Electric Chair: Performative Justice 7” - Been jamming this non-stop. We don’t have copies at Sorry State yet, but we should have them soon. This is pretty much everything I wanna hear out of hardcore at this moment: fast, reckless, catchy, totally explosive, a bit dangerous, but also a bit silly.
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Featured Release Roundup: October 3, 2019
Clang!: Whac-a-mole 12” (self-released) Debut release from this band out of Tampa, Florida whose sound lies somewhere at the intersection of post-punk, no wave, and noise rock. More than a stylistic hodgepodge though, Clang! reminds me of those styles because of their heavy emphasis on rhythm. While some bands write songs around melodic progressions, others write songs around riffs, and still others might write around tempo changes, textures, or any number of other characteristics, Clang!’s music centers on groove. Each of Whac-a-mole’s twelve tracks takes a particular rhythmic motif and explores it inside out, altering and augmenting it and scraping out its insides. About half of the tracks are only around a minute and a half long, but on others (most noticeably on the nine-minute closer, “Gomorrah”), they stretch out and go deeper. When you hear a band like this that is adept at inventing and embodying rhythms, it makes you realize how monotonous most bands’ grooves are. Recommended for fans of the Slits, the World, Preening, the Ruts, Public Image Limited, and other rhythmically inventive punk music.
The Middle Ages: S/T 12” (Ripe) Debut release from this punk band out of Seattle. The members have a heavy resume, but I wasn’t familiar with any of their previous projects, so I went in to the Middle Ages fresh. What I found was unpretentious punk rock that sounds like it walked straight out of the mid-70s. While it’s not self-consciously retro, it still captures the classic sound of first-generation, pre-hardcore punk. In particular I’m reminded of bands like the Saints, the Stranglers, X, Generation X, the Jam, and the Replacements. These are bands who only had a negligible attachment to punk as a subculture, but found a natural affinity with it thanks to their appreciation of the fast, the loud, and the raw. Further, these bands had top-notch pop songwriting chops, which made their best material feel like instant classics. The Middle Ages shares those characteristics. I can’t think of any other current bands that sound this direct and effortless. If you’re a fan of the aforementioned classic groups, this is well worth checking out.
Distort #54 zine Latest issue of this long-running Australian zine. Cleveland punk has always preoccupied Distort, and this issue goes whole-hog, with 116 dense pages devoted to the topic. There are lots of reproductions of Cleveland punk ephemera, a healthy number of reprints of Clevo-centric material from earlier issues of Distort, and a few new additions like a lengthy interview with Craig Bell of Mirrors and Rocket from the Tombs. Rather than being formatted like a conventional punk book or other straightforward archival project, the issue examines Cleveland through what feels like a cracked and distorted lens, placing a kind of translucent psychedelic curtain between the reader and the source material. Much of the original writingtakes the form of faux YouTube comments written from dozens of different perspectives, some of them insightful and many of them dumb (mostly in a funny way). It’s a heavy-handed choice, but I think it was a great one, and I enjoyed reading this far more than I would have another dry oral history or faux-academic analysis (like, say, the one you’re reading right now). Over the years Distort has transformed from a well-done, albeit conventional punk zine to something more like high art, and it seems like that vision has culminated here.
Populists AKA Yan Wagner: Belgian Trip 12” (Detriti) More top-notch European electro from the Detriti label. Like most of the other stuff on Detriti, this has a heavy dance floor groove with the boom bap right in the foreground to get you moving. The Populists’ angle, though, is simple and minimal with 80s-sounding drum machines and synths, reminding me of being a kid in the mid-80s, rolling around in a circle at the skating rink while early hip hop like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash pumped in the background. Like pretty much everything I’ve heard from Detriti, this is excellent.
Liquid Assets: demo cassette (self-released) Demo cassette from this new band out of Ottawa, Canada. With a sound that brings together aspects of slime punk, hardcore, and catchier garage punk, Liquid Assets reminds me a lot of Menthol, one of my favorite bands of the past several years. These eight tracks are dripping with grit and grime, yet there’s a fun, sunny counterpoint there to give it balance. The riffs are straightforward, mid-paced, and in major keys, but they’re banged out with an "I don’t give a fuck" attitude that reminds me of the New Bomb Turks at their loosest and most punk. Sometimes when I hear a record like this, it feels like it’ll fall in the cracks between genres, but this seems like one that could bring sub-scenes together. It just rocks that hard. Bonus points for gorgeous artwork courtesy of Josh Feigert (Uniform ATL).
Chain Whip: 14 Lashes 12” (self-released) Latest release from these Canadian punks, and while I liked their 7”, this one blows it out of the water. While the word “hardcore” refers to a narrow band of heavy, metallic music these days, Chain Whip is a throwback to a time when hardcore meant playing snotty punk as fast as possible. Their approach reminds me of the FU’s in that Chain Whip isn’t afraid of melody, but a big melody or hook isn’t a requirement for every song. Thus, you get anthemic songs like “Amber Alert” and moody and melodic punkers like the Dead Kennedys-esque “Turner Street Ghost Motel,” but when Chain Whip wants to lay into a fast hardcore song, they don’t pull any punches, approaching these tracks with the ferocity of bands like Loose Nukes and Blood Pressure. Every once in a while there’s a record like the Zero Boys’ Vicious Circle, Career Suicide’s Attempted Suicide, or the Carbonas’ second album that seems to have everything that you want from both punk and hardcore. 14 Lashes is accomplished enough to stand alongside those monumental records.
Prolix Destruct: Shoreline 12” (self-released) Debut vinyl from this band out of Portland with a catchy, anthemic crust sound. Prolix Destruct has a member that played in the Minneapolis band Destroy, which is funny because when I checked out Shoreline I thought it had a very 90s vibe. I lived in Richmond, Virginia from the late 90s through the early 2000s, and Prolix Destruct sound like a band that could have played Richmond during that time. There were a handful of kids you’d see at, say, both an Avail show and a Tragedy show, and I could imagine those types of kids creating something like Shoreline. While it has all the forward momentum and heaviness of crust, the melodic lead guitar lines (which have a Chelsea vibe, but aren’t a million miles away from the classic Fat Wreck bands), dark chord progressions, and desperately shouted vocals also remind me of Strike Anywhere and bands of that ilk. Fans of Signal Lost and Burning Kitchen are also likely to enjoy Shoreline.
Adderall: Versus Big Pharma 7” (11PM) Debut 7” from this Asheville, North Carolina band with a big and catchy sound. While Adderall has the 1-2 beats and catchy, snaky bass lines that I associate with pogo-punk, they’re so much bigger, tougher, and meaner than most bands of that ilk that you aren’t likely to see anyone comparing them to Asta Kask or the Swankys. Instead, they have the heavy-handed crunch of modern bands like Blazing Eye or Warthog that trade in big, pit-clearing riffs. The vocals are also a standout, a Sakevi-inspired inhuman snarl. I know Asheville, North Carolina is not the most hyped scene, but don’t let that stop you from checking this out. This band and this record are explosive.
Ill Globo: Check the Odds 7” (Aarght) Another week, another killer record from Australia. When will the deluge stop? Melbourne’s Ill Globo play amped-up, hardcore-leaning punk rock that reminds me of the Angry Samoans or Sub Pop-era Dwarves. While they have all the big, dramatic punches and snappy snare fills you want from a hardcore band, between those climaxes they squeeze in a ton of furious, Ramones-inspired downstrokes. While a lot of bands of this ilk go for a tight and precise sound, Ill Globo is looser and meaner, with squeals of feedback frequently interrupting the charge. Fans of the more hardcore-leaning Total Punk bands like Foster Care, Beta Boys, and Patsy should take note. In fact, if Total Punk hasn’t already contacted this band and asked them to do a record, they’re fucking up.
Record of the Week: Loose Nukes: Behind the Screen 7" + Staff Picks
Loose Nukes: Behind the Screen 7” (Beach Impediment) First proper 7” (their first was their demo pressed to vinyl) from this much-hyped Pittsburgh band. With an ex- / current members of list that reads like a “best of the 2000s” article, it’s no surprise that Loose Nukes has gotten a lot of attention during their short tenure as a band. However, they more than deliver the goods, with their demo and this 7” quickly and firmly establishing them as one of the best hardcore bands in the world. Deep heads will recognize Eric’s distinct riffing style from his days playing guitar in Government Warning and Blood Pressure, and the songs on this 7” find the perfect balance between the catchiness of the former and the fury of the latter (GW fans will love “Innocent,” which sounds like it could have appeared on that band’s first EP). The rhythm section is rock-solid too; Vince (previously of Witch Hunt and Sickoids) is one of those drummers who will probably never be in a band I don’t like. His rhythms have a subtle swing to them that is, to me, what hardcore punk should sound like. And then there are the vocals courtesy of Jim from Dark Thoughts. While a lot of great hardcore vocalists lock onto the beat and use their voice as a rhythm instrument, Jim’s vocals are looser and wilder, frequently devolving into a pained scream that breaks out of the rhythmic lock-step like a lion escaping from a cage. Behind the Screen is an example of masters of their craft doing what they do best. For the foreseeable future, when I want to listen to a pure hardcore record this is what I'll reach for.
Staff Picks: Jeff
Staff Picks: Eric
Electric Chair: Performative Justice 7" - I'm really excited about this one. The tracks just dropped online a couple days ago and I've been jamming a couple times a day since then. Perfect hardcore punk. The production even reminds of Pick Your King (as if the tunes didn't already). It doesn't feel forced, it feels super genuine. Real fuckin' punk. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this through Iron Lung!
Result Of Choice: Place Of My Dreams 7" - This type of youth crewy hardcore is 9 times out of 10 NOT my thing, in fact I actively avoid it. But dang I can't stop listening to this. I think the reason I like this band so much is because it doesn't feel like a modern hardcore band to me. It's fast, has great vocal phrasing and structure, and it has interesting chord progressions while also playing the just right chord change you want to hear.
Staff Picks: Dominic
Diät: Positive Disintegration. Iron Lung 2019
As a new member of the Sorry State team, I am still playing catch up with some great records that we have previously had in the store. If you missed this one earlier in the year, you can catch up with me as we have it back in stock. Sorry State actually had an exclusive on this record and had a limited run of Teal colored vinyl that sold out immediately. This is a black vinyl version but the music is still the same. You can go back into the archives and read Daniel’s review on the record but basically, he liked it and so do I and you will too. Briefly though, these guys are a media shy group that ply their trade in Berlin and may or may not be mostly Ozzies according to which bio you read. Regardless, the sound is definitely influenced by the bands that were around in the late 70’s and early 80’s in the UK. Think early Cure, The Chameleons, Joy Division and other obscure post-punk outfits and you are in the right ball park. Despite that sounding a little bleak there is an almost pop like quality to several tunes and dare I say it, a dancy vibe on one or two. Sure, they might be singing about heavier subject matters but the best music often mixes sweet and sour. Standout tracks for me were “We”, “Foreign Policy” and “Only My Own”, the latter being the “dance” track I mentioned. Don’t wait until we sell out again to get your copy and while you’re at it you might as well invest in the group’s debut, Positive Energy from 2015, which we also have back in stock.
Various Artists: Disco Not Disco. Strut 2019
Originally compiled back in 2000 by Joey Negro and Sean P for Strut’s anniversary, we have a few copies available of the 2019 Repress done for Record Store Day. This is an essential collection of 12” mixes that perfectly captures the sound of underground New York in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Leftfield, “mutant” disco sounds that were championed at legendary clubs like The Loft and Paradise Garage. Back then both punk and disco had reached mainstream like levels and were a little burnt out. More progressive DJ’s needed something else to fuel the dance floors and were seeking out these types of gems to keep things going. The collection pulls from known artists such as Yoko Ono and Ian Dury and adds releases from local smaller labels and more avant-garde performers such as Arthur Russell. It’s a perfect example of the melting pot that was and is New York City. This version has been mastered extra loud for dance floors (or your lounge) and comes with nice liner notes from Kris Needs and will save you the time and dough looking for the originals. Highly recommended.
Featured Release Roundup: September 26, 2019
The Mind: Edge of the Planet 12” (Drunken Sailor) Debut record from this project band featuring members of heaps of bands, some of the most relevant of them being Homostupids, Dry Rot, Pleasure Leftists, and Cosmic Sand Dollars. The members’ resumes are relevant not so much because the Mind sounds like any of those projects, but rather because it sets the bar of quality high and raises our expectations that this will combine cerebral experimentation and punk-derived visceral power similarly to the above projects. The Mind is one of those bands you can’t pin a genre on; they occasionally (but not always) use danceable drum machine rhythms, catchy post-punk bass lines, dissonant guitar freakouts, breathy vocals, and electronic bleeps and bloops. The songs are catchy and often melodic, but I wouldn’t call them pop songs. Instead, I’m reminded more of groups like Portishead and Exploded View that bring the trappings of pop music into a krautrock / Velvet Underground-inspired / experimental format. However, those are analogies and not one to one correspondences. The Mind is its own thing, and Edge of the Planet is a gripping balance of experimental dissonance, sonic texture, and melodic sophistication.
