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Hi Sorry State readers! Hope everyone is having a good week. We are busy AF here at SSR headquarters, so thank you for your patience and continued support! I usually have a fair amount of energy, but the last two weeks or so have kicked my ass. I think I may finally be getting old. Or maybe it’s just pollen season.
Either way, we have gotten so many new records lately! It’s super fun and also overwhelming when you want to dig into some new music and don’t know where the hell to start. But spoiler alert, I did start. So here we go…
Although this isn’t my staff pick, I want to quickly mention an album I listened to this week that I really like. When I was sifting through our new stock, Jeff handed me the debut record by Camera Silens called Réalité, and I gave it a spin. It’s the 1985 debut from the band. It’s French. It’s oi! punk, I guess. Those are the only bullet points I can come up with for now, as it’s new to me. But it’s really good and the bass lines are the sickest. Their song Suicide has been stuck in my head. It’s got such an infectious chorus, and wouldn’t you know, the bass riffs are the sickest.
On to my staff pick. I will give Jeff credit for this one too because he was listening to this band one day and really liked it. I probably asked what it was, and he likely told me. But that happens a lot here at Sorry State, and there are a lot of bands floating around in my head that are waiting to be listened to. Anyway, that band happened to be Legal Weapon. And I know that because we recently received the reissue of their first album, Death of Innocence. I guess I was meant to listen to it because it was an immediate yes.
Legal Weapon is one of the LA punk pioneers, forming in 1980 and led by the fabulous Kat Arthur. There have been lineup changes along the way, but the lineup on this particular album is special as they added Steve Soto and Frank Agnew of the Adolescents on bass and rhythm guitar. I mean, enough said.
This album sounds like a blend of hard rock, classic punk, and melodic hardcore. Kat Arthur’s vocals are extraordinary and really the focal point for me. They’re strong and smoky, but really versatile too. She’s a killer punk singer, but she could have easily fronted any type of rock band of the time and skyrocketed into fