Staff Picks

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a good week. While it doesn’t really feel like October here in Raleigh with 80-degree weather, we’ve still been getting into the Halloween spirit here at Sorry State. We’ve got some decorations up and also have gotten in some pretty cool Halloween-themed records and soundtracks. Come by the store if you’re local and check ‘em out. Yesterday while me and Dom were working, he pulled out a couple soundtracks we recently restocked and said we should give them a listen cause I might dig ‘em, and he was right. One that I ended up grabbing was a Numero Group release of a soundtrack for a 1964 film that was lost to time called You’re Not From Around Here. Except upon further investigation, I don’t think this movie exists at all and Numero just wanted to make this compilation. I think it’s kinda lame to earnestly claim this as a real soundtrack to some lost film’ just make a cool compilation and give it a name. On the other hand, I don’t really care cause I like the music on here, so it doesn’t really matter. It kinda has a lot going on, but definitely a mix of 60s lounge-y, surfy, jangly country, so it’s right up my alley. It even has a couple train songs and a spooky song, Haunted After Midnight, that also appears on the Halloween-themed Numero compilation Haunted Presence. The standout tracks for me on here would be the opening tune, A Song For Mary, First Love, and Spaceman (Out of Nowhere). After listing those and listening back, I realize those three tracks sound very similar. Oh well, I like what I like. Check this one out, even if the movie doesn’t exist.

Hello and thanks for reading. I don’t have anything new or exciting to write about. So, I will write briefly about some stuff I have been listening to. Oh yeah, what does the photo have to do with my staff pick? Nothing. I had screen-capped this when I saw it posted in some Facebook fan club page during the summer last year. I remember reading comments that pleaded with the submitter to share more pics and to rip the tape. His replies were hilariously dismissive. The post disappeared some days later. A part of me hoped it was taken down cos like Charlie from CIMEX got in touch about a reissue or some shit, but I highly doubt it. If anyone has a pic of the front cover, I would love to see it, so feel free to hit me up, haha. I was just looking through our new arrivals, and I noticed this NIGHTFEEDER 12” released as a part of the Kick Rock Live Series. I am probably really late on this though, and those of you who want a copy already know about it. I think NIGHTFEEDER rips live, and I have liked some other stuff released in the series like DESTRUCT and BOMBARDMENT. So, I am checking this out for the first time now. While these are live recordings, they sound nice and proper. It’s always great to hear the power behind a live band. BOMBARDMENT sounds tight and explosive on this right here. I haven’t listened to this recording until now, like NIGHTFEEDER. Did I read somewhere they broke up?

OK, yeah, I have been playing this 7” a lot recently. I guess when I say 7”, I mean I am streaming it on YouTube. I have a nice vinyl rip on my computer and on tape that I made from my friend’s copy when he first introduced me to them. That friend is Seth, whose name some longtime Sorry State readers might recognize. If you know Seth, this is some shit he would love for sure. I don’t know a lot of ’77 type bands, mostly Finnish. 999 was my introduction in my late teens, but I never dove much further than that. As I get older, I enjoy the pre-hardcore sound more and more, and I think this record is perfect. I think it’s really rare to find a copy with an original sleeve, which is just a single-sided piece of paper. Maybe I shouldn’t be hyping some self-released record from 1979 that is limited to 500 copies, cos I hope to find a copy for an OK price one day.

Alright, here is another one I have been returning to often. I first learned about this band cos a Finnish friend of mine was looking for a copy and I had agreed I would find a copy as a part of a trade. It’s wild to agree to a trade with a record you don’t even have, innit? Markku has that effect on me, though. I was recently hoping to win this eBay auction to acquire this SEIGE tape he has been searching for. Surprise, I have an open trade with him currently and owe him shit. I used Daniel’s “sniper” app thing to enter a stupid high bid to ensure the tape would be ours. Man, that tape sold for $987… hahah what the fuck?! What is the world coming to? Who bought that shit? Anyways, back to ANGRY RED PLANET. I had never heard of them at the time. This was their debut from 1983. There were some things about it I didn’t like so much when listened the first time, but there were some tracks that were instant hits for me. Funny, now I can’t remember or hear what I didn’t like before. They had a 7” on Touch & Go in 1985, so I am guessing everyone already knows this band. I checked out that 7” after I heard this one, and I didn’t really like it. Now I am listening and I made it all the way through. It was overall a cool listen. I guess mainly the A side, haha. They have definitely shed any elements of hardcore on this record. The singing on B1 is cheesy as hell, but the guitar is cool, haha. B2 straight up sucks to me…haha. OK, I guess that’s it for today. Thank you for reading, and thanks for your support. Much love to my friends.

Hi there everyone. Thank you for reading the newsletter. Love and best wishes to you all.

It is October and Halloween season, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s still summer here. Temperatures in the high 80s this time of year can’t be right, can it? As it appears we’re all going to burn to a crisp as if thrown into the fires of hell, we might as well really embrace Halloween and listen to spooky music and horror soundtracks whilst we fry.

I mentioned last week that Jeff had made a start on the store’s decorations and put on display some of the Halloween-themed records we had in stock. There’s a lot of good ones for sure. I was very excited to bring in copies of two lost soundtracks composed by 60s garage music king, Sean Bonniwell, he of The Music Machine fame. That band, with their black gloves and image, really epitomized the 1960s US garage band era. Two killer albums, a bunch of great singles, and a lot of equally high-quality unreleased at the time recordings have cemented the group’s legacy as one of the best in the genre. Their influence cannot be over-estimated. After the demise of the Music Machine, Sean Bonniwell remained active. He released a folk-rock solo album, Close, in 1969, that is hard to find, as it didn’t sell well. After the psychedelic sounds of the Music Machine, even with the slight name change, this record was too much of a stylistic switch for most fans at the time. In retrospect, hearing Bonniwell croon softly over bossa rhythms and soft strings isn’t too bad years later, but don’t be seeking out fuzz guitar solos and the like on that one. It was thought that he had retired from the music business after that record, but that wasn’t quite the case. In 1970 and 1971, he scored the soundtracks to two films: Night Of The Witches and The Day Of The Wolves. Both films are super obscure and underground, and it doesn’t seem as if many had seen them until recently. You can find them on the internet currently. I could stream both on YouTube, complete with TV commercials recorded from Miami TV in 1980. Not the best quality, but it proves both films were made and are real and now we have the soundtrack albums to enjoy them in high-quality sound.

Discovering that there were two lost soundtracks from one of my favorite artists was a real surprise and treat. That neither of these had ever been released in any format up to now was also mind-blowing. Thankfully, the good folks at Real Gone Music have rectified that situation, and now both awesome soundtracks are available on vinyl. Still not much information about the films themselves, but the music sounds great and the records and album art look great. I’ve droned on countless times about how much I love soundtracks, so having these two records scratches several itches. Music created by a longtime hero for cult grindhouse movies that sound cool. Sign me up.

Both soundtracks are chock full of the strange, spooky, weird and wonderful types of sounds you’d expect and want to hear in films like this. The moment the music began on Night Of The Witches I knew instantly that I was going to love everything that followed. I wasn’t wrong. Imagine that Sean Bonniwell of Music Machine and Arthur Lee from Love had made a record together or been commissioned to score a film like Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls and had brought in David Bowie to sing one of the songs and had the hippest and tightest and funkiest rhythm section holding down the music and you’d be halfway there. It’s brilliant.

There are a couple of vocal cuts, but it’s really the instrumentals that are the winners, although I do like the song Down To The Sky, which has the vocal, from I assume Sean, but sounds like Bowie on some of his 60s records. It has a funny line about, if you’re not down with the witches, you’ll be sharing your lunch with a mole. Terrific. This song is also represented in a fleshed-out six-minute instrumental that sounds great. In other moments as I was listening, it sounded as if the Cure were covering outtakes from The Stones’ Satanic Majesties with Cal Tjader playing vibes alongside. For real. Well, something like that. Good for sure. Ethereal and spooky sounds combine with funky back beats and fuzz guitar bursts to create the perfect soundtrack to these films or the soundtrack to our present lives. Almost sixty years later, the music still holds up. It’s wild that music this good is still mostly unknown, especially when a cult artist is involved, but thankfully these two sets of soundtrack music are now out there for our enjoyment.

Day Of The Wolves is a heist film with a contemporary early 1970s feel, and the soundtrack matches that. It’s more gritty than groovy, compared to the Witches soundtrack. More rocking and with heavier drums and more of a brown acid vibe to things. There are elements though that remind me of some of the movie scores Quincy Jones did or that Galt MacDermot made in that late 1960s through early 1970s period. If you know what I’m trying to say, you’ll most likely enjoy listening to this one too. That kind of funky sound that goes with crime caper movies from that time. I’m happy to report that the sound of the vibes is heard on this soundtrack also, and there are even more drums potentially waiting for someone to sample and make a beat out of.

All in all, two good albums of original music, and worthy of your investigation. I’m leaning toward Witches being my favorite of the two currently, but after a few more listens to Wolves, perhaps I’ll change my mind. Which one will get your vote?

Thanks for reading and taking time with us. Until the next one.

Cheers - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

We’re mid-way through October already? Fockin’ hell, mate. I’ve been trying to get into the spirit, seeing as this is my favorite time of year. I’ve gone and seen a few special showings of movies in theaters. Saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre the other night. That kicked ass. The close-ups of Sally’s eyes during the dining room scene? Fuck man, it felt so intense seeing that scene on the big screen. Also went and saw Pet Sematary with Daniel and a few of the Plastique Pigs dudes the other night. Honestly, not my favorite Stephen King movie. Man, I forgot how corny some of the actors’ performances are in that movie. Hamming it up, big time. The theater was literally empty except for us 4 people that went, so our watch-along commentary really heightened the experience haha.

We’re slowly but surely getting the store looking extra spooky for all you fiends and ghouls. If we can’t persuade you to come by with simply having cool records and haunting atmosphere, perhaps some free treats this weekend will grab your attention? We know all y’all got a sweet tooth (fang?). You’ll just have to swing by and see.

Also, real quick: I wanted to point out that I failed to even mention the new Bloody Flag tape on Bunker Punks last week. Way stoked on it. Now Sorry State is already sold out! Big thanks to everyone who ordered a copy.

Okay, now let’s talk records. I feel like I gotta write about this Early Grave record. Feels like it would be a shame not to do so. If you don’t know, the band is a 3-piece hardcore band from Philly. I remember their debut cassette release Sewer Baby Eaten By Worms(love that title haha) getting a lot of praise last year. So, I think the release of this LP Violent Winter on General Speech has been highly anticipated. Sorry State has already sold a whole bunch of copies. If you’re already hip to this band and what they’re about, then I guess you don’t really need me to tell you anything. But I find this record incredibly intriguing, so I just wanna spitball about it for a minute:

Surely everybody recognizes this, but I gotta say… this record is pretty strange, dude! Perhaps that’s a funny way to start this write-up. But am I the only one who feels that way? Musically, the band’s sound is a bit whacky n’ wild. I’ve heard people refer to Early Grave as having elements of crust or black metal… Are you crazy? Are we even listening to the same record? Maybe people are conflating Early Grave with that new Bequestrecord, which also just came out on General Speech. I mean gee whiz, a mofo sees a record cover with a grim reaper, hears some deep vocals and divebombs, and I guess it’s metal? Maybe that’s what the band is going for… Maaaaybe. But I just don’t hear that at all. I really think Early Grave is quite unique sounding. Like there’s a loooot going on with the music. In some ways, I think to the point where the average listener might find Violent Winter a difficult record to digest. And I mean that even speaking about someone who’s into hardcore. I dunno man, does that make sense? Like, what Early Grave is doing musically is clearly a far cry from Victim In Pain. I mean, first of all, this record’s got 15 tracks. Which, honestly, I respect. 24 minutes of fast hardcore!! Not many hardcore punk bands exist for only a year, then make the jump to a full-length, and also have the guts to release that long of a record. We’re not quite into Die Kreuzen territory just yet. That self-titled Die Kreuzen LP has 21 songs. Damn, I forget that sometimes. But even within these 15 songs, Early Grave just cram in so many musical ideas.

To some degree, this LP feels like a punk record that’s tailor-made for me. Maybe I do enjoy a record that’s a bit overwhelming from time to time. Like you really have to dig into what the band is doing musically. For the general listener, it might be a bit nerdy to dig into all the different parts and song construction. It might be there’s a barrier there for certain people. The vibe of a band like Early Grave doesn’t strike me as “let’s kick back and jam some rockin’ tunes man” type music. It feels genuinely ugly. It feels like this record is made for freaks.

I think back to other bands that John played guitar in, even as far back as like Nasa Space Universe, and more recently a band like Krigshoder. Now, hearing him bring his style of punk songwriting to this new band, I feel like maybe there’s a melting pot of influences in Early Grave that happens to align with my taste. I dunno man, I hate to say it, but in general—not a lot of music is hitting for me lately. It’s not that I’m disinterested in hardcore, but I do feel like I’m often searching for something that’s not fucking Oi! or “metal-punk” or just hardcore that feels lazily put together or doesn’t feel raging. Hate to sound like I’m talking shit. But whatever. To my ears, the songwriting in Early Grave sounds informed by dark, outsider hardcore. Not unlike the way I felt when I heard a band like Cicada. Especially in the deep, United Mutation-esque evil-sounding vocals. And yeah, I already mentioned Die Kreuzen, and the label’s description even mentions Early Grave taking influence from Mecht Mensch. Maybe this is a weird reference, but listening to Early Grave makes me think a lot about Everything Ends In Rot, that 7” by The Scam. Twinges of heaviness, but in a gutter-bred, disgusting, non-metallic feeling way.

There are so many neck-breaking changes. The experience of listening to the record kinda elicits feelings of anxiety. It feels chaotic, and maybe that’s how the listener is meant to feel. But upon further inspection, these songs are like suuuuper intelligently constructed. Not just that; it comes across as borderline militant. When you really dissect the songs, you can tell a lot of effort went into the arranging of this record. Like with every repetition cycle of a guitar riff, there’s a conscious effort to deviate and do something clever or unexpected, or like shift rhythmically, or have a tight stop with a quick drum fill. With drumming in particular, it feels like every moment is approached with this frenetic energy, and the drummer’s like, “what can I do to make this part as intense and exciting as possible?” On the surface, I might have thought the band was just throwing ideas at the wall. Now I realize these complicated rhythmic ideas and song construction don’t come from three people just fucking around making noise. These songs feel like they’re difficult to play, and the three individuals making this music are fucking locked in.

With this incredibly wrought song construction, and because there is so much craziness flying at your ears like a sonic barrage… it can be a lot to take in. It’s difficult to catch your breath. And especially with the record being as long as it is, maybe it can feel a bit exhausting. That said, I’ve already listened to this record all the way through several times. And at first, maybe I wasn’t finding a lot of hooks to grab onto. But now after repeated listens, I find a sense of quirkiness, bouncy grooviness and fun experimentation in the band’s sound. Kind of in a similar way that Blazing Eye sounded a bit goofy to me at times. Not every single moment has to be pure “evil”… Buuut it definitely is. Ha. For example, in a song like “Baby Blood,” I love how the tuneful riff at the end all of a sudden is accompanied by these unexpected “whoa oh” backup vocals over top of it. Then “Corpse Oil” has the big gang vocal chants. It’s so rad. Don’t be scared to use big sing-along parts in your hardcore. I think it rules. Then the last track “Fear Liath” has this sinister, but admittedly Middle Earth/Renaissance Faire-ass intro. It’s pretty cool though. I guess what I’m getting at is that the record feels ambitious and unafraid to be a little adventurous, or even a little silly at times.

Anyway, I hope that silly assessment was somewhat enjoyable. I think this Early Grave LP feels like a special record. Check it out, if you’re so inclined.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Last week I got an email from Zack from the 185 Miles South podcast asking for nominations for their year-end lists… is it really that time already? Normally I start a “best of the year” playlist at the beginning of the year and drop in things I like as I hear them. The beginning of this year was a rough time, though, and I never got around to it. So I spent a little time this weekend going through past editions of the newsletter and the new arrivals stack at my house, building my playlist from scratch. I ended up with a shortlist of 23 releases. From here I’ll listen to the playlist on album shuffle for the next couple months and let everything soak in more deeply. Some things will drop off as I listen to them more and recency bias fades, and no doubt things will get added as they’re released and/or I hear about them. Right now, the leading candidate for album of the year is the new Kohti Tuhoa LP. I realize few of you have heard it yet, but I’ve had it for a few months, and I still can’t stop spinning it. It’s one of those records that gets better every time you play it. If you have any recommendations for things you think I might like but might not be on my radar, please send ‘em along!

As for my staff pick this week, I’m writing about yet another Siouxsie and the Banshees record. Back in January I chose The Thorn EP as my staff pick, and shortly after sending out that newsletter my buddy Ben (aka Bedge) wrote to give me his pick for under-the-radar Banshees banger. It took me a few months to find a copy, but it’s my staff pick for this week:

Siouxsie and the Bansheees: Song from the Edge of the World 12” (Geffen, 1987)

(Speaking of Ben, I want to note he just published his second book! It’s called Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill: 40 Years and it looks absolutely stunning. Here’s the book’s page on the publisher’s website, which has a bunch of page previews and links to buy the book from several online bookstores.)

“Song from the Edge of the World” came out in 1987, which was a transitional time for the Banshees. They were coming off the artistic triumph that was 1986’s Tinderbox, which I think is neck-and-neck with Juju as the Banshees’ best album. However, after that high, the band must have been on the rocks creatively. Alongside “Song from the Edge of the World,” 1987 also saw the release of the covers album Through the Looking Glass. Covers albums can be fun, but they’re not a sign a band is at a creative peak. Indeed, guitarist John Valentine Carruthers was soon out of the band, with new members Martin McCarrick (keyboards) and Jon Klein (guitar) joining for “Song from the Edge of the World” and 1988’s Peepshow, the latter of which overhauled the band’s sound and gave them their biggest US single with “Peek-A-Boo.”

“Song from the Edge of the World” straddles the Carruthers and McCarrick/Klein eras, having made its live debut in 1986, demoed during the sessions for Tinderbox, and recorded once again for a January 1987 BBC session for Janice Long’s show. Carruthers plays on these two earlier versions, while McCarrick and Klein play on the two versions released as singles. Despite being credited to the newly revamped lineup, the song sounds more of a piece with the lush, dreamy sound of Tinderbox. Indeed, while there are obvious differences between the four studio versions of “Song from the Edge of the World,” the instrumentation and mood of the track changed little across its several iterations.

When I wrote about The Thorn for my previous staff pick, I noted that it’s the only EP the Banshees released in their two-plus decade run. The version of “Song from the Edge of the World” I have is a 45rpm 12” with four tracks, but it’s classified as a “maxi-single,” perhaps because two of those tracks are versions of the same song. Or maybe it’s because the US vinyl release combines all the tracks from the different versions of the single released in the UK and Europe. The 7” of “Song from the Edge of the World” (which was available in both picture sleeve and picture disc versions) featured a mix clocking in at 3 minutes, 43 seconds and the b-side “The Whole Price of Blood.” However, if you bought the 12” version, the version of “Song from the Edge of the World” you got was 7 minutes, 34 seconds, with “Mechanical Eyes” appended as a second b-side track. Confused? Well, you don’t have to be, because thankfully the US maxi-single version features both mixes of “Song from the Edge of the World” and both b-sides. It’s one of the few cases I can think of where there are several internationally released versions of a record, and the US one is the most comprehensive and offers the best value for money. America, fuck yeah!

I read somewhere that the Banshees disowned “Song from the Edge of the World” shortly after its release because they weren’t satisfied with any of the versions. While the song had a video (albeit a low-budget-looking one), it didn’t appear on Twice Upon a Time, the compilation of singles from the latter half of the Banshees career, despite being a stand-alone, non-album single. Of course I don’t know what the band was expecting based on what they were hearing in their heads, but I think the 3:43 7” mix of the song is brilliant, on the same level as _Tinderbox_’s singles “Cities in Dust” and “Candyman.” I love the sparkling harpsichord (I think?) melody in the verses, and the chorus soars, with one of the band’s broadest and most memorable melodies: “over we go / diving for pearls / over we go / from the edge of the world.”

As for the 7:34 12” mix (dubbed the “Columbus Mix” on the US maxi-single), I can see why the band wasn’t happy with that. It’s odd, and frankly a bit amateurish-sounding in places. While the mix is double the length of the 7” version, it doesn’t get into the trance-y, dance-y groove you might expect from a 12” club mix (not that this is billed at one). Instead, the song works through several cycles of crescendo and decrescendo (including two separate drum breaks!). The drums are where this 12” mix really shines. This mix gives a lot of extra space to Budgie’s drumming, and if you’re a fan of dense polyrhythms, it’s a show-stopper. It’s wild that Budgie recorded all these vastly different passes of the song’s main rhythm, and it makes me wonder how much other Budgie brilliance they left on the cutting room floor.

As for the b-sides, they’re alright, but not essential. I’ve remarked before how the Banshees were really good at evaluating their work. In general, their singles are their best songs, the album tracks are weaker, and the B-sides are weaker than that. Their B-sides often feel like failed or at least incomplete experiments. That’s the case with “The Whole Price of Blood,” which actually repurposes drum and sitar tracks from the song “Swimming Horses,” which appeared on 1984’s Hyaena (Robert Smith was in the band at that point, and he’s the one playing sitar). The song is very percussion-heavy (including some tuned percussion), which makes it sound like Siouxsie and Budgie’s side project the Creatures. “Mechanical Eyes” is similarly rhythm-focused, though the drum machine and synth bass give early 80s electro vibes… it almost like something that might have been sampled for an early hip-hop track. Both b-sides have interesting elements, but they don’t come together as songs the way the Banshees’ best tracks do.

