Hi Sorry State readers! Hope everyone is having a great week. Let’s just jump right in.

So it’s been six years since Bloc Party put out an album, and 17 years since they put out a good one. Understandably, my expectations were pretty low going into this one, but Alpha Games might just be their comeback album. Or at least their most promising effort in a long time.

Their latest release circles back to the fun, guitar-focused, dancey post-punk rock of Silent Alarm, but it’s more experimental with the addition of some darker beats and elements of hip hop. But to be honest, my praise and enthusiasm are almost entirely directed at the first side of the album. Alpha Games is so obviously front-loaded in my opinion that it’s confusing why they would put all their best songs on one side. Never dawning on me until now that my preference isn’t everyone’s preference. Maybe the stark contrast between the two sides was intended to just give us two different flavors. But I just don’t really like the taste of side B. At least I don’t have to get up to flip the album over, which is arguably the only real downside to listening to vinyl.

The opener, “Day Drinker”, instantly captured my attention with its catchy chorus. And Kele Okereke hasn’t lost his touch at all when it comes to his high-energy engaging vocals. And things get even better with the second song, “Traps.” This is the point I was is totally locked in and hopeful. Between Okereke’s flow and the fresh and interesting beats, it’s easily one of the best songs on the album. Sorry, but you can’t not like it. “Rough Justice” is another strong contender for my favorite track. There’s a lot going on in this one as the sound turns a bit darker and more new-wavey, and ends with an unanticipated burst of manic guitar and a drum solo that feels like the encore at a fireworks show. This song just gives the record a lot more edge.

Things were going so well… but the change of pace and general direction of the second side totally lost me. The energy and interest totally dissipates with the song “Of Things Yet to Come.” This song could be on the soundtrack for The Greatest Showman or a high school musical. At times, it sounds like there is an attempt to go in a new wave direction, but things just don’t quite work out. While the song “In Situ” does provide somewhat of a lifeline to an otherwise boring second side, the album doesn’t end nearly as strong as it started. That said, I still think it’s worth it. And hey, if Alpha Games were nothing but fun dancey grooves, it would be Silent Alarm. Regardless, I still think this is the band’s best album in 17 years. So if you liked Silent Alarm but then fell off, it may be time to give Bloc Party another chance.

The standouts for me are Day Drinker, Traps, and Rough Justice. Linked below is “Traps” if you want to give it a listen!

https://youtu.be/0Y86GEcmcnw

Thanks for reading!

Angela

Hello readers and thank you for reading. Today I will be here with the quickness to mention the repress we just got of the RECKONING FORCE 12”. Their debut LP Broken State maintained a spot on the top of the Sorry State charts for weeks on end when we initially stocked it, and for good reason. This record is fucking pummeling. I’ve been lucky enough to catch ‘em live a few times and god damn they do not disappoint. The drumming is ripping with catchy punches that lock right in with the guitarist’s lightning fast strumming hand. Fucking hell. They seriously shred. If you slept on this record, now is the time to wake the fuck up. If I am being totally honest with you, I slept on this LP for a few days cos the art did not really do it for me. Artwork is probably the least of my concerns when it comes to hardcore, but artwork can certainly draw me towards to record (for better or worse.) Shit, TOTALITÄR is one of my favorite bands and art was certainly not their forte haha. Anyway, I was working at the warehouse when I heard this absolutely pummeling hardcore coming from the fulfillment room and I rushed over to discover that Daniel was blasting their (then brand-new) 12". I bought a copy immediately. Maybe I should’ve waited for this sick silver version though... Fuck it, maybe I’ll buy both. This style of hardcore isn’t necessarily my go-to, but then again I’m not really sure how to stereotype this record into one of the sub-genres of hardcore. Some elements of the band remind me of WASTED TIME. Their styles are similar, and both bands go hard as fuck. I am not well-rounded on 80s USHC so I have no idea what to compare it to when it comes to the classics, but I am sure they have plenty of 80s influences. This Norfolk crew always seems busy with their projects, so I am sure RECKONING FORCE will lay down another hot ass slab for our turntables sooner than later, and I can’t wait. Alright, thanks for reading. If anyone from RECKONING FORCE is reading this, what up mofos!!! Thanks to everyone for the support. Peace!

Greetings everyone and thank you for clicking on our corner of the internet. As always, it is appreciated. Mixed emotions this week. I was disappointed that my Reds couldn’t win the league on Sunday—we finished one point behind Manchester City in the end but kept things in the balance up to that final game and still have a Champions League final to play in Paris against Real Madrid on Saturday, so a third trophy could be possible this season. This though pales in importance to the news stories that we in the US are enduring currently. More mass shootings this week as children and innocents pay the price of “Freedom” so that dumb fuck gun nuts and Republican Nazis can stop the Libs from taking away their precious guns. Because we all need an assault rifle and arsenal at home, don’t we? I thought the “good guys” with guns were supposed to stop the shooters. Not so much. So, like I say, mixed emotions this week but one way to keep the blues at bay is music, and this is what we are all here for. Let’s talk about records, shall we?

Firstly, though, I did just want to say that I have been working a little more in the store these past few weeks helping get John Scott acclimatized and it has been a lot of fun working alongside him. Having a younger dude here is cool because he is turning me on to stuff he knows and likes, and I can return the favor by hipping him to cool stuff that comes through that I know about. Having some years under my belt has meant that by default I have been exposed to a lot of music and knowledge and it’s great to pass a little of that on. As an evangelist of music, there is nothing more pleasing than turning on people to the good shit. I also enjoy turning over the turntable controls to someone else and hearing what they select. John Scott has great taste and likes Jazz and Blues (among other things) and that’s just fine with me. Anyway, it’s great having him working with us and it’s also great having Angela on the team too. You couldn’t ask for two cooler co-workers who share our collective passion for music. Pay attention to them. They’ll point you towards worthy additions to your music library.

This week as I was going through boxes of records from collections we had bought I found a couple by the guitarist Harvey Mandel which were the last two I needed to complete my collection of his work. I generally prefer to just wait until records find me or I find them and could have completed my Mandel discography years ago if I had wanted to, but where’s the fun in that? As John Scott has been enjoying some Rolling Stones and Blues and Jazz Fusion here in the store whilst we have been working, it seemed like talking about Harvey Mandel would be very appropriate.

Mandel, born in Detroit and raised in Chicago was a guitar virtuoso who by his late teens was already a professional musician gigging and recording blues music in the early to mid-sixties. He played firstly with Charlie Musselwhite and went on to play with Canned Heat, Barry Goldberg, and John Mayall, and was even considered as Mick Taylor’s replacement in The Rolling Stones. He did play on their Black And Blue album however, contributing lead guitar to the song Hot Stuff.

Going back to the 1960s Mandel had relocated to San Francisco and exposure there led to a deal with Philips where he cut three solo albums beginning in 1968 with Cristo Redentor. That was the record that exposed me to him as an artist. I was drawn to the great artwork firstly and to the fact that he was playing versions of Cristo Redentor and Wade In The Water, two of my favorite songs. He kills both and that record became a regular in DJ sets. They are good tunes to start the night off with. Bluesy, psychy, jazzy instrumentals, as are the rest of the tracks on the album. Good stuff and recommended. Mandel is credited with an innovative approach to his guitar playing and uses various techniques like slide, delay and tapping to achieve his sound.

1969 and 1970 brought two more albums on Philips, Righteous and The Games People Play. On these records, vocals are added on some tracks and he also ventures into some Latin and Brazilian themes as well as the psychedelic blues. He does a nice version of Jive Samba for-instance. A scan of the musicians playing on these records reveals some quality names, including drummer Earl Palmer, which should be enough to prick the ears of any crate digger who knows his onions.

Mandel resumed his solo album career with the Janus label in 1971 and the record Baby Batter (probably not the best title) and went on to cut three more albums for the label. The Snake in 1972, Shangrenade in 1973 and finally Feel The Sound in 1974. It was these last two that I was missing in my collection that we just got in. They’re not expensive or rare per se and these copies had some light wear but played just fine.

