feel like an idiot for not even giving 2022’s Heaven Is No Fun a chance until way into 2023. I surely would’ve included it on my best of 2022 list, but it feels like I experienced it all in 2023. But Born To Blitzkrieg is so great too. There are 4 songs on this bad boy, and surprisingly, it opens with an eponymously titled ripping hardcore tune. What I discovered is that beyond Sick Thoughts’ sort of silly, crude presentation and lyrical content, my dude just writes great songs. “(I’m A) Hellraiser” is like somewhere between Generation X or Blitz mixed with some random raw, rockin’ KBD tune or something. The classy title of “Schoolgirls in Chains” is almost like early GG Allin, but then breaks into some straight up harmonized Thin Lizzy guitar leads? So sick. Then this EP ends with an unexpected tender moment with “My Heart Is Breaking Over You.” Consider me converted. I love Sick Thoughts.
   
   
5. Pyr Kata Voulisi: Thymata Eirinis 12” – I try my best to pronounce this band’s name NOW, but when we first stocked this record, I remember everyone referring to them as, “You know uuuh, the Greek band!” Haha. An unexpected ripper for me this year. It sounds like these Greeks take some cues from Swedish hardcore, namely I hear a little bit of Herätys influence in the riffs. Just a great hardcore record. I remember them getting some buzz this year amongst the true heads. I hope this band records something new in the not-so-distant future.
   
   
6. The Hell: S/T 12” – These Cleveland boys teased a few tracks from this LP on a cassette back in 2022. Putting the “punk” back in hardcore punk. Direct, to the point, raging. Clean guitars pumping out riffs like a machine. Snarling, aloof vocals somewhere between Stiv Bators and Danny Spira. Tight, fast drumming. 10 songs in 12 minutes. What more do you want? I hear rumors that they’ve got something new geared up for 2024. Can’t wait.
   
   
7. Deletär: S/T 12” – France’s finest, if you ask me. Deletär released a few records before this LP, but I think they really just nailed it on this round. From the moment you drop the needle, your face will melt immediately. Not unlike Pyr Kata Voulisi, Deletär definitely tips their hat to raging käng-style Swedish hardcore. The production on this LP is super dense and intense. Great guitar tone. And just one fist-pumping killer riff after another. Some of the guitar leads approach Skitkids territory. But for me, I like that Deletär have that heavier edge to their sound, but don’t quite cross into crust territory. They kinda remind of a band like Infernöh sort of. I saw Deletär at K-Town back in 2022, but I look forward to seeing this band live again soon. Also, there might be some cool news about this LP soon ;)
   
   
8. Nuovo Testamento: Love Lines 12” – This might be a surprising choice against some of the other records on my list. But if I’m being honest with myself, I listened to this record a whole bunch this year. I don’t know anything about Italo-Disco, really. I know that’s what Nuovo Testamento is going for with the name and all. But when I listen to this record, I just think about 80s NRG and freestyle synth-pop like Stacey Q and Samantha Fox. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. What I do know is that I’ll throw this record on when I’m in my kitchen and shake my tail feather while I’m cooking dinner. It rules.
   
   
9. Tiikeri: Punk Rock Pamaus!!! 12” – Funny how a record with cartoon tigers and anarchy A’s inside of hearts made such an impact this year. The Finnish songsmiths were at it again this year with their first full-length. Maybe I live in a bubble, but a lot of people were super into this record this year, right? I’ll use the word I’ve used many times when I’ve described Tiikeri: INFECTIOUS. That’s the thing, it’s hard not to like it. When they make the cute battle cry of, “Okay, let’s punk!” You’re like, yeah I’m down. Saccharinely sweet poppy punk tunes about how “punk is love” and all that kinda stuff. A welcome positive distraction from the awful things happening in this world. Authentic late 70s Finnish KBD or Green Day? I’ll let you decide.
   
   
10. The Massacred: Post-Mortem 7” – Wow, the only 7” on my list this year. I had to pick at least one. Funny enough, Public Acid played New Year’s Eve of 2022 in Toronto. Then, our next show on that trip on January 1st, 2023 was in Boston and it was the record release for The Massacred’s first 7”. So technically, this record just barely made it in time to qualify as a 2023 release. What a great way to kick off the year. This band rips. An almost militaristically tight approach to hardcore punk. The Massacred definitely have some UK82 influence going on with big, chanted sloganeering style vocals. But then, a friend mentioned to me that the riffing reminds him of Headcleaners. Now I can’t unhear it. Soooo, like a tough as nails, stompy version of Headcleaners? Sign me up. Awesome packaging on this record too. I remember Usman and I gushing over the hand-stamped dust sleeves.

-----Honorable Mentions-----

-Golpe: Assuefazione Quotidiana 7" – I almost feel guilty not including this 7” in my top 10! I love me some Golpe. Them sweet Italian boys. Part of the Sorry State family, this new 7” offering on Beach Impediment has some the band’s heaviest, stompiest songs yet.

-Yellowcake: Can You See The Future? 7” – This band came onto my radar this year out of nowhere. I think they’re making a big impression in general. Not For The Weak did a great job with this 7”, but I think seeing this band live is really what did it for me. So powerful. The drummer is insane.

-Bloodstains: Anti-Social 7” – Orange County, baby. I love that this band is bringing back that melodic side of early 80s California punk. The sleeves on these 7”s look great too. Thanks again for hooking me up with a copy, Cesar. Gimme more Agnew, people!

-Fairytale: Shooting Star 12” – Another record that probably should’ve made my Top 10. This LP is just insane. For bands doing the “d-beat” style or whatever, I always thought Fairytale were a unique, kinda spaced out, psychedelic take on the sound. Lulu’s vocals on that track “Possible to Grow,” so killer.

-Nukies: Can’t You Tell That This Is Hell 12” – Another ripper that I digested in tape format first. Nukies from Sweden play super riffy, almost rocked out hardcore that’s often stompier and groovier than it is ripping mangel style. Great stuff.

-Factory City Children: S/T 7” – Mateo from Warthog transforms into a demon and wreaks havoc on the streets of NY. Nasty, raw, blown out but catchy punk tunes recorded over a drum machine.

-People’s Temple: I’m With The... 7” – When a dude from Orange County infiltrates NY and brings that catchy style of hardcore from one coast to the other. There’s things I liked and kinda didn’t care for with this record, but the first track “Think For Me” really stands out.

-Destruct: Cries the Mocking Mother Nature 12” – Had to mention my Richmond homies. Seriously one of the deadliestly (is that word?) tight bands playing Japanese-inspired hardcore at the moment. Those tom rolls, dude. Makes the kids go nuts.

-Hez: Panamaniacs 12” – Even though I know we had stocked previous records by this band a few years back, John Scott actually turned me onto this record. Totally raging hardcore from Panama. Kinda raw but also atmospheric like Destino Final or bands of that style.

-Class: If You’ve Got Nothing 12” – Another band that, for me, appeared out of nowhere and all the sudden was super prolific with their releases. I never really checked them out until much later in the year. I heard such positive endorsements from people around me. I finally gave Class a shot and now I totally get it. I feel like the term “power pop” gets a bad rap. Class just writes great, jangly vintage sounding punk tunes. I really love the track “Behind The Ball” on this new LP.

-Chueko: Tools of Oppression 7” – I think I just talked about this 7” in the last newsletter, but it’s continued to grow on me. Great hardcore punk from Portland by members of Suck Lords, Alienator, etc.

-Secretors: Comparing Missile Size Vol.1 7” – Another release from later in the year. I feel like this EP is just a barrage of intense, heavy hardcore that definitely has a couple nods to Japanese punk classics. Great riffs on this record.

-Laughing Corpse: Demented Thoughts Posed As Dark Comedy cassette – New band out of DC. I think this tape is really cool. My homie Connor killing it on drums, as always. Funny enough, I detect a bit of COC and Double Negative influence in the songwriting. Totally Raleigh-biased over here, and of course I’m so here for it.

Certainly, there are several other records released in 2023 that I could talk about. But I tried to narrow it down to a few choice favorites, and I still feel like I wrote too much. I didn’t even mention REISSUES! That’d be a whole other verbose series of ramblings.

Alright, more generally speaking, here’s a “Top 10” list of my favorite and most eventful moments this year:

1. Sirkka gig weekend – I just remember this weekend being really fun. It was toward the end of April. Public Acid played in Norfolk on a Friday. Then on Saturday, Usman and I spent the whole day Saturday in Richmond. I remember hanging with a big group of friends, we got breakfast, went to a skatepark by the river, got margaritas, and it was just nice having the crew together. Then on Sunday, both Public Acid and Scarecrow played with Sirkka. Sirkka ripped so hard. That was a great gig. It was great seeing Sanja again after Scarecrow had met her in Germany on our European tour back in summer 2022.

2. Public Acid Thrasher gig – People who regularly read the newsletter might be aware that skateboarding was super important to me when I was younger. It was super cool to get invited by Thrasher Magazine to go to Minneapolis, watch some skateboarding, and then rip a gig with Electric Chair at the afterparty. A no brainer. We were hosted by Will from Desolate and it was awesome. I got to meet Tony Trujilo, one of my favorite skaters. We hung with the Electric Chair dudes and, you know, went and rode a giant wooden mechanical wiener at a sex shop. The usual stuff. Then after the gig, all of us in Public Acid and Electric Chair went to a swimming spot by a lakeshore at night with some Minneapolis locals.

3. Shomo Fest 2023 – I know the fest is called Something To Talk About. I call it Shomo Fest affectionately. Jim put together one hell of a fest. If it wasn’t already killer in 2022, he really upped the whole shebang this past year. It was my first time playing the First Unitarian Church in Philly, which has been doing punk and hardcore shows for a loooong time. And seeing Vaaska and Warthog was killer. The Saturday shows at Foto Club were a blast, too. The Wanted, Invertebrates and Mutant Strain killed.

4. Meat House Tour – Even though this run of dates we did was short, this was easily one of the funnest tours I’ve ever been on. Meat House went out and played some Midwest gigs with Mutant Strain, and it was great. Even more than I remember the gigs, I remember just laughing and hanging out. Rolling up to a White Castle, making Shrek Juice™ out of bright green soda and tequila and actin’ a fool for hours. I’ll never forget those cool local dudes we met at the liquor store who asked if we were on Spotify and then wanted to take a group picture with us, and then the one dude preceded to pull out his gun to pose with for the photo.

5. Scarecrow / Vidro Tour – The Swedes invaded! Vidro are the coolest. So stoked we got to tour together. Scarecrow and Vidro did 10 days in a van together up the east coast and dipped our toes into the Midwest a bit too. There were many highlights. Staying with Andy and Elise in Worcester ruled, where their house had horror movie ephemera in every corner and Andy showed us his many wares and special herbs grown on the property. Loved getting to hang with Trevor in Cleveland and I also got a sick tattoo from Lia. Also in Cleveland, we went to check out the Great Lake and there was trash and dead rats on the beach. Awesome. The Richmond show was great; it was fun hanging at Chubb’s after the gig and jamming Ramones records. Our last night in DC, we involuntarily spent 2 hours in a tiki bar and then went and danced at a goth club. I can’t wait to see Vendela, Lucas, Staffan, and Melody again soon. Perhaps back on their home turf sometime ;)

6. Hangin’ with Tozcos in a graveyard on my birthday – This was yet another Thrasher magazine event where they recruited punk bands to play. This time, it was Scarecrow that played, and it happened right in our backyard in Charlotte. We got to the skate park too late to see the skating, which I was bummed about. But the gig we played later was with Tozcos! The gig was on August 19th, so it was my birthday right when the clock struck midnight. We all got cases of beer and celebrated in the graveyard TSOL style – Well, actually NO, not like that.

7. Sorry State Anniversary weekend – This should be number 1 on the list. The coolest thing that’s happened in Raleigh in all the years I’ve lived here. 2 days of pure punk bliss, thanks to our Lord Commander Daniel. A lot of planning and work went into organizing our 10-Year Anniversary, and I’m so happy it went well. Thanks again to all the bands who came and played and all the people who helped out. I’ll never forget it.

8. Tampa – Generally speaking, I’ve never been the biggest fan of visiting Florida. But prior to actually arriving, Mike from Warthog/Heaven’s Gate picking me up at the airport and driving me into Ybor, I didn’t realize I’d never been to Tampa. I must admit, I had a pretty awesome time. Seeing mofos roll cigars fast as fuck in the windows of local shops and seeing wild chickens roaming around, it was a cool vibe. The gig Public Acid played was cool obviously, but moments like drinking Aperol Spritz at fancy hotel pool with palm trees while Chubb wore a cowboy hat—that and going to this huge, famous S&M goth club were the best moments in my mind.

9. Screaming Death – Me and Usman’s label, Bunker Punks Discs & Tapes, released a record I’m really proud of this year. It was a project that was in the works for a couple years: a 4-way split featuring our band Scarecrow, Destruct, Rat Cage, and Dissekerad. The final product came out amazing, and we’re really stoked on the positive response we’ve gotten from the release. Thanks everybody!

10. This year in record collecting – So last but not least, I managed to score some records this year. Pretty much all the records worth mentioning are of the miniature variety. Not so many full-size platters, but I crossed off some of my major bite-size wants. I always convince myself I didn’t go too too crazy. Whoops! The SOA was a huge one for me, of course. I’m also so stoked I was able to lock down an original Zmiv 7”. I didn’t know if I’d ever see one. The Damned Stretcher Case was a record that eluded me for years too; I guess they were given away at gigs in the late 70s? Wild. Thankful that Colin from Sit & Spin in Philly brought that down with him while being a vendor at the Sorry State anniversary. Hell yeah.

There are several more things I could drag on about, like the Krigshoder/Indre Krig gig in Richmond, the Halloween show where I dressed as Captain Sensible and barely anyone got it, the under the bridge show with Nosferatu, Subdued, and Tower 7, seeing Appendix… the list goes on and on. I think I’m gonna try to wrap it up here.

2023 definitely had plenty to keep me busy. Seems like 2024 is already shaping up to be just as, if not MORE, busy than last year. Thanks to all you readers who have supported us here at Sorry State. Here’s hoping 2024 ends up being a good one.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

I’m in a bit of a pickle regarding my Best of 2023 list this year. Maximum Rocknroll asked me to contribute a list for their year-end roundup, but they haven’t published it yet and I don’t want to steal MRR’s thunder by publishing my piece here first. In MRR this list will be fleshed out with brief explanations of what I liked about each record, so hopefully they won’t mind me publishing the bare-bones list here. Here it is:

TIIKERI: Punk Rock Pamaus!!! LP (Open Up and Bleed / Vox Populi)
PUFFER: EP 7” (Roachleg)
PERSONAL DAMAGE: Atrophy & Entropy LP (Test Subject)
FAIRYTALE: Shooting Star LP (Toxic State / Quality Control HQ)
DIE LETZTEN ECKEN: Talisman LP (Static Age)
FLOWER: Hardly a Dream LP (Profane Existence)
WHY BOTHER?: A City of Unsolved Miseries LP (Feel It)
SALVAJE PUNK: Salvaje Punk LP (Toxic State)
ELECTRIC CHAIR: Act of Aggression LP (Iron Lung)
THE COOL GREENHOUSE: Sod’s Toastie LP (Melodic)

Like I said, Maximum Rocknroll will publish the full piece on their website in the coming weeks, and I’ll note in the newsletter and on Sorry State’s socials when it’s available to read. Since I’m not writing about the actual records here, I thought I’d reflect on my list and tell you a bit about how I came up with it.

I think 2022 was the year I used playlists to keep track of the new music I listen to. Currently, my Apple Music library has 5,043 albums, and before I started using playlists, I would listen to a new release for a few weeks at most until it got bumped from the “Recently Added” section and disappeared into my unwieldy library. Now I maintain a playlist called “current stuff,” and every Monday I look at what new releases have come in at Sorry State and add the ones I want to check out to the playlist. When I’m working in my office at Sorry State’s warehouse or driving around doing errands, I usually have this playlist playing on album shuffle mode. Sometimes it’s just playing in the background and I’m not really paying attention, but I hear this playlist so often that I begin to get a feel for which releases interest me.

Another part of my Monday playlist maintenance routine is deciding which releases I want to write about for the newsletter. I usually choose seven releases, six of which will appear in the Featured Releases section and one of which I’ll name Record of the Week. I then give each of these seven releases a few closer listens at home on my nicer stereo, giving them my full attention and taking notes I’ll use to compose the descriptions for the newsletter. Once I’ve written all seven descriptions, I decide which one will be Record of the Week. Sometimes I have a good idea of which one will be ROTW before I start, but other times I’m surprised when closer listening causes a new favorite to emerge.

The last part of my Monday playlist maintenance routine is pruning the “current stuff” playlist. After I’ve written about the record for the newsletter, if I really liked it, I’ll add it to another playlist called “Best of 2023 releases.” I put this playlist on album shuffle when I need the good shit… usually when I have to do a long drive or power through a task at work that I don’t really want to do. If a release doesn’t make it onto the “Best of 2023” list, it disappears into the library. I listen to my entire library on album shuffle a lot, but with so many albums, no release comes up very often. Every once in a while (but not very often), I’ll dislike a release so much that I’ll delete it from my library so I never have to hear it again.

When it was time to compile my Best of 2023 list, the first thing I did was look at that “Best of 2023 releases” playlist. Next, I looked back at the Record of the Week archive on the Sorry State website to see which records I named ROTW throughout the year. Finally, I look at all the physical releases I bought throughout the year. This last step is not as helpful as I’d like, since the new releases are all mixed up with the reissues and used records I’ve bought, and I have already filed away some. But this stage always adds a few items where I played the hell out of the physical version, but either I didn’t have a digital version or the digital didn’t get as much attention.

In the past, I’ve always compiled a “short list” of several dozen releases that I then shuffle around, hemming and hawing about whether each one should go in the top 10 or appear as an honorable mention. This year, though, I didn’t compile a short list at all. After reviewing all that data, I sat down and spit out a list off the top of my head. When I looked at it, it was exactly 10 releases and I felt good about it, and that’s exactly the list that appears above. No revisions, no second guessing (well, until I wrote all this reflection / explanation I guess). In the past, I’ve agonized over lists like these to where they felt inauthentic, like I got too much in my head about which releases “should” be on the list and ended up with something that didn’t reflect what I actually liked and what spoke to me. Looking at this year’s list, though, they are definitely 10 records I really loved.

That being said, there are a ton of excellent records that aren’t on the list. I listened to the Destruct, Rat Cage, Physique, Kinetic Orbital Strike, and Avksum records a ton and I thought all of them were great, but I wanted my list to reflect the diversity of my tastes. The Deletär album would have been on the list, but once we agreed to do a US pressing on Sorry State, that disqualified it from consideration. (I never put releases I helped put out or played on on these lists… it’s hard to be objective about them, though l love all of them as much or more than the releases that appear on the list.) I really loved the Mandy, Indiana and Mary Jane Dunphe albums, but I wasn’t sure if they met Maximum Rocknroll’s criteria for inclusion, so I didn’t put them on the list. A few other releases arrived too late for consideration. I think the Tozcos LP came out right around the time I had to submit my list to MRR, and it has completely dominated my listening since then. If I composed my list today, Infernal would, without a doubt, be on it.

One thing I really like about my list, though, is that each release I highlighted has something that elevates it above the level of simply being a good punk or hardcore record. For me, these year-end lists are about more than simply ranking the “best” records, whatever the fuck that even means. It’s about identifying the records that speak to our moment, that emerge from their context in some kind of interesting way. I’m sure the Tiikeri record would sound great in any context, but there’s something about the way it melted the hearts of so many hardcore maniacs this year (myself included) that makes me love it even more. Similarly, the Flower and Why Bother? records probably got fewer listens than some releases that didn’t make it onto my list, but the fact that I wasn’t expecting to like them as much as I did made them feel more significant.

So yeah, that’s the thought process behind my list. Now enjoy the rest of the SSR staff’s lists, which are hopefully formatted in a more straightforward and traditional way than mine…

Oh, and after all that stupid process, I still totally forgot about the Bloody Flag tape, which 100% would have been on my list. God damn it!

Secretors: Comparing Missile Size 7” (Roachleg Records) We last heard from New York’s Secretors on 2019’s Antidote for Civilization flexi, but after seeing them last summer at Another Lost Weekend, I knew they were coming back in a big way. Secretors did not sound like a band that had been hibernating for four years… in fact, they might have played my favorite set of that entire weekend. Comparing Missile Size illustrates why. For me, it’s a consummate New York punk record, intense and raw, but developed and thought out in a way that makes it feel like a real statement rather than just a burst of inspiration caught on tape. Secretors recordedComparing Missile Size at D4MT Labs, and like all the recordings that come from that space, it sounds murky on the surface, yet it’s rich with the detail you need when the instruments’ tones and textures are a big part of the sound. Despite playing full-bore pretty much all the time, Secretors’ music goes to a lot of different places, from brutal, Shitlickers-inspired pounding to riffier moments like “Direct Order” and the rad, Randy Uchida-esque intro riff on the title track. The vocals play a huge part too, barked in a low register a la E.N.T., but rather than locking in rhythmically with the riffs, they tend to pull against the instrumental rhythms in compelling ways, creating this tension that makes the sound feel like it’s pulling apart at the seams. The artwork and lyrics are similarly compelling, with well-considered reactions to the new horrors of 21st-century warfare. Comparing Missile Size is one of those records that grabs you right away with its explosivity, but whose depth keeps you coming back for repeated listens.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks,

Angela

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

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

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

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

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

Click here for a link to listen to the album.

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

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

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

Cheers and catch up with you all next year- Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

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

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

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

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

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

‘Til next YEAR,

-Jeff

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crucified Class: S/T 7” (Whispers in Darkness Records) We named Crucified Class’s previous cassette Record of the Week, and now the band has returned with their debut vinyl. Guess what? We still love it. While it seems like an obvious comparison given Crucified Class is from Portland, there really is a lot of Poison Idea in their sound. Rather than the pared down, Pick Your King version of P.I., though, Crucified Class pulls more from the War All the Time / Feel the Darkness era that fused the earlier material’s intensity to longer, more well-developed songs with dynamic dual-guitar arrangements. I think there’s also a lot of Adolescents in Crucified Class’s sound: the insanely catchy guitar hooks, certainly, but also the darker chord progressions and the way the songs build tension in elegant, interesting ways (“System Sickness” reminds me of “Kids of the Black Hole” in that regard). While Crucified Class is 100% a hardcore punk band, their songwriting feels ambitious, which stands in stark contrast to the tossed-off feeling of a lot of contemporary DIY hardcore. That ambition pays off, with these four songs rising well above mere imitations of the classics.

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