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Featured Release Roundup: May 14, 2020

Sial: Tari Pemusnah Kuasa 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) When Sial toured the US a while back, everyone I spoke to raved about what a great live band they were. I was already bummed I couldn't make their shows, but Tari Pemusnah Kuasa makes it sting even more. Like D-Clone or Zyanose at their best, Sial takes a blown-out, Disclose-influenced guitar sound and wrenches high drama from its monochromatic hiss. They can move from a low mosh inducing quicksand groove to a hyper-speed d-beat in a hair’s breadth, the transition giving the listener the same sense of weightlessness you get at the peak of your ascent on a vert ramp. Like the guitar sound, the vocals might seem one-dimensional at first, but I find myself yelling nonsense along at the key moments, showing those yells and screams punctuate the rhythm just as deftly as a talented jazz drummer attacks their crash cymbal. The riffs and instrumental arrangements are just as powerful, doling out the intensity in perfectly timed doses that keep the energy level in the red for the record’s entire duration. If you follow the hardcore we hype here at Sorry State, check this one out. It’s a real masterpiece.


Powerplant: A Spine / Evidence 7” (Static Shock) London’s Powerplant follows up their much-loved People in the Sun album with this noteworthy five-track EP. While Powerplant has expanded from a recording project to a full live lineup, this 7” shows no dilution of the singular voice that made People in the Sun stand out. If anything, A Spine / Evidence is even more singular, with the band locking into a voice utterly their own. Each track seems like its own universe, with the sound ranging from the dance-y “A Spine” (which reminds me of Freedom of Choice era Devo in the best way) to the dense, hardcore-ish closer “Hurtwood.” Powerplant combines a post-punk band’s sense of restraint with punk band’s energy level, a feat that’s difficult to achieve. Further, they wrap their sound in top-notch songwriting jammed with memorable moments. I think A Spine / Evidence is even better than People in the Sun, and it’s worth checking if you’re into anything from Diat’s catchy post-punk to the glass-smashing anthems on Total Punk Records.


False Brother: Uncanny Valley 12” (Iron Lung) Kansas City’s False Brother weren’t on my radar before Iron Lung dropped this 12”, but it’s a great fit with the post-punk oriented bands on that label, particularly Diat and Total Control. While not as anthemic as either of those bands, False Brother has a sound that splits the difference between minimal synth and classic post-punk, reminding me of the early Human League tracks or moments of Joy Division’s Closer that seemed to foreshadow New Order’s later moves. The drum machine kicks with the power of dance music, but the rhythms stick to a slower, brooding tempo, with bass lines and synth noises traipsing across the abyss like mischievous ghosts. If you’re a fan of the aforementioned groups (or similar ones like Low Life or Constant Mongrel), this lodges its hooks in much the same way.


C.H.E.W.: In Due Time 7” (Iron Lung) Chicago’s C.H.E.W. drops five more songs on the hardcore faithful, and if you’re a fan of the style, this EP is essential. Like Raleigh’s great Vittna, C.H.E.W. is at equally at home with crushing, d-beat-inspired hardcore as they are with Die Kreuzen / Part 1-inspired creepy crawlers, and In Due Time achieves the band’s best balance of those two sounds yet. When I saw C.H.E.W. live, the first thing I noticed is that they have one of the best drummers in the current hardcore scene. While that didn’t come across as clearly on their previous records, In Due Time captures his heavyweight boxer-style balance of power and agility. The songs themselves are complex and dramatic, intricate mazes of stops and starts and clever transitions where a sasquatch might leap around a corner and deck you at any second. The EP reaches its climax with the closing track, Noise Square, where they dial back the heaviness and the sinister, Die Kreuzen-inspired guitar takes center stage. If you’ve liked C.H.E.W.’s previous releases, In Due Time is a no-brainer.


Arts: Graveside Summoning: Flaming Dagger 7” (Youth Attack) Graveside Summoning is the latest EP from Mark McCoy’s long-running black metal project, Arts. I’m not sure if I’ve ever checked out Arts before, but I like these four tracks. While several bands on the Youth Attack label dabble with different recipes with hardcore and black metal as ingredients, Arts’ scales tip way toward the metal side. The howling vocals, tinny recording, and melodic, single-string lead guitar melodies are pages torn straight from the Darkthrone playbook. However, I hear a distinct hardcore element coming through Graveside Summoning, particularly in the big, dramatic chord changes that punctuate every track. While a lot of black metal is blurry and stretched out, pulling the listener’s attention away from small details and toward a song’s (or a record’s) holistic atmosphere, Arts peppers their songs with moments that remind me of Youth of Today’s finger-pointing climaxes. I’m not sure what the truly kvlt would think about this, but if you’re down with the bm vibes sprinkled throughout Youth Attack’s catalog, odds are you’ll enjoy Graveside Summoning


Staff Picks: May 14, 2020

Staff Picks: Daniel

Sam McPheeters: Mutations: The Many Strange Faces of Hardcore Punk book

I just finished the new Sam McPheeters book, which I plowed through in about a day and a half. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned many times, I’m a junkie for punk books—I read almost every single one I can find—and he quality of writing and depth of thought here make this is one of the best out there. One problem I have with punk books is that they usually present themselves as objective histories, but they don’t engage with the troublesome questions of historiography. Thus, what happens is the authors either parrot established narratives and received wisdom about the genre and/or they’re blind to their own biases and the idiosyncrasies of their particular world view or lived experience. Sam McPheeters doesn’t have either problem. This is partly because he cut his teeth in a smaller scene during what’s usually described as one of punk’s fallow periods, so his own story doesn’t neatly fit into punk’s grand narratives. But, mostly, it’s because McPheeters seems trapped in his own head, second-guessing and criticizing his every move, both as a human being and as a writer. When he was in Born Against he was a relentless antagonist, and he remains so as an author, constantly (and often brutally) pointing out inconsistencies, ulterior motives, and plain old bullshit. As McPheeters notes in this book, the rear-view mirror of punk can feel like a high school football player reminiscing about his glory days, but McPheeters’ version is more like an addiction / recovery narrative. He acknowledges some crazy / interesting / fun stuff happened, but there’s a sense of shame and regret that hangs over everything like a sheer curtain.

If you devour punk books like I do, there’s so much material here you’ll love. McPheeters’ investigative journalism is great, particularly the lengthy piece about Doc Dart from the Crucifucks, which I remember reading online a few years ago. His first-hand tales of tours, making zines, and various scene dramas are always interesting and hilarious. His account of the infamous Born Against / Sick of It All radio debate is a must-read. And there is some poignant music criticism, with McPheeters singing the praises of the Cro-Mags, Void, and Youth of Today in ways that articulate why they were so important while acknowledging the inevitable complications.