I really like the Shangrenade LP. It has much more of a Jazz Funk vibe to it than the previous records. The drummer kills it throughout. Very funky. Mandel still has his psychedelic blues style going on but gets into a much more modern sound for this one and you can hear him using the tapping technique. The follow up record the next year, Feel The Sound Of Harvey Mandel continues the Jazz Funk feel. There are some changes in personnel, but the sound is similar with perhaps one or two more vocal cuts on that one. Both records have colorful and interesting artwork, though. Shangrenade is literally a painting of a mountain valley scene with folks frolicking in the meadows with a huge hand grenade sitting in the middle. On Feel The Sound the cover sports a painting of a red-haired woman lying naked in a botanical garden scene. Nice.

As I have only been listening to these last two records for a couple of days, it is still early days to pick out a favorite track, but I have added the links there for you to go take a listen to and decide for yourselves. I think there will be some of you out there that will dig hearing these albums and if this is your first-time hearing about Harvey Mandel, then you are in for a treat and will have fun exploring his records. Great thing also is that they won’t hurt your wallet too much. I don’t think you should have to pay more than $20 for a copy of any of these, perhaps because they are still somewhat under the radar, but whatever, grab ‘em when you see them.

Okay friends, that’s all from me. Thank you for reading and enjoy your week ahead.

Cheers - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Life’s been a whirlwind for me lately, so I might try to keep it brief this round. I did wanna draw all you readers’ attention to the fact that Sorry State is now stocking a lot of classic titles from Beer City Records. Most importantly, I wanna talk about The Faction. I don’t know a lot about Beer City as a label, but I know they also produce and sell skateboards. Which is sick! It’s kinda cool that a skateboard company is also focused on and does so well on getting permission to release classic punk and hardcore reissues. I think they also are the primary distributors for labels like Frontier. Pretty wild.

Anyways, back to my point: I love The Faction. I’m sure like many other people, my introduction to the band was “Skate and Destroy” playing during the opening of the Bones Brigade video. Even though Bones Brigade and all the Powell stuff was a bit before my time, I always found discovering classic skateboarding was slightly more accessible than discovering 80s punk and hardcore. Whether it was through friends’ older brothers or whatever, I somehow managed to see the Bones Bridage Video Show on VHS when I was a young teenager. I thought “Skate and Destroy” was such a ripping song and it blew my mind that a punk band was howling about skateboarding while paired with ripping footage of skating on screen. So perfect. Then when I found out that the Bones Brigade’s own pro skater Steve Caballero played in the band, my mind was blown even further. Young me was like, “I wanna rip it up skating and also have a rad hardcore band.” That was the full vision. The Faction’s first LP No Hidden Messages is great and still a favorite, but they have a lot of other great records in their discography. The early singles Yesterday Is Gone and Corpse In Disguise, as well as the later mini-LPs Dark Room and Epitaph, are all back in print thanks to Beer City. All on 12” format, and they’re pretty damn cheap. You definitely need tracks like “Tongue Like A Battering Ram” and the band’s re-working of “California Dreamin’“ in your life.

Maybe 12” reissues of 80s skate rock aren’t really on everyone’s radar. It’s just cool to me that the records are accessible. I love collecting og records, but the prices for originals are super frustrating sometimes. I think about the scenario like I was still a teenager. If I could’ve walked into a record store and bought a copy of any of the classic Faction records, then I would’ve been so STOKED. If you feel like it’s worth shelling out the $15 to hear some classic tunes, I’d strongly suggest it.

Anway, that’s all I’ve got. Skateboarding and 80s hardcore… you know, the usual haha. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

I don’t have a staff pick this week, so instead I’m going to whine. Y’all are down for that, right? You may have noticed that, in the intros for the past two editions of the newsletter, I’ve written about heading off to Thursday evening gigs after I finish putting everything together. That’s been a weight on me lately. In fact, last Thursday I didn’t finish the newsletter before leaving for the Fried E/M gig in Chapel Hill. I worked on the newsletter until after 9PM, then left for Chapel Hill (about an hour from my house), arriving in time for DE()T’s last song and missing Bug-E.M.S. I was in an atrocious mood, berating myself for not being more on top of my work, and I tried to avoid talking to anyone at the gig so I could sulk. Apologies to the few brave souls who approached me that night and had to soak up my bad vibes. After the gig I got home and worked until about 3AM finishing things up. Rather than sending it out at that hour, I scheduled it for early Friday morning.

