Kohu-63: Valtaa Ei Loistoa 12” (Poko Rekords, 1982)

Unfortunately, I don’t have much historical background information on Finland’s Kohu-63 to share with you. Their first 7” came out in 1981 on the legendary Finnish label Poko Rekords, who also released a subsequent 12” EP and LP from Kohu-63 in 1982. The only other info I have about the band (this is from the Svart Records website) is that in 1983, shortly after the release of their first LP, their vocalist Lättä went to prison for manslaughter, which forced the band into an extended hiatus. They came back in the later part of the 80s and have continued releasing music ever since.

I first heard Finland’s Kohu-63 in the mid-00s, around when Sorry State first started. I used to do a lot more trading with labels back then, and I remember doing a big trade with Germany’s Höhnie Records. Höhnie is still reissuing great hardcore, including lots of Finnish stuff from the 80s (and Sorry State still carries their releases!). They were already deep into that game by the time Sorry State started, and trading with them is where I got introduced to many classic Finnish hardcore bands. While Kaaos, Bastards, and Appendix caught my ear immediately, I didn’t latch onto Kohu-63 right away. I think that’s because of the format of Sotaa 81/82, which compiles the EP I’m writing about today along with the band’s first EP from 1981 and their first LP, which also came out in 1982. That’s a lot of hardcore for one sitting, and while it’s all great, it’s tough for the ear to parse, particularly when it’s arriving in a giant box from Germany that’s also packed with a bunch of other classic records.

Kohu-63 had been filed away in my brain as a second-tier band until I came across this copy of Valtaa Ei Loistoa. I had the opportunity to buy a small stack of Finnish originals from the early 80s, and I threw in Valtaa Ei Loistoa because it was priced attractively. However, since that package arrived, Valtaa Ei Loistoa is the record I’ve listened to the most.

The common link between so many of my Finnish favorites (like Lama and Appendix) is the way they inject a hint of melody into their hardcore. You can tell the bands have listened to a ton of Discharge, GBH, and Exploited and they’re determined to match those bands’ intensity, but rather than Discharge’s over-arching sense of dissonance and doom, the aforementioned Finnish bands’ songs coalesce around brighter-sounding major keys and subtly melodic vocal lines. I wonder if that’s something that comes from Finnish popular or traditional music, because it feels like a trait that’s unique to Finnish punk.

Of my most-loved Finnish groups, Valtaa Ei Loistoa reminds me the most of Lama. Like Lama, Kohu-63 has a firm command of their instruments and plays with a level of precision that matches just about anyone in the worldwide punk scene. Also like Lama, Kohu-63’s songs here feel fleshed-out, not just sequences of bad-ass riffs, but effective compositions that pull the listener through them and keep them interested the whole time. Besides those Finnish classics, Valtaa Ei Loistoa also makes me think of great California hardcore records like Legal Weapon’s Death of Innocence, Bad Religion’s How Could Hell Be Any Worse, or Circle One’s Patterns of Force. I fucking love inept teenage thrash more than most people, but Kohu-63 is something different, bringing that sense of abandon to music that’s more sophisticated and composed.

I’m gonna keep my eyes peeled for more of Kohu-63’s original releases, but I’m not holding my breath. Svart Records did nice repro editions of this and Kohu-63’s first LP, Lisää Verta Historiaan, and while they are tough to find from stateside sellers, they shouldn’t cost you too much if you come across them. The reissue of Lisää Verta Historiaan even comes with the rare stencil insert! Oh, and anyone know what’s up with the last track on the record, where the band chants “Hanoi Rocks Barmy Army” to the tune of “Exploited Barmy Army?” I’m curious whether it’s an homage or mockery. I have no idea how Finnish punks viewed Hanoi Rocks at the time.

What’s up Sorry Staters?

It seems like every week when I sit down to write one of these things, I’m always still recovering from the previous weekend. But hey, I ain’t complaining! Becoming more active with playing music, particularly killer outta town gigs, is totally worth being tired over. This past weekend, Scarecrow rolled up to Philly to play Quarantine’s record release gig. Funny enough, 3 out of 4 members of Scarecrow account for a big chunk of Sorry State’s staff, so thanks to Dom and Rachel for holding down the fort. The show in Philly was a fuckin’ blast. Quarantine absolutely destroyed. Was so rad to go rip it up and chill with friends up there. This weekend, NC is finally having a local punk gig at our favorite venue, the Nightlight. Scarecrow is playing along with 2 brand new bands, each playing their first show! Definitely come out if you’re in the area.

Just the other day, we stocked some new titles from Finland. There’s a part of me that just wants to gush about how fucking killer this Yleiset Syyt 7” is, but I’m sure the rest of the SSR crew will have that covered. Instead, I wanna talk about this Pyhat Nuket reissue! A few months back, I wrote about the Michael Monroe solo record. Monroe of course is the frontman for Finnish glam legends Hanoi Rocks. I think I briefly touched on this in that previous newsletter… I think because Hanoi Rocks became one of Finland’s most notable musical exports in the 80s, they had a huge impact on the Finnish punk scene. When the mid-80s came around, Finnish hardcore legends Riistetyt morphed into a decidedly different direction under the name Holy Dolls. Holy Dolls functioned as an alias for the band as they would transition into becoming Pyhat Nuket.

Hanoi Rocks at their core were a traditional rock’n’roll band with punk attitude, taking clear influence from Johnny Thunders and the like. And even though they made great records, I think the band’s outrageous image and sense of fashion made just as big of an impact as their music. Hanoi Rocks’ record covers always had group photos of the band dressed to the nines with huge hair, looking cool as fuck. I’d be lying if I said Michael Monroe’s teased frenzy of a mop didn’t affect the way I do my stupid hair. Well you know, I’m somewhere between him and GBH or something. All this to say that when you look at the cover of Holy Dolls or Pyhat Nuket records, it’s clear they probably took a few style cues from the Hanoi boiz. Svart just reissued Pyhat Nuket’s first full-length Kuoleman Sotatanssi. It had been a while since I’ve jammed this LP. What struck me immediately is how much death rock and post-punk influences are incorporated into the band’s sound. Spooky vibes and chorus guitar, baby. The vocal stylings are definitely familiar from all the great Riistetyt records. The singer really makes good use of his echoed-out chicken squawks and banshee calls. There are a few songs that sound like the glammy influence is creeping its way in, but with extra Velveeta cheese-drenched synthesizers. On their records following this debut, Pyhat Nuket leans even harder into 80s-era production with electronic drums and more bad reverb. And of course, always increasing the amount of blush, lipstick and leopard print clothing.

To me, it’s really cool to hear a band rooted in hardcore punk, but then thinking about their drive to totally reinvent themselves and play different music. As much as I love Riistetyt records like Skitsofrenia or Nightmare In Darkness, I’m sure becoming Pyhat Nuket felt like a fresh dose of energy introduced into the band. I really think Kuoleman Sotatanssi is a cool record with some great songwriting, and still holds up even with some admittedly dated production sounds. If you’re looking for the glammed-out, gothy contingent of Finnish punk, then definitely give Pyhat Nuket a listen.

That’s all I’ve got. I’ve gotta go do my hair. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Hey there everybody in Sorry State Newsletter land. I hope you all had a great week and are doing well. Here at Sorry State towers, we are busy preparing for Black Friday and the holiday season by having as many killer records available as possible for you our good friends. We hinted at a couple of great collections that we bought, and we are still out there buying more. There really is a lot of brilliant music that will hit the floor over the upcoming weeks. We are also still working our way through the Veola McClean estate collection, so tons of great Jazz, Soul, Blues and other curios from that are making their way to the store each week. The huge Indie-Rock collection we hauled up from Florida still has plenty of gems in it. Besides all the top tier titles, each collection usually ends up giving us a lot of great cheap and cheerful records for our bargain bins. So make sure when visiting the shop in person to bend a knee and look down because there is gold in those bins that won’t set you back more than a few bucks. We try to only put decent clean copies of records in our bargain bin, so you don’t have to think too hard. Clean copy, only $3, done deal. Of course, sometimes we’ll put out records that in better shape would fetch more but are perhaps compromised and that is a good way for you to get an expensive record at a good price if you can live with a less than perfect copy. And what is perfect? Is life perfect? Is it free of dirt and wear? Like the late John Peel once said, “life is full of pops and crackles”. Learn to embrace them and you’ll probably live a happier life. Having grown up only knowing records to listen to music I have become accustomed to hearing some crackle and the occasional pop. It doesn’t bother me unless the record skips or sticks or the surface noise is above the actual music. There are limits, of course. But the quest for a perfect copy has not necessarily been one that I feel the need to go on for every record I own. It’s funny listening to the recent generation who are getting into records and hearing them bitch and moan about pressings and stuff, but it makes sense if all you have been exposed to up to this point are digital copies of music that are clean and perfect. Rachel made us laugh the other day by sharing some comments from T. Swift fans who bought her latest and didn’t realize the record was pressed at 45 RPM and were wondering why they were hearing a man’s voice sing. Lol. That is too funny, but they just have not grown up with records and don’t know about speeds, etc. Some modern record buyers are not even getting a record for the music but just to collect the object. Hence all the variety of fancy color pressings that come out these days to appeal to the stamp collectors and completists out there. For me, it has always been about the music first and foremost and I’ll put up with wear and patina because I just want to hear the music. My collection is well cared for, but I have a good number of used records that are not in mint condition.

As anyone out there knows who has worked in a good record store, escaping with your paycheck intact is a difficult task. Contrary to popular myth, all the good stuff does not go to the employees. Now naturally we get first dibs, but you got to have some perks, right? A huge part of the joy of working here at Sorry State is being surrounded by so many great records and getting to hear things without having to own them. Sometimes you can scratch an itch or satisfy your curiosity and save yourself a few bucks. I also love that on those days when you might feel low, and shit is getting you down, often a record will just appear in view and be the right choice in that moment and be able to lift you in a way not much else can do. Case in point, I came to work in a bad mood today with the weight of life on my shoulders and just hearing the first two tracks from The Impressions’ Keep On Pushing album of which we have a pristine 1964 stereo copy of, made me feel much better and readjusted my attitude to a much more positive one. Thank you Curtis, Sam and Fred.

Perhaps the best perk of all for me is curating the bargain bins here at Sorry State and helping to keep them as full as possible with good, interesting titles that won’t cost you a fortune. I’ll admit a big chunk of my spending here goes on the cheap stuff I snag. This week I found two records which are good examples of the type of stuff that hits our floor. In truth, one was a record and the other just a cover for a record I had, but with a badly damaged cover. The cover was for an album by The Mirettes called Whirlpool that came out on Uni in 1969. They were a female soul trio who were originally Ikettes with Ike & Tina Turner. This was their second LP, and it’s a great Sister Soul-Funk album. A nice mix of up-tempo numbers and slower ballads, including a cover of Stand By Your Man. Standout tracks are the title Whirlpool and the lead cut Sister Watch Yourself. I found a copy that had decent vinyl but a very badly damaged cover some years back. The album is well known and sought after, and a nice copy could set you back $40-$50. I found the cover whilst processing a box of Miss Veola McClean records. It had a beaten up B.B. King record inside. So that was cool to pair it up with my record and now have a nice copy.

The second record I pulled was a gently used copy of a Three Degrees self-titled LP on Philadelphia International from 1973. Another female soul trio and this album was their breakthrough containing the international hit When Will I See You Again. They had been putting out singles since the early 1960s and had a full length on Roulette called Maybe that is great. That album has them doing a great cover of the song Collage by Joe Walsh. It’s been a good DJ track for me for ages. On this self-titled LP, along with the big hit there are plenty of nice examples of the very much in-vogue Philly Soul Sound, recorded at the famous Sigma Sound Studio and produced by Gamble & Huff. It sports a great fold open gatefold cover that shows the girls in some awesome disco outfits on the inside. You’ll have to look out for a copy because we might not be able to show the photo here. My favorite track is A Woman Needs A Good Man. Worth paying $3 for this track and the cover art alone.