He’s so even-handed and eloquent about his favorite bands and records that it’s even more frustrating that he’s so hard on himself. I’ve known so many people like this who were brilliant, but reserved their most astute and cutting criticism for themselves. Maybe I’m naïve, but I treasure my involvement with hardcore punk, and while I don’t need to see it celebrated uncritically, I’m also defensive about it. Maybe I’m defensive because some parts of Mutations hit too close to home. When McPheeters writes about quitting playing music and disengaging from the scene, it makes me wonder if I’ll hit a point where punk is part of my past, where even listening to the music will feel like flipping through an old photo album. And if I don’t take that path, am I making a mistake? Am I dooming myself to a lifetime as a man-child? Usually, an enjoyable punk book will make me dig out a few records I haven’t spun in a long time, but this is the shit Mutations has left running through my head…

Staff Picks: Jeff

Sial: Tari Pemusnah Kuasa 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus)

Goddamn, what a crusher! Singapore’s Sial has always piqued my interest with their previous releases. On their 7” Binasa from a couple years back, I remember thinking how they were one of the cooler bands doing a sort of noisy pogo punk thing. But upon closer inspection, I think categorizing Sial alongside bands like Disorder is almost belittling them. It’s not as if they’re just aping like 80s noise punk or something. On this new LP, Tari Pemusnah Kuasa, the band really has worked their sound down to something lethal. Honestly, listening to the riffs, it’s not as if they strike me as totally unique. But I think what’s more important is that Sial creates a palpable atmosphere and orchestrates with intention how sections of their songs will impact you. In turn, listening all the way through, you find yourself being caught off guard by really powerful moments. There is something almost primal about their sound, where everything will strip down to only pounding drums over these meditative riffs --and while the main vocalist still chants aggressively, underneath there is a creepy whispered voice that makes the vibe feel both brutal and haunting at the same time. Of course, these primal drum beats only serve as a brief period of calm just before an all-out assault of intense hardcore. I think that’s the other thing I pick up on when listening to Sial: nothing seems forced or contrived. The band delivers their noisy yet musical hardcore like they fucking mean it. It’s less like they sat down and tried to put a bunch of killer riffs together and make songs… it’s more like a methodical, thoughtful and angry catharsis. I don’t know how any punk who claims to love raging hardcore could listen to the closing track “Wanita” and not get goosebumps. Anyway, that’s enough of my ramblings. I dig this record.

On the total other end of the spectrum: yesterday I brought home a bunch of records to list on the webstore. I found myself happily blasting reggae all afternoon. Assuming it hasn’t sold yet, I highly recommend checking out the Studio One Rub-A-Dub compilation. Very nice collection of doob-smoke appropriate jams on there. Jah!

Thanks for reading,
-Jeff

Staff Picks: Eric

Suck Lords: Songs The Lord Taught Us 7" flexi (Edger)

My favorite new hardcore release I've heard all year maybe. Holy shit. I can't think of one band playing as fast as these fools while also being water tight. This is the kind of hardcore that can only be executed with a razor sharp drummer. Every time I listen I am in awe of how perfectly the drums cut. 5 songs on a single sided flexi? That's what I'm fuckin' talkin' about! Here are some phrases I said out loud to myself while listening to this the first time: "OOOOO!", "what the FUCK", "Oh, that's dirty", "Oh baby", "HOW?".

United Mutation: Dark Self Image 12" (Radio Raheem)

Finally a reissue of this criminally underrated DC area classic. United Mutation is often looked over when people talk about DC hardcore. Maybe it's because they were from Annandale Virginia (a suburb of DC), or maybe it's because they had a different approach to hardcore than their peers in DC. UM was dirtier, darker, and a lil more experimental. I jokingly say that UM reminds of what GISM would sound like if they were from the DC suburbs. This release features 26 tracks, 6 of which were previously unreleased, and it's all killer no filler. I believe we are sold out right now, but we should be getting as restock in any day. Keep your eyes peeled!

Black Uhuru: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner 12" (Heartbeat)

I picked up a used copy of this last week at the store. I won't pretend to know much of anything about Reggae or Dub, but I know I love this record. I love the low thumping bass tone and the monotonous grooves, I love haunting and relaxing vocal melodies, and I love the percussion. It has been on the turntable more than anything else for me this week!

Side note: I was featured on my friend John's podcast, Cruel Noise. Check it out! https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/cruel-noise/e/69559400?autoplay=true

Staff Picks: Dominic

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Dom’s Digs. This is where I go through our Bargain Bins to find some cheap but worthy records for your collections. As we are still not open to the public and have been listing a lot of our inventory on to our webstore we wanted to give you guys access to the ton of good used records that typically sell for $5 and under. Not all good records have to be expensive you know? Okay, here are ten that I pulled today that need good homes.
 
1: $5 Buffalo Springfield: Retrospective. Great way to snag some of the best moments from this sixties group that featured Neil Young and Stephen Stills as members.

2: $3 Donavan: Barabajagal. I’d recommend any of Donavan’s sixties records, they’re all pretty good. This one from 1968 has him backed by The Jeff Beck Group on some tracks. Worth it for the title track alone.

3: $4 Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills: Super Session. Nice OG copy still in the shrink. A super session from a super group, almost, as the sessions were recorded separately but talking of Donavan, they do a great version of Season Of The Witch which has been sampled by Pete Rock and other hip-hop producers. Nice blues rock record.

4: $4 Allman Joys: Early Allman. Before the Hour Glass and Allman Brothers Band this is what they were up to. Signs of things to come for sure. Nice version of Spoonful among other blues tunes and some early Gregg Allman compositions.

5: $5 Little Feat: Time Loves A Hero. Another talent similar to the Allman Brothers whose band needs more props is Lowell George and his Little Feat band. There are some real nuggets spread across the first few Little Feat albums if you dig 70s rock with a bluesy, funky and country flavor. I like the instrumental track Day At The Dog Races on this one.

6: $4 Robert Cray Band: False Accusations. 80s blues records probably don’t have much appeal but I have a soft spot for Robert Cray and his first few albums. They’re decent albums, well recorded by a good band with good tunes. Blues and soul fans, do yourself a favor and snag these.

7: $4 Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Do It Yourself. The famous wallpaper cover album. What can be said about Ian Dury and Stiff Records that hasn’t been written already? Not much. An English folk hero and a label that birthed so many great artists. Pub rock done good.

8: $5 Eric Burdon & The Animals: Best Of. Vol. 2. A dozen crackers on this one. Nice copy still in the shrink. No home should be without at least one Animals record. This is a great place to begin.

9: $3 Stories: About Us. American group but in touch with the UK scene. Famous for the cover of Brother Louie, a song by Hot Chocolate about inter-racial love that was used by Louis C.K. for the opening of his TV show. Good early 70s rock in the vein of Badfinger.

10: $3 M: Pop Musik. Coming out in the dog end of the 70s and ushering in the new decade of pop sensibilities. Just a great Pop song, hence the title.
 
Okay, there you go. Check these out and give us a shout if you want any of them and remember to scope the Bargain Bin videos for additional records that won’t hurt your wallet but will please your ears. Cheers. Until next time.

Click here for Sorry State's online bargain bin: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UX0aAZic4jgFI2in2VVipRZThQdWF-x5mtHyMLw2BHE

Record of the Week: Suck Lords: Songs the Lords Taught Us 7" flexi

Suck Lords: Songs the Lords Taught Us 7” (Edger) One of the best current hardcore bands in the world hits us with another blast, this time a 5 song sprint across one side of a red vinyl flexi. Suck Lords came out of the gate strong with their early tape releases, but they’ve only grown stronger since they’ve transitioned to vinyl. These five tracks sound like they were conceived and executed in a pressure cooker, the music uncomfortably compressed and eager to burst from whatever might contain it. Tempos approach those of the fastest fastcore and grind bands, but there’s no metal here… just hardcore moving with speed and power that defies my understanding of physics. Listening to this record, even though it’s brief, is almost too much. I have to take a deep breath when I drop the needle because I know it will be a white knuckle ride to the other side. Suck Lords sacrifice every other musical quality on their path toward total intensity, but they achieve something pure and airtight here, a Brancusi sculpture re-figured as a perfect hardcore EP.

Featured Release Roundup: May 7, 2020

Cosmic Sand Dollars: Requiem for King Dick 12” (Cold Vomit) We carried a previous LP from the Cosmic Sand Dollars a few years ago, but either I didn’t listen to it enough or I wasn’t in the right headspace for it. However, Requiem for King Dick is hitting me in the sweet spot. Cosmic Sand Dollars doesn’t sound like any music I’ve heard before. As befitting their name, they combine noise music and power electronics with traditional surf songs, and when you first hear them it sounds like a silly novelty, like someone putting ketchup on a toaster strudel and thinking they’re clever even though eating it would be gross. However, as you orient yourself, you realize the combination works great, especially since Cosmic Sand Dollars isn’t a one-trick pony. They devote very little of the LP to the obvious combination of surf songs with bleeps, bloops, and squeals on top. Instead, the genres are in a deeper dialog. Sometimes it’s contentious, like when they take a straightforward surf instrumental and subject it to violent tape manipulation. Sometimes the synths and noise boxes will borrow part of a melody from the surf guitar (these moments can have a Klaus Schulze kind of vibe), and sometimes the surf and electronic elements dance around one another like a complex insect mating ritual. Throughout the LP, Cosmic Sand Dollars push forward, never repeating or belaboring ideas. So, this isn’t ketchup and toaster strudel… it’s more like peanut butter and banana on a burger… it sounds weird at first, but once you’ve tried it, you’re convinced.


Irradiator: Northern Quebec Speedcore Attack 12” (I Owe You Nothing) Northern Quebec Speedcore Attack compiles two demos (the first from 1988, the second from a year later) from this obscure Quebecois group. The lengthy 1988 demo takes up most of the vinyl space here, and it's a primitive, unrelenting assault of raw noise with emphasis on the “raw.” Sane people would classify the fidelity as “nigh unlistenable,” with the drums reduced to a wash of cymbal hiss and little else audible save some vocal grunts and intermittent bursts of wild lead guitar. If you squint your ears, you might convince yourself some parts sound like a crappy Siege bootleg, but it’s more primitive and monochromatic. There are no concessions to melody, rhythm, or anything musical, just a primitive spasm of underground metal id. As for the much shorter 1989 demo, it has a more legible recording style, uses a primitive and goofy sounding drum machine rather than live drums, and the songs have a punkier style, but other than that it’s in the same vein. The second recording has more charm, mostly because you can hear it, but also because the songs themselves are catchier and more memorable. This is way too niche to recommend to a casual listener, but if I mentioned any keywords related to your particular obsessions, consider investigating further.


Video Prick: Demo 7” (Forever Never Ends) Demo on wax from this hardcore band from Seattle, and like their label mates Fentanyl, I’d recommend this for connoisseurs of the Youth Attack aesthetic. The recording is harsh and blown out in a quasi-black metal way, the vocalist has a snotty, punky scream, and you’ll also hear some skronky, noisy lead guitar breaks. One strength of this of band is they draw from a wide range of hardcore influences, unlike more retro-minded bands who follow a narrower aesthetic template. Video Prick has catchy pogo-hardcore parts, big breakdowns, fist-pumping fast parts, and even a little GISM-esque metallic soloing, but it’s wrapped in an arty and progressive package . Recommended for fans of Hoax and Suburbanite. 


Opus: Procedures / The Atrocity 7” (Meat House Productions) Meat House Productions brings us another LA-area KBD punk rarity, this time from Opus. I don’t recall hearing of Opus before they announced this reissue; I suppose that’s easy to believe when there were 200 copies of this single in the original pressing and most of those were destroyed by a band member’s angry roommates. Because of its rarity, there are some eye-popping previous sale prices for this one on the internet, including one ebay auction from 2011 where it went for $4,800 USD. Wow! As for the actual music, the a-side is a loud/quiet/loud number that reminds me of the Pixies in how it moves from a jittery, new wave-y verse into a boisterous chorus. It’s a good track, and the b-side is even better, an upbeat punk track that wouldn’t have been out of place if it had come out on Dangerhouse. If I had 5 grand, I’d try to find a Koro EP and a Sex Drive, but for 10 bucks this is worth a few spins.


The Wuffy Dogs: S/T 7” (Meat House Productions) Meat House gives us another rare punk reissue, this time from funny punks the Wuffy Dogs. While this one doesn’t fetch the same prices as the Opus single MHP re-released, I like the music better. Two of the tracks are upbeat, new wave-y punk with keyboards, like the Plugz’ first single if it were a little lighter weight or the punkier end of the UKDIY spectrum. The other two tracks stick out for their silly lyrics: the Dead Milkmen premonition “Things Dogs Do” and “I Must Be Lou Reed,” which is a cover of “Hey Joe” with an incredible guitar solo that I won’t ruin for you… just listen to the record. Anyone with an ear for 70s punk will dig this, but it’s recommended if you have a taste for the sillier and more sarcastic end of that sound.


Fentanyl: demo cassette (Forever Never Ends) Remember how people used to call Youth Attack Records bands “mysterious guy hardcore?” Fentanyl is updating that concept by refusing to post this demo anywhere online. However, if you’re reading this, you’re likely a keeper of the flame for physical formats. The label described Fentanyl to me as a Youth Attack-style band, and I can see what they mean… like their label mates in Video Prick, they have an artsy sound that pulls from different substyles of hardcore. The Youth Attack band Fentanyl reminds me of the most is Raw Nerve, who had a similarly compressed and explosive sound. These tracks are full of tight changes with sudden bursts of intensity, and while no single part is complex, the songs have the manic, schizo quality of Scum b-side-era Napalm Death (though the vibe here is very different). Comparisons aside, the energy and urgency comes through on this tape.

Sorry, no streaming link for this one!

Behavior: Spirits & Embellishments 12” (Post Present Medium) Spirits & Embellishments is the latest record from Behavior, whom you may remember from their 2017 album Bitter Bitter on Iron Lung. Not that there is a typical Iron Lung Records band, but Behavior is well outside the label’s primary focus on underground hardcore and metal, with a song-focused style built on spare arrangements, emphasizing the excellent lyrics. The slight twang to Behavior’s sound and the timbre of the singer’s voice make me think of Pavement circa Wowee Zowee, but without the surrealistic bent and with a post rock-y sense of artistic gravitas. It’s not pop; it’s dense, intellectual music, much like the P22 that also came out on Post Present Medium, albeit without the overt punk influence. If you’re looking for something to work your brain muscles under quarantine, this would do the trick.


Staff Picks: May 7, 2020

Staff Picks: Daniel

Nihilist: Carnal Leftovers 12” (Nuclear Blast)

Even though Entombed’s Left Hand Path has been one of my go-to metal albums for years (maybe even decades at this point?), it took this latest repress coming in to Sorry State for me to listen to Nihilist, the band where several of Entombed’s members cut their teeth. After hearing this collection, I feel like I’ve wasted a bunch of time I could have spent listening to this ripping collection of demos.

There are few things I love about the sessions compiled here. First, they capture a band playing death metal that doesn’t feel as stylized as the genre would come, even by the time of Entombed’s masterpiece Left Hand Path. Early Sodom must have been a huge influence on the songwriting and vibe here, but there’s an “anything goes” vibe, like they’re simply trying to be heavy and brutal rather than fit every moment into a coherent aesthetic. While there is plenty of dark and evil-sounding thrashing, so many parts are upbeat, even danceable, with the tone occasionally shifting to a kind of splatter movie-type glee. I’m not sure if hardcore bands would have been listening to Nihilist, but the way they combine heaviness with a bouncy groove reminds me of the metal-tinged hardcore popular in the 90s, but with an added sense of supernatural horror and menace.

This LP is out of stock from us, but hopefully we can get more. Therefore, I should note there’s a lot of material crammed onto this LP and the fidelity suffers somewhat. The a-side is quieter than I would expect, but the recordings are lo-fi in the first place, so it’s not a deal breaker for me. It would be awesome if they reissued this as a double LP collection, but in the meantime this version will work just fine for me.

Staff Picks: Jeff

Suck Lords: Songs The Lords Taught Us 7” flexi (Edger)

Pretty cool to title your raging hardcore record after a Cramps album! I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve come to distinguish bands like Suck Lords and the whole Edger scene as my mind’s counterpoint to all the spikey punk in this world. That’s not to say I don’t like spikey punk, because clearly I do. For some reason, there’s something about Suck Lords that reminds me of the mid-00s/No Way style hardcore. That said, on this new release Suck Lords attack vicious, chaotic and fast-as-fuck USHC with surgical acuity. It kinda feels like Suck Lords had something to prove by squeezing 5 songs onto one side of a 33rpm flexi. There’s no room to breathe, where every moment feels like they discussed “What else can we do that’s intense?” There’s moments where the speed is almost blast beat territory, where they push the Negative FX tempo to its extreme. Still though, at their fastest and most intense, what the band is doing musically is super in the pocket and intelligible. I broke a sweat blasting this thing. Definitely recommended.

Staff Picks: Dominic

Hello everybody. I hope you are all doing well?

We are still working hard on getting records listed on our website for you and with that in mind it’s time for another addition of Dom’s Digs, where I go through our Bargain Bins and pull out some good used records that won’t hurt your budget. So, with no further ado and in no particular order here are this week’s ten picks.

  1. $5 Uriah Heep: Demons And Wizards. The Heep sometimes get a bad rap but this album from ’72 is a good progressive LP and comes in an awesome Roger Dean designed gatefold cover.
  2. $5 Spirit: Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus. I have always liked this record, Spirit’s fourth and apparently lowest charting record from 1970. It’s not a psych record or a prog record but would appeal to fans of both genres. Interesting tunes and lyrics, nice textures, almost funky in spots. Not quite a lost masterpiece but worthy of your attention.
  3. $4 The Stranglers: Aural Sculpture. Sad to hear of the passing of Dave Greenfield this week. Perhaps a good time to snag this ’84 album. Has its moments.
  4. $5 Marianne Faithfull: Broken English. Her late 70s album on Island. A new wave rock sound with some electronic and dub elements and her twenty a day voice.
  5. $4 Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell: S/T. Two great 60s artists together on some nice duets. Bobbie looks fierce in her blue suit and silver boots on the cover.
  6. $5 Ian Hunter: All-American Alien Boy. Mott front man’s solo LP from ’76 which features Queen on backing vocals and a host of famous side men. Nice record.
  7. $5 Buddy Holly & The Crickets: 20 GH. Every household should have a Buddy Holly record in it. Snag this hits collection and Rave On Peggy Sue.
  8. $5 Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges Orchestras: S/T. Two sessions from ’62 and ’64, the former recorded for a film sponsored by Goodyear Tire Company. Great, swingin’ stuff.
  9. $3 Chic: C’est Chic. Disco gold and future hip-hop samples from Nile Rodgers and Chic. Freak out.
  10. $5 Pink Floyd: Meddle. Classic. Any album that samples Liverpool fans singing You’ll Never Walk Alone gets my thumbs up. Plus, the side long track Echoes.

 
There you go. Another ten records for your collection and enjoyment. Check out our Instagram for videos of other bargain records and get in touch if you would like to order any of these titles and/or add them to an existing webstore order. You can also check our our currently available bargain bin listings on our online bargain bin.

Honorable mention this week goes to Classic Era Hip-Hop, which has been blasting all day here at Sorry State. We enjoyed:

Eric B & Rakim: Paid In Full
The Beastie Boys: Paul’s Boutique
De La Soul: Three Feet High And Rising
Gang Starr: Daily Operation

That last one we have an original copy of here at the store.

All of these sample based hip-hop records sound just as vital and fresh as they did thirty years ago. Man, where did the time go?

Record of the Week: Rat Cage: Screams from the Cage LP

Rat Cage: Screams from the Cage 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) After a pair of well-received 7”s (also on La Vida Es Un Mus), Screams from the Cage catapults Rat Cage into 12” land without losing an ounce of power. Screams from the Cage reminds me of Blood Pressure’s two LPs in that Rat Cage fuses the best elements of neo-Scandinavian d-beat and USHC into a bulldozing sound. Further, like Blood Pressure, Rat Cage’s chops are unmatched, but rather than using them to make the music complex, the technical skill makes for a more brutal bludgeoning. The drums are at the front of the mix, the relentless d-beat landing every kick drum hit like a swift yet powerful body shot, and the vocals are of the throat-shredding variety, yet they’re also able to carry just enough melody (and only just!) to keep the songs memorable (see: the sarcastic “la la la” part on “Not Got No Nope”). While there isn’t a dull moment here, the two-part Negative Approach / United Blood homage “Vanity Game” is the highlight for me, trimming Rat Cage’s already lean sound right to the bone. Spikey punks, oi! boys, crusties, black clad anarcho punks… I don’t see why anyone shouldn’t love this one.

Featured Release Roundup: April 30, 2020

The Pathetx: 1981 12" (Third Man) Third Man Records has done DIY punk and hardcore junkies a solid by reissuing (or, rather, issuing, since the Pathetx never had a release back in the day) this 1981 Detroit ripper. While, according to their bio, the Pathetx played the same Detroit venues as the more well-documented bands that emerged from the area like the Necros and Negative Approach (and even shared bills with them), I can’t recall hearing about them before. If they were in Tony Rettman’s excellent Why Be Something That You’re Not book, then I didn’t bother to store that information in my memory banks. That’s all water under the bridge, though, because I’m stoked to hear this now. With a sound inspired by the first wave of west coast hardcore bands (in particular the Germs), the Pathetx fall on that perfect line between late 70s punk and first-generation hardcore. While they’re starting to incorporate the faster tempos and dramatic chord changes of hardcore (particularly the Fix’s rough but tuneful sound), they’re still writing songs rooted in the rock-and-roll tradition of the ’77-era bands, particularly from the UK. The recording here is also similar to the Fix’s singles, stark but rich and powerful. This record could have worked just as well on the Radio Raheem label, but Third Man’s quality control and attention to detail are just as strong. 1981 is a top recommendation for early 80s punk junkies.


