Staff Picks

What’s up Sorry Staters?

What can I say everybody? Getting through constructing that year-end write up for the previous newsletter was A LOT. Thank for bearing with me if you actually read the whole thing. My brain is feeling less foggy over the last couple weeks. I’m finding myself enjoying new music lately, which is a relief. Speaking of which, let’s get right into it:

I’m not sure if my staff pick this week will come as a surprise to some of you readers out there. I think I’ve probably mentioned in previous newsletters that beyond my love for raging hardcore punk and low-brow heavy metal, I do have a soft spot for 80s synth pop, new wave, darkwave, freestyle, whatever. Sorry State just got in Interface, the latest album from Modem, and I’ve already listened to this record an unhealthy number of times. I think this record properly came out in the fall of 2025, but Sorry State only just got copies, so it’s new to me.

For those uninitiated, Modem is a duo based in Helsinki, Finland. Tytti is the lead vocalist and handles some additional instrumentation. And then the primary synth arrangements and production are done by Ville, who you might recognize from many Finnish hardcore bands like Kohti Tuhoa and Sorry State’s own Yleiset Syyt. I was lucky enough to get to see Modem play live here in Raleigh of all places. Kings, our local venue where they performed, must be like a 300-capacity room. And to the 20 or so people that actually showed up, Tytti still boldly and commandingly demanded the audience’s attention as if she was playing Wembley Stadium. She was on and off stage at any given moment. They were striking visually of course, in all latex and leather regalia, but they also sounded amazing. My man Ville looked cool as fuck: sunglasses on, not facing the crowd, pumping out killer synth lines, and had a guitar strapped to his back the whole time in case he needed to urgently whip it around and shred a smokin’ hot lead.

There’s been a few groups in the last few years that have faithfully accomplished a modern interpretation on this sound of drum machine and synth-based 80s pop music. I really enjoyed that record Love Lines by Nuovo Testamento from a few years ago, for example. I think that most of these contemporary 80s-style synth-pop groups certainly have no intention of reinventing the wheel. Rather, the intent is to wear their influences on their sleeves—more of an homage, if you will. It feels like the goal is to sonically capture the sound of a record that actually could have been released in the 80s. And I’m totally cool with that. That said, perhaps Modem’s interpretation of 80s synth-based music is one that can only be achieved by manifesting through the lens of isolation in a brutal Finnish blizzard.

Maybe the homie bias does come into play here a little bit, because I’ve interacted with both Tytti and especially Ville, and I think they’re both really cool people. But I just think Interface is a great record. The record has a short intro, and then it’s just 8 tracks, each song better than the one before. Sometimes I dive in blind listening to certain things, and it just hits me like a ton of bricks. I haven’t spent as much time with Modem’s previous LP Megalomania, but even in the couple weeks we’ve had this new LP in stock, it already feels super familiar to me. For one thing, the sound design and production are incredible. Beautifully sculpted. I was speaking to a friend on the phone the other day who plays around with synths and production. I recommended him Interface, and his instant reaction was how great it sounded. Discussing this record, he mentioned how it’s not necessarily easy to nail synth tones and mixes that sound this crisp, sharp and authentic. Juicy soundscapes, babyyy. And for how ominous it appears at first glance, the record is like… really fun. I mean, come on, it’s got fuckin’ handclaps, dude.

The sonic vibe of the record does encase you within a cold, robotic atmosphere. But much like the android concept in the album artwork, Modem captures a vibe that is simultaneously cold and distant, while also warm and approachable with their pop sensibility. A song like “Cowboy” has unexpected twangy surf lead guitar. But it doesn’t feel out of place. All the sonic textures feel methodically, intelligently constructed and intentional. To me, the whole record has an addictive quality. It’s either connecting to some pleasurable brain synapses, or maybe it’s my replicant wiring firing on all cylinders.

Tytti’s vocals are great. I think not understanding Finnish, you might think this would take me out of it. Instead, it makes me appreciate the melody and song construction rather than harping on lyrics I might find corny or whatever. She weaves together syncopated melody lines not unlike the catchiness of the synth parts behind her, but then also additional sweeping, distant and ethereal vocal adornments on a track like “Ave Maria.” I love the “do-do-do’s” on the song “Kulta-aika,” which almost have a soulful, funky kinda thang goin’ on.

Songs that evoke mystery and darkness are supplemented by a song like “Image,” which feels like the most “major key” straightforward pop banger on the record. So much of the record has familiarity to me, like kind of reminding me of later-period Depeche Mode. On the song “Pagliacii,” it’s almost like I’m waiting for the piano melody from “Enjoy The Silence” to start happening… call me crazy, but the vocal melody during the verse of “Passio” reminds me a lot of “Here Comes the Rain Again” by the Eurythmics. Coincidence? I think not. Then again, what do I know? Remember what I said about wearing your influences on your sleeve? And who cares? It’s fucking great.

Modem has released pretty much everything on their own label Modem Age Records in Finland. But on this new record, it looks like they have some sorta deal in the US with Don Giovanni. I think I also saw a picture of Tytti and Ville on a red carpet for some indie awards show the other day. And you know what? Good for them. This feels like a record that should be popular. If anything about the way I described this record sounds like it could be your bag, I highly recommend giving it a shot. You will not be bored for one second. All bangers. A good time and fun listen. Buuuut, you might turn into a robot… but like… a reeeally cool robot.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Before I get into my staff pick this week, I want to note that Friday evening (Feb 13) I’ll once again be a guest on Mike from Analog Attack’s YouTube channel, where his What Are You Listening To? podcast meets (most) every Friday. I’ve been on several times, and this time I’m appearing alongside a couple of esteemed guests: Tony Pence from Celebrated Summer Records, Jeff Bolt from Swearin’ and Stupid Bag Records, and of course Mike will host as usual. I’ve been thinking about my picks and wondering if anyone else will have something to say about the weird-ass shit I listen to. You can watch it on YouTube after it airs, but it’s a lot more fun to watch live and interact with the show as it’s happening through the chat.

As I’m sure you know, the Descendents are remastering and reissuing their SST-era catalog on Org Music. So far they’ve done two titles: Milo Goes to College and I Don’t Want to Grow Up (available with either the original artwork or the new Punk Note edition). Milo Goes to College is an all-timer for me… a record I’ve listened to a million times and love to the bottom of my heart. At some point I wisely invested in an original New Alliance Records pressing (which sounds significantly better than the SST represses), so that reissue came and went with little effect on my listening habits. However, the reissue of I Don’t Want to Grow Up has hit me pretty hard. I’ve known the record since I was in high school. In fact, I remember ordering it from the SST mail-order catalog (the little ones that they used to include in copies of every release) on CD along with a t-shirt of the album art. I only wore the t-shirt a couple of times before I realized yellow shirts are not a good match for my complexion, so I cut it up and it became my very first back patch. I still have it sewn onto an old hoodie, but I don’t break it out too often. I stopped wearing hoodies a few years ago after someone pointed out what a marker of our times they are, and how in the future everyone will be able to tell instantly that a photo is from the 2010s or 2020s by the flaccid ballsack hanging off the back of pretty much everyone’s necks. It’s been crewnecks all the way for me since I heard that quip.

Anyway, I listened to that CD of I Don’t Want to Grow Up for many years, and it fueled many a late-night drive over the decades, but I don’t think I ever really understood or appreciated its context. I always knew that Milo Goes to College stood apart from the rest of the Descendents catalog in terms of both production and songwriting, and of course the vibe completely changes when they came back in the 90s (another benefit of being my age and getting into the Descendents as a teenager: I got to see them play an incredible show in a dilapidated movie theatre in Norfolk, Virginia on the Everything Suckstour). But the middle-era SST albums were just kind of an undifferentiated mass to me. Pre-Discogs it was hard to even tell what order they came in, and since LIveage! and Somery did such a good job of collecting the best songs from those albums, I didn’t really spend much time with them individually. This reissue campaign is a great opportunity to rectify that.

I Don’t Want to Grow Up was the Descendents’ second album, originally released in 1985, three years after Milo Goes to College. A lot happened in the interim, but I Don’t Want to Grow Up still feels like a continuation of Milo Goes to College. Original Descendents guitarist Frank Navetta was out, replaced by Ray Cooper, but the rest of the lineup carries over from Milo. Of course Bill Stevenson and Milo are mainstays and it’s not the Descendents without them, but having original bass player Tony Lombardo still on board is huge. I love Tony Lombardo’s playing. I hate when bass players get noodly… I’d way rather they just stay locked in, holding down the rhythm and playing mostly root notes. But Lombardo crafts these perfect lines that are sturdy as bedrock, yet often pull against the rest of the song rhythmically and melodically in a way that’s subtle but significant. Often, Lombardo’s bass line is at the heart of the song… the all-time classic bass line form “Myage” is probably the definitive example, but “Rockstar” from I Don’t Want to Grow Up definitely fits in that category too. Actually, now that I’m looking at the songwriting credits, Lombardo composed the music for the first four tracks on this LP (as well as “Theme” and “GCF”), so his writing really sets the tone for the record. I Don’t Want to Grow Up is the last Descendents with Lombardo on bass, and I feel like they were never the same afterward. (Side note: looking around on Discogs just now I ran across the Tonyall record on Cruz from 1991… I may need to investigate this further.)