So yeah, that’s “Song from the Edge of the World.” I agree with Ben that it’s one of the great under-appreciated Banshees tracks, and I feel enriched by having spent time with it for the past few weeks. If you’re interested in picking up a copy, I’m pleased to tell you the superior US version is a fairly cheap record. If you’re patient, you can find a nice copy for 10−15, or if you’re impatient, you can pick up a less-than-perfect copy for that price or a nice copy for only slightly more. If you just want the banger track, you can track down the UK 7” version, or get it as a bonus track on the expanded edition of Through the Looking Glass (where it is, oddly, the only song that isn’t a cover). And if you love the song and want to get really into the weeds, you can also hear the original studio demo with John Valentine Carruthers on the expanded edition of Tinderbox and the Janice Long session version in the Siouxsie and the Banshees: At the BBC box set.

This week I’ve got The Punks: Lost and Found as my record of choice. If you’ve ever gotten to a point in your life where you thought, “I need more Stooges material,” this would be the answer.

The first time I came across this band was on a compilation of theirs just called The Punksand it stayed on repeat for an extended period. After a while, I got to a point where I needed more, and like a prayer was being answered, shortly thereafter Rave Up Records released this Lost and Found anthology. I was beyond stoked. It’s a double LP, so the first record was the same tracks from The Punks comp that I already knew well. The second record didn’t disappoint with 11 more tracks of the same hard-driven sound that I heard on the previous material. These songs feel like a band that was bridging a gap between late 60s garage rock into the next generation of punks of the late 70s and early 80s. There are parts of this record that feel like it even touches on early hardcore. There’s a track on this called “Into Action” that seems to have an early example of a d-beat.

All in all, I think this record reaffirms that proto-punk is probably my favorite subgenre. It’s the perfect mix of punk with raw rock n roll that gives this type of music a unique authenticity.

Hello and thanks for reading. I don’t have much brain capacity for writing this week. I haven’t so much lately if that wasn’t obvious. I will write briefly about BLOODY FLAG. Crushing Dominion is the follow-up cassette to the self-titled debut Jeff and I released on BPDT a couple of years ago. When I initially heard the songs from the demo and Crushing Dominion together, I firmly believed it should be a record cos it’s so damn good. However, the band (aka Ulsh) had different things in mind and wanted to release the tracks as two separate tapes. I believe this is because he does not truly understand how good this shit is. I think that’s how musical genius works. It’s funny cos he wrote all these songs long before the demo was released. He initially recorded them all himself. It was truly a one-man project in that sense. As time went on, he scrapped those recordings and had engineering powerhouse Trish Quigley (K.O.S.) re-record and mix them. I think his initial recordings sounded good and I think they would have been killer as-is, but not many can make shit sound as good as Trish does. She definitely made the songs shine. Just like the first tape, what we have here is a fine specimen of pure DISBONES worship. A lot of bands rip DISCLOSE, but not many can really pull that off. They get boring, and usually fast. But not here. Everything is so dialed-in, it’s hard to get enough of it. I am back to playing the first tape, and now this new one on repeat. I appreciate that BLOODY FLAG hones in on that later-era DISCLOSE sound, which is the best era for me. The tracks are loaded with heavy palm-muting and guitar solos like that of nuclear rain. He even pays a deeper homage to Kawakami by incorporating noise tracks, like that of GOATWORSHIPPER. This is like some serious nerd shit. For the first time ever, this BDPT release includes a download card, haha. Check this tape out and grab your copy from Sorry State. Oh, maybe I will mention, I joined this band last year and these are the first recordings of me on drums with them. No, you can’t hear it online, but if you liked their demo you will probably like this one too. It’s faster. Cheers and thanks for your support.

Greetings to one and all. We hope we find you well and thank you for taking a read of the newsletter.

I’m back to work this week after taking time off to attend the biannual music festival, which I have been going to for over ten years now. It takes place near Pittsboro in Chatham County, North Carolina at the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center. The festival is a celebration of grassroots music and dance and takes place over four days. The festival site spans close to 100 acres of beautiful countryside, woods and farmland and has a unique magic unto itself. I love being out there. For the music, for the laughs, for the community of friends, to reconnect with nature a little, and to reset. Rain, wind or shine, we always have a great time. I go out there as one of the deejays at the Vinyl Lounge. We spin records between acts and then late at night after the last stage finishes. Typically, there’s a dance floor going and people vibing until the wee hours or sometimes dawn. I ended up spinning quite a lot this time around and at all different times of the day and night. I enjoy being able to play some jazz in the morning and funky disco in the evening, with bluegrass, country, reggae, and Latin mixed in throughout. To name just a few genres. If it’s good music and fits the vibe, then it gets spun. My fellow deejays are some of the best, and they all brought their individual styles and tastes to the party. I love listening to their selections. We often invite guests to join us, and this time I was really impressed by a guy I hadn’t met before. His name is Adrian, and he played an absolutely killer cumbia set. He’s getting an invite back for sure. It’s an honor to share the decks with such cool and knowledgeable selectors.

There were so many musical highlights and special moments all weekend long, and often not on the stages themselves but around the campsites and meal tables and other impromptu locations. I always have several Shakori moments where the music is perfect and touches my soul. What I enjoy about this festival is all the cross-pollination of styles and sounds that takes place. It’s typical for musicians and vocalists from other bands to join the group on stage currently performing and thus create unique moments often not to be repeated. When you get to witness those moments, it is very special. You know what I mean. Naturally, having your stimulant of choice may help in the experience. Or not.

I felt that I really enjoyed the mandolin playing that I saw this weekend. Friend of mine and the store was one of them pickers. Shout out to Shawn. There were also a bunch of sax players across the various groups. I can feel Jeff wince as he reads this. On one occasion there were three saxes trading solos. It wasn’t the torture Jeff might imagine, as they managed to pull off playing the smoothest and sweetest melodies and made it look and sound brilliant and cool. Ha! You’ll have to take my word for it.

This year the Vinyl Lounge saw a huge cross-section of dancers getting down. Young and old alike. We also had roller skating dancers, tap dancers, and experienced duos salsa dancing, which was a lot of fun to watch from the DJ booth and to play for. My colleague also brought out Jamaican toaster Carl Meeks to drop a few verses over some rhythms. It was a fun additional moment and came over well. Carl Meeks had some success during the 1980s and his Dancehall album Weh Dem Fah is a good one, and has Steele and Clevie playing on it, with Redman producing.

As the rain just about ended and left a mist in the air on Saturday night, I found myself upfront and in the midst of the crowd watching Margo Price and her band of Nashville cats rock out and run through a tight and fun set, which included an impressive costume change from Margo. It was a lot of fun. The songs sounded a lot tougher and much more vibrant in a live setting than their produced studio versions. Her band is super pro though and accurately reproduced the sound of the records but put a bit more oomph in them.

Talking of country music, I always love getting to play a few of my favorite country and bluegrass records at Shakori. I was able to get in a couple from Doc Watson and Dolly Parton, which as you might guess went down well. One record I kept in the box again for this time out was called They Call Me Country by Sanford Clark. I mentioned it here before. Such a cool country album with plenty of great songs. The title track is a banger, but there are also songs like The Fool, It’s Nothing to Me, Look Out Floor and the song I played this weekend, Black Jack County Chain. Several thumbs up were thrown my way for putting that one on. I like that song. It’s also in Billy Strings’ repertoire. As is, It’s Nothing to Me, a song most know from the Johnny Winter version correctly titled Ain’t Nothing to Me. That song was written by Leon Payne, who wrote a lot of popular songs and was also covered by the R&B group The Coasters back in the early 1960s.

If you are into some country and want a good record, this is certainly one to look for if you don’t have it. We have stocked a reissue of it before and currently have a used reissue copy here at the store for anyone interested. We also have a cassette tape version, which is very cool. Take your pick.

Anyway, it’s good to be back in the big city and back at the store again. It’s amazing how even though you physically feel tired sometimes from a vacation, your mind feels refreshed and at peace. I’m looking forward to enjoying the Halloween season now and smiled when I came into the store and saw that Jeff had made a few preliminary starts to the store’s decoration with a skeleton in place already and the display wall full of spooky-themed records. Nice. Stop by and check those out. I’m a sucker for those novelty horror-themed records and soundtracks. The covers alone are worth it, let alone the sounds within. No doubt we’ll be talking more about some of those over the next week or two.

Thanks for reading. Much love to all my friends, all the musicians, and all the people that came to party at Shakori. Until the next one.

Cheers – Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I missed last week, huh? After reading Daniel’s breakdown of where he’s been at in terms of mental health and general spirits, I thought I’d briefly do the same. It’s kinda funny, because I feel sure thousands of people read this newsletter thing we do. Thousands? Maybe more like hundreds? I dunno, haha. But for whatever reason, sometimes it feels easier to divulge feelings in this format. Does it feel like oversharing? I dunno. Perhaps it’s more like shouting into the void. Mainly because I’m not sure how many of you readers even pay that close attention. Or care, for that matter. But if you do, I appreciate your patience and understanding. I won’t go too deeply into detail, but sometimes when I’m not doing so hot emotionally, it does feel difficult to muster energy to write thoughtful reviews about punk records. Boohoo, amirite? But yeah whatever, because of that, I apologize for my absence from time to time.

That said, I’ve been feeling excited about playing records again lately. Played a bunch of classic singles the other night. Gazing into the haunting stare of Rikk Agnew on the back cover of the Posh Boy “Amoeba” single gets one inspired. Or freaked out. But I feel like Sorry State has had a lot of exciting new releases coming thru the shop lately. One comes to mind… I think I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the new Totalitär record.

A new record by the Swedish legends in the year 2026? Some of you jaded cynics out there might have rolled your eyes at the idea. Me? I said, “Oh yeah, baby. Bring it.” So… did I pre-order the limited edition transparent black with silver splatter vinyl? Yes, I did. Did also purchase a white vinyl copy for myself from Sorry State’s stock when they arrived? Yes, I did. Did I listen to the record digitally several times before the vinyl even arrived on my doorstep? You’re goddamn right I did. What can I say? I’m a nerd. Totalitär has remained consistently one of the most influential and important bands in my life as an HCPMF.

Now, as for my thoughts on the new stuff: I actually had many of my fellow Totalitär fanatic friends reach out and ask my thoughts. People in the punk community whose opinions I value and trust, mind you. Nice to feel perhaps they value mine as well, me being the well-read scholar on all things Hudiksvall hardcore that I am. One criticism I guess I’ve heard is how shredded Poffen’s vocals sound. Firstly, they’ve always sounded shredded. Secondly, the dude’s been screaming in hardcore punk bands since the 80s. Thirdly, show the man some respect.

This 2026 eponymous LP is the band’s first release in nearly 20 years. It’s the classic lineup of Lanchy on guitar, Jallo on drums, and Andreas on bass (and perhaps writing the lyrics?). Plus, some Kenko on guest guitar for good measure. And I gotta say. Riffs? Check. Drumming? Check. Production? Big check. I can’t remember my thoughts concerning the production on various other Totalitär-affiliated projects over the years like Dissekerad or Exploatör, but man, I just think this new LP sounds fantastic. Guitar tone is ace. Still to this day, I still find that with the general feel of the songwriting, guitar playing, riffs, chord changes, etc.—while always familiar stylistically, I still find myself picking out fresh and clever rhythmic ideas. Lanchy, after all, is the master. In some ways, with a Totalitär record, you know what you’re getting yourself into. Much like Out Cold, the Ramones, or Motorhead, the band reliably delivers. And it’s so rad to feel like I’m pumped on a new one coming out. I cranked the record loud as fuck when I was opening the store the other day and just felt totally pumped.

Welp, that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading. And don’t worry, I’ve got horror/spooky season staff picks coming down the pipeline for future October newsletters.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Earlier this week I got to feel that rare, fleeting feeling of completion a record collector experiences every once in a long while: I got the last record I needed by a band I love. The band in question is a 90s UK punk band called Hooton 3 Car. As is de rigueur when one completes a collection, I pulled all my Hooton 3 Car records off the shelf so I could take a family photo, but now that I’m looking at it, my dumb ass forgot to put the final piece of the puzzle in the photo. The Hooton 3 Car / Lovemen split 7” I got earlier this week was sitting on the coffee table because I had been listening to it the night before, and I forgot to grab it before I took the photo. Now I’m at work and my records are at home, and I’m left with a photo featuring a bunch of records, none of which are my actual staff pick. *facepalm emoji*

Hooton 3 Car / Lovemen: Split 7” (Snuffy Smile, 1997)

I’m surprised I’ve never written about Hooton 3 Car in the newsletter before, but that’s what the search function on the website says, so it must be true. Hooton 3 Car was a band from the north of England (specifically the Sunderland / Durham area) who formed in 1989, released their first record in 1992, and disbanded in 1998. I first heard Hooton 3 Car around the time they broke up, discovering them by following the various breadcrumb trails relating to Leatherface, who were my number one musical obsession at the time. Leatherface fans doubtless recognize Sunderland as the band’s hometown, and not only did Hooton 3 Car hail from the same region, but Frankie Stubbs worked in a production / engineering capacity on several of their records. I listened to a lot of bands in the late 90s and early 2000s that purportedly sounded like or were influenced by Leatherface, but very few scratched the same itch as the godfathers themselves. Hooton 3 Car is one of the few exceptions. While they don’t sound exactly like Leatherface—the vocals are a lot cleaner, for one thing—they’re high-energy, heavy, heartfelt, have great riffing and songwriting, and a big, roaring yet melodic sound. Plus, while Hooton 3 Car had some success in the UK (John Peel was a huge fan and the band did three sessions for his show) and a following in Japan, they were even less well-known than Leatherface in the States, making them feel like my little secret. That none of their records were released in the US, though, made collecting their discography a tall order. That’s probably why it’s taken me nearly 30 years to get them all.

As you can see from the photo, Hooton 3 Car amassed a healthy discography during their tenure, including three full-lengths, a 12” EP, and seven singles and splits. As with many bands, many people think their first record—1994’s Spot Daylight 12” EP—is their best one. It’s a hard point to argue since all four tracks are bangers. You might expect the first record to show some growing pains—a strange stylistic detour, rough-around-the-edges playing, substandard production—but that’s not the case here. Their sound was completely locked in right from the start. As good as Spot Daylight is, though, their next few records are even better. Their first proper single, 1995’s “Danny,” is perhaps their best song (though there are several other contenders). If I had to choose a favorite Hooton 3 Car record, though, my pick would be their debut full-length, 1996’s Cramp Like a Fox. It’s hard to say why Cramp is my favorite… maybe it’s just the one I got first and spent the most time with. I remember it was one of the first records I burned to a CDR when I figured out how to do that around the turn of the century. Mostly, Cramp Like a Fox differs from the records before it in the way full-lengths typically differ from EPs and singles: it’s a little more diverse, a little more spread-out, but mostly it’s just a collection of the same kind of 90-to-180-second pop bangers that populate all their records.

I consider Cramp Like a Fox Hooton 3 Car’s peak, but it’s not like it stands head and shoulders above the rest of their discography. Like Motorhead and the Ramones, Hooton 3 Car never really changed their tack. In fact, Hooton 3 Car’s records show even less sonic variation than those bands (though, admittedly, their career was much shorter). As if to illustrate the point, the band’s last release, the 1998 CD-only full-length …By Means of Maybe, features the songs from their first EP, Spot Daylight, as bonus tracks. When you’re listening to the CD, the transition from their first session to their last session is barely noticeable.

As for the unpictured record that is nominally my staff pick, it’s pretty good, though hardly essential. Hooton 3 Car has two songs. The first, “Bronko,” is the lead track to their second album, Monkey Mayor, and it’s an excellent song, but I think it’s the same version that’s on the album. The other track is a cover of the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.” I remember being excited to hear that when I got the discography double-CD (where it’s the 46th and final song), but it’s kind of just meh. I really like “Here Comes the Sun” as far as Beatles songs go, and the first part of the song where they play it pretty straight is promising. But then they speed it up and it has some of that typical “pop punk band covering a classic rock song” thing that I don’t really like. It’s too short a step from that to the Atari’s covering “Boys of Summer.” Blech.

As for the other side of the record, Lovemen’s songs are pretty good, heavy and melodic punk not dissimilar to Hooton 3 Car. I don’t think I’d heard Lovemen before, even though I spent a lot of time investigating the melodic punk bands on the Japanese label Snuffy Smile. Most of the Japanese bands on Snuffy Smile I heard were a little too soft for my tastes, but there are a few things in their discography I really like. There are several Registrators singles early in the label’s discography, and I’m a big fan of them. Blew’s 1997 album You’re Not the Only One is another one I liked a lot, and I really took to the band the Urchin, partly because I got to see them when they toured the US. I’ll have to dig more into Lovemen though. I did not know they had a split 7” with Exit Condition, so I’ll have to get that. Also, it’s cool that in the photo on their Discogs page, one of their guitarists is wearing a Hooton 3 Car shirt and playing what looks to be the exact color and model of Gordon Smith guitar I have.

Before I sign off, I want to give a quick shout-out to my buddy Jim Gies. When this record popped up on my Discogs want list, I added it to my cart and started looking through the seller’s other items to see if I could grab anything else and save on shipping. As I scrolled through their items, I thought to myself, “surely I know this person.” Then, a few minutes after I placed the order, I got a message from Jim letting me know he’s the seller. Thanks, Jim!

If anyone out there is still reading and I’ve piqued your interest about Hooton 3 Car, you can listen to the aforementioned double-CD discography on Crackle! Records’ Bandcamp site. And on the off chance anyone out there has a copy of Hooton 3 Car’s demo tape, please hit me up!

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a good week. I’m holding down the fort at the shop this week while Dom is out for the week at Shakori Hills, a cool little festival that happens every fall and spring at this big farm about an hour outside of Raleigh. Dom usually goes to both every year and DJs throughout the festival, so if you ever find yourself attending, check out the vinyl lounge to see big Dom on the ones and twos. Also going on this weekend in downtown Raleigh is the Raleigh Wide Open bluegrass festival. This takes the spot of the IBMA festival that moved to Chattanooga last year sadly. While it doesn’t quite pull in the same crowd or names as IBMA, I’m glad Raleigh has a free bluegrass festival every year for people to attend. So naturally, I’m spinning a few bluegrass records at the store this weekend. I’ve been on a real JD Crowe and The New South kick recently; they just play so fast and tight, especially on the earlier albums with Tony Rice on guitar. We had a copy of their self-titled LP come through the store that I snagged. This record also has Larry Rice playing mandolin on it as well, so both Rice brothers. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. I really dig the opening track, “You Can Have Her,” but my favorite on here is definitely the cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Ten Degrees and Getting Colder.” Such a banger of a tune. That’s it for me this week, if you’re local in Raleigh go check out some bluegrass downtown this weekend. It’s good for you.

Hello and thanks for reading. The only record setup I have right now is at work, and unfortunately, I listen to a lot of music digitally here. I did recently get a tape deck set back up on the stereo though, and that has been nice. I have a small box of records in my office and the rest of my records are in boxes stored in various households. I guess I actually have a lot more than a small box of records here, haha, but those other boxes are stuff I need to go through and the vast majority of it will be sold. I was listing some 7”s a little while back from my collection and I was happy to see a lot of them go to holdpile customers. I have more records than I’d like to haul around for the rest of my life, so I have begun a really slow purge and I have started with 2000s stuff. I think the records I am getting rid of are great; I just don’t need them anymore and someone else can enjoy them more actively. I can dub them to tape, or even make my own tape from their bandcamp if I want to keep it in some analog format. Anyways, this new PRISÃO record is one that I am currently spinning, and I think this rips. I know I am biased for sure with this being a Sorry State release, and more so having friends in the band. PRISÃO first came on my radar with their second 7” after meeting them in Sweden around that time. They have had a small line-up change between these two records. The style is pretty much the same, but I think the songs are better on this new EP and there also more of them. In my opinion, it is a waste of a record if you don’t have at least 6 songs on there. I will compromise for 5. But I am not about to buy a 4 track 7” for like $10. Records aren’t cheap anymore. Nothing is, shit. I originally heard this over the summer in Lucas’ apartment (vocalist of PRISÃO). It was funny, he had the Adult Crash version of the record in hand already but still streamed it for me digitally, haha. I love his vocals. His delivery is so powerful. I love the repeat chanting; it is protest music. I don’t know a lot of Brazilian bands, but I do know I enjoy the way the language sounds. When we were talking, Lucas made a distinction between Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, saying that he thinks the latter should just be called Brazilian. The record was recorded by Micke, the bassist who joined after their second EP. I am assuming in their rehearsal space? But I can’t remember. The sound is huge though, and the guitar tone is one that my ears love. It was mixed and mastered by Jonas Blakklodge, so that also probably has something to do with it too haha. Lucas has a great eye for design and layouts, and he has done the layout on this EP. He did something pretty clever with the front and back cover being interchangeable. There is also a nice touch I appreciated with the limited version only using blue ink on both the cover and insert. I did think about writing a bit about the various shit I have been listening to at work today, but maybe I will save that for another time haha. Check this PRISÃO record out, you might like it. I think we still have some of the limited version in stock. Cheers and thanks for your support.