Mick Trouble: It’s the Mick Trouble EP 7” (Emotional Response) Man, untangling the web of deceit around this record gave me a headache. The back of the record’s sleeve says it was recorded in 1983 and features Jowe Head of Swell Maps / Television Personalities on bass. The record sounds vintage (not fake vintage, but real vintage), but 1. these songs are so good that it’s hard to believe no one released them already, and 2. it’s such a blatant homage to the first Television Personalities album that it must be a product of the past-obsessed twenty oughts. Eventually I found this article that explains it all (TL;DR version: it was recorded in 2015), but I have to admit that I went down the Discogs rabbit hole looking for any mentions of one Mick Trouble in relation to Television Personalities, Swell Maps, and the associated universe of bands. So yeah, if you love early Television Personalities (and god knows I do!) this is about as perfect an homage / recreation as you will ever find. Some of it teeters into “rip-off” territory (the first track, “Second Offense,” for instance, incorporates a bit of the TVP’s “The Angry Silence”), but my attitude has always been that originality is of little to no concern when enjoying a pop song. It’s all about the hooks, those transcendental moments of pop bliss, and these four tracks are lousy with them. Yeah, it’s an imitation, but hardly a pale one.
Haircut: Sensation 7” (Beach Impediment) Latest EP from this Richmond, Virginia band who has moved to the hardcore big leagues and secured a spot on the great Beach Impediment Records. While Sensation is very much of a piece with their previous EP Shutting Down, there’s more 80s-style grit in the production and tighter, more powerful playing that can stand toe to toe with anything on their new label. Haircut’s not so secret weapon remains their vocalist Juliana, whose distinctive style gives these tracks a sense of liveliness that they might lack with a more typical hardcore barker.
Nosferatu: A Field of Hope 12” (Neck Chop) A Field of Hope is a “The First Two Years” compilation from these Koro-worshipping Texans, bringing together their debut EP on Lumpy with the very limited demo and rehearsal recording releases that they’ve put out over that time. There are several recording sessions compiled here so the sound can change from track to track, but it’s uniformly raw with the focus on the catchy guitars and frantic drums, with the vocals and bass always fighting for your attention. Even with such primitive-sounding recordings, Nosferatu sound explosive. Like Koro, they pack so much drama into their short songs, each one its own maze of dramatic punches, stops and starts, tempo changes, clipped leads, and off-balance lunges. With so much material crammed onto the record it blends together into a monumental, punishing whole, but you can drop the needle anywhere and find nothing but raw, face-shredding hardcore. Dabblers might want to opt for their proper debut LP (for which the US press is, frustratingly, still on the way), but if you follow fast, 80s-inspired hardcore in the year 2019 this record should be in your collection.
Ascending: Earthlings 12” (Detriti) 4-song 12” EP of killer, dance floor-ready instrumental darkwave. Detriti is a mysterious label (most famous for the YouTube sensation Molchat Doma) that presents little info for most of their releases, but this record from Ascending is enigmatic even by their standards. What I can tell you is that this is a quick blast with the emphasis on the pounding boom-bap rhythms, mastered loud enough that you can picture it rattling speakers in Eastern European squats. Like the Normal’s “Warm Leatherette” or Total Control’s “Paranoid Video,” the production is stark with not a lot of layers, the musical equivalent of a high-contrast photocopied collage rather than a detailed illustration. It’s simple and brutal, grabbing you by the hips and forcing you to dance.
Larma: S/T 12” (Beach Impediment) When this self-titled 12” from Sweden’s Larma dropped on the internet earlier this year it turned the head of pretty much anyone interested in classic-sounding Swedish hardcore of the Totalitär ilk. With the music composed by the mastermind behind Herätys and the vocalist from the almighty Skitkids the members’ pedigree is impeccable, but no one here is resting on their laurels. While the music is modeled on the classic Totalitär sound, it takes that sound even further with more complex, inventive riffing, masterful songwriting and arrangement, and a production style that strikes the perfect balance between gritty, raw, heavy, and clear. I’m tempted to say that this 12” is even better than any of Totalitär’s actual LPs. It seems to take every one of that band’s key ideas and take it to its logical endpoint. It’s like a beautifully shot slasher flick; the aim is brutality, but it’s brutality executed with elegance and attention to detail. One of the year’s best hardcore records for sure.
Trampoline Team: Kill You 7” (Neck Chop) Latest 7” from this prolific New Orleans band. If you haven’t heard Trampoline Team yet, they play lightning-fast punk that’s seems a little too catchy and Ramones-informed to qualify as pure hardcore, but with a velocity that would put all but a handful of hardcore bands to shame. Stripped-down, catchy punk songs delivered at seizure-inducing tempos… what’s not to love, right? You get four tracks here and they’re all burners. There are only a handful of lyrics to each song, so it’ll be easy to shout along with them the next time this hard-touring band hits your town. And make it a point to see them, because their shows are exactly the adrenaline rush you’d hope they would be.
Record of the Week: Judy & the Jerks: Friendships Formed in the Pit 12"
Judy & the Jerks: Friendships Born in the Pit 12” (Neck Chop) I love everything about Judy & the Jerks, and I couldn’t be more stoked to have a 12” record to play the crap out of. Friendships Formed in the Pit compiles previously released (on cassette) material and throws in some exclusive tracks, devoting the a-side to six originals and the b-side to five scorching cover versions that are well worth hearing. While hardcore can be grim and humorless, Judy & the Jerks is proof that it doesn’t have to be. Like the Big Boys, they’re all about fun, fun, fun, and while they’re as ripping as any po-faced bunch of twenty-something boys wearing fancy sneakers and/or a denim vest, their music makes me feel excited and alive rather than agitated or angry. I’m sure part of that is the members’ personalities coming out in the music (I don’t know as I haven’t met them), but it takes a ton of musical skill to articulate that vibe so perfectly. The string of covers that closes the record—the Go-Go’s, Die Kreuzen, and the Buzzcocks—is the perfect example of the Jerks’ exquisite taste and flexibility as players, not to mention a good approximation of the band’s own originals if you put those three groups in a blender on its gnarliest setting. Friendships Formed in the Pit is a shoe-in for my year-end favorites list and one of the most remarkable hardcore punk records of 2019.
Staff Picks: Jeff
Loose Nukes: Behind the Screen 7” - So it’s been a week or more since we got these into the store, but I feel like I still need to write about it because it rips so hard! 2nd batch of songs from this PA hardcore punk band. This band is an assembly of people who were in countless other high-caliber groups.
Adderall: Vs. Big Pharma 7” - Had to give some love to the new platter from this NC band. Fuck all your “egg vs. chain” bullshit, Adderall is just a killer hardcore band.
Staff Picks: Eric
If you haven't picked up Bootlicker, Larma, Loose Nukes, Nosferatu, Obsessio, or Irreal yet you are fucking up big time. Some of the best stuff to happen all year came into our shop the past two weeks!
Featured Release Roundup: September 12, 2019
Sudor: Causa General 12” (Beat Generation) Well, this was a nice surprise since I hadn’t heard new music from Spain's Sudor since their 2015 LP Enamorado De La Muerte Juvenil. From 2011 (when they released their brilliant debut LP, Ganas de Vomitar), through 2015 (when they seemed to become much less active touring and releasing records) Sudor were one of my favorite active bands. At that time, hardcore punk was even more enmeshed in retromania than it is now, and Sudor’s raw, visceral, and passionate punk stood out. They build most of their songs around simple riffs, but Sudor has a knack for arranging their songs for maximum dramatic impact, traits that always make me think of classic Finnish hardcore bands like Kaaos, Appendix, and Lama. While it’s been a long time since the last Sudor record, Causa General sounds like the rest of the band’s discography. The recording is a little rawer, but everything else about the record is the Sudor that you (hopefully) know and love. Given that all of the records in their discography sound more or less the same, it’s tough to recommend one Sudor record over any of the others, but as someone hooked on the band’s sound I’m happy that there’s more to hear.
Minima: S/T 12” (Static Shock) Debut record from yet another killer band from Barcelona. Minima features musicians from No, Una Bestia Incontrolable, and Barcelona, and while all of those bands have a loose and noisy sound, Minima has a precise, lock-step playing style. That style, combined with the 1-2 drumbeats, clean bass sound, and simple riffing, gives this LP a UK82 vibe in places, but I'm sure that’s a coincidence rather than Minima trying to ape a particular style. Minima sounds to me like the opposite of record collector punk bands that try to recreate a particular sound or era. Their songs are all hard and fast, but they’re different from one another. This isn’t d-beat or UK82 or mangel or USHC… it’s just PUNK. And while it has all of the explosive energy of, say, the Obsessio record that everyone is raving about at the moment, it doesn’t feel as boxed in stylistically. In that way, this record reminds me of buying my first Exploited record as a teenager, feeling like it (and I) was the punkest thing in the world while simultaneously having only a loose grasp of what I considered punk to be. If you’re looking for pure UK82 revival this won’t be on the nose enough for you, but if you’re after something more immediate and organic, this is a real sleeper hit.
Sheer Mag: A Distant Call 12” (Wilsuns) A Distant Call is the second proper full-length from Sheer Mag, and if you don’t know them by now, you will never never never know them. Well, maybe you will, but if you’re reading this you’re well aware of Sheer Mag. So, what’s up with the new record? While their debut album, Need to Feel Your Love, felt like a conscious attempt to expand their sound after their well-received run of singles, A Distant Call is more focused. Tracks like “Blood from a Stone” and “Unfound Manifest” have the twangy mainstream rock sound that has garnered the band comparisons to Fleetwood Mac, while “Steel Sharpens Steel” and “The Killer” sound like what Jeff calls “cowboy boot metal,” i.e. those post-Appetite for Destruction bands like Bullet Boys and Junkyard that injected some Skynyrd-inspired southern rock riffs into the hair metal formula. While hard rock has always been part of Sheer Mag’s sound (see “Meet Me in the Streets” from the previous album), except for the closing track, “Keep on Runnin,” A Distant Call is leaner, tougher, and harder rocking than any other Sheer Mag record. The thing is, though, my favorite Sheer Mag songs are their most delicate tracks, i.e. songs like “Fan the Flames,” “Pure Desire,” and the title track from Need to Feel Your Love. The fluid lead playing and ethereal vocals make “Keep on Runnin” my favorite track on the record, but I wish that A Distant Call was tilted more toward these poppier moments than the big hard rock riffs. Still, no one can deny Sheer Mag’s ability to write a riff, a song, or a vocal hook, and those skills show no evidence of diminishing here.
Dernier Futur: S/T 12” (Cool Marriage) Debut release from this French band. Lately it seems like most of of the French music that we carry has an oi! vibe, and Dernier Futur fit that pattern. However, rather than sounding like classic minimalistic, anthemic French oi!, Dernier Futur has a more complex, melodic, and rather melancholy sound. While Dernier Futur sounds very French in some respects, they also remind me a lot of late 80s English bands like HDQ, Dan, Exit Condition, and early (i.e. pre-Mush) Leatherface. I imagine the people who make this music wear old pea coats that smell like cigarettes, that they might have been skinheads when they were younger and while they still like their music loud and fast, these days they prefer a little more meat on the bone. One might also say that it sounds like a meaner, heavier, and punkier version of mid-period Husker Du, but that doesn’t get at how grey, industrial, and European this sounds.
U.R.S.A.: L'Esprit de la Teuf 12” (Cool Marriage)Debut release from this band from Lyon, France. U.R.S.A. is a bass, drums, synth, and vocal group that makes bubbly, high-energy punk songs that remind me of a modern version of Suburban Lawns or early B-52’s. The synth lines are very melodic—even approaching syrupy—but the high-energy drums and the rapid-fire vocals (that remind me a lot of Fay Fife from the Rezillos) provide the perfect counterpoint. If you’re into the weirdo party vibes of anything from Downtown Boys to BB Eye, I encourage you to give the album a shot.
Irreal: Fi Del Mon 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) At this point I have to assume that a significant portion of Barcelona’s population plays in a killer hardcore punk band. Here we have yet another one, Irreal, who play the type of heavy, raging, yet progressive hardcore that we love here at Sorry State. While their labelmates Obsessio are as lithe as an assassin, Irreal is more like a heavily armed mercenary. They deal in blunt force, but dole it out with an ease and confidence that belies their experience. This is clear on the longer tracks like “Ens Venen A Salvar.” That tack centers on a crunchy riff broadly in the Discharge tradition, but rather than just laying into it, Irreal dances across it, poking and prodding, finding different ways to accent and embellish it over the track’s two minutes and fifteen seconds. If you come to each new La Vida Es Un Mus release looking for something as smart as it is raging, this will get you amped.