Maggot Brain #2 zine I thought the first issue of Maggot Brain was exciting, but I’m enjoying this second issue even more. In case you haven’t heard about Maggot Brain, it’s a full-size, full-color magazine put out by Third Man Records, and while music is a big part of the magazine, it’s not all of it by any stretch of the imagination. There are articles about film, visual art, books, sports, lots of comics, fine art photography, and other interesting stuff. The magazine doesn’t have a traditional format or clear sections, so every time you turn the page it’s a surprise, but what you find is always good. Both the writing and the graphic design are of the highest quality, sort of like The Atlantic or The New Yorker for people into cool music. Reading Maggot Brain makes me realize how the handful of music magazines still left (Rolling Stone and British monthlies like Mojo) write about boring music and/or insult their readers’ intelligence. Maggot Brain does neither. While there isn’t much about punk in this latest issue, Sorry State’s more adventurous readers will love it. And while it’s expensive, it’s worth it and Sorry State is selling it for 25% off the cover price.


Bootlicker: Live in the Swamp cassette (Neon Taste) Live in the Swamp is a brand new live cassette from Canada’s Bootlicker, recorded on their 2019 East Coast tour in my old stomping grounds of Norfolk, Virginia. While I think of Bootlicker as being a tough, USHC-inspired band with a touch of oi!, they begin their set here with an Anti Cimex cover and close with a Discharge cover, making their d-beat bona fides clear. While this sounds like a room recording, the sound is solid with every instrument and the vocals coming through and the band’s performance is ripping. I know punks shy away from live stuff, but if you’re a fan of live punk recordings and/or Bootlicker, you’ll love this. The packaging is also very fetching, with a 2-color j-card, a little obi strip, and tapes splattered with red paint, and the professional dub quality sounds great. I doubt anyone would argue Live in the Swamp makes Bootlicker’s studio recordings obsolete, but it’s a welcome addition to their discography.


Razorblades & Aspirin #9 zine The latest issue of Razorblades & Aspirin continues transitioning from photozine to a music zine with a broader range of content, while keeping the focus on punk’s photography, design, and visual aesthetic at the forefront. Besides some incredible photos (including a great shot of Raleigh’s own Vittna destroying at the last show I attended before the world ended), you get a ton of interviews (I found the conversations with Alex Heir and Sial particularly interesting, and photography nerds will love the focus on punk photographers), a detailed retrospective on Anti Cimex’s Absolute Country of Sweden LP, an interview with the designer behind the recent Scream with Me book about the Misfits, and a heap of record and zine reviews. The presentation can be jarringly slick for those of us who grew up ink-stained fingers, but it’s nice to see a zine that doesn’t feel retro. I wish R&A had more careful copy editing that matched the high quality of the visuals, but that’s the English teacher in me nitpicking. There are a lot of half assed zines out there, but Razorblades & Aspirin isn’t one of ‘em.


Exec / N0V3L: split 7” (L1BR4RY) This split 7” matches Australians Exec (whom you may remember from their LP on Anti-Fade) with Canadian’s N0V3L, and it’s an inspired pairing. While both bands can fall under the post-punk umbrella (which is so broad as to be meaningless), they share deeper similarities like a non-retro sensibility and a tendency toward experimentation. Both bands feel like part of a long tradition of bands who bring together the avant-garde and pop worlds, such as Gang of Four, This Heat, and Wire. If you follow the more adventurous and experimental end of the DIY punk underground—i.e. if label names like Digital Regress and Ever/Never ring a bell—this two-songer is a solid grip.


La Milagrosa: EP cassette (Redro Deskabezado Records) 7-song cassette EP from this new punk band out of New York. La Milagrosa has a straightforward punk sound that has existed since the genre’s very beginning… 1-2-1-2 beats, straightforward and catchy riffs, and vocals that yell about what’s important to the singer with all the force they can muster. They sound kind of like the Exploited to me, but that seems beside the point. What’s more important is the feeling, and this feels punk as fuck.


Staff Picks: April 30, 2020

Staff Picks: Daniel

I’ve been working around the clock for the past few weeks so I’ve had no time to play music. Thus, my staff pick for this week is something a little different: meditation. I'm not talking about a band or even a book or a film, but the activity.

I started meditating last year, and the practice has changed my life. Like many people, I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety my entire life, and I’ve tried plenty of different medications and treatments like counseling and CBT. However, nothing has ever done the trick for me like meditation. It’s the one thing that can stop the rush of bad thoughts, that gives me the peace that, for most of my life, has felt like a distant dream.

I usually meditate for 20 minutes once per day, but longer or shorter than that is fine too. If you’re trying to establish a meditation routine, it makes sense to do it at the same time every day, but I’m all over the place. I find there are benefits to doing it at any time of day. If I do it in the morning, I’m calmer and more focused throughout the day. If I meditate in the middle of my workday, it clears my head and makes the latter part of the day more tranquil and pleasant. If I do it when I finish work, it helps me disconnect from that part of my day and enjoy my evening, and if I meditate just before bed, it helps me get to sleep quicker and to sleep more soundly.

It’s also easy. I use an app (I think it’s the most popular app, so I’ll avoid plugging them since they have plenty of money), which worked for me, but a book or a youtube channel or an in-person training session might work better for someone else. You should not have to spend any money to get started meditating or to maintain a practice. You should just do it. It’s easy, and it’s not unpleasant in any way. It feels good, and it keeps you feeling good long after you’re done.

Not only has meditation helped me navigate my way through the stressful and difficult situation we’re all living through, it’s also helped me to enjoy the things I already love. It makes listening to and playing music a deeper and more rewarding experience. It also shapes my relationships with people, allowing me to listen to and empathize with them. I still get overwhelmed and cranky sometimes, but now I recognize when that’s happening and I have strategies in place to deal with it.

I’ll stop here because I know this is a weird fuckin’ staff pick, but I just wanted to throw it out there in case anyone is curious. Whether or not this works for you, I hope everyone out there is staying healthy and sane.

Staff Picks: Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

During quarantine, I’ve spent a good amount of time familiarizing myself with songs that resonate with me and make me feel joy. It also doesn’t hurt that when I’m discovering my deep connection to these songs, I’m usually already a few beers deep. More often than not for me, those songs tend to be early UK punk bangers. I remember some time last year discovering a Buzzcocks sleeper hit that I had maybe heard, but if so, I didn’t pay close enough attention. I tend to be more inclined to dig Steve Diggle’s songs over Pete Shelley’s (no disrespect, I like both). Next to “Harmony in My Head”, “Why She’s A Girl From The Chain Store” has become one of my all-time favorite Buzzcocks tracks. It makes sense that I wouldn’t have heard it a lot, because it’s not on any of the albums or Singles Going Steady.