The next day Scarecrow was playing with Fried E/M in Virginia Beach, so I knew I’d see those folks again. I know playing out-of-town gigs can stress some people out, but right now Sorry State is so stressful that I love going out of town for gigs… I feel like I’m away from all of my stressors. The crew from Not for the Weak Records was putting on the gig and they did a great job. All the bands killed, and I felt good about Scarecrow’s set even though I seem to be having problems with my distortion pedal. Friend E/M was incredible, and I even moshed a little, the first time I’ve done that in several years. Every time I think I’m a retired mosher, a song as good as “Inner Peace” comes around that pulls me back in.

Martin and Gabe from Fried E/M are old friends, and I’m stoked they were down to hang out after the gig. The Scarecrow, NFTW, and Fried E/M crews went down to the Virginia Beach oceanfront and hung out on the water until 4:30 in the morning, chatting about life and punk and the things you talk about at a post-gig hang. I loved how Usman and Martin had some kind of magical rapport… you’d think they’d be oil and water, but they’re more like an odd couple comedy duo. I’d listen to that podcast.

Back in Sorry State land, things have been so busy that I feel like I’ve had no time for myself. When I’m feeling depressed, I find it hard to get up in the morning and I linger over my morning cup of coffee for way too long. This week I resolved to get out of bed and get to work more quickly, but I haven’t been leaving work any earlier or taking it any easier. So, what ends up happening is that I work 12+ hour days, arriving home dead-eyed. I’m not sure whether it’s depression, stress, or some combination of the two, but I’ve had trouble finding enjoyment in the things that usually move me this week, most importantly music.

The one thing that sparked my musical curiosity this week was vaporwave. I was sitting on the couch, looking at my phone, trying to find something interesting to think about when I stumbled on a video that explained all the different subgenres of vaporwave with samples of artists from each one. I’ve known the term vaporwave for many years, but I can’t recall listening to any of the music. Rachel once described it to me as the background music playing at K-Mart, and some of it sounds like that, but not all of it. The more interesting things I heard reminded me of something you’d hear at a spa or in the background of a corporate training video, but what seems to separate vaporwave from your typical background music is that it sounds a little bit fucked up. Most of the releases have cassette hiss, like they’re ripped from an old VHS tape, and some have little glitches added in like the recording has been damaged. This style of music is meant to evoke peace and calm, but with vaporwave there seems to be something sinister lurking in the background. It’s like the cheery background music for a training video made by an evil corporation.

I keep listening to releases mentioned in that video. It’s all I want to hear right now. Why? I find it nourishing in my current state of mind, but I can’t put my finger on why. It’s like when you’re sick and all you want to eat is plain bread or oatmeal… something bland and grey or off-white. I’m probably being dramatic, but hopefully this week I can get a little more rest and get back to recommending you some killer punk next week. But, then again, Scarecrow is playing with Absolut in Richmond next Thursday, so that might not be a realistic expectation.