So, there you go. Not really a staff pick but a couple of good examples of female soul by trios that if you love this type of music, I would highly recommend you seeking out, especially the Mirettes LP. Thanks for reading and keep on digging and supporting your local record stores. We appreciate you. Peace and love - Dom

The end of the year is upon us. In the nerd world, I feel like this is the best time to release a record. Why? The release is fresh in the minds of ‘critics’ so it increases your chances of ending up on a Top 10 list for the year. I feel like it’s always hard to remember what releases came out during the first few months of a year, unless you literally take notes (or don’t smoke weed?). I am trying to remember my favorites of the year this week, and it’s hard… I’ll have to go back through my Staff Picks really, as I have done all the work already haha. Anyway, what I am getting at is that I think this record from YLEISET SYYT is one of the best records that has come out this year! Nicky Rat (What up!!!) wrote me some time ago to see if we would like a few copies of the EP. With what I heard on the first song, I knew we could move more than just a few copies. I passed it on to Daniel, and of course his conclusion was the same as mine! We ended up getting copies from the Finnish label Open Up and Bleed Records. Nicky Rat’s label did a smaller UK pressing as well. It is legit upsetting that I did not know this band sooner. Unfortunately, I did not know this band until Nicky Rat dropped me the link.

YLEISET SYYT is from Finland. 80s Finnish punk/HC is probably my favorite shit on this Earth. I didn’t realize this for a long time… then one day I realized most of my records are from Finnish bands, and most of my favorite Japanese bands are playing Finnish worship. Of course I love Swedish hardcore, while English punk/HC is the foundation of it all for me (aside from the few USHC bands I got into early on). Anyway, this EP fucking hits the spot cos it sounds classic as hell and it grooves hard as fuck with memorable riffs. After I heard this EP, I excitedly checked out their previous EP that was also on Open Up and Bleed Records. Oh my god. It is so good. The sound is excellent. The bass is growly, but not like the sound of an enormous door slamming in the depths of hell. The guitars are kinda twangy, with lots of overdrive. It doesn’t sound digital like most modern distortions. The the kick drum is super punchy; you feel it instead of hearing it. The snare is fucking perfect, seriously. The drumming so good too. It’s incredibly locked-in, while occasionally breaking it up with some accented bits. This is a great EP with great song writing. Comparing this previous EP to the new one, the new one almost comes off ‘metal’ at times. With the drums punching and pummeling behind the guitarist occasionally playing some metallic/melodic leads, it comes off with this metal edge. Haha, don’t get me wrong though, this is not a metal band or release by any means!

Continuing reverse chronologically in the bands discography, I was very pleased to find out they have a 2017 full-length release. Going backwards in a band’s discography is always interesting. (I recently did the same thing for another ripping Finnish band, KOHTI TUHOA.) Hearing this full-length release was fucking awesome. Every song is interesting, and every song is good. I go on and on about how I like recordings to sound classic and shit, but this recording is quite obvious that it’s a modern recording. But I don’t care, the band sounds great. Honestly, hearing it was kind of refreshing after hearing the more fuzzy recordings they did after. I could hear everything clearly on its own, but still locked-in with the rest of the instruments. The band is just so damn good, and riffs keep my attention constantly. The drumming is fucking non-stop with cool and clever punches and catches. It’s funny just last week Jeff mentioned RATSIA covering BUZZCOCKS, but in their native Finnish language. Well, YLEISET SYYT lays a fucking Finnish-sung ANTIDOTE cover onto us on their full-length!! Fucking sick.

Alright on another quick Finnish note, PYHÄT NUKET’s debut LP has been re-issued on Svart! I wish I was at home, so I could give you a good nerding on the members of this band. Personally, I would not pick up this LP if it weren’t for the relationship to RIISTETYT. You know the Raped Future LP? The one that says HOLY DOLLS on it underneath RIISTEYT? If you don’t already know, PYHÄT NUKET translates to HOLY DOLLS, and this LP is an extension of just that. I don’t know the details of this full blown incarnation of the band, but I know for sure it’s the vocalist of RIISTETYT. I think it might be the guitarist as well? The band is not hardcore, so I would definitely check it out before you grab it if you haven’t heard this band or that RIISTETYT LP. Alright, thanks for reading.

Also, oh my god did you hear this yet? https://d4mtlabsinc.bandcamp.com/album/peace-on-earth

‘Til next week, peace!

Hez: Guerra Interior 7” (Discos Enfermos) Guerra Interior is the latest record from this hardcore band from Panama, carrying forward the sound they developed on their previous 12” and 7”, but with even more explosive results. The core of Hez’s sound is a heavy pogo rhythm with dark but catchy hardcore riffing and maniacal, distorted vocals. When I wrote about their previous records, I compared Hez to Blazing Eye, and while they still have some similar elements, they’re really developed their own sound on Guerra Interior. I’m particularly enamored with the catchy lead guitar lines and the brief but exciting explosions of electronic/synth noise, either of which makes the already-intense music bubble over into a froth of wild energy. Hez is great at those kinds of dynamics; see the first track, “Ruina del Hombre,” which tempts you to settle into the groove of the mid-paced parts only to blindsid you with ripping fast hardcore. This is one of those records where just listening to it makes you feel you’re in the middle of a mass of bodies, limbs and beer cans flying in a pressure cooker of energy.

Flux of Pink Indians: Strive to Survive Causing the Least Suffering Possible 12” (Spiderleg Records, 1982)

A few weeks ago, I noticed a gap in my Flux of Pink Indians collection. I’ve had Neu Smell and The Fucking Cunts Treat Us Like Pricks for years, but I guess I’d never come across a copy of Strive to Survive in the wild, so I didn’t have it on vinyl. I knew the songs thanks to CD releases—Not So Brave (which compiled various demo recordings) and the disc that combined Strive to Survive and Neu Smell—but sitting with this LP as it was originally released has been enlightening.

Everyone knows “Tube Disasters,” a song beloved by algorithms across the world. (Seriously, Spotify and YouTube serve it up to me so constantly that I’ve gotten a little sick of it.) However, Strive to Survive reminds me that “Tube Disasters” wasn’t Flux’s only anthem. In particular, the one-two punch that begins side 2, “Progress” and “They Lie We Die,” is one for the ages… two songs exploding with energy that demand to be sang along with. The entire album is great though. While Flux had a similar manic, impassioned energy to Crass, their music is more straightforward and played tighter (maybe those two things are related?), giving Strive to Survive a propulsive forward motion that helps it stand toe to toe with the emerging US hardcore scene.

My copy doesn’t have any inserts, but the artwork is haunting and beautiful (and unique!). While I would like to read the other inserts, the inside of the gatefold tells the long story of the band creating the photographs for the record, and it’s an interesting read. Their idea was to photograph the backdrop banners from their stage shows at a nuclear site, which brings them into contact (and conflict) with the police and government.

Unfortunately, I can’t think of anything insightful to say about Strive to Survive. It’s a killer album, catching the band at the peak of their talent for writing anarcho punk anthems. By the time they released their next album, the sprawling double LP The Fucking Cunts Treat Us Like Pricks, two years later, they were a much tougher listen. Still a great listen, but a more demanding one for sure.

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I had a great time with my homies in Public Acid this past weekend. I got back from my weekend outing and immediately got boosted. Not unlike the 2nd Moderna I got several months back, this shot knocked me the fuuuuck out. I’m feeling better now as I’m writing this, but I’m still a little exhausted. Gotta suck it up though, because this Friday Scarecrow is rolling up to Philly to rip it up with Quarantine for their record release. I will be functioning on pure stoke.

Now onto talking about records and nerd shit I guess. I’m not sure if I’m putting Daniel’s recent record haul on blast, but he recently acquired a bunch of killer Finnish punk records. At our warehouse location while we were both working yesterday, he was playing the Ratsia LP. On this LP, the band does a rendition of the Buzzcocks’ “What Do I Get?”, but translate all the lyrics into Finnish. It sounds killer reworked in their native language. As we kept listening, we were asking each other, “Are there more covers on this LP?” So many of the songs sounded familiar, but weren’t always instantly recognizable. I think it’s so cool when punk bands of yesteryear take early bangers of the era and translate them into a different language. One of my favorite examples of this is “Me Gusta Ser Una Zorra” by Vulpess, which is a cover of “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” This Basque Country/Spain-based all non-male punk band released this track as a single in 1983, and their version is KILLER. It’s funny, I’ve brought this track up to friends in the past and some of them had their mind blown learning that Vulpess’s big single is a cover. I even had to prove it to someone once by pointing out that one of the songwriting credits is “J. Osterberg,” which as we all know is the birth name of Iggy Pop ;) To be fair, Vulpess totally reinvents the song. Especially if you don’t speak Spanish, if you were to listen to this song and not focus on recognizing the chord changes or the arrangement, then it’s easy to see why the song would breeze past like an original. Compared to the Stooges’ version, Vulpess push the speed and morph it from a sludging, circular drone into a driving ripper of a track. Plus, the vocals are injected with so much venom and sassy, snotty attitude. The best part is that little turn around part, a section which has no vocals in the original, becomes this sick refrain where gang vocals sing “YA-YA-YA-YA-YA!” It’s so catchy. I haven’t translated all of the lyrics, but clearly some of them are reworked. The meaning of the hook seems to be changed purposefully. “Me Gusta Ser Una Zorra” basically translates to “I like being a bitch,” which flips the intention of the song and makes it mean as fuck. Vulpess were a bunch of badasses.

If you’ve never heard this track before, check it out. There’s even a cool live footage music video to go along with it.

That’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Hello loyal Sorry State followers and thank you for clicking on our newsletter. We appreciate you spending time with us. This week we are publishing the newsletter on November 11th, which is of course Veterans Day here in America and Remembrance Day in the UK. Before I go any further, let’s honor and remember those that served, fought and died for their countries and our freedoms. No need to add any additional political opinion here although I am sure those veterans that fought against Imperial oppression and fascist ideology and died for it are spinning in their graves at the sight of our now domestic terrorists and the disgusting behavior of the right wing. And I said no politics. Damn. Oh well, still fuck you to all Trumpers, Republicans, crazy Christians and science deniers. You all shame the memory of our vets.

Okay, moving on. Shall we talk about music and records instead? This week I don’t have a “staff pick” per se but wanted to indulge myself to sing the praises of one of my all-time favorite singers and artists, the late, great Miss Sarah Vaughan. The divine one to her world of fans, “Sassy” to those that knew and played with her. Hopefully I don’t need to go into too much detail about her and her career, do I? You know who she is right? She’s a jazz legend whose career lasted close to fifty years, beginning when she won a talent contest in 1942 at the famed Apollo Theatre aged 18. On the back of that winning performance, she was invited back that same year to open for Ella Fitzgerald and never looked back. She worked with almost every notable jazz icon there was, putting her time in as a big band singer and playing all the jazz spots in New York and other major cities across the country. By the late 1940s and going into the 1950s, she was a bona fide star and scoring hit records. Her discography is huge. She recorded for over a dozen labels including Atlantic, Columbia, EmArcy, Mainstream, Mercury, Roulette and Pablo. Her repertoire ranged from swinging big band numbers to intimate jazz trio material. She sang with a full orchestra on some records and rock bands on others and tried her hand at many different styles but always keeping her identity and staying classy and sassy. You can hit this link here to visit her Wikipedia page for a fuller career run down.

There is a very good reason for me personally as to why I love her so much. You see, I was fortunate to have met her not long before her passing in 1991. I had just begun my years working on cruise ships. It was early 1989 and Miss Vaughan was taking a cruise on the ship I was working on. I was assigned to be her server for the week. She ate mostly alone, but was joined by her assistant occasionally. She wasn’t performing on the ship, although even then she was still performing. Sadly, however, at this time she was becoming sick and later that same year was diagnosed with lung cancer whilst working a series of dates at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club. Those dates were to be her final performances.

At the time I was her server, I was just 20 years old and although I had heard her name, I admit to not knowing her music that well. My appreciation for jazz was already in place then, but I hadn’t got much into the vocalists at that point. Meeting her changed that. Whilst attending to her I didn’t get too many long conversations with her, but I did ask her some questions about music and her career. I think I asked her what her favorite album was, and she laughed and said there were too many to include, but I remember her saying that she liked the live ones the most and that performing before an audience was where the real magic happened. That next stop in port, I visited the music store and bought a bunch of her albums on CD. One was a live album recorded at Mr. Kelly’s, a jazz club in Chicago in 1957. That Japanese import CD has stayed with me ever since, although I own the vinyl record now. The CD includes twenty songs recorded over the three nights of recording in August 1957, whereas the LP came out with just nine songs. I must have listened to this album hundreds of times. It’s so good. Sarah Vaughan backed by a trio in an intimate club. The band consisted of Jimmy Jones on piano, Richard Davis on bass and Roy Haynes on drums. Those musicians and Sarah were in their absolute prime then, and the performance is sublime. The audience then and us after the fact are treated to pure class and even a little comedy as Sarah messes up the words to Willow Weep For Me and ad-libs the lyrics admitting her mistake. There is also a moment when a mic or music stand falls over. It all adds to the “live” aspect of the recording and only increases the charm and makes the listener feel they are right there in the club. She does a nice version of How High The Moon also with comedy ad-libs that I did dig and scats like Ella on it. That the original release was only nine tracks, I can’t help feeling the world was cheated somehow. It would have made an awesome double album. Thankfully all the performances are on the digital format.

After the news of her death in 1991, I felt especially privileged to have been in her presence and to have had those moments with her. As the years went on my love for her went from strength to strength as too did my appreciation for her jazz peers like Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Whenever I see one of her records I don’t have, I pick it up. Honestly, for years they weren’t hard to find or expensive although nowadays you may have to spend a bit more for nice original copies. Still, there are plenty out there and you should just dive in. Any opportunity to hear a real vocalist at work is never a lost one. Forget all the pop rubbish that passes for singing these days and check out the real deal. Amy Winehouse knew.

I like the albums she cut in the late sixties on Mainstream and Roulette too. There are some good funky moments on them. The ones she did on Pablo in the seventies are good also, again some funky and groovy moments on them and particularly a Brazilian influence. Just like lots of other singers, she was blessed to work with Quincy Jones and the combination of their two talents makes for some good listening on several albums they cut together.

One other album that I visit frequently by her is called, aptly, The Divine One that came out in 1961 on the Roulette label. That’s a great one and if you see it, pick it up. It’s a great example of her style and is arranged by Jimmy Jones who played piano on the Mr. Kelly’s recordings. The tune Trouble Is A Man from that set is a fine performance.

I could go on highlighting other great performances but should finish up here. Perhaps you have your own favorites, and if you are just discovering her, then I am sure you will find some. On Worldy this week Matt and I did an autumn show and kicked things off with Sarah Vaughan doing a song called Trees from a 1960 album called Dreamy, also on Roulette. It fitted the theme and vibe of the show so well and I was thrilled to play a tune of hers on the show. Hit the link for the full show if you are interested.

Alright, that’s my time. Thanks for reading. Go listen to music and we’ll see you next time.

Peace and love- Dom.

I wrote about NIGHTFEEDER when we got the demo tapes at Sorry State back in September of last year. I think the EP was supposed to be out a bit ago, but of course everything is delayed in vinyl production right now. The wait for this release has had my anticipation growing each week! If you missed out on the demo, you can give it a listen here. Good luck trying to find a physical copy though… the band sold so many copies that they repressed the cassette, and I can confidently say all those tapes have happy homes. The EP starts with the same track as the demo (but a different recording), Exploited Partisans. Is it cheesy to do that? I don’t care. The song is so good… the intro is like a fucking avalanche. After this track, the A-side finishes with a song called 1491. I am guessing this song is about the first colonizers who landed on what is now the United States. Some people write lyrics about how they hate their peers, ex-partner, or other dumb shit that I do not give a fuck about. I really appreciate this man’s ability to write lyrics about historical events that shaped the world as we know it today. It reminds you of the past, and not to forget it. Or, it brings events to one’s attention that may have been unknown prior. It is empowering. The B-side starts with a track called Havin’ A Hard Time. The feel to this song differs from the rest. It sticks out with its more ‘rocked out’ riffs. Hearing them cover MISSBRUKARNA on the demo tape, this song makes sense to me though. The songs sound nothing alike, but both songs stuck out from the rest on the releases they appear on. It’s a nice change-up from the ‘crust’ sound regardless. The EP ends with the title track from their demo, Rotten. This is a great song to end on. It brings everything back in, and the EP ends on a powerful note. I think this EP is killer, and you should check it out. However, I am writing a review more or less, so I need to provide you with my other feelings on the EP. I would have been more excited during my listen if I got to experience some new jams. I think the demo cassette sounded fucking excellent, so I am not sure why they choose to re-record two of the songs for the EP. I can understand wanting to have those songs pressed on vinyl though, cos they fucking rip. The other thing is, the artwork does not do it for me. I suck at art, so I will not criticize the artist’s ability haha. It’s not even that I think the art is bad. It’s just the feel of the cover I don’t like so much. It doesn’t represent the band’s vibe ‘accurately’ to me. But seriously, who the fuck cares anyway? Last time I wrote about NIGHTFEEDER I had mentioned (unrelated to the band) how it does not matter what your band name is or what the art looks like if your band is excellent. I can’t wait to hear what they do next. Maybe one day I can catch them live and get my fuckin mind blown. Thanks for reading, peace y’all.

Vatican Commandos: Hit Squad for God 7” (Radiation) Once you’ve scratched the surface, the 80s US hardcore era is a deep rabbit hole of discovery with plenty of deep cuts. The Connecticut scene in particular produced a healthy contingent of great, yet under-appreciated hardcore punk bands. You might think of 76% Uncertain, Reflex From Pain, or White Pigs. Another of CT’s major gems was Vatican Commandos. The band’s debut EP, Hit Squad For God, features some badass tattoo flash-style cover art, which is an early work by Vince Rancid, who also did artwork for Raw Power and MDC. Vatican Commandos had some interesting affiliations with a few pop culture figures. Most notably, their guitarist (credited as “M.H.”) is electronic music superstar Moby. Moby’s sole songwriting credit on this EP is the 35-second track, “Wonder Bread,” which astute punkers will remember as the track Vatican Commandos contributed to the Big City compilation. The song starts off with the silly notion of Wonder Bread being fun to eat, but then takes a dark shift in tone and becomes a comment about the danger of processed foods that will kill off everyone in your neighborhood. Most of the songs on this EP share a similar dark sense of humor through the lens of suburban existence, with other ripping tracks like “Housewives On Valium.” Musically, Vatican Commandos play with energetic urgency at the ripping fast tempos we all crave, but with a sense of musicality not unlike their peers CIA. The slower paced tempos are heavy, and it’s possible the Commandos were influential on the mosh-inducing hardcore in the years to follow. Italian-based label Radiation took on the job of getting this record reissued, and thankfully Hit Squad For God is back in print. If you need a dose of long-lost, ripping US hardcore, then make sure you snag this 7”.

Every week when it’s time to put together my staff pick, I think about what media I have consumed lately. This week, there’s no question about what dominated my listening: the Bandsplain podcast on Spotify. I’m reluctant to recommend something only available on Spotify, but that’s where this podcast lives, and I’m sure a ton of you are already on Spotify anyway, so I might as well go with it. Hopefully this isn’t a slippery slope, because I don’t want to be recommending fucking Mypillow or the new Subaru Outback in my staff pick. Thankfully, the other sections of the newsletter remain focused on underground punk and hardcore.

Back to Bandsplain. I was hanging out at a friend’s house the other weekend and when the subject of podcasts came up, Rich told me about this one. (Yes, the same Rich who isn’t actually on the SSR staff so we can’t fault him for not having written a staff pick in a long time, but we still wish he would.) Rich, characteristically, insisted that the podcast sucked but he listened to it anyway, so I made a note to check it out. Once I did, it took over my car stereo.

We’ve been talking about doing a Sorry State podcast for years, but aside from having no time to put together a podcast, I think everyone on the staff has a different vision for what an SSR podcast would be. I always said my vision for a great music podcast would be an approximate ratio of 75% talk to 25% percent music. The majority of the running time would be spent introducing, discussing, and contextualizing whatever music we’re discussion, then you would play a a full song (or maybe a few if they’re short) so the listener could make up their own mind, or just have a deeper and more engaged listening experience thanks to their newfound knowledge. This is Bandsplain’s formula to a T.

In each episode, host Yasi Salek invites an expert on a particular band to take a walk through that group’s history and discography. The focus is on artists with a cult following, with a mix of dyed-in-the-wool indie artists (like the Cocteau Twins and the Misfits) and more widely known artists who have dedicated, cult-like followings (like Steely Dan and Metallica). The guests are a mix of music journalists and the kinds of people who might appear as talking heads in a music doc, and on the episodes I’ve listened to so far, they’re well chosen. Riki Rachtman is the guest for the Guns N Roses episode, and while he pushes hard against the speculation and interpretation that is music journalists’ stock in trade, his close relationship with the band through their formative and peak periods makes him a perfect guest (even if he is, as he’s always been, kind of annoying). Salek herself is also great. I know nothing about her background, but she’s knowledgeable (it helps that she’s the same as me, so we have similar points of reference), has great rapport with the guests, and regularly drops hilarious zingers (my favorite is when she calls Elizabeth Fraser’s vocal approach for Cocteau Twins “ethereal scatting”).

The interview segments are as well-researched and informative as you would expect from a good music podcast, but the magic happens when they play the full songs. After hearing the background information and analysis, I’m primed to hear how that plays out in the actual music, and I find myself listening to the tracks with an open and curious ear. While I often listen to an artist’s work after listening to a podcast or reading a book about them, the seamlessness of the Bandsplain listening experience allows me to hold the episode’s conversational threads in my brain while I’m listening. And one full song is the perfect amount to hear at a time. While most of the artists they examine on Bandsplain are “album artists,” a song on an album is like a paragraph in a long text: one complete, fleshed-out thought. Then it’s on to the next interview segment, where the conversation moves forward, requiring another example track a few minutes later. Just like I imagined for my own unmade podcast, the proportions are perfect.

So far I’ve listened to the episodes on Guns N Roses, Steely Dan, the Lemonheads, and the first half of the two-episode series on Metallica (part one covered up through the black album, and I’m not sure I can take going any further than that). I’ve enjoyed every episode, and my only gripe with Bandsplain (and it’s a minor one) is that they’re a little too free with the value judgments. While it doesn’t grate against my ear when they’re praising things, they’re sometimes dismissive when they don’t like something. They pretty much write off the early Taang!-era Lemonheads material, and Ben Deily’s songs in particular. I always liked Deily’s songs, and I’ve always thought his songs are stronger than Evan Dando’s on those early records.

All in all, though, Bandsplain is one of the best music podcasts I’ve heard in a while. I’m looking forward to making my way through the other episodes and seeing what artists they cover next.

What’s up Sorry Staters?

It’s weird that Halloween is already behind us. Oh well, I guess time to stop watching horror movies every day. Back to hardcore it is.

The other night, my buddy and I were talking about Regulations and how that shit is still totally killer. He then asked me if I had ever heard the Neu Ronz EP, to which I responded, “Nah, what’s that?” He described it to me as “Otto singing in a band with dudes from Nitad and Raped Teenagers.” I thought to myself, “Well, fuck… what’s not to like?” I listened to it all the way through, my brain literally exploded, and I have not stopped listening to it since. This Neu Ronz 7” came out in 2015 on Adult Crash, and somehow, even with me working at Sorry State and us regularly stocking releases from Adult Crash, I never heard it. I could kick myself. I’m such an idiot. I always tend to embellish, but this is one of the most killer hardcore records I’ve heard in forever. A Swedish supergroup masterwork. Each song is about a minute flat. You can totally tell there’s Raped Teenagers folks involved because all the riffs have that catchy and kinda wonky quirkiness about ‘em. But when you take that wonky, turbulent rage and top it with Otto from Regulations’ hooky vocals that we all know and love, you get a perfect and potent combination. Each song is a hit. It’s like a totally weird and leftfield take on hardcore, but also approachable ear candy at the same time. I love it. Do yourself a favor and play this over and over ‘til you puke just like me.

Now I just need to lock down a physical copy of this EP. Anyone got one they wanna part with in USA? Preferably on red vinyl. nerd emoji

That’s all I wanna talk about this week. Short and sweet. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Hey everyone, and thanks for clicking on our newsletter again this week. This week sees us stepping into the holiday season with Halloween in the books already. I hope you all had fun. For Worldy, the radio show I do on TheFaceRadio.com, we celebrated Dia De Los Muertos, the Mexican festival that celebrates those that have passed and also Diwali, the Indian festival of lights that actually begins this Thursday. If you enjoy Mexican garage and psych, sitar music and funky Bollywood soundtracks, head over to the archives and take a listen.

So, with Diwali in mind and talking of funky Bollywood soundtracks, I thought it very appropriate to mention a great one for my staff pick this week. I don’t have too many Indian records in my collection but I have some killer compilations and a fair few by Ravi and Ananda Shankar. However, this soundtrack is one of my favorites. It’s Shalimar by R.D. Burman and was originally released in 1978.

Rahul Dev Burman was arguably India’s top musical director and composed scores for over three hundred Bollywood movies during his thirty plus year career, beginning in the 1960s. The film centers around a jewel thief attempting to steal an expensive diamond known as Shalimar. Being a Bollywood film, it contains great music and the mandatory dance number. It’s also notable for featuring some non-Indian actors in their first and only Bollywood roles. Rex Harrison, Sylvia Miles and John Saxon being those names. It’s not an amazing film per se and didn’t do so well in the box office, but is now more remembered for the music.

For me, the money tracks are the title theme and a number called Baby Let’s Dance Together. Both have been good DJ tracks for me and other music evangelists and have appeared on several compilations. As original copies can be a little pricey and so too the reissues, grabbing a compilation such as Bollywood Funk is highly recommended and a cheaper way to get these cuts on vinyl. That collection is chock full of funky jams and not your typical album of sitar music that you’d hear at your local curry shop.

I just love the production on this record, and it reminds me in places of some of the great Italian heist caper movies from the 1970s. Buman is, in many ways, the Indian equivalent of Ennio Morricone. Elsewhere you have tracks like One Two Cha Cha Cha that mash up Indian sitar with a Latin rhythm over which vocalist Usha Uthup sings and raps in English and Hindi. It’s groovy baby. Burman really exercises his chops on this soundtrack. He was operating at the peak of his powers. There are lots of interesting musical moments and he employs all sorts of non-traditional Indian sounding instrumentation to great effect. There is an accordion on one track making it sound like a Columbian Cumbia. There’s some Tijuana horns to envy anything Herb Alpert was doing and being 1978, he had new keyboards available that give some moments a more modern sound. In addition to the great music and production, credit must be given to the vocalists used and the way that voices are employed. It’s the type of stuff that probably could only be heard on a Bollywood soundtrack. At one point in a song the vocal chorus sounds like a herd of horses whinnying. Honest. Great stuff.

I’ve thrown in some links there for you to check out and for lovers of Indian music and Bollywood film, I think you’ll find plenty to like here. Have a great Diwali if you are celebrating and I’ll see you all here next time.

Peace and love - Dom

Hello everyone, thank you for reading. I think today I will write about two bands. One release I have been anticipating a lot; the other one caught me by surprise. I first heard KOHTI TUHOA last year, six years after their initial release. Which sucks cos I could’ve been jamming this good ass shit years ago, but I am still happy to have it in my life now. The earlier releases I was not very familiar with, but today I have been spending time with their other records. Their debut EP is insane… it is much more on the raging side than the groovy side of things. With this band, they execute both elements with perfection and precision and I can’t choose which side of things I like more. We have the LVEUM pressing available on our webstore if you wanna grab it from us. LVEUM re-released this EP a bit after its initial release. Apparently, they remastered it and it has an extra track the OG does not. The shit rules so much, I love it. The production is excellent but still raw. Honestly, it reminds me of the way the first RIISTEYT 12” sounds, but the guitars don’t cut through quite as much as a nasty 80s recording. I’m not saying it’s bad; I think it’s excellent. I am just saying it’s almost impossible to emulate an 80s studio recording. Anyway, between this first EP and the one that was just released, they have four fucking records ahhh, too much for me to mention. And also I am not familiar with all their releases, unfortunately. I jamming their 2019 LP right now, Ihmisen Kasvot. The guitars are fucking blazing on this shit. We have a few copies available on our webstore still, I just picked one up for myself since my dumb ass slept on this one haha. Damn I also just scored copies of their other two records on Discogs for $5 each. I am set!!! Oh my fucking god I just heard a PAINAJAINEN song from one of the albums I just bought. I am obsessed with this band haha. So sick they cover this. I featured PAINAJAINEN somewhat recently on Hardcore Knockouts. Anyway, KOHTI TUHOA’s new EP Väkivaltaa is different from all the previous releases. The A-side has a drawn-out “atmospheric” vibe, while the B-side has hardcore tracks like I expected. While the A-side is a step in a new direction, I still enjoy it a lot. Going back through the band’s discography today, I realize they started out with much more raging songs with groovy elements peppered in, while the past few releases are definitely more heavy on the grooves. We got a stack of limited edition blue vinyl from LVEUM. Grab one while you can!!

I heard THE VARUKERS at a young age. They were painted on so many damn jackets. I remember wearing a VARUKERS t-shirt and my dad looked at me and said do you know what that is? I said uhh a band...? He then enlightened me with the definition of verrucas. They are warts on the bottom of your feet. Funny enough, I had verrucas for so many years in high school before I learned proper boot hygiene. My dad was always telling me shit I didn’t understand about the bands I was into, especially things that were specific to Great Britain; like what G.B.H. means, what bovver boys were, etc. Soon after I first heard VARUKERS, I picked up a 1980-2005 compilation CD. The thing about being young and checking out a CD like that is, I didn’t know what the fuck I was listening to. There are old tracks, new tracks, and re-recordings of old tracks. It’s a disaster... I don’t need to hear that shit. I just want the classic stuff. It’s funny to hear them re-record old songs too, cos they probably wanted to show how much better the songs sound now? I think they should’ve just left us with the ‘80s recordings, haha. Anyway, fast forward about ten years and my bandmate Alex (What up!) shows me this sick VARUKERS compilation from 1986, Prepare For The Attack. Now THIS is the kind of compilation I want to hear! They re-record songs and play ‘em with a different feel, and it is fucking killer. It also has some stuff that did not appear elsewhere, I believe. The sound quality is excellent, too. It’s a great record and has always been one of my favorites after I heard it. Last week, I saw we had copies of this compilation in stock at the shop! It had bad artwork, so I didn’t even notice it was a reissue of an old record at first haha. I just assumed it was some new VARUKERS shit with not very good art. I am a hater. Anyway, I checked it out, and it also has a fold-out poster of the bad artwork inside for you to hang on your wall. With the art being so bad I just assumed this was self-released by the band, but on closer inspection I don’t see band or label credits anywhere... and with another look at the disc I see the matrix is scrapped out haha, whoops I think this a bootleg. Regardless of the unofficial bad art, the sound is excellent. The original cover was really basic, and it didn’t come with an insert, so who cares about the re-worked cover. Check out the link I dropped above. If you dig the songs, I would pick up a copy and save yourself the money and hassle of getting an 80s import pressing. Alright that’s all for this week, thanks for reading everyone and thanks loads for the support!! Sorry State has been quite busy with mail order. ‘Til next time...

All the Streets are Silent

I had no idea what I was in for when my partner put on this documentary. While he had been anticipating the release for months, it fell off my radar almost as soon as we watched the trailer in June. When he put it on, we were both immediately captivated by the archival footage, the score, and the impressive list of interviewees; we were completely fixated on the TV during the entire run time. This is a raw and beautiful portrayal of skate and hip hop culture colliding in the late 80s through early 90s. At this point, so many of the things mentioned in All The Streets Are Silent are embedded in pop culture that I took their origins for granted and just saw things like Supreme as a cultural joke. Watching this collision happen on camera, through the lens of someone living it, was way more fascinating and inspiring than I ever thought it would be.

I’m not well versed in either of these worlds; skateboarding and hip hop were fleeting interests growing up. I still found this documentary relatable because, at its core, this is a story about a dedicated group of people making shit HAPPEN! The less relatable bit is, of course, shit blowing up to what it is today: billion dollar companies, name recognition all across the globe. I’m more used to things lurking in the underground, but respect where respect is due. I feel like in this day and age it’s really easy to take a small scene for granted. Subcultures are popping up and disappearing with micro trends, and it’s hard to see what is going to have a large cultural impact.

The real gem of this documentary is the camcorder footage. Most of it was taken by the film’s narrator, founder of Zoo York, Eli Gesner. I wasn’t even alive when most of it was filmed, but I feel like I could tell that it was an authentic portrayal of a time that’s long gone. The snippets of everyday life grounded these people that are now icons. The footage they got of so many iconic rappers hasn’t been seen before this documentary and I’m so glad it wasn’t lost to the ether of new technology. It’s the kind of stuff that the people filming it knew they were getting gold. The vibe was electric; you can feel it all these years later. I highly, highly recommend this doc if you even have the slightest interest in rap; the freestyle videos are worth the whole movie alone!

Unidad Ideológica: S/T 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) Bogotá, Colombia’s Unidad Ideológica is the latest band to emerge from the hardcore hotbed that brought us Muro, Uzi, and Systema. Like those bands, Unidad Ideológica has a magical talent for capturing energy on record, with these eight tracks leaping from the speakers like they’re breaking loose from a high-pressure container. While the sound is visceral and immediate, it’s also layered and dynamic, encompassing everything from black metal-style melodic tremolo picking (“Metadata”), Broken Bones-esque metallic d-beat “Tercer Hito Del Desarollo” and full-on Discharge worship (the “A Look at Tomorrow”-ish “Vidas Controlidas”). Unidad Ideológica’s ability to work these elements into such a seamless and distinctive style reminds me of those people who look stylish no matter what they’re wearing, whether it’s a sweatsuit or head-to-toe lycra. With eight tracks in only 14 minutes, there isn’t room for anything that doesn’t pierce straight to the heart, and by the end my heart is pounding and I’m itching to hear it again. A certified ripper.