Record of the Week: Obsessió MLP 12" + Staff Picks
Obsessio: MLP 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) I’m thankful that I live during a time when I can experience records by bands like Bad Breeding, Kaleidoscope, and L.O.T.I.O.N. as they come out, watching in real time as hardcore expands and evolves. But ultimately what attracts most of us to hardcore is the first visceral rush of hearing Discharge or Minor Threat or Black Flag, bands who cut music down to the bone. I suppose it’s no coincidence that skeletons and skulls feature so prominently in hardcore artwork; hardcore is skeletal music, and as much as I love expanding my mind, sometimes (OK, often) I want a record that activates my prehistoric animal brain. This LP by Obsessió is one of those records. Like a lot of classic hardcore records, the emphasis is on the drums and vocals, the former driving your heart rate through the roof as the latter tricks your brain’s fight-or-flight response into thinking you're cornered by a crazed, bloodthirsty predator. With barely ten minutes of music and only a few minor variations in tempo and volume, this record is a dead sprint, like Group Sex infused with the raw and real vibe of early Wretched. I don’t know what secret sauce separates thrilling hardcore records from competent ones, but I can tell you that Obsessió has doused this one in it.
Staff Picks: Jeff
So last week, I raved about the Obsessió record, which we now have at the store. Grab that! I’d also wager that we’ll have the new Loose Nukes and the US pressing of the Larma record by next week, so keep an eye out for those!
Irreal: Fi Del Mon 12” - New LP from this new hardcore punk band out of Spain. Featuring members of Destino Final, Barcelona, and a laundry list of other bands, it was pretty clear from the get-go that this slab would be crushing.
Staff Picks: Eric
OBSESSIO: MLP 12" - Savagely nasty hardcore punk. This is the kind of riff work that gets me going because it sounds like the world is falling down around you. It also has a very modern intensity that put this band in the same ballpark as bands like Impalers, Glue, Idiota Civilizzato, etc. And the vocals are FIERCE. This might be my favorite release of 2019 so far.
Inepsy: Lost Tracks 12" - Maybe I'm outing myself as a poser by saying this, but this record was kind of my introduction to Inepsy. It sounds like Motorhead and Discharge did a collaboration album with the vocalist of Anti Cimex. It's perfectly crafted rock n' roll played by spikey degenerate punks. I'll be digging deeper into this band's discography in the near future.
Staff Picks: Dominic
Featured Release Roundup: September 5, 2019
Taiwan Housing Project: Sub-Language Trustees 12” (Ever/Never) Second album from this group from Philadelphia. I heard their previous one a few times, but I’m excited to sit down with Sub-Language Trustees, particularly since THP has made the jump to Ever/Never Records. I’ve been following Ever/Never for a few years now, and they are adept at finding bands who sit in the sweet spot on the continuum between weird / experimental and more straightforward and pop-oriented. Taiwan Housing Project is a perfect fit for the label as they have elements that remind me of musical experimenters of yore (Butthole Surfers in particular), but seem determined to push forward and make something their own. Sub-Language Trustees opens with “Charitable Fiend,” the record’s most avant-garde moment. The pounding, headache-inducing groove (if one can even call it that) is like early Swans with caterwauling vocals and skronking sax spewing ecstatic noise over top. A full album this abrasive would be an interesting (albeit tiring) experience, but by the third track, “Buy Buy Buy,” things are downright accessible. The track is bluesy with its wah-wah guitar, in-the-pocket rhythm, and Janis Joplin-like vocals, but like Fun House-era Stooges, this is dark, psychedelic blues, the music stretched to its breaking point. The rest of Sub-Language Trustees is full of surprises, and for all the out-there sounds and experimentation, there’s memorable music at the core, not unlike early Royal Trux in that respect. Recommended if you’re looking for something that challenges your brain while still gratifying your baser impulses.
Violent Party: Signals from Outer Space 12” (self-released) Latest record from this Portland noise-punk band who has been releasing records since 2011. Violent Party don’t seem to have much connection to the more well-known crust / hardcore scene in Portland despite having a lot in common with some of those bands, particularly Lebenden Toten, who push at the edges of the noise-punk style in similar ways. Rather than injecting noise-punk with psychedelic space rock like LT’s most recent record, though, Violent Party seem to be moving in a noise / power electronics direction, jettisoning the guitar for this recording. While that sounds like a radical decision for a noise-punk band, it doesn’t make a ton of difference to their sound, as they still follow the standard noise-punk format of having 3/4 of the band (drums, bass, and vocals) sound like a ripping hardcore band while the remaining 1/4 makes screeching, high-pitched noise over top. The noises here feel more interesting, presumably because they’re made with more appropriate tools than a guitar. I hear some feedback-drenched samples and what sounds like manual manipulation of phaser effects, which gives Signals from Outer Space more texture than your typical noise-punk record. It’s still a “deep heads only” type of thing, though it's worth checking out if you are more progressive and open minded rather than a purist.
Brain Tourniquet: S/T 7” (Painkiller) Debut 7” from this DC project featuring some familiar faces from that prolific scene, notably Connor and Robin from Protester (and a ton of other bands). This EP’s layout nods to the Crossed Out 7”, and if you come to Brain Tourniquet expecting tight (but not triggered or mechanical) blast beats, short songs, and unexpected and dramatic tempo changes you won’t be disappointed. However, this is far from a tribute record. In particular, I hear the members’ deep knowledge of hardcore coming through in subtle but unique ways, like the Cro-Mags vibes on “No Solution” or the Dwid-esque vocals on “Fate.” I think I saw the word “grind” mentioned in a description of this record, but Brain Tourniquet is pure hardcore to me, though like Heresy or Ripcord Brain Tourniquet pushes the tempos to the limit. I also love the clear but organic recording courtesy of CC. I don’t follow contemporary power violence, but this is worth a listen even for a dabbler like me.
Blood Loss: S/T 7” (Convulse Records) Debut 7” from this band out of Denver. I hear elements of SSD’s powerful and crunchy, Discharge-influenced sound, a little NYHC, and some Blazing Eye-esque pogo hardcore on one track (“Double Life”), all wrapped up in a bleak and gritty aesthetic. Blood Loss is hardly reinventing the wheel, but they have some memorable parts, particularly on the closing “Spineless / Relentless,” on which they work in some cool Negative Approach-style stops and starts and a burst of lead guitar. A ripping EP for those of you who love fast and tough, no-nonsense hardcore.
Heavy Discipline: S/T 7” (Painkiller) Demo-on-vinyl from this Pittsburgh group featuring a bunch of familiar faces. You might think Heavy Discipline was from Boston, though, as they sound like an all-star jam session with Negative FX, SS Decontrol, and DYS. They have SSD’s crushing sound down pat, the catchy Choke-style vocals nailed, and DYS’s earworm riffs locked down. While some tracks hew pretty closely to their source material, I don’t see any reason Heavy Discipline shouldn’t wear their influences on their sleeve. Great songs, explosive performances, and a gritty recording from the Braddock Hit Factory.
Record of the Week: Skizophrenia: Undead Melodies 7"
Skizophrenia: Undead Melodies 7” (Distort Reality) New 4-song 7” from this Japanese punk band, released for their recent US tour. You know, I haven’t paid a ton of attention to Skizophrenia’s records in the past. I just looked up my description of their 2015 compilation LP on Todo Destruido and I called that a hybrid of early Finnish punk and UK82, but Dead Melodies doesn’t sound like that at all. Instead, it sounds like catchy, explosive US hardcore with a Japanese touch, more Circle Jerks than Appendix or Ultra Violent. The energy level is off the charts in a way I don’t expect from your typical Japanese hardcore band, similar to the manic intensity of Career Suicide at their best with a hint of the grandiose Japanese hardcore style. Four ripping tracks, great artwork… a top notch punk EP.
Staff Picks: Jeff
Goddamn, while there are weeks when no records really spark my interest, this time around there’s so much killer stuff!
Inepsy: Lost Tracks 12” – Lord help me I love this band. I think these tracks were released previously on cassette, but the vinyl treatment does these songs major justice.
Nightmare: Thirsty and Wander 12” – I was curious what a new record from these Japanese legends would sound like. Not only am I pleased, but this platter rages beyond expectations. To my ears, it sonically sounds a lot like the Skitkids split -- super chaotic but also really powerful.
Soga: Demo 12” – New band from Mexico with members of Riña and Cremalleras.
Obsessió: S/T 12” – So this is the only thing I wanna give some attention to that we don’t have for sale at Sorry State. This new 12” EP from Obsessió is hardcore the way I like it.
Featured Release Roundup: August 29, 2019
Inepsy: Lost Tracks 12” (Feral Ward) So, it turns out Beyonce isn’t the only one who can pull off a surprise album drop, as Lost Tracks marks the unexpected return of both Inepsy and Feral Ward Records. It’s unclear how active either entity will be going forward, but for now I’m happy to count my blessings. We last heard from Inepsy on 2007’s No Speed Limit for Destruction. While that album’s clearer production and emphasis on hard rock riffing over punk energy garnered it a mixed reception, history has been kind to it, and most people now regard it as an essential piece of the Inepsy canon. Inepsy did basic tracking for Lost Tracks in 2009, so it’s unsurprising that this sounds more like No Speed Limit than the grittier first two LPs. All seven tracks sound like classic Inepsy, which is to say they sound like prime-era Motorhead with a slightly different vocal delivery and a more political lyrical bent. “Fuck the Power and Glory” and “Horror on the Greyhound” are the fastest / punkest tracks on the record, but my favorite is the closing “Nuclear Nightmare” (which is a nice callback to an earlier lyric). This track has the slowest tempo on the record, but it also has its meatiest, most fist-pumping riff. We've sold a ton of copies already, so you probably don’t need my encouragement to pick this up. However, if you had any doubt, I’m happy to confirm that Inepsy is still Inepsy.
Booji Boys: Tube Reducer 12” (Drunken Sailor) Latest LP from this prolific band from Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you haven’t been paying attention, since 2016 Booji Boys has released three LPs, a slew of tapes and 7”s, and been hyped up by Iggy Fucking Pop. Their catchy lead guitar lines bear an undeniable resemblance to the Undertones, they record everything in true shit-fi(delity), and when you first hear it, it sounds like someone playing an AM radio in a loud factory. However, the songs reward your continued attention with criss-crossing earworm melodies. That’s Booji Boys in a nutshell. If you’re already a fan, I can confirm that the Booji Boys deliver more of the goods on this LP, though I sense some creative restlessness, particularly on Tube Reducer’s B side. It all still sounds like Booji Boys, but the songs are shot through with more quirky rhythms, tempo changes, and chaotic forays from which they’re always able to reel themselves back in the nick of time. You probably already made up your mind about Booji Boys and I don’t think Tube Reducer will change that, but if you’re a fan, it’s hard to imagine you won’t think this is the band’s most accomplished record.
Nightmare_ Thirsty and Wander_ 12” (540) Japanese hardcore legends Nightmare dropped this new full-length earlier this year as a CD on Japan’s long-running Blood Sucker Records, and now we have a North American vinyl pressing courtesy of 540 Records. Those of you who follow Japanese hardcore should already know Nightmare, but sketching out the band’s history and relationship to more familiar strands of Japanese hardcore music would take quite a while and would require someone who is deeper head than I am. To hit some highlights, though, Nightmare came to the world’s attention after releasing two truly great records on the legendary Selfish label (1988’s self-titled 7” and the landmark 1990 LP Give Notice of Nightmare), continued to release a series of excellent EPs throughout the 90s, went through a weird period where they incorporated a screeching, Albert Ayler-esque saxophone into their lineup (controversial for sure, but recommended listening for true freax), and now they’re back with this new album that sounds more like their classic record (Give Notice) than anything they’ve done since. Even at their best, Nightmare is something of an acquired taste as they aren’t as anthemic as the more well-known Burning Spirits bands and they don’t follow the Discharge template as closely as the most well-known Japanese crust bands. Instead, the key element of their sound (for me, at least) is a spiky, fractured sense of rhythm that reminds me of late 80s Italian hardcore like CCM’s Into the Void or Indigesti’s Osservati Dall'Inganno, or perhaps Gauze’s 4th and 5th albums. It’s heady, complex music that takes work to unpack, but it's some of the realest shit out there. Now, to get to Thirsty and Wander… it fucking rules! As I noted above, Nightmare hasn’t been afraid to mess with their sound over the years, but this record is no experiment. It’s the sound of a band at the top of their game playing the most complex, explosive music they can conjure and recording it clearly and powerfully. It is the old heads showing the young folks how it’s done, and a typically unpretentious rebuff to the bands who get it wrong. If you’ve gone deeper than the Death Side / Bastard / Framtid level of Japanese hardcore and you like what you heard, you need to get Thirsty and Wander.
Pronto: Pop Y Basura cassette (Desechable) You may recognize the vocalist of Mexico’s Pronto as Rafael from Canada’s Pura Mania, but you won’t find any of PM’s brilliant, anthemic punk here. Instead, Pronto draws from various threads of post-punk and electronic music, fusing mechanical and industrial-sounding dance rhythms with the power and menace of underground hardcore punk. The first four tracks feature a pounding, blown out drum machine and frantic synth rhythms, both recorded way in the red. The vocals carry little melody, instead channeling the desperation that I associate with 80s South American hardcore. It’s not unlike the Screamers’ best stuff, but not in a rip-off (or even a conscious influence) kind of way… both just have an overwhelming vibe of post-industrial, electronic menace. The fifth track eases the rhythm toward something more danceable and the vocals also back away from your jugular, sounding like a nastier, more underground version of Boy Harsher. The tape’s b-side weaves between field recordings that remind me of my travels in Mexico (though I’m not sure if that’s where they were recorded or not) and instrumental tracks similar to the more club-ready 5th track. I won't lie, Pop Y Basura is a weird little document that doesn’t fit into a ready-made scene (at least not one that I’m aware of), but the music is killer, and if my description set off any alarm bells for your particular tastes, I’d recommend checking this out.
Crucifixion: The Fox 7” (Splattered!) Reissue of this 1980 NWOBHM gem, spicing up the sleeveless original with a period-appropriate picture sleeve and and a big ‘ol poster insert. If you’re someone who has built your collection of New Wave of British Heavy Metal reissues by picking them up from hardcore punk distros like Sorry State, this single is tailor made for you. Crucifixion have that classic NWOBHM sound that everyone loves, but they’re one of the punkiest sounding bands from that scene I’ve heard. Like you’d expect, both “The Fox” and it’s b-side “Death Sentence” feature classic riffs and anthemic choruses, but the raw production and gritty, growly vocal delivery are perfect for me. Diamond Head or Def Leppard this ain’t, but if you’re also picking up the new Inepsy LP, throw this into your cart for an appropriate chaser.
Under Attack: Through the Blade 7” (Iron Lung) Debut 6-song EP from this new Richmond, Virginia band featuring Dave Witte from Municipal Waste and Discordance Axis on drums. This isn’t metal, though, but pure hardcore punk with an “80s by way of the 90s” sensibility to it. The playing is tight (which we might expect… these folks are pros!) and the riffing combines the straightforward catchiness of something like Minor Threat with the beefier sound of more metallic hardcore. I’m reminded of the 80s-sounding bands from Portland-via-Memphis scene (particularly Deathreat) or several of the bands that Brian Stern has played in (Look Back and Laugh, Needles, Shit Coffins). You won't find any trend-hopping here, just no-frills hardcore punk for people who have been around the block a few times.
Record of the Week: Soga Demo 12" + Staff Picks
Soga: Demo 12” (Iron Lung) Demo on vinyl from this Mexican band featuring members of Riña, Cremalleras and Ratas Del Vaticano. Iron Lung isn’t in the habit of slapping every half-decent demo to vinyl, so one could assume this demo recording is something extraordinary. That assumption is not wrong. To put it bluntly: I fucking love this record. I love raw, desperate-sounding hardcore with emphasis on passion over technique, but I also love more composed hardcore punk with one foot in 1977. Those two sounds don’t blend intuitively, but Soga made it happen. It’s like if you took Olho Seco or Ataque Frontal, asked them to record songs for the Beach Blvd compilation and told them both to blend and to be themselves. There are moments of loose and careening hardcore you’ll love if you’re into recent records by Forra, Hologram, or Nosferatu (all personal favorites), but songs like “Anuncios De Neón” and “Medianoche” bring to mind the fist-pumping, UK-influenced punk of bands like Channel 3 or Kraut, albeit played with the rough and loose approach of the first three bands I mentioned. I keep spinning this record over and over thinking, “how did they make this work?” Then I remember to stop analyzing and just let this incredible music course through my body like a drug. Perhaps Soga is tailor made to my particular taste, but if your taste is anything like mine, you’ll want to check this out immediately.
Staff Picks: Dominic
Staff Picks: Eric
Sup? I've been out of the shop basically all month playing shows with Public Acid and Vittna and haven't had a lot of time to sit down and listen to new stuff coming through, but I did see a lot of kick ass bands. Here is a list of bands that I saw (and their most recent release) that pleasantly surprised me:
Skizophrenia: Dead Melodies - These dudes still got it. For some reason this band cruised under my radar for years and I never checked them out, which makes me super bummed now. They freaking kicked ass. Straight up classic 80s style hardcore.
Sorry, no streaming link for this one!
Axe Rash: S/T - Absolutely crushing hardcore punk from Sweden. Super tight, and excellent live. I really hope this band returns to the states soon.
Fuga: Sin Frontera Sin Nacion EP - Snarling, tough, and bouncy hardcore from Santa Ana, CA. Very highly recommended.
Hot Beef: Demo - This demo came out in 2014,
Featured Release Roundup: August 22, 2019
Civic: Selling Sucking 7” (Total Punk) These Aussies show you how to do a Total Punk single on their latest! The a-side is a total ripper, basically a hardcore tune with a little rock-and-roll lead guitar that pops up here and there and nasty vocals recorded way in the red. Fans of peak-era New Bomb Turks will love this, but it’s even meaner and more ripping. Civic slow things down one wispy hair on the b-side, just enough for them to dig deeper into the pocket and add more heft. Like the best Total Punk singles it’s over before you know what hit you, but they don't waste a second. If you’re a fan of what Total Punk does, pick this up… I’d place it in their top tier of releases.
Benny and the Roids: S/T 7” (Discos MMM) Demo-on-vinyl from this Los Angeles group. This came out in 2015 as a demo and I don’t believe they’ve released anything since, so this one has been percolating for quite a while. This is some raw and nasty punk rock that sounds straight out of the UK circa 1979. While the gang vocals on the choruses are a clear nod to classic oi!, the riffs have a traditional punk rock sound and there’s more than a sprinkling of Heartbreakers / Dead Boys-style R’n’R swagger to spice things up. If you go to underground shows in Los Angeles, these songs are already anthems to you, but I’m glad they gave those of us who don’t live in perpetual sunshine a chance to catch on.
Frenzy: S/T 12” (Distort Reality) It’s been several years since we’ve heard from Portland’s Frenzy, but they’re back with their debut LP. As before, their aesthetic is silly and over the top (my favorite part is the track listing on the back cover, where they cover every letter in meticulously drawn studs, chains, and zippers), but the music is original and hardly a joke. Yes, they use pogo beats, but more often than not they’re played at blazing tempos that can sound more like Scum-era Napalm Death than Asta Kask or the Swankys. Further, their vocalist doesn’t grunt, scream, or squeal, but has a hardcore-style bark that reminds me of Pat Dubar from Uniform Choice. Or maybe if you can imagine a jam session featuring members of Straight Ahead (in particular the drummer) and Gai it might sound like this. I doubt Uniform Choice or Straight Ahead are influences, but getting at why Frenzy sounds so different from your typical noise-punk band requires a bit of creativity with your analogies. Beyond the sound, these songs build and release tension in the way only a talented veteran band like this can. Sure, there is a lot of mediocre noise-punk out there, but there are also plenty of records like this that are innovative, exciting, and a blast to listen to.
Powerplant: People in the Sun 12” (Erste Theke Tonträger) Second album (and the first to appear on vinyl) from this London group, and the only bad thing I can say about it is that every time I see the cover I get the song “People of the Sun” by Rage Against the Machine stuck in my head. Fortunately, the vinyl is always at the ready to purge that tune from my head. Erste Theke’s description of People in the Sun calls it a synth-punk record, but I think it’s a lot more than that. Sure, there’s a synthesizer on every track here, but these twelve songs run a wide gamut. “Hey Mr. Dogman!” and “In White” might deserve the synth-punk tag (and fans of Lost Sounds, Ausmuteants, or Nots will love them), but the sunny guitar riff in “True Love” reminds me of DLIMC, “Take My Money!” is like a lost Tubeway Army track, and the title track brings in some Ian Curtis-esque crooning baritone vocals. While I’m sure fans will have their favorites, the whole record is uniform in quality, which is particularly impressive given its stylistic breadth. With twelve tracks, this also feels more like an album than just a 12” EP, which is refreshing when records seem to get shorter and shorter as the years go by. Highly recommended if you like gritty underground pop music.
Future Shock: In Three Dimensional Space cassette (self-released) Demo cassette from this Chicago-area band that plays catchy, mean hardcore with a whirring synth bulking up the sound. The riffs are catchy, burly, and mean, reminding me of bands like Glue or C.H.E.W. in how they maximize intensity without sacrificing an ounce of catchiness. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention their fellow Chicagoans Droid’s Blood, as Future Shock sound quite a lot like Broken Prayer / Droid’s Blood’s most vicious moments (though Future Shock don’t have any of the darkwave / post-punk trappings). The recording is loud and powerful (it causes everything on my coffee table to rattle around even at a moderate volume) and may well inspire you to break something. If that sounds like a good thing to you, I recommend picking this up.
Maladia: demo cassette (Cold Comfort) Demo cassette from this UK band that splits their time between pogo-fueled hardcore and brooding death rock. After a short intro, “Gelded Eyes” draws you in with its seasick guitar and Rozz Williams-esque vocals, but as soon as you’re comfortable Maladia drops into hardcore gear for the next two tracks, whose catchy riffs and wide-open pogo beats remind me of the almighty S.H.I.T. Maladia is a talented hardcore band, but they’re even better when they brood, which they do brilliantly on the last two tracks. The indisputable climax is the closing track, “All Your Dead,” whose lumbering, later Black Flag rhythm gets broken up with seemingly random bursts of chaotic semi-blast beats while the lead guitarist weaves through like Greg Ginn on a strong hit of acid. The way Maladia combines catchiness with a strong avant-garde sensibility on this track reminds me of one of my all-time favorite songs, “A Human Certainty,” the closing track on Saccharine Trust’s Paganicons. If you’re a fan of older death rock like Christian Death or UK Decay or gloomy newer bands like Subdued, Maladia is well worth a listen.
Record of the Week: Urin: Incydent 7"
Urin: Incydent 7” (Erste Theke Tonträger) Ripping debut from this Berlin band featuring an international membership that pulls from several bands you already know and love. When I’m blasting this ripping 4-song EP, the thing I keep coming back to is the legendary Iconoclast footage from Flipside Video Fanzine… like that incredible footage (which I must have watched 100 times at this point), Urin sounds like they took the fastest Discharge songs and sped them up even more, to where listening makes you feel like you’re sticking your head out of the car window going 90 miles per hour in the middle of the night. As Gauze once told us, there’s playing fast and there’s giving the listener the experience of speed. Any garden variety power violence band might best Urin in tempo, but few things make me feel as amped-up as this does. Bonus points for the gritty recording and the 90s-style packaging, which (accidentally or as a piece of brilliant satire) is too large for the polybag it came with. This one is a highly recommended true cult ripper.
Staff Picks: Jeff
Urin: Incydent 7" (Erste Theke Tonträger)
A band called Urin?
Staff Picks: Ava
In Death It Ends: Forgotten Knowledge
This album is an incredible mix of Electronic and Goth styles. Very bass and keyboard heavy. You could definitely classify this album as “Darkwave”, as it’s fairly upbeat and makes you want to dance, but has an overall dark and mysterious feeling to it.
Staff Picks: Dominic
This week I am going for a record that you can burn incense and sit in the Lotus Position to. From 1972, originally on EMI Regal Zonophone, Cosmic Eye: Dream Sequence.
I first came across this trippy record on a CD rip years ago and have only seen an original once. Copies were always in the three-figure range. Thankfully it has been nicely reissued for us and available at a two-figure price, more in line with the modern frugal headz. The record is essentially a modal jazz record but will appeal to those that enjoy Indian instrumentation with a trippy, psychedelic feel. Recorded at the famed Lansdowne Road Studios in London, the session is led by Indian born guitarist and composer, Amencio D’Silva and features several in demand British Jazz Session players. The music is split into two side long pieces and should bring you to a Zen state of mind with the relaxing vibe it creates. Peace, man!
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