Sado-Nation: S/T 7” (Puke N Vomit Records) Puke N Vomit Records brings us the first stand-alone reissue of this 1980 Portland punk gem. Sado-Nation was from Portland, Oregon and was one of the earliest and the longest lived punk bands of that city’s original scene, forming in 1978 and carrying on at least until 1984 (they’ve also reformed in the new millennium). Sado-Nation was one of a handful of bands who transitioned successfully from the 70s post-Pistols punk scene to the 80s hardcore scene, with their earliest material (as captured on this EP) falling in the former category and their blazing We’re Not Equal LP from 1983 an outstanding, if underrated, example of US hardcore. I first heard the four tracks on this 1980 EP on a CD called History of Portland Punk Vol. 1, which compiled all the singles released on Greg Sage from the Wipers’ label, Trap Records. Even on a release that also included the Wipers, the Stiphnoyds, and Neo Boys, these four tracks stood out. One distinctive aspect of Sado-Nation’s sound is that they have two lead singers, with guitarist David Corboy singing half the tracks and vocalist Leesa Anderson singing the other half. Corboy’s songs sound tougher, more rhythmic and straightforward, reminding me of the Zeros, Crime, or second-wave UK bands like the Cortinas or the Users. Anderson is a more melodic singer, giving the tracks she sings a power-pop sheen that compliments the band’s tough and gritty sound. Both singers are great; Corboy’s “On Whom They Beat” is a punk classic (comped on Killed by Death #9, one of the best volumes in the series), while Anderson’s “Mom and Pop Democracy” has also been comped several times and still sounds like a punk anthem 40+ years later. Puke N Vomit’s reissue is a straight repro of the original Trap Records issue (including the rare lyric insert), but if you’re looking for some killer rare tracks you might not have heard, look no further than the Disruptive Patterns LP, which we also have in stock.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I’m gonna get straight to the point. I’ve listened to I am the Blues probably 10-15 times this past week. Released in 1970, this record is the sixth studio album by the legendary Chicago bluesman Willie Dixon and is nothing but heavy hitters from beginning to end. The album features songs written by Dixon but originally recorded by other artists such as Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters for Chess Records. These songs have been covered countless times by artists like The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and The Grateful Dead to name a few, and are essentially part of the blueprint for rock n roll. Willie Dixon is pretty much the most badass person to ever walk this earth. Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1915, he was one of fourteen children. His first venture into the world of music was at the age of four, where he sang in his church’s choir. Later, as a young teenager, he served time on prison farms in Mississippi, where he was first introduced to the blues. In 1936, he left Mississippi to head up to Chicago and began boxing. At 6’6 and 250 pounds, Willie was a force to be reckoned with. After winning the Illinois State Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship in 1937, he began his short career as a professional boxer, only fighting in four fights before leaving the sport due to a dispute over money with his manager. During his time as a boxer, though, he met Leonard Caston, and the two would harmonize together while at the gym. Caston was the first person to persuade Dixon to start taking music seriously, even going as far as to build him his first bass, crafted from a tin can and one string. He also learned how to play the guitar during this time. In 1939 he helped found the Five Breezes along with Caston, a group that blended blues, jazz, and vocal harmonies. However, this came to a halt in 1940 with the draft for WWII. Dixon was imprisoned for ten months for refusing to fight for a nation with such deeply rooted institutionalized racism. After the war, he formed a few more groups and recorded for Columbia Records. The biggest move in his career though came in 1950, when he signed with Chess Records as a recording artist but quickly became more involved with administrative tasks for the label. By 1951, he was already a producer, studio musician, talent scout, and staff songwriter for the label. Over the next decade is when he penned the legendary songs you’ll find on this album, my favorites being “Back Door Man,” “Spoonful,” and “The Little Red Rooster.” These songs are just incredibly written, and I’ll never get tired of listening to them. Willie Dixon is a southern legend and his music wonderfully stands the test of time and will be appreciated by music lovers for generations to come. If you ever want to learn about the roots of rock n roll, listen to Willie Dixon.

P.S. Shoutout to my brother William, who just moved to Seattle, for introducing me to the blues and Willie Dixon’s music. Thanks for fulfilling your duties as an older brother by always putting me on to cool shit. Good luck in Seattle brother, I’m gonna miss listening to records until the crack of dawn with you.

Hi Sorry State readers! Here we are again. I hope you got a chance to read about and hopefully have a listen to Dominic’s staff pick last week, Laura Lee’s Women’s Love Rights. Music is an incredible outlet to seek solace when things are extra fucked up, and right now they are extra fucked up.

I wanted to take this time to just pay general homage to some women who showed me, when I was only a kid, that it was not only OK to push ourselves into spaces traditionally held by men, but that it was absolutely fucking necessary. Bikini Kill was that band for me, and Kathleen Hannah was that voice. She’s still that voice. And I’m about to hear that voice live next month!

Bikini Kill is often the face for the riot grrrl movement, but they didn’t start the movement. It was a subculture developed by a group of women who were tired of the sexism in their local male-dominated punk communities. Riot grrrl started as a DIY foundation that allowed women to have a free space to share their feminist political beliefs through art and zines. Women could publish opinion pieces that would have never seen the light of day in traditional literature. Bands like Bikini Kill and others naturally worked their way into the riot grrrl scene, and of course they were also influenced by predecessor icons like The Slits and Kim Gordon. There’s a lot more to it, but for the sake of brevity, I’m gonna get back to Bikini Kill.