To me it’s got everything: it starts off with a melancholic, sorta single note guitar intro and then launches into a classic, catchy Diggle melody with “ah-ah” back up vocals, and it has a big key change! Also, the structure is interesting because it’s not really verse-chorus-verse-chorus. It’s more like the main section is the chorus, and the song alternates between the main section and a short bridge. The lyrics really do it for me too, because rather than being self-analyzing, they’re more observant. The recognition of a character that on the surface is simple, ordinary and not usually noticed, but underneath is lonely and hopeless is quite poignant. It’s also relatable, because aren’t we all “down at the discotheque waiting for someone to bite our neck”?

Anyway, I was blasting this track the other night and it really got to me. So because Sorry State doesn’t have a copy and I can’t find one in the wild for the foreseeable future, I bought one on discogs for too much money. Those few beers probably didn’t help matters.

Thanks for reading the ramblings,
-Jeff

Staff Picks: Eric

This week I found myself really digging some stuff from our bargain bin:

Kim Wilde: S/T 12" ... Jeff had played this for me before and I obviously recognized "Kids In America" but I suppose I wasn't paying very close attention at the time. The other day a copy of this record was in our bargain bin pile and it is probably the best 3 bucks I have spent in a while. It has hardly left my turntable the past couple days. The whole thing front to back is a great new wave album. Someone could argue it's synth-poppy but I wouldn't call it that. Great hooks and melodies the same way Blondie or Go Go's pull it off. I love it, if you see this record floating around it is so worth it. My current favorite track is "2-6-5-8-0", which is one of the more reggae/ska influenced tracks (so typical of UK artists of the time).

Badfinger: Straight Up 12" ... I mentioned to Dominic that I finally watched all of Breaking Bad (I'm either at the shop or at home, I got nothing but time). He asked if I liked the song in the very last scene of the series finale, and to be honest I remember thinking that song was fine but I was more focused on Walter White's body lying on the floor (sorry for the spoiler if you haven't seen it but it's been a long time since that show ended). Dominic handed me a copy of this record and said that that song "Baby Blue" is on this record and I should check it out. The copy he gave me from the bargain bin is pretty beat, so it crackles a bunch but that hasn't stopped me from jamming it. You can hear a lot of Beatles and Byrds style influence; they fit right in with many of the other greats from the 60s and 70s. But to me there is something a little bit different about this band that draws me in. The melodies and songwriting style are more reminiscent of early power pop. I did a little bit of reading about them and their story is pretty sad and involves deaths as well as label disputes and other nasty stuff. A super interesting band with great tunes. I can't wait til I can score a better copy!



Staff Picks: Dominic

Hello everyone and how are you all?

Going to get right into it this week with another addition of Dom’s Digs, where I pull out ten records each week from our Bargain Bins that I think are worthy of your attention. We have so many good records priced $5 and under that need good homes. You can check previous newsletters for other picks and also look at some quick flip videos that we have posted on our Instagram to give you an idea of the things on offer. See something that you like, get in touch to order and/or add to other items that you want from our webstore.

So here in no particular order are this week’s digs.

  1. Casino Royale Soundtrack. Great soundtrack to this spoof Bond movie. Includes music composed by Burt Bacharach plus Dusty Springfield doing The Look Of Love and the title theme by Herb Alpert. Cool cover art too. $5.
  2. Various Artists: Invictus’ Greatest Hits. Invictus was the label Holland-Dozier-Holland formed after leaving Motown. This is a nice collection of some of their best sellers. Includes Freda Payne, Chairman Of The Board and The 8th Day. My favourite on here is Ruth Copeland with The Music Box. $5.
  3. Booker Little: Victory And Sorrow. A 1977 pressing of Little’s fourth and final LP for Bethlehem from 1961. Real nice Jazz this and a great way to get classic era albums at a fraction of the cost. $4.
  4. The Lovin’ Spoonful: Do You Believe In Magic. Fun sixties pop album. The title tune is a classic and there are some other nice songs on this one such as Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind. Both questions, interesting. $3.
  5. Paul Revere & The Raiders: Greatest Hits. Cool original collection of their sixties hits. This copy even has the colour photo booklet. Forget the goofy outfits, these guys could play and have a bunch of cool pop garage tunes. $5.
  6. John Kongos: S/T. 1972 album on Elektra. Not a bad record and features some good players such as Caleb Quaye on guitar and was sampled by Happy Mondays for their song Step On. $4.
  7. The Rolling Stones: Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! Their infamous 1969 tour recorded at Madison Square Garden. A great sounding live record and worth every penny of $3.
  8. 10cc: Deceptive Bends. Great pop album from 1977 recorded at Strawberry Studios. The hit was The Things We Do For Love and there are a bunch of other good songs on this record. $5.
  9. The Shangri-Las: Collection. 20 Greatest Hits. No frills package of the girls’ best moments. Worth it for Sophisticated Boom Boom alone. $5.
  10. Rod Stewart: The Rod Stewart Album. Rod’s early solo records along with those by The Faces and Jeff Beck Group are all good records and worth checking out. Just fun records with good tunes and great players. Before the leopard skin pants and blonde hair dye era of later. $3.

So, there you have it, another ten records that will provide you hours of listening pleasure without breaking the bank. Happy collecting.

Record of the Week: Rubble: Parts Per Million EP 7"

Rubble: Parts Per Million EP 7” (Distort Reality) I’ve been a huge fan of Portland’s Rubble since I heard their first 7”, and this latest 4-song EP does nothing to diminish my love affair. Rubble is tougher to describe than a lot of bands I hear because (it seems to me, at least) their music is more about songs that style. So many bands put so much of their effort into having the right guitar sound or the right drumbeat or the right vocal inflection (or, worse, the right clothes or haircuts) that the music can seem like an afterthought, phrases with the right vibe strung together rather than a piece of art that’s meant to do something (whether that something is political, aesthetic, or something else). While Rubble’s 1-2-1-2 drumming and double tracked vocals might remind you of Vice Squad, it’s clear they’re not interested in conforming to a generic UK82 aesthetic. The lyrics address topics contemporary to 2020 in a way that feels concrete and thoughtful, and the music always goes somewhere, each song starting in one place and moving somewhere different for a cool bridge or an anthemic guitar solo. The production is equally engaging, but in a different way. The playing is loose and raw, the fidelity is primitive, and the mix is odd, particularly on the two tracks on the b-side, on which the rhythm guitar is nearly inaudible. For me, these idiosyncratic choices only add to the record’s charm. UK82 purists might scoff, but to me Rubble sounds like a great punk band making music for right now.

Sorry, it looks like this isn't streaming anywhere yet!

Featured Release Roundup: April 23, 2020

Uzi: Cadena de Odio 12” (Discos MMM) Cadena de Odio is the debut vinyl from this Colombian punk band featuring members of Muro. As with Muro, Uzi’s gritty DIY aesthetic belies how rich and varied the music on this record is. I hear elements of UK82 punk, straightforward hardcore, and a little modern pogo-hardcore, but Uzi has digested these influences and incorporated them into their sound. The aesthetic and vibe is like Muro, but while Muro gravitates toward the epic feel of classic Japanese hardcore, Uzi’s street punk influences are their main calling card. A lot of Cadena de Odio doesn’t sound too different from the Casualties (particularly when they throw in a simple, melodic lead guitar line), but filtered through the prism of raw, modern DIY hardcore. If you’ve been feeling the recent spate of Muro records, this shares the same sense of excitement and urgency.


P22: Human Snake 12” (Post Present Medium) We last heard from Los Angeles’s P22 when they released a tape on the excellent Beat Sessions cassette series. P22 was the band I was least familiar with from that entire series, and I didn’t give their tape time to sink in. I need to revisit it, though, because Human Snake has blown me away. P22 doesn’t sound like anything I can think of. The speak-sing vocals, thoughtful, eloquent lyrics, and experimental music make me think of Poison Girls, but P22 is its own thing. While everything about the band is great, I’m particularly taken with the drummer’s style. They have a unique sense of rhythm and while they break into a full rock beat a few times over the course of the record, most of the drumming is more minimal, glancing across the main rhythm rather than underscoring it. The songs’ arrangements follow a similar pattern. In most punk bands, all the musicians are playing pretty much all the time (with perhaps one instrumental break for a bar or less), but the members of P22 often hang back, playing quietly or remaining silent for long stretches. The sense of restraint makes much of Human Snake resemble modern classical music, but there are stretches of full-bore punk too. While there’s plenty more I could say about this one, I’ll stress that if you’re into this kind of intellectual, artsy, underground punk (and particularly if you enjoyed the recent Slender LP) you should listen to this and make up your own mind about it.


Whip: Don’t Call Me 7” (Electric Heat) Don’t Call Me is the latest 4-song EP from this Canadian band with a previous 7” on Neck Chop. These tracks remind me of my favorite Bikini Kill stuff, but not in a cosplay kind of way. The singer’s raspy, snotty tone bears a resemblance to Kathleen Hannah, and the band also shares Bikini Kill’s ability to take a big, catchy riff and totally own it. The production is gritty but not shitty and the performances are loose without being sloppy… it’s right in that pocket where you want snotty, catchy punk like this to be. It’s a timeless style, and Whip makes it sound as good as ever.


Neutrals: Rent / Your House E.P. 7” (Domestic Departure) Neutrals is a band from the Bay Area, California featuring Allan McNaughton, whom you may remember from the bands Giant Haystacks and Airfix Kits. While I haven’t revisited those bands’ records recently enough to explain how Neutrals compares, I’m enjoying these five tracks. Neutrals’ songwriting style seems steeped in the straightforward, punky pop of bands like The Shop Assistants or the Primitives, but I wouldn’t say that Neutrals have a retro sensibility. They build the songs on a Ramones-y foundation, with the vocals carrying the melody and the lyrics tackling contemporary issues in a plainspoken style. All five tracks are winners, and I love the unaffected, unpretentious presentation. It feels like a band getting up and saying their piece about the world without pandering to the audience, which is part of what made me fall in love with DIY punk in the first place.


Cold Feet: Punk Entity 12” (Feel It) We carried the self-released debut 7” from Baltimore’s Cold Feet a while back, and now they’ve moved up to regional institution Feel It Records for their debut 12”. The style here is raw and fast hardcore with a noticeable Pick Your King influence. The riffs are short and clipped, and the band plays ahead of the beat, leaning into their velocity so hard it feels like it’s all about to fly apart. As befitting a 12” release, there’s a bit of variation, including a breakdown in “Good Book” and a No Trend-style downer intro for “Peyote Death.” However, most everything here is so fast that when they slow things down for “Mommy” and “Not Again,” the Blood Guts & Pussy-era Dwarves pace feels like a reprieve. If you’re into the fast and wild USHC of bands like Loose Nukes or west coast groups like Electric Chair, Punk Entity is well worth a look.


Disjawn / Besthoven: Split 7” (Ryvvolte) It’s been a minute since I’ve heard from Brazilian Disclose disciples Besthoven. There was a stretch in the late 00s when it seemed like there was a new record from them just about every month. Not much has changed since the last time I heard them, though. Disclose is still the obvious inspiration, but I dig the primitive recording quality and the odd, melodic lead guitar on two of their three tracks here. It’s a new wrinkle in an otherwise straightforward iteration of the style. As for Disjawn, this is my first time hearing them and they have a faster, Anti-Cimex / Shitlickers-influenced style with USHC energy. Their recording is also rough, but pleasingly so. This one is for the true d-beat crusties, but I think those people will find plenty to enjoy here.




B.E.T.O.E. / End Result: Nuclear Stockpiles 7” (Ryvvolte) South American crusties B.E.T.O.E. give us three tracks of total Victims of a Bomb Raid worship, with a raw, fist-pumping style. There’s not much to say beyond that… punks playing punk and doing it well. End Result from LA are new to me and while the label’s description references D-clone and Gloom, I hear a lot more going on than that. While it’s noisy, I hear elements of d-beat and noisy anarcho punk, and a thread of catchy USHC that reminds me of Direct Control. The extra catchiness and variation in the rhythm go a long way, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from this band.



Sorry, I can't find a stream for any of the songs on the End Result side!

Staff Picks: April 23, 2020

Staff Picks: Daniel

This week my staff pick is not only a book, it’s a book that’s not even about punk! Yes, I spend virtually all of my time listening to and thinking about punk, but I try to squeeze in some time here and there for other pursuits. If I remember correctly, I heard the author Andrew Marantz on Marc Maron’s podcast and added Antisocial to the list of books I wanted to read. I’m not sure what prompted me to buy this rather than any of the dozens (maybe even hundreds?) of books on that list, but I’m glad I did.

Anti-Social chronicles the rise (and sort of fall) of the alt-right, a process that tech companies like Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit enabled through their utopian belief in the unequivocal good of a technologically connected world. I don’t pay much mind to online extremism, but part of what interested me about this book was that the alt-right is a subculture not unlike the one I spend so much time taking part in. While I’d like to think my subculture is more enlightened, a lot of the same stuff goes on, particularly since both subcultures are now mediated through the same technology. It’s frightening to see how malleable people are, and how quickly they can put aside their deeply held beliefs when their definitions of what is normal or acceptable shift.

Beyond the moral, political, and social lessons, Anti-Social is a great read, as Marantz focuses on a few key characters. Some of them are leaders in the movement, and some are followers, but taken together they provide a rich portrait. Further, Marantz is a dedicated enough journalist that he doesn’t portray these people as cartoon villains, but also discerning enough to say when something is fucked up. It’s so hard to find journalism that feels like truth these days, but Anti-Social feels like truth. Further, it helps me to understand how and why so much misinformation spreads, which is a useful thing to understand as some of these same people are using the same techniques to hijack the public discourse around COVID-19.

Staff Picks: Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

So this week I’m (once again) going to talk about records that I’ve been constantly listening to rather than records that we actually have for sale at the store. Let me start by saying: I’ve been buying a lot of records lately! I don’t know if the isolation of quarantine has brought on boredom so extreme that I just feel a need to have something to look forward to, or if my record habit is satiating some deep-seated anxiety. Who knows?

A few of the records I’ve acquired recently are UK singles, which I always thought would be cool to have one day, but never went out of my way to track down. The main two records I wanna talk about I feel like have become real gems in my mind. Funnily enough, they’re both anarcho-punk records by bands with similar but opposite band names. I picked up a copy of In Defense of the Realm by Anti-System and man this thing is a ripper. Anti-System lyrically are a total peace punk band, but beyond a couple Flux-esque spoken word parts, I’ve always thought this EP is just a raging hardcore record. I think this record also just sounds perfect.

The other record I got is the Warfare EP by The System. Only 3 songs, and in general I feel like this a band people don’t bring up too often. Even in the scheme of anarcho-punk, I feel like The System are super underrated. I actually posted a short clip of me listening to this record on social media, and a lot of you out there seem to agree with me. The track that really stands out to me is “Their Corrupting Ways”. That haunting melodic guitar melody makes my skin crawl. It starts kind of quiet, but it’s so dynamic, because when the intensity kicks in during chorus I truly get goose bumps. Between that and reading the lyrics, which seem rather relevant, this record has been a borderline-obsessive listen over the last couple weeks.

Thanks for reading, hope y’all are all doing okay out there,
-Jeff

Staff Picks: Eric

Annihilated: Demo Cassette (Roach Leg) This is one of my favorite demos to come out as of late. Mean and scary hardcore punk from London. Featuring members of some of the greats like Arms Race and SHIT. More often than not when it comes to hardcore: less is more. And I think The Annihilated is a perfect example of that. I can hear some clear US hardcore influence a la Negative Approach and The Fix, but with a hair of UK82. Crank this shit LOUD!

Staff Picks: Dominic

Hey there Pop Pickers! Are you having fun with your records? Want more but need to be responsible with your stimulus check? We might have the answer for you here at Sorry State. We are going to continue to feature more of our Bargain Bin records and give you a chance to enjoy the rich pickings that normally our walk-in customers would get at the store. Watch for our flip videos and listings of titles on social media and here in the Newsletter. I am going to continue what we are calling Dom’s Digs and pull out ten titles each week that I think you might enjoy. Check last week’s newsletter for information on the first ten, some titles still available. Our Bargain Bin records are in very playable condition and for the most part in excellent shape but some may have worn covers or a couple of scuffs here and there and we will point out any major issues. Mostly though it’s a chance to score records for five bucks and under.

Okay, off we go, in no particular order;

  1. The Steve Miller Band: Sailor. A nice 70s issue copy of their 1968 record. Like Bob Seger, the hits didn’t come until later but there is a lot to like about his and Steve Miller’s early work. It might be a little patchy but there are some interesting tunes spread across their albums and I recommend you pick up cheap copies like this and investigate.
  2. Jimmy McGriff: I’ve Got A Woman. Primo Mod Organ Jazz on the great Sue label. This copy has a little wear but those old pressings sound great even with little hiss and crackle.
  3. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Time Out. Late 60s LP with at least four hits including Doggone Right and Baby, Baby Don’t Cry. Also has a version of Wichita Lineman which makes it worth having in my book.
  4. Various Artists: Motown Chartbusters Vol. 4. A no brainer this. You get a dozen prime era Motown hits for the cost of a cup of coffee. Collect them all.
  5. Grover Washington, Jr.: Soul Box. Kudu Records were a CTI Records label and put out a lot of cool soul jazz records in the 70s. This one from ’73 and recorded by Rudy Van Gelder is pretty funky and groovy with a side long cover of Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man.
  6. Freddie Hubbard: Echoes Of Blue. This is a 70s combo of two earlier Hubbard albums, Backlash and High Blues Pressure and is a great way to get some key cuts from those records. Nice soulful jazz with a Latin flavor on some tracks. Minty vinyl on this copy.
  7. Booker T. & The M.G.’s: Booker T. Set. Great Stax soul and funk with some interesting covers of then current pop tunes mixed in. Cool silver cover always catches the eye.
  8. Robert Cray: Strong Persuader. I have a higher tolerance for Blues than my colleagues here at Sorry State but I kind of always liked the first few Robert Cray records. It’s pop blues but there are some good tunes and he does have chops.
  9. The Ventures: Best Of. This is an 80s, budget double LP with no bells and whistles other than being in great shape and containing 27 of their most popular and awesome surf instrumentals. Too many hits to list.
  10. Lou Reed: Coney Island Baby. Mid 70s Lou and a personal favorite of mine. This one has a cool laid back vibe for the most part and is a real grower. I highly recommend it. Not that Lou Reed needs any one to tell him how cool he is but I did pass on my admiration for this particular album to him personally when I was lucky enough to stand next to him at a show in New York some time ago.

Alright, there you have it. Ten very worthy records that you can scoop cheaply. Contact us directly to reserve titles and/or to add to an existing order.

Before I go there were a couple of tunes and records that I wanted to mention.

Firstly, someone needs to buy the Jeremy Steig: Fusion double LP on Groove Merchant that we have listed on our webstore currently. It’s a steal at $9 even with a little light wear. Such a cool record of slightly psychedelic and funky flute led jazz. The Beastie Boys famously sampled him for Sure Shot.

Lastly a tune that I have been playing on repeat recently, The Heptones: Let’s Try from their Studio One LP Sweet Talking. It’s a great uplifting political song for the young generation. Here’s a link to the extended version. https://youtu.be/ADkn87I-59s

Nice up the dance.

Note: Dom's Digs are pulled from Sorry State's online bargain bin, which you can access here. Everything is still for sale unless it's been crossed out!

Staff Picks: Ava

Psuchagōgoi: Under A Green Light

Psuchagōgoi is hands down the most unique project I've come across as of late. This solo project is made by Kryptorgeist of the United Kingdom and this is the third full album. This particular album has been my go-to listen for the last few weeks, especially while hiking in this spring weather. The atmosphere created with the constant acoustic guitar playing, wind blowing through trees and leaves, many different types of birds, occasional quiet piano and vocals consistently gives me chills. Each listen to me is always very relaxing and entrancing, the melancholic ambiance this album possesses is always captivating yet somber. "An ambient acoustic portal to the forest from dawn until dusk. Recorded 2019 - 2020" (Psuchagōgoi Bandcamp Page). Released March 17, 2020.

Record of the Week: The Annihilated: demo cassette

The Annihilated: demo cassette (Roach Leg) I’m thankful this UK band’s demo has a domestic US pressing because it’s one of my favorite hardcore recordings in recent memory. When this thing hit the internet, I was in love immediately. While the Annihilated has a timeless 80s American hardcore style, there’s something about the way they do it that sounds realer and more urgent than just about any other recent band attempting the style. The vocals are mean as hell and the production couldn’t be more perfect for my ears, and I love how there are traces of simple melody, something a lot of retro hardcore bands forget about. “Push Me Around,” for instance, reminds me of SOA or Negative Approach in that it sounds like bonehead UK82 punk that’s been in solitary confinement for months, fed a minimal diet of bread and water, and then let loose. The way the vocal melody follows the guitar line is so simple and primal, and while I usually hate it when bands do that it’s perfect for this context. This tape gives me the same excitement I felt when I first heard Direct Control. It’s hardcore that gets every single thing right.