While 3/4 of the Milo lineup continued on to I Don’t Want to Grow Up, the change in the guitar chair is significant. Original guitarist Frank Navetta had a distinctive style, with a lot of note-y parts that almost sound more like bass lines than guitar lines, which would weave around Lombardo’s bass in fascinating ways… the interplay between those two is one of my favorite parts of Milo Goes to College. Ray Cooper is a more conventional guitarist. He has more of a traditional “rock” sound with lots of power chords and more familiar, sometimes even slightly metallic, fills and flourishes (interestingly, Cooper also played guitar for a time in Chuck Dukowski’s band SWA… I think concurrently with this time in Descendents? I’d have to listen back to the relevant You Don’t Know Mojackepisodes to be sure). Cooper’s style is totally different from both Navetta and his eventual replacement Stephen Egerton, and while it never really stuck out to me in my first couple of decades listening to I Don’t Want to Grow Up, I have really been digging it as I’ve revisited the album over the past couple of weeks. There are so many parts on I Don’t Want to Grow Up where, had Stephen Egerton composed the guitar parts, they’d be full of weird jazz chords and dissonance… I don’t hate Stephen’s playing (one would be hard-pressed to deny his virtuosity), but I think it’s sometimes too clever for its own good. Ray Cooper is much better at getting out of the way and letting the song shine. The chunky power chords on “Descendents” sound great, and anything more would be trying too hard… better to just keep it kind of a dumb, simple song. Particularly on Lombardo’s compositions, it’s almost like the guitar and bass switch roles, with Cooper’s guitars holding down the rhythm and locking in with the drums while Lombardo’s bass is a little looser and more melodic. I love it when bands do that.

Before I get into full-on raving about the songs I like, let’s pause for a moment and talk about a few of the things I don’t like about I Don’t Want to Grow Up. The first is a relatively minor quibble, and that’s the production. If you’re a fan of 80s SST releases, it’s something you’ve learned to live with. It’s amazing that, despite using numerous studios, engineers, and producers, so many of the records from that first spurt of releases on SST sound so lackluster. I Don’t Want to Grow Up must have been one of Bill Stevenson’s first production jobs (he’s credited as co-producer alongside David Tarling, who was also the engineer and worked on many other SST releases from this era). Thankfully I Don’t Want to Grow Up isn’t over-produced, but I always thought it sounded kind of thin and flat. This new mastering job for the Org Music reissue attacks that problem by boosting the low end-frequencies and adding some crispness in the high end that was missing on the SST CD I grew up with. But man… as with so many SST releases, I can’t help but wonder what this album would sound like with a really great recording.

The other thing that bums me out about I Don’t Want to Grow Up is the casual misogyny you hear in some lyrics. There’s a distinct incel vibe to a lot of the early Descendents lyrics. The most egregious example on this album is “No FB” (which stands for “No Fat Beaver”), which bums me out every time I hear it… all the more so since I really like the music, which feels like a callback to the Fat EP. “Pervert” also feels kind of weird, but I guess it’s defensible in principle… of course it’s fine to like sex. However, I feel like even the “love” songs have this way of flattening the object of the narrator’s affections in this way that feels not just immature, but slightly violent. Like I said… incel vibes. I think some songs on Milo Goes to College are even more guilty of that than I Don’t Want to Grow Up, but I should also note that some of my feelings might be colored by hearing stories from old Raleigh heads about when the Descendents played here on the tour supporting Grow Up. Apparently they came off as major creeps who were only interested in scamming on girls. I assume they’ve long grown out of that, but it’s something that always comes to mind when I listen to these songs.

Back to the actual album. For me, I Don’t Want to Grow Up is a record of two sides. Side one, starting with those four Lombardo compositions and with the fifth, Milo’s “No FB,” also calling back to the band’s earlier era, feels like a bridge from the old to the new. But then side two just takes off. In fact, I think the B-side of I Don’t Want To Grow Up is the best and most consistent side of vinyl the Descendents ever put out. Two of the tracks—“Silly Girl” and “Good Good Things”—almost aren’t even worth talking about at length because they have been so thoroughly canonized as classic Descendents tracks. Surely any die-hard Descendents fan would count them among their favorites, and both appear on Somery. But the other three tracks are excellent too. I’ve really fallen in love with “In Love This Way” during this recent spate of listening. It’s a Milo song with jangly, countrified guitar and some great walking bass from Tony… it wouldn’t be out of place on a Replacements album, and its chorus is divine. “Christmas Vacation” is right up there with “Silly Girl” and “Good Good Things…” just a classic Descendents tune with driving verses (kudos on the simple, chugging palm muted part Ray!) and a super melodic chorus with vocal harmonies that I can’t resist singing along with. And then “Ace” ends the album on this kind of mysterious, atmospheric note. I love Ray Cooper’s arpeggios, the chorus’s haunting melody, and the way the song veers briefly into the super-melodic with the “with all of your mind / and all of your soul” part (is this a bridge? I don’t know about songwriting LOL…), but then retreats back into the unsettling and mysterious when it moves back to the chorus. The song feels like a series of counterintuitive moves, but it just works. It’s one of those closing tracks that makes you want to just sit in the dark for a minute and ponder what you’ve heard rather than immediately throwing on another record.

Holy shit, I did not know I was going to write so much about this record. But, like I said, I’ve been listening to it a lot, and I had lots of thoughts. I’m looking forward to sitting down with Enjoy! when that comes out (presumably it’ll be the next in the series). I know “Wendy,” “Sour Grapes,” and “Get the Time,” but I don’t think I’ve ever owned Enjoy! and certainly haven’t spent much time with it. Maybe it’s the toilet paper roll on the cover, but I always assumed it was weighed down by too much goofiness. But we shall see. If it moves me maybe I’ll crap out another couple thousand words for a future staff pick.

What’s up sorry state readers?! Back it again with another pick for y’all! This week it’s Ultra Violence’s We Hate You 12” on Radio Raheem. This long-lost LP recording is absolutely insane and just what I needed to hear. Continuing their sound, but with some slightly faster songs than their tracks on the Big City comps. It’s the raw, Urban Waste-sounding recordings that I absolutely love. As always, radio Raheem absolutely kills it with beefing up all their releases with so much sick stuff to dig thru upon opening… this includes a 28-page booklet filled with fliers and photos that you can drool at while playing this at max volume with your ear glued to the speaker… go snag a copy of this asap and if you haven’t, go listen to ALL the Big City comps. Thanks for reading. Till next time!

Top 10 Of 2025

Agriculture: The Spiritual Sound 12”

This record was one of the most talked about records of late 2025. Mostly all the reviewers I’ve read and watched on YouTube really praised this record, so I had to check it out as it piqued my curiosity. This record is what I was looking for when I wanted something totally different to blow me away. This just isn’t part of the “blackgaze” sound that is coming out in recent years; it’s that and more. Combining so many elements of so many genres, it just blew me away. My only gripe about that record is the corny hair metal guitar solos. I can get past that, though, which is why I put this record on my top 10 of the year.

Steroid: Chainmail Commandos 12”

I know for a fact I am not the only one putting this record on their end-of-year top 10 lists. This record just came out of nowhere and blew up. War metal plus egg punk is how I guess I would describe it? Daniel wrote about this as his staff pick and it was Record of the Week earlier this year. If you are one of the few people that has not checked this out yet what are you waiting for?

Split System: No Cops In Heaven / Pull The Trigger 7”

The A-side on this single is one of the best protest songs of the year for me. “No Cops in Heaven” is just a fun, catchy pop song speaking its truth with one message: fuck cops they can all go to hell. So I recommend buying this record and blasting it loud at your next ICE protest. Also, FUCK ICE.

Scarab: Burn After Listening 12”

Hardcore death metal with a sprinkle of grindcore? Yeah this record has it all. Clocks in at 12 minutes long, but it’s the most brutal, hate-filled record I heard all year. This one was off my radar as well until I saw that they played FYA Fest in Florida. I checked out their live set on YouTube and was just blown away. This is some powerful, fast music, not for the light-hearted. Granted, this was a late into 2025 listen for me, but it grew on me so much that I had to put it on the list.

Gumm: Beneath The Wheel 12”

Melodic hardcore bordering on some heavier indie rock? Yeah, this one was a must-have when it came out. I fell in love with the first album Slogan Machine when it came out in 2023, and I have been following the band ever since. Convulse Records just keeps finding great bands to sign. I love this band and I love this label. If you're into bands like End It or Angel Du$t, this one is for you.

Hotline TNT: Raspberry Moon 12”

Really bendy, wavy guitar with reverbed vocals and a hint of shoegaze and dream-pop. This was the perfect summer record. This release is the band’s first major label release on Third Man Records and it sounds really polished, like an indie rocker’s dream in the 90s. This record brings me back to listening to the radio when I first got a car. It is just a perfect record from front to back.

TAGABOW: Lotto 12”

Similar to Hotline TNT, but leaning toward more noise pop and shoegaze. This is my album of the year by far; hell the whole catalog is amazing. Is this the best of all their albums? Nah, but it is very close. Fuzzy, heavy guitars into reverbed parts with spoken word to electronic breakbeats. It has it all. I try to tell everyone I know about this band, and everyone who knows me knows that this is exactly what I love about music. It just makes me so excited for what else this younger generation can pump out. Go buy this record! I cannot stress this enough.

Beton Arme: Renaissance 12”

I was very excited when I heard the news of a new Beton Arme record in 2025. I was even more excited to learn that La Vida Es Un Mus was putting it out. For the folks who have been living under a rock, this album is all about the whoa’s and gang vocals, and who doesn’t love that? Great modern Canadan Oi sang in French. There was no doubt that this record was going to make my top records of the year list. If you happen to not own this yet, check it out. I guarantee you will be hooked; this record is just too catchy.

Osees: Abomination Revealed At Last 12”

Osees come out with another powerhouse of a record. Every Osees record gives us something new and fresh. This record is no different. It’s futuristic at times, but also very heavy fuzz punk. Not much more to say about this one. It’s really great, really simple fuzzed-out goodness.

Viagra Boys: Viagr Aboys 12”

I was really skeptical about this record when it first came out. I admittedly did not get it on my first listen. So I shelved it, came back a few weeks later, and boom: it hit me. This record is so dynamic and different, both lyrically and musically, that it just works. To my opinion, that makes it one of Viagra Boys’ best albums so far. It’s fun, thought-provoking and just overall makes sense and at the same time doesn’t.

Honorable Mentions:

C4: Payback's A Bitch

Home Front: Watch It Die

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard: Phantom Island

Puffer: Street Hassle

AFI: Silver Bleeds The Black Sun

What’s up Sorry State readers? I can’t believe it’s already time for another end of the year roundup. 2025 was a pretty solid year. I got to see some awesome live shows and also travelled to some cool new places. What more could you ask for? Anyways, I’ll be highlighting my top releases of last year. As per usual for me, there’s lots of reissues of older stuff that I’ve included, but I’ve tried to limit those to reissues that actually came out in 2025. In no particular order, here are my top ten releases I picked up last year.

Necron 9 - People Die 12”

Probably my favorite new punk release of last year, all killer no filler. Fast and raw as hell. Unlawful Assembly unleashed this beast back in March, and I’ve been blasting it since. A super high-quality release that included a giant poster and a really nice lyric booklet that features some sick art. I’m sure all of you reading this have heard this by now, but if for some reason you haven’t, stop reading right now and play this as loud as you can.

Go-Go’s - Demos and Outtakes 1979-80 12”

I think out of all the records on this list, I’ve listened to this one the most. I never get sick of it; it’s too damn catchy. The version of Lust To Love on here is so amazing. Played way faster than the studio version and the drums are absolutely kickin. Surfing and Spying also sounds incredible here, and Cool Jerk will get stuck in my head every time. I never realized how much I liked the Go-Go’s until I listened to this.

Stereolab - Cloud Land / Flashes In The Afternoon 7”

I was pretty excited to finally get to catch a Stereolab show back in September at the Haw River Ballroom and they did not disappoint. They were selling this tour-exclusive 7” so I had to pick one as a nice memento of the show. This totally sounds like classic Stereolab. If you played this for me blind, I’d say they put this out in the 90s. Great artists never lose a step.

Grateful Dead - All Eyes 12”

Long live bootlegging. The Grateful Dead and bootlegging culture go back a long ways together, and I’m happy to see that tradition continue in the modern day. This double LP features four different versions of the song Eyes of the World, which has always been one of my favorites, spread across different years and eras of the Dead. It includes a nice insert that gives a little rundown of each version and why they included it on there. I just love shit like this, someone taking the time to put this release together and get it out to the people. A true labor of love. Big fan of the ‘78 version on this.

Old & In The Way - Live At Sonoma State 12”

An excellent RSD release from last year, I was pumped to see this one on the list when it was released. Old & In The Way was the bluegrass supergroup that Jerry Garcia was a part of, and they sure knew how to pick. There’s not much of their material available on vinyl so I knew I had to snag this one. This show features an awesome set list with a bunch of my favorites: Catfish John, Pig in a Pen, White Dove, and pretty much everything else on here. Essential listening for any bluegrass fan.

Charles Mingus - Mingus at Monterey 12”

You know I’m a sucker for a great live RSD release and this one fits the bill. Just a great show to sit down and listen to. Excellent sound quality that makes you feel like you’re traveling back in time and right there at the show. Love me some Mingus.

Billy Strings - Live At Rosemont / EP 12” & Live At The Legion 12”

I didn’t want Billy to take up three sports on my list, so I figured I’d kinda just fit them all into one spot. Third Man Records released Live At Rosemont / EP as part of their Vault subscription a couple months back. The live album is a 4xLP release taken from a show back in 2024. I’ll probably buy any live Billy release they put out, so bring em on. I gotta say though, the packaging and everything left a little bit to be desired, but that’s a complaint for another time. What matters is the music on here, and it’s killer as always. The EP that was included with it is the first vinyl release of his debut 2016 EP that was only available on CD, so it’s nice to add it to the collection. Next we have the Live At The Legion album that features a live show recorded back in Nashville in 2024 that I was lucky enough to attend in person. This show was different from most Billy shows as it’s stripped back of any and all psychedelic jams. Just Billy joined by fellow guitar virtuoso Bryan Sutton trading licks back and forth on bluegrass and folk staples. One of the coolest evenings of my life that I now get to hold a physical piece of.

Takaat - Is Noise Vol. 1 & 2 10”s

Another great live show I got to see this past year. I think I heard about them cause I saw someone post a video or something from a show and I thought to myself, “Man that sounds really cool. I’d love to check them out.” I looked at their tour schedule and lo and behold, they were playing at King’s here in Raleigh the very next week. Love when stuff works out like that. Takaat is the rhythm section from Mdou Moctar, and they play loud and fuzzed out. Writing this is making me think I’m gonna have to try and make it to another show of theirs this year cause it was one of my favorites that I attended last year.

Mulatu Astatke - The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965 - 1975 12”

Okay I was thinking this was a reissue from 2025, but upon further investigation it’s not. Nevertheless, I heard it last year, so it’s going on the list. This is the record that sent me on my Ethiopian Jazz journey last year, and I’m better off for it. So many different moods on this one but all pleasant to the ear. I still think Tezeta is my favorite track on here and I stand by that it sounds like the end credit music for a cool ass old movie. Perfect Sunday afternoon listen right here.

Punk Junk VHS

I’m cheating a bit here on my last pick since it’s not actually a record, but I had to get it on my list. It’s got music on it at least! One of the coolest things that I picked up last year was this VHS featuring performances by tons of great bands: Personal Damage, Tozcos, People’s Temple and Rixe just to name a few. I was obsessed with VHS and the culture around it a few years ago, so when this came into the store I was stoked. More VHS shit in the future please!

Well, there’s my roundup for 2025. Thanks for reading, and hopefully you maybe even found something cool here you haven’t checked out yet. Here’s to 2026 being another year full of good music and all the other things that make life worth living!

2025? Did that happen? It sure did and now we are a month deep into 2026. Time for the mandatory look back on the year past and to pick out a few of our highlights.

I think I can speak for everyone here by saying that this hasn’t been an easy task this year. I am struggling to find positives in a long year of horrors. However, as the saying goes, life goes on, and there were still a lot of cool and interesting things happening in the world of music and the arts in general. I’m going to stick to the music for my best of the year round up. To make things simpler, I divided my list into a few categories. I’ll give you my top pick and one or two notable runners up. As with any of these types of things, it’s all subjective. I know I have forgotten loads. In fact, whilst looking over releases for the year I found several albums by artists that I like that I had not even known about. Shame on me. And I work in a record store. LoL. Just shows that no matter what you know, there is still way more that you don’t.

Favorite New Artist

The Cords: S/T LP – There comes a time when you must let the younger generation just get on with it, but it is always nice when a record comes out that has cross-generational appeal. The Cords are a couple of young ladies from Scotland who have made an enjoyable pop record. On Slumberland Records, which has a whole roster of bands in love with the sound of UK DIY and C86.

Honorable mentions:

Annie Achron: Never Paradise LP. Cool synth-pop.

K9: Thrills LP. Post Punk, jangly, lo-fi from Richmond.

Autocamper: What Do You Do All Day LP. More C86 and 80’s Scottish pop inspired indie from Manchester.

Puppet Wipes: Live Inside. LP. Lo-fi post punk from Canada.

Added Dimensions: Jane From Preoccupied Europe LP. More cool lo-fi indie post-punk from Richmond.

Favorite New Record from an established artist

Pulp: More LP. Sheffield’s finest (there’s stiff competition for that title) return after twenty-four years since their last studio album with a banger. Touring and playing shows like it’s 1995 all over again. Jarvis for president/prime minister.

Honorable mentions:

The Lemonheads: Love Chant LP. Everyone’s favorite rogue pop star Evan Dando returns with his Lemonheads and a new album. Like hearing from an old friend after many years.

The Liminanas: Faded LP. The French psych duo return with a great record aided by some friends, including Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream.

Gruff Rhys: Dim Probs LP. Welsh hero and Super Furry Animal main man delivers another fine solo album. Clever, witty pop of the highest order.

Lady Wray: Cover Girl LP. Her third album and another produced by Leon Michels for Big Crown Records. Great mix of retro-inspired soul and R & B with modern pop and hip-hop influences.

Stereolab: Instant Holograms On Metal Film LP. Another fine return from a group that has been out of the spotlight for some time. The ‘Lab came out with an album that sounds just like vintage Stereolab from the 1990s. Really good. John Scott went to see them when they came to North Carolina and said they were ace.

Best single.

Psychoactive: S/T 7”. L.A. punk featuring members of Rough Kids, who Sorry State released records by. Two blistering, classic old school punk blasts. Limited single, but there was a second pressing. Get one.

Best cassette tape.

The Ancient Pulse: S/T Totally brilliant horror soundtrack-inspired music. If you dig John Carpenter, then you owe it to yourself to get a copy of this cassette. For added authenticity, the same keyboard used by Carpenter was utilized for these recordings. Up there for release of the year in my opinion. I had this on repeat over the Halloween period.

Honorable mention:

Canned Snakes: Live At Budgetcan. Local supergroup of sorts casually releases a cool tape. Hard to put a tag on it, genre wise. Indie/post punk/rock? I don’t know. We liked it around here.

Best compilation.

All The Young Droids LP. Terrific compilation of synth-pop and post-punk, mostly from the U.K. and released between 1978-1985. A well put together comp with great liner notes and information. You’ll discover a lot of new favorites on this one. Highly recommended.

Honorable mentions:

Chiswick Records 1975-1982 Seven Years At 45 RPM LP. Nicely put together collection of punk, pub rock and pop singles from the great Chiswick Records label.

Secret Superstar Sounds LP. Cool compilation from the folks at Soul Jazz Records concentrating on more obscure British DIY, punk, power pop and new wave singles released between 1977 and 1980.

Best Live Album.

Johnny Marr: Look Out Live! LP. The coolest guitar slinger out there gave fans another fun live album taken from his more recent solo career outings, but with some Smiths songs for good measure. Highlight of the autumn, if not the year, was travelling to Norfolk, Virginia to catch the man play live. He did not disappoint. An absolute legend and so cool and friendly.

Reissues and rarities from older artists.

Dennis Bovell: Sufferer Sounds LP. Top-notch U.K. reggae and dub from the late 1970’s. A brilliant-sounding collection of prime-period productions from Dennis Bovell. A must-have for dub fans.

Sister Nancy: One, Two LP. Reissued for Record Store Day, this is the much in demand reggae album that includes the classic Bam Bam. Always tough to find, so nice to have available again.

Vince Guaraldi: You’re A Good Sport, Charlie Brown OST LP. We’ve been loving the Charlie Brown TV special soundtracks that have been getting released recently. All filled with cool, mostly unheard music from the great Vince Guaraldi. This one was released as a zoetrope record, so you get to see Lucy pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown and other animations as your record spins. Nice.

Longineu Parsons: S/T LP. Rare and hard to find funky and righteous jazz originally released in 1980 and never fully reissued until now. Another good Record Store Day release.

Best used record score.

Eugene McDaniels: Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse LP. Saving the best and most special one to the end. I have known about this jazz grail for decades and have had a reissue LP and CD to keep me satisfied over the years, but finding an original copy in the wild has proved tough. In the stores that I have worked at, it has come in once or twice and I have seen it for sale at record shows, but either the price or the condition wasn’t right. Finally, in 2025, a beautiful copy still in the shrink with the lyric sheet came into my possession. How, you ask? Well, whilst rummaging through one of our dusty storage lockers looking at mostly junk records, Daniel found this one and a few other decent titles that we could easily sell at the shop. When he saw how hyped I was over the Headless Heroes record, he simply gave it to me. Wow! Amazing. That’s the sort of thing our Doctor D does. He is the best boss, the best friend and best person ever. If you aren’t familiar with this record, do yourself a favor and go check it out. You’ll recognize some of the sounds, as they were sampled by, among others, A Tribe Called Quest. Total banger of a record and just as meaningful and relevant now as it was fifty years or so ago. Thank you, Daniel.

Okay, that’s a small sampling of highlights of the year for me. Loads missing and still more I need to hear and catch up on. Fun homework.

Thanks for reading, thanks for supporting our store, thanks for ordering from us and thank you to all the artists and bands that made all this fantastic music for us to love and enjoy. 2026 might well be a shit show in the making, but let’s hope we’ll all be here this time next year to review the top sounds and good things that happen this year. Fuck you know who.

Cheers - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Full transparency, I feel strange trying to muster any enthusiasm to assemble a “year in review” or a “top 10” list of any kind about 2025. In preparing to do this, I decided to revisit my entry from this time last year, when we did our “Best of 2024” write-ups. By comparison, it seems like my tone was full of hope and excitement at the beginning of 2025, still feeling pretty pleased about the year 2024 behind me. I even made a collage with all my favorite photos of places I visited and people I love. Unfortunately, I just do not feel that same way right now. The end of 2025 delivered such a blow that it has overshadowed many of the positive experiences I’ve had this past year. Right now, I think I could more easily come up with a “Top 10 Worst Things of 2025” list…

BUT—There’s also a part of me that understands that many of you readers don’t come here for that. While I appreciate this forum as an opportunity to express myself, the newsletter shouldn’t necessarily be my vehicle to cause you all to ingest more negativity. Especially now, as all of us are certainly being bombarded by negative shit constantly—whether it’s the horrifying state of the world at large, or maybe some of you are dealing with difficulties in your personal life I that I don’t even know about. It’s an extra scary time—only adding weight, feelings of existential dread, and heightening anxiety surrounding our moments of mundanity. So, in 2026? Resist. Take care of each other. And try to experience and appreciate what you love amidst all this madness.

Corny? I dunno. Anyway, here are some records I liked this past year:

1. Necron 9: People Die 12” - I think I made this call early on. But yeah, this is the best record released in 2025 for me. Ugly, grimy hardcore for outsiders. Delivered with ferociousness, a lot of heart, and not one ounce of pretense. A record that restores one’s faith. Inspires one to shout up to the sky: “Hardcore LIVES!” Too bad they broke up already. Cool that they left behind this little perfectly documented moment for all of us. Gut the pigs.
2. Ayucaba: Operación Masacre 12” - I already wrote a lengthy description about my feelings on this record, which you can read here if you want to. Based out of Barcelona and featuring members of Muro and Inyección, Ayucaba plays a triumphant, raw, inventive take on hardcore that’s just oozing with character. Metallic guitar leads, demonic vocals, epic songwriting, feeling very powerful and grandiose but still anarchic, earnest and approachable. Amazing record.
3. Kaleidoscope: Cities of Fear 12” - I think this band has reliably delivered me more goosebumps than any other band over the last 10 years. For real. But from record to record, they really shift sonically. Volume 3, released on Feel It in 2017, feels like a totally different band. Maybe they came across more post-punk? Less dense, more austere and otherworldly with an artsy sensibility. And while I love their previous records, they just aren’t HEAVY in the same way as Cities of Fear. I think maybe the void left behind after the inactivity of Tower 7 just caused Kaleidoscope to get reflexively heavier. The opening track “Burning Alive” is just like blazing hardcore. And it fucking rules. The band still evokes that off-kilter, weirdo punk vibe, but they just feel more driving and pissed off on this record. Seems like the genre descriptor du jour of the mid-2020’s is to describe a band as influenced by “heavy anarcho punk” or whatever, which Kaleidoscope surely is… buuuut straight up, a song like “Controlled Opposition” sounds like the dirgey moments of Bl’ast… And maybe it’s uncool to say a band sounds like Bl’ast or Black Flag anymore in the year 2026. I don’t give a fuck. I mean it as the most sincere compliment. Maybe their best record yet?
4. Save Our Children / Stunted Youth: Split 12” - 2 bands, both from Texas, and they share members. These guys clearly think Gang Green and Deep Wound are infinitely cooler than Disclose. 36 songs split between 2 sides of an album in 33 minutes. Never relents, never gets old. All killer all the way through. Another couple of bands that kept the faith, flying the flag for true blue oldschool US hardcore. But sadly, yet another fire that has already been extinguished. Came and went, exploding like a bottle rocket. Hardcore rules, dummie.
5. Ultimate Disaster: For Progress… 12” – The homies in Richmond delivered an absolute crusher with this 12”. Just 3 dudes, power trio style. Discharge-inspired hardcore? Well, yes. But I think the approach is like if you refined the elements of Discharge-inspired punk to its most pure form of brutality. A lack of epic crust influence. No drawn-out pondering experimental passages or melodic interludes. Trim all the fat. Full impact. Not to mention the excellent recording… big loud guitars and riffs played with airtight execution, like a battering ram assault on the ears. The intensity of the tight, sawblade-like riffing with a brutal, metallic edge brings to mind the Swedes’ take on the Discharge formula. To me, For Progress… sounds like Disfear’s Soul Scars way more than it sounds like it’s trying to perfectly replicate Why. Killer record.
6. Exploatör: Apokollaps 12" - A project comprising the 3 original members of Totalitär playing the style of punk I love so dearly. This could sound like hyperbole, but this is the band’s 4th LP and I think it’s their best yet. Just diving into the record, the production sounds crisp and bright and fresh. Maybe I didn’t realize this originally, but Kenko, the recording engineer aficionado who played in great bands like No Security and Dischange, now plays second guitar alongside Lanchy. This particular style of Swedish hardcore just gets the hair on the back of my neck standing up like nothing else. And just when I think I’ve heard it all, Exploatör still surprises me with their songwriting, bringing musical and rhythmic ideas I didn’t expect. No one does it like the OGs.
7. Lame: Lo Que Extrañas Ya No Existe 12" - Probably one of the most unique records I experienced this year. How do I even describe this band? Lame plays this driving but restrained-by-straight-jacket form of hardcore. Like a chaotic and anxious, yet intelligently orchestrated dirgey mess. Like if Killing Joke took too much speed before they took to the streets to fight cops. The glowing feature of Lame’s sound is the vocals though. I remember meeting Sally behind the bar at the pizza place one of my bands played in London. Now hearing the vocals, I’m like hoooooly shit. The lyrics are delivered like a (with all due respect) psychotic breakdown – erupting like an intense, terrifying stream of consciousness. I can’t believe how many syllables Sally crams in there. It sucks my Spanish isn’t better. I really feel like if I understood every word when listening, then this record would feel even more overwhelming. I really feel like I go through something when I listen to this record. I get like all sweaty ‘n shit. Nah, just kidding. So powerful.
8. Tàrrega 91: Ckaos Total 12” - Sometimes I almost feel guilty when I talk about so many records on La Vida Es Un Mus. But they put out a lot of great stuff, what can I say? I took home a copy of this Tàrrega 91 record, liked it a lot, but it didn’t really hit me until I’m now revisiting it at the end of the year. I thought to myself, this is like easily one of the most raging hardcore records I’ve heard in ages. Paco’s description mentions Discharge and MG-15, both good reference points. But damn man, 2 seconds into the first track “No És Cava Teva” and this band sounds so much like early Cimex and Shitlickers it’s not even funny. Maybe I’m trippin’, but that’s how it feels to me. I was a fan of the band’s previous 7” as well. But I love that when they graduated to the full-length format, they reduced their brutal take on hardcore to leaner, more explosive 1-minute-long bursts. I learned that the band’s name is a reference to a series of riots that occurred near the small town where they come from in Catalonia. Devastating, intense hardcore with a sincere and radical agenda. Doesn’t get much better.
9. Nisemono: S/T 12” - 偽者 aka Nisemono from New York. I remember loving this band’s demo a couple years back. I don’t have anything eloquent or any funny anecdotes to describe this record… I just think it kicks ass. Whether it’s Nisemono or his old band Nomad, I think I really gravitate toward singer/guitar player Tye’s style of riffing. He’s got that slippy-slide all-over-the-place approach to käng punk guitar vibe going on. There’s kind of a spiritual link between his style and a band like Infernöh, I think. Love the vocals too. Sang in Japanese, which is unique because I think his vocals really stand out over this type of hardcore. Adds another level of dimension for me. Naideu from Warthog’s drumming is absolutely insane as well. I’m not sure if this project was originally just Tye and Naideu, only intended to be a recording project. Recently, I’ve seen that they’ve added a bass player and are now playing gigs. Yet another power trio in my top 10. Hope I get to see them play later this year.
10. No Victim: S/T cassette - I originally didn’t intend to give attention to any cassettes for my year-end list. But I just wanted to shout this tape out one more time. I just love it. Another band from Richmond, Virginia. The guitar player may have been in a band that I already mentioned above. Young punks playing urgent, immediate, no-frills hardcore. Groaning, aloof and detached yet pissed lyrics and vocal delivery in a snotty Anti/Wasted Youth kinda way. I’m tellin’ ya man, “Short Haired Rednecks” might get my vote for hardcore punk song of the year. And much like Necron 9, Save Our Children and Stunted Youth, I think this band might have already imploded. Man, bands need to take a note out of Kaleidoscope’s book and just not break up. Be friends and make hardcore. I selfishly at least want No Victim to record a 7” as good as this tape before they call it quits. That way, I don’t have to get up to fucking hit the rewind button if I wanna listen to it again.

---SORRY, BUT NO HONORABLE MENTIONS---

There were plenty of other records I enjoyed or found interesting this year. Including stuff on Sorry State, like the Plasma LP. But I just don’t have the energy to write about 15 more releases.

I’ll try to keep this next section brief, but I usually like to include a “top 10” of my favorite moments or events of the year. This feels more difficult to do than usual, but I’m trying to look back fondly at some of the times I had that made me smile:

1. Keith’s art show - My buddy, singer of Meat House, and talented illustrator Keith Caves had a gallery showing in Richmond back in March. I’m sure you’ve seen my dude’s gnartwork everywhere in the current punk world. It was so rad to see Keith’s art on display being appreciated by the freaks and cretins he caters too. He displayed a bunch of original pieces he had for sale that I instantly recognized, some of which were commissions from me and my bands. I was half tempted to buy a couple. Then there was an afterparty gig with a bunch of sick bands playing. It was fun to rage side by side with my dude Eric, both of us just drooling over the homies Invertebrates destroying the place.
2. Municipal Waste weekend - 2 nights, one weekend in April, all celebrating the Waste’s 25th anniversary as a band. Public Acid played night one. Pretty rad getting to hang out while side stage and watch Annihilation Time. The big gig the following night at The National was pretty wild. That’s a big ass stage. But I must say, the impromptu after show on Saturday night was a rager to remember. Richmond’s most gnarly slammers with the least amount of self-preservation threw the fuck down that night.
3. SLC - Meat House went and played this insane festival in Salt Lake City that our boy Conrad put together. I kinda had forgotten what SLC was like. Upon arriving and being reminded, I was like wow, this huge ass valley surrounded by mountains is kinda beautiful. Turns out the fest was outdoors on an open-air stage in this alley right by a kickass punk market in a predominantly Latino neighborhood. Killer Mexican food everywhere, many Palomas were consumed, and it was killer hanging with homies like Cesar from Bloodstains, who flew out just to kick it with us.
4. The Damned - I finally got to see one of my favorite bands of all time. I took the train by myself to DC and had the best time ever. 3 original members in the lineup, including Rat Scabies back on drums, plus Paul Grey from the Black Album/_Strawberries_ period (my ideal era). They played absolutely incredible. The set list was damn near perfect, closing with “Curtain Call” and playing a few deep cuts from the Friday the 13th EP. Then I briefly interacted with Ian MacKaye outside the venue, but I was basically unable to form words. I was floating on cloud 9 that night.
5. Noise Annoys - Public Acid embarked on our month-long tour around Europe, and it all began at the amazing Noise Annoys festival in Sheffield, UK. Bry and all the crew in Sheffield are the coolest people and hosted one hell of a good time. Highlights of bands I saw include Rat Cage (of course), our lads in Tramadol, Muro, Indikator B, fucking GEFYR played one of the most raging live sets I’ve seen in years, plus so many other great bands.
6. K-Town – It was my third time experiencing the magical weekend festival in Copenhagen. Quite possibly THE best hardcore punk festival? I just feel more at home every single time I go. It’s like a big punk family reunion. Public Acid was the very last band of the entire fest. Still pissed I accidentally missed Lame’s set, especially with their LP being one of my favorites of the year. Ugh. But I did get to watch so many amazing bands: Kriegshög was devastating, Necron 9 absolutely destroyed, the homies in Cicada brought the house down, Futura from LA was great, Sorry State’s own Plasma and Lasso… and then along with all the music, so many great memories just hanging out with a bunch of friends. I plan to go back to Ktown in 2026 if I can swing it.
7. Halloween - It’s always my favorite day of the year. I decided to have myself a ghoul’s night out. So, what did I do? I made myself look dead (bolo tie and all), drove up to Richmond, went to a gig to see a Dead Boys cover band because it was Night of the Living Dead (Boys) after all, got covered in fake blood, and partied with all the homies at Chubb’s house afterward. Pretty solid.
8. New Public Acid - Public Acid has a bunch of new songs in the tank. We went up and recorded in Philly a couple months ago, and I must say I’m very proud of how the recording turned out. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. There’s still work to be done, but expect a fresh slab o’ wax to be released at some point later this year. More PubAss news to be announced in the months to come.
9. Totalitär - This is probably the most difficult thing for me to talk about. I’ve barely had time to reflect on me and Usman’s trip to Sweden. But when I sit and think about it, it really is pretty amazing and a full circle moment that me and my best friend got to go see our favorite band play in the flesh while we were together in fucking Stockholm. And they played excellent. I never expected anything like that to happen when we were hanging out listening to records in my apartment when we were like 22 or whatever. Sounds silly, but it’s wild because us both loving Totalitär has been a big focal point of our bond since the beginning of our friendship. And once again, we got to visit our friends in Vidro (Melody, Lucas, Vendela and Staffan) as well as Wilhelmina, Christoffer, and many other people who travelled for the gig. I’m very grateful for that. I think I’ll mostly remember just the two of us riding the train all around Stockholm.
10. This year in record collecting - As always, I like to end things with records I managed to pick up over the course of the year. Last but not least, I suppose. Because let’s face it, in present company, we’re all just a bunch record fiending lunatics, aren’t we? Honestly, I did get quite a lot of records this year, but nothing totally bonkers. No brickwall 1st pressing Nervous Breakdown this year. Some of the coolest records I got were actually gifts. Between the Wretched 7” from Usman and the Kohu 63 12” that Daniel gave me, I’m a pretty happy camper. Still need to get back at Daniel with something equally cool because he knew how badly I wanted that Kohu 63. Believe it or not, it’s hard to find records for one of your best friends when he’s the owner of Sorry State Records haha. Feels like he has everything sometimes, but there’s ALWAYS more. So yeah, like I said, I got a lot of stuff this past year, but some of the more run o’ the mill stuff I decided not to squeeze into this photo. But anyway, here’s a quick glimpse at some of my favorites I got this year:

Alrighty, I guess I’ll bring it to a close now. Thanks for reading. Hope 2026 ends up being a better year for all of us.

Much love,

-Jeff

So, this is the Sorry State newsletter’s Best of 2025 edition, but as has been the case for the past few years, I won’t spend a ton of time talking about my favorite new releases from last year. Most of them I’ve talked in the newsletter already throughout the year, but once again I’ve also shared my picks outside the Sorry State ecosystem. I blew the deadline for Maximumrocknroll’s year-end lists in the fog of grief after Red’s passing, but I did get together with Mike from Analog Attack and Eric Anderson (from MRR, Cvlt Nation, and several other publications) to talk about our favorites of 2025 on Mike’s YouTube channel. You can watch that video here if you haven’t seen it already… it’s worth it not just for my picks, but Mike’s and Eric’s too! Here’s my list:

• Steroid: Chainmail Commandos 12” (Crypt of the Wizard)
• London Clay: Private View 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus)
• Necron 9: People Die 12” (Unlawful Assembly)
• Kaleidoscope: Cities of Fear 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus)
• Ultimate Disaster: For Progress… 12” (Grave Mistake)
• Anika: Abyss 12” (Sacred Bones)
• Haram: Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell 12” (Toxic State)
• Tàrrega 91: Ckaos Total 12" (La Vida Es Un Mus)
• Ayucaba: Operación Masacre 12” (Metadona)
• The Massacred: Nightmare Agitators 12” (Active-8)

Those are in no particular order, except for the Steroid LP, which is without a doubt my favorite record of 2025. There are few other records in my life that have given me as much joy as this one. I go into detail about all these in the video (and also drop a few honorable mentions at the end), but I’ll give a quick shout-out to London Clay and Anika, two new releases I didn’t get to talk about much in the newsletter. Anika’s LP sounds kinda like Nico singing for Dinosaur Jr while they’re covering the Bad Seeds, and it’s totally brilliant. London Clay tiptoes along the line between hooky UK post-punk/DIY and super experimental UK post-punk/DIY, with just the right mixture of each for my tastes. We’re down to our last couple of copies, but if I can get a restock from LVEUM, I might make it Record of the Week sometime soon and talk about it at greater length. As for the rest, you probably don’t need me to tell you how great Necron 9 or Ultimate Disaster or Ayucaba or the Massacred are… they’re on everyone’s lists for a reason.

With that out of the way, let’s get to my main topic: my 2025 in record collecting. I mostly write about older records in my staff picks, but I don’t get too nerdy about record collecting throughout the year. I’ve always seen myself as more of an accumulator than a collector, but looking back on my acquisitions every year is a nice opportunity to reflect on the state of my collection.

First things first, in last year’s piece I identified three main wants I hoped to acquire in the near future, and I nabbed two of them. Not bad!

I picked up both on Discogs, though I have to give a shout-out to Eduard from Mendeku Diskak, who provided a much-needed assist when Trump’s dumb-ass tariffs suspended all shipments from Spain (among other countries) to the US. The record I didn’t get last year was the Nerorgasmo 7”. I was planning on featuring that on my want list this year, but now that I see I’ve been fiending after it for well over one cycle around the sun, it has officially achieved the status of TOP WANT. If you can help me get one of these bad boys into my hands, please get in touch.

One collection I’ve been actively working on this year is my attempt to get every record by the Finnish band Vaavi. I’ve been meaning to write a staff pick about Vaavi forever, but 1. I don’t have much info about them and 2. I was reluctant to blow up the spot before I got all their records. But fuck it, here’s where I’m at right now (one or two of these might have been acquired in 2024… I don’t really keep track of that and can’t remember off the top of my head):

So now I’m mainly missing two Vaavi 7”s: EP:n Nimi and Kun Rakkaus Kuolee. I suppose I’ll also eventually want Ei Palata Voi Eiliseen, which the band released during a brief reunion in 1986, but that’s not a high priority. I also picked up a copy of the double LP collection Tytöt Hymyilee while I was in Finland this summer, though I didn’t include it in the photo since it’s not an OG artifact. It’s pretty alright and has a bunch of tracks from all of Vaavi’s eras.

Speaking of my trip… last summer I was lucky enough to visit Finland and Sweden again, and that’s where a majority of my record-buying happened. (I’m still paying off my credit card… ugh!) Let’s start with Sweden, since (despite a visit to Trash Palace), I went considerably less crazy there:

Actually, come to think of it I didn’t buy either of these 7”s in Sweden. D.T.A.L. was a hookup from a friend (I can’t remember but I think he might have had a double?!?!?!), and the Headcleaners I actually got from Sorry State. Jeff had a little hoard of rare records he was saving for a special occasion, and when I saw it, I was like, “I need that Headcleaners!” I still need Extrem P and the Picnic Boys split… one day. Ebba Gron completes my collection for the band, which I started on my first visit to Sweden in 2009, when I picked up their first LP, We’re Only In It for the Drugs. It’s all about the long game, folks!

And now Finland… whoa mama, I got some Finnish jams this year:

So, the heavy hitter 7”s in the photo I kinda got hooked up on. Terveet Kadet and Lama were more friend hookups… a homie upgraded their copies, and I was lucky enough to get the cast-offs, which is a-OK with me. Kaaos is the blue vinyl first pressing, and it was definitely a splurge at Trash Palace. Pohjasakka my friend Markku got for me for a great price when it turned up in a shop in his town. Most everything else, though, I got from shops in Helsinki. I love 77-style Finnish punk, and that’s most of what you see here. Nolla Nolla Nolla and Kollaa Kestää I knew but never really had any hope of owning, while a lot of the others are relatively new discoveries… some I bought semi-blind, just from seeing them on Discogs and other lists of Finnish punk classics. Fucking Pelle Miljoona! I think Jeff picked up a copy of that while he was in Finland this summer too.

I’ve been collecting Japanese hardcore records for at least 20 years, but I haven’t been able to add much to that collection lately. Still, I nabbed a couple of heaters:

I’m the third person in Raleigh to own that copy of the Geizz 7”… the other two passed it on because there’s a small jump on one track, but it doesn’t bother the king of the beater copy, i.e. me. And when that Juden Souchi flexi showed up in the mail, it included an original, unpublished photo of the band the seller hadn’t mentioned. Score!

Next up, a handful of heavy hitters I NEVER thought I’d own:

These bear some explanation. I always tell people I don’t fuck with original Misfits records, but there are exceptions. I own 3 Hits from Hell because, amazingly enough, we had two copies for sale in the shop at the same time and I figured I should keep one of them. This copy of Beware was on the wall at Academy when I visited New York this summer. As with most of my records, it was kind of a beater, yet it still sounded great to me and was priced such that I literally could not walk away without it. One perk of owning a record store is that I know, should buyer’s remorse strike, I can offload it pretty easily. No Thanks popped up on Discogs for an extremely attractive price and I smashed that buy button. It’s not the rarer red vinyl, but it’s minty as hell. And Urban Waste… I could write a novel (or at least a novella) about that one. It came from a store in Greenville, North Carolina, that acquired a collection of EXTREMELY cool records. The problem was they were totally trashed… most were water-damaged, torn covers, nary an insert to be found, etc. They looked like a pack of wild dogs had gotten to them, yet they were all priced as if they were NM collector’s pieces. Somehow I lucked out and nabbed the Urban Waste for a price I was willing to pay. No insert, a little scuffy, but it still sounds great and I ain’t gonna pony up for a NM copy any time soon.

Here’s a stack of rando 7” acquisitions:

Zmiv I think was another hookup… though I can’t really remember at this point. (I buy too many records!) Shout-out to newsletter reader Marko, who hooked me up with the KGB single after I mentioned it in my staff pick about the Punk Que? Punk comp LP… this record is fucking GREAT! Johnny Concrete I’ve wanted for years, but literally never saw a copy for sale… friend-of-a-friend Dee Dee hooked me up with that one and the Eyes, making Rhino 39 the only significant gap in my Dangerhouse collection. Nasty Facts I’ve wanted forever… this is a UK pressing, though, and honestly I was disappointed with the sound. Does anyone out there know if the US pressing sounds significantly better? It’s funny, after hunting for that 7” for well over a decade, I’ve seen several copies pop up on Discogs since I picked up this one. The sleeveless 7” is Silver Chalice’s “Wasted” single, which was Jeff’s staff pick just last week! If Jeff is holding out for a copy with the sleeve, he’s likely in for a long wait. (If anyone out there wants to photocopy theirs for me, I would be happy to do something nice in return.)

And now stray 12”s:

I’ve been looking for an OG of Abwarts’ first album for years, and one finally popped up (alongside a similarly minty copy of their second album) from a US seller on Discogs, and I was stoked. Essential Logic and Kommunity FK were from the same collection as Urban Waste, and both are trashed. Kommunity FK skips a bunch and I paid way too much for it, so I’m kinda bummed, but Beat Rhythm News finally completes my Essential Logic collection, and a beater is fine because I’m pretty sure I own 3 different reissues of that record already. A.O.A. / Oi Polloi I’ve been after for a few years… as you already know, Sealed Records reissued it late last year, and then of course an OG copy (a beater once again, but totally playable) walks in the store with a collection like 2 weeks later. The Gladiators is my cool reggae find of 2025… I seem to get one cool reggae record per year. Most of the rest is from eastern Europe (aside from La Broma De Ssatán, which I already wrote about in a staff pick). My friend Markku—he of the Pohjasakka hookup—introduced me to these two Greek records, and that Stress LP is my favorite new-to-me old record that I have discovered in many years. I have listened to it like a bazillion times since I got it. And the Διατάραξη Κοινής Ησυχίας compilation is the 2013 reissue… probably the most recent pressing included in this entire roundup, but it was hard enough to find that I have little hope of owning an original.

So yeah, there you go. One year in the life of a certified lunatic. I realize how completely insane I am, and I hope everyone takes this in the spirit it I intend, i.e. sharing my love of punk rather than bragging about shit I bought. I live a pretty spartan lifestyle, and aside from the constant takeout meals that keep me fat, I spend almost all my money (and then some) on records. I don’t think I’ve bought a new pair of underwear in like 5 years, but got forbid I suffer the indignity of listening to 80s Greek punk on YouTube. I love a deal, too, and as I’ve mentioned many times, I’m perfectly happy with a beater copy that plays through halfway decently. Here’s hoping plenty more of those are in store for me in 2026.

But before I go, I must update the want list for 2026!

• Nerorgasmo 7” (as I mentioned above, this is now officially a TOP WANT)
• Various: Navidades Radioactivas LP (Dro, 1982)… and the other Dro compilation while we’re at it!
• Pekinška Patka: Bolje Da Nosim Kratku Kosu / Ori, Ori 7” (with picture sleeve, please!)
• Various: Great Punk Hits LP (I’ve been holding out for one with an obi… it’s absurd that I don’t have this record by now)

Of course there are plenty more I’d love to have, and a lot more than that I won’t even get my hopes up about, but that’s what’s currently in my sights. If you can be of help with any of these, please hit me up through Sorry State! And to the rest of you: please don’t rob me! These records are all I have LOL.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a good week. Depending on where you’re reading this, you may be preparing for some winter weather this weekend. I wouldn’t mind getting snowed in for a couple days, just chilling out and listening to records and watching movies all day, but we’ll see what fate has in store for us here in Raleigh. The city shuts down from half an inch of snow, so if the predictions are even half correct, it could get crazy around here. Stock up on beer, whiskey, and herbs now! I’ve picked up enough new records lately to keep me entertained as long as we don’t lose power. Last week, I wrote about that live Bill Evans record I picked up this past Black Friday, and today I’m writing about another live record I snagged that same day, B.B. King - Broadcasting The Blues: Live From Germany and Sweden. This double LP features two live recordings: one from Germany in 1968 and one from Sweden in 1973. Not too huge of a gap between shows, but 5 years is enough for them to have their own unique flair to them. The first show featured is actually from a TV studio in Cologne, which is pretty cool. I just imagine some German kid going with his parents to this television studio and just getting his mind blown by the King of the Blues and it opening his whole world up. You can hear the German crowd clapping along the whole performance, so you know they’re digging it. How could you not tho? I could probably sit around all day and listen to live B.B. shows. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to one and not loved every minute of it; it just always hits the spot no matter what. This is another high-quality RSD release, a nice gatefold jacket and insert that features some cool-ass photos from the shows and interviews, including one with Derek Trucks that I thought was pretty awesome. Of course, most importantly, the records themselves sound amazing… real crispy. Like I said earlier, every song on here is just amazing and worth your time, but if I had to highlight one of my favorite tracks on this release, it would be the 16 minute version of That’s Wrong Little Mama on the first side. You know I love me a long jam, and this one delivers on all fronts. If you’re needing some more blues in your life, this release is definitely worth seeking out. That’s it for this week. I hope everyone stays warm and safe this weekend wherever you are!

What’s up everybody? Thanks for clicking on our newsletter this week.

Well, I don’t think you needed to be Nostradamus to predict that this year would not be a great one, but who had America starting a war with our NATO allies on their bingo card? Crazy, man. So, with the threat of WW3 and the collapse of the world order imminent let’s talk about music. Yeah!

January has been dubbed a month to appreciate all things jazz music by the internet, and indeed the radio station that I am on, The Face Radio, has been celebrating “Jazzuary“ as much as possible. I’ve certainly had fun spinning jazz records on air this month and thought I probably should pick one for y’all here. However, with the way of the world and my mood, it couldn’t be too straight. Therefore, my recommendation for you this week is to listen to Gil Scott-Heron’s 1981 album on Arista called Reflections. Yes, I know the 80s aren’t considered prime jazz years, but GSH was still pumping out bangers, and this record, although concentrating on the political situation of the Reagan era and before, is just as relevant today as then. Perhaps even more so, considering our current situation. We all need the righteous poetry and words of GSH spoken over good music. Don’t we?

Gil does more than just provide the words and voice for the record, though. He plays a variety of instruments, keyboards, and horns across the album. He’s assisted by a strong band, including Kenny Powell on drums to name one musician, and fine background vocals from the Waters family. Should those names mean anything to you.

The songs are all fire, although for me, perhaps the weakest is the opening song called Storm Music. The words and meaning of the song are fine, but the music is a sort of reggae-inspired groove everyone had to inject into their music back then. Bob Marley, Jamaica, and reggae music were boss then, and everyone had to have a reggae song on their record, even GSH. Not that the song is full-on reggae or that bad, just not the strongest start to the album in my humble opinion. However, I would never dream of criticizing a legend, and when you listen to the lyrics, it makes sense why an element of reggae and World music would be in the song. The side continues with a Bill Withers song and one that literally asks, Is That Jazz Music?

The real heat on the record comes on the second side. Beginning with an updated cover of the Marvin Gaye classic Inner City Blues, which is great, and then followed by a song titled Gun, the message is clear, and sadly still applies to today as much as it did then. The masterpiece of the album, though, is the closing cut, “B” Movie, a twelve plus minute monster of a groove and spot-on commentary from GSH. It’s a must-listen-to song. The other week whilst on our radio show Worldy, my partner Matt played it, and it went down very well with the listeners. His version was taken from an Underworld compiled compilation for the Back To Mine series. Apparently they sourced an even longer version of the song than the album version with more music at the end of the track. They might have given the song a little sonic polish also, as it sounded great. Either way, the power of the song still comes across. I am curious to get hold of the 12” single version at some point, though. I’m not entirely sure where the Underworld boys got their version from, but it is out there. Maybe on a UK-only 12”? Answers on a postcard, please. Regardless, it’s the words and the message of the song that count, and GSH delivers one of his best with “B” Movie. Go check it out here. Cool album cover art too, with Gil’s sunglasses reflection showing us different aspects of life in America.

Okay, that’s all I have for you. Thanks for reading and supporting us.

Cheers - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Sitting down to write for the newsletter again right now feels surreal. I think that devoting any energy toward acknowledging the time that’s elapsed since my last entry, and explaining where I’ve been mentally and emotionally for the last few months… I’m just not sure I can do that right now. And for those of you reading who are in the dark, I’m not even sure you care to read what I have to say about all that. Needless to say, I’ve been having a very difficult time. My most sincere gratitude to everyone who has reached out or given support.

I’ll be honest, for a while, I hadn’t really been actively listening to music at all. I think I’m finally turning a corner around that barricade. But forgive me if I’m foggy on anything new that’s been released over the last couple months. I’ve got some catching up to do, I suppose.

I don’t even know why I decided to talk about this record exactly. I guess just because I’ve been listening to this song constantly within the last few days. Consider this less of a well-constructed “staff pick,” and rather more of a conversational write-up just to get myself back into the swing of things. We must get back on the horse.

For some reason, the song “Wasted” from the 1979 single by LA punk band Silver Chalice has become my recent obsession. I guess it all started with a conversation when a friend and I were texting back and forth about deathrock bands the other day. Upon revisiting the song, I was just like, “goddamn it’s SO good.” It’s like addicting. For those unfamiliar, I think the single remains fairly obscure and original copies are quite a rarity. It was reissued by Munster a little over 10 years ago, but it also appeared on the Bloodstains Across California comp. It’s interesting, because strictly speaking, this song precedes “death rock” being clearly defined by many years. So why is this single often included in the deathrock conversation? Is it the name? “Silver Chalice” does sound pretty spooky. Is it the austere, mysterious-looking cover art? I don’t know!

Silver Chalice seems to be the brainchild guy named Kim Komet, who I don’t know much about. He’s the frontman and songwriter. I’ve seen a few Ed Colver photos of him, but he still seems to be a rather mysterious character. Geza X also played guitar in Silver Chalice and was the producer/engineer. You can totally hear that signature sonic palette Geza X brought to many other early LA punk singles on “Wasted”. For all intents and purposes, “Wasted” is a pretty straight rockin’ tune with great vocal melodies. I’ve also heard this single described as “heavy glitter trash”, so I guess we’ve got that vibe goin’ on as well. As far as drawing a spooky vibe from the record, it does feel sonically veiled with murky production. I also interpret the lyrics to be a sort of a lament, sang with this mournful delivery which gives the song a haunting quality: “All my broken dreams… where are they? I’m wasting away. I’m goooone”. Beautiful, catchy, wailing backing vocals on the word “gone,” it’s awesome. Also, I think that this single remaining relatively obscure, like not being released on Dangerhouse for example, contributes to its feeling like a true outsider record – even for punk. Apparently, in an interview, Komet self-described Silver Chalice as “dead-crude rock”. So perhaps this influence made waves in the LA punk scene before you had the bands on Hell Comes To Your House like Christian Death, 45 Grave and Super Heroines. Is Silver Chalice like The Stooges of their kind? – are they proto-deathrock??

In 1985, Silver Chalice put out their only other release, a 12” EP called Evil Birds. By this time, Rob Graves from The Bags had joined the band, along with Don Bolles, who was probably doing 45 Grave around the same time. On this record, it seems like Kim, Geza and the gang had embraced the deathrock thing completely, both visually and musically. Evil Birds is a cool record, but still nothing quite does it for me like “Wasted”. I really am not a fan of the alternate artwork on the Munster reissue, which I think is a photo Kim holding a passed-out naked woman on stage (yikes). I would love to have a proper first pressing with the original picture sleeve, so if you’ve got one in okay shape for not stupid money, bang my line.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week. Truly the best I could do I think, haha. Hope you at least found it interesting. Check out the song if you haven’t before. Missed you guys, hope you missed me…

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Siouxsie and the Banshees took a long time making their way onto my list of favorite bands. I’ve been aware of them since before I can remember, but during the self-education on 70s UK punk I gave myself in my 20s, they never really registered. I knew songs like “Hong Kong Garden” and “Love in a Void” and I thought they were alright, but they didn’t knock me out the way “What Do I Get” or “One Chord Wonders” or “Neat Neat Neat” did. I basically thought of Siouxsie and the Banshees as ’77 also-rans who had a fluke pop hit way after the fact (1988’s “Peekabo,” which I remember being all over MTV).

Then, sometime in my late 20s, I picked up 1981’s Once Upon a Time: The Singles and fell head over heels. The punky “Honk Kong Garden” and “Love In a Void” where there, but what blew me away were the batch of singles that came after that: “Happy House,” “Christine,” “Spellbound,” etc. It’s those singles from 1980 and 1981 that made me a fan and made me curious to explore the Banshees’ discography further. After picking up the first four albums, the shape of that discography and the band’s story became a little clearer. Siouxsie and bassist Steve Severin were the creative core, and they played with many musicians before a lineup with drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist John McKay solidified around the time they signed with Polydor. That lineup did the first two albums and a handful of singles, but imploded in September 1979 when Morris and McKay quit the band mid-tour. Budgie, recently off playing drums on the Slits’ phenomenal Cut, joined on drums and became the group’s third creative pillar. The trio then worked with a succession of guitarists (most of them incredible) for the rest of the band’s run, their music continuing to change and evolve until the very end.

So, it’s spring 2025. I’m chilling, living my life as a Siouxsie & the Banshees fan, and YouTube serves me a video called Siouxsie and the Banshees: Ranking the Albums from “The Scream” through “The Rapture.” I feel like I know my Siouxsie records pretty well, but the three guys in this video totally outclassed me with their knowledge, and I was learning so much that I ended up watching the whole 90-minute video. The guys in the video rate some of the Banshees’ later albums more highly than I do, which made me want to spend more time with those records, but the video’s big revelation for me was learning about a record they kept bringing up called The Thorn.

The Thorn came out in 1984, and it is the sole EP Siouxsie and the Banshees ever released. Which is kinda weird, right? The Banshees were students of the craft of making both singles and albums, so why did they neglect the humble EP? I love EPs. I like that you get a little more than a single with an EP, but it’s not as weighty as an album. Perhaps for that reason, I think a lot of bands’ best work is on their EPs, which have a way of catching artists at transitional stages. Napalm Death’s Mentally Murdered, the Fall’s Slates, and the Clash’s Black Market Clash all come to mind as great EPs in that transitional vein.

And Siouxsie and the Banshees were, indeed, in a period of transition when they recorded The Thorn. Guitarist John McGeotch (formerly of Magazine, and later of Public Image Limited) quit the band in 1982, and Robert Smith from the Cure (who had also filled in for a spell in 1980) joined the Banshees as his replacement. However, the Cure was hitting their own creative stride during this period, and eventually Smith left the Banshees to focus on his own band. The Banshees then recruited journeyman musician John Valentine Carruthers (whose most recent gig was in Clock DVA) as Smith’s replacement. The Thorn is the first thing Curruthers recorded with the group, and it served as an introduction to the Banshees’ new lineup.

How do the Banshees choose to kick off the Carruthers years? Curiously, by revisiting some old tunes. Not the greatest hits, mind you, but a motley collection of album tracks and b-sides from several lineups before (including three from the Morris / McKay lineup that had disbanded four years prior… the lineup that recorded the not-as-great earlier stuff). They chose four tracks: “Overground” originally appeared on the first Banshees LP, The Scream, while “Placebo Effect” was on the second album, Join Hands. “Voices” was the b-side to 1978’s “Hong Kong Garden” single, while “Red Over White” backed up 1980’s “Israel” single. If someone forced you to make a list of the worst 10 songs the Banshees had recorded up to that point, these would almost certainly be on it. They all sound unfinished, but some of them sound barely started. I guess bands do this all the time—revisit old material that didn’t quite work the first time around—but most bands are better at relegating those early attempts to the cutting-room floor. I think it’s rare for a band to reclaim and revise their earlier material like that, and particularly rare for them to do it successfully.

All four tracks on The Thorn are completely reworked, reimagined really, as Banshees circa 1984. The minimalist sketches that sat on b-sides are now ambitious, orchestral, dramatic as all fuck… they shine. Earlier this week I was driving around listening to Twice Upon a Time, the sequel to Once Upon a Time that covers the rest of the Banshees’ career, noting how many covers appear on that compilation. I thought to myself that perhaps where the Banshees were really in a class of their own was as arrangers. They constructed these massive, layered soundscapes that sounded like nothing else (well, at least until Robin Guthrie ripped it off and turned it into a whole subgenre). Though the bones of the songs on The Thorn are not great, they are still captivating in these versions. However, when the Banshees took their power as arrangers and welded it to truly great _songs_—whether covers of classics like “The Passenger” and “Dear Prudence” or their own compositions like “Cities and Dust” and “Swimming Horses”—they achieved highs very few other artists ever matched.

So yeah, The Thorn kicks ass, but sadly it ain’t easy to get. It came out on vinyl only in 1984, wasn’t released in the US at all, and has never been reissued. Aside from Overground appearing on Twice Upon a Time, the only place you can get these tracks digitally would be as part of 2004’s Downside Up CD box set (Discogs median price check: $133.50… also, I hate to be a bummer, but the rest of the box is kind of a slog). Since I learned about _The Thorn_’s existence a few weeks before I went to Europe last summer, I made a mental note to keep my eye out for it. I actually found it at the very last shop I visited on the trip. It wasn’t expensive… there are a ton of copies on Discogs for $15 (or less, if you’re willing to skimp on condition), but you’re gonna have to pay that international shipping.

And speaking of Twice Upon a Time and un-reissued Banshees records, get that back in print! Twice Upon a Time came out in 1992, and they only pressed vinyl in continental Europe (not even the UK!). I do not want to pay several hundred dollars for that record, but give me a halfway decent reissue and you can have my $50.