Kathleen was the most bad ass front-woman. She just didn’t give a fuck. She stood up on stage in her underwear completely unbothered, unshaven, hyper-focused on getting their message across, encouraging girls to the front! Great book, by the way. Often heckled and even assaulted by men in the audience, Bikini Kill would not budge. An unapologetic force to be reckoned with, they are an important part of punk history.

I remember being so stoked to find a first pressing of Bikini Kill’s Pussy Whipped from Sorry State a few years ago, which I think is their best album. One of my other favorite Bikini Kill items (also procured at Sorry State) forever ago is the 7” New Radio single, as it has three of the band’s best songs: New Radio, Rebel Girl, and Demi Rep. That’s seven minutes of essential Bikini Kill.

Anyway, we typically stock many Bikini Kill albums, but they’re sold out now, so check back for a restock! And if you’re local, you never know what gems you may find lurking in the bins like I did. And if you’re just starting out on your Bikini Kill journey, I would for sure grab The Singles album to get the most bang for your buck. Pussy Whipped and Revolution Girl Style Now are other must haves!

I found all three songs that comprise the New Radio single if you want to check it out below!

Thanks for reading! Have a good weekend!

Angela

https://youtu.be/91TC7BoWFvY

What’s up Sorry Staters, I hope you are doing okay out there? Another week and another newsletter. Thank you for joining us. With so much going on around us in the world of news, it is often hard to think straight these days. Here in the United States particularly there just seems to be bad story after bad story. We just have to find ways to keep going and not let all this negative shit get us down. Finding things that bring us joy and fuel our passions is so important. Thank goodness here at Sorry State we have all this great music to enjoy and share with you all. Records really are the best, and we have a ton of good ones here and plenty more on their way. Let’s talk about a couple that I have been enjoying this week that maybe you’ll dig too.

Firstly, a fun compilation that we got in called Good Times Rock N Roll Comp Vol.3.

I’m a sucker for a good compilation and especially dig a great cover version. This one although slightly out of my own personal wheelhouse was making me smile as I was playing it yesterday. It’s a double LP made up of all covers done by a truly worldwide array of punk bands. Some songs are old classics and some are more recent songs. The songs chosen range from Abba’s On And On to ZZ Top’s Sharp Dressed Man, making stops at Judas Priest, Poison Idea and even the Fab Four along the way. The band Snooper do an interesting job on Come Together and the Abba song On And On is handled by Prison Affair particularly well. There are over forty tracks across the two slabs of wax and too many songs to go into here, but some you’ll really like and some you might think are just okay, but I don’t think there were any misses. Granted I have only had a couple of listens, but the tunes I did like made it for a fun party kind of record and worthy of picking up. My only gripe would be the lack of any kind of information other than the track listing and the fuzzy blown out type face used which my old man eyes have a hard time reading. But that’s just me being picky.

Often with these types of affairs you’ll hear something from a band that either confirms your feelings that they suck or makes you think, oh that was good, these guys aren’t bad. Lol. There are a few of these here. Don’t make any judgment before you listen is what I say. There also might be bands you don’t know and that can be interesting hearing someone for the first time doing someone else’s songs. Possibly, right? I think so. I also like that some bands just can’t quite pull off the musicianship on their interpretations. The slightly wonky amateurish recordings add charm, and what is lacking in musical chops is made up for with enthusiasm and good vibes. That’s not meant to belittle anyone involved here. On the contrary. Everyone puts in a spirited performance. Nice job all involved.

Moving along to something slightly different now and a quick point in the direction of a record I just discovered last week whilst going through our bins here at the store. A record by a band named Metz from Texas who recorded an album in 1974 that has been barely heard. Reason being the record was a private pressing of just a handful of copies and has not been officially reissued. The copy we had was a grey area reissue, but for $8 it will do just fine. Particularly as originals if ever seen go for big bucks. Which surprised me why the price for even an unofficial pressing is so low. We didn’t screw up either. I double checked online and you can pick up the same reissue I snagged for under $20. Why should you? Why indeed?

There’s not too much information out there on the record and the story behind it, but reviewers of these types of things have described it as Glam sounding with a sound far more at home in London than Texas. The comparisons to Mott The Hoople, Cockney Rebel and Alex Harvey et al are fair, as too are the observations that the vocals sound somewhere between Marc Bolan and Johhny Rotten. It’s all of that and then just a good rock ‘n’ roll band getting down. What sets the sound apart here is the addition of female vocals. They provide great back up and take lead on songs also, providing a bit more street swagger. They kinda remind me of the girls singing on the GG Allin album Always Was Is And Shall Be. It has that sort of vibe. Slinky and sexy 1970s style.

The glam tag I can see, though. Along with the vocals, there’s also plenty of tap tapping keyboard action and art rocky style song structure. Several songs have stretched out repeated codas, and it has been hypothesized that this may have been to please the audiences in the Texas clubs back then who would have been enjoying legal MDMA at the time. It’s an interesting theory. It could also be that they hadn’t written proper endings to songs and just went with the groove and feel of the recording and mimicked the live set. Who knows?

I read also that the main man behind the album is a Richard Metzler, which would explain the name. He apparently was linked with Houston’s Moving Sidewalks, the psych band that had future ZZ Top members, and did the photography for their album.

Probably the best thing for you to do is hit the link here and give it a listen and see what you think. Hopefully you’ll dig it and have fun listening. I know I have.

Okay, time for me to get out of here and let you go. I’ll see you next time friends.

Cheers - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

So I’m finally back to write for the newsletter after my trip to NYC, and STILL all I wanna talk about is Poison Idea…

But first, since I missed my opportunity last week, I have to write a little bit about the trip. Firstly, biggest appreciation to Jim and Amy in Philly (as always) and Mike H in NY for giving us Acid idiots a place to crash and putting up with our nonsense. It was truly humbling to watch some of the best bands in hardcore every night. All the bands ruled. Quarantine is insane, and I can’t wait for their new record. Impalers were a blast to see since it had been years. Public Acid played a spontaneous show at a small bar in Brooklyn and our homies in 80HD tore it the fuck up. And of course, Warthog’s 10-year anniversary performance was really special to see. If you haven’t seen footage yet, the dramatic opening of the curtain at the beginning of their set made my jaw drop. Public Acid’s own Eric Chubb kept drunkenly repeating, “That was coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”

Anyway, back to Poison Idea. TKO is truly doing the lord’s work with these series of reissues. Even though I already owned most of the recordings on these latest 2 offerings on other versions of these records, I still feel like a fool for not paying more attention when the limited versions dropped. Oh well, black vinyl will have to do! Goddamn, I really do feel like a pretentious asshole. The care that was put into the packaging on both of these reissues has great attention to detail and really feels like it was designed for someone who’s a big fan of Poison Idea. Get Loaded and Fuck, more infamously known as the Ian MacKaye 12”, compiles tracks from the Filthkick EP, Getting the Fear 12”, and an extra track. Only 6 songs, but daaaaamn such a killer under-the-radar batch of songs from the War All The Time-era line-up of the band. The attention-grabbing hype sticker even has little Easter eggs like a little headshot of Ian MacKaye. As for the other record… Of course, we are provided with the properly updated title for the reissue of Record Collectors Are STILL Pretentious Assholes. It doesn’t get much better than that. This classic EP also comes with a few bonus tracks including the band’s compilation cuts off of Drinking Is Great and Cleanse The Bacteria. Both LPs contain heavy duty inner sleeves with tons of cool photos both from the early period of the band and the latter period, along with setlists, flyers, etc. Both records come with funny and profane bumper stickers, both of which I want to paste onto my vehicle. But then obviously I’d have to get a 2nd copy of each record to have an unpeeled sticker (again, pretentious asshole over here.) Then, the most rad and legendary part of the packaging… Record Collectors includes a poster with a map key pointing out every single record included in the notorious cover photo… AMAZING. I hear that TKO has some more goodies in the pipeline with some other much pined-after bonus packaging ;)

Damn, I love hardcore. And records. I mean seriously, I think the cover of that record must be the model for me and a bunch of my dumbass friends’ obsession with all this mess. It occurred to me that all the stuff I just rambled about is probably information that is readily accessible from TKO before you buy either of these records. But who cares? I’m just reiterating because it RULES.

Forgive me for figuratively drooling all over you in this newsletter write-up. I’ll try to tone it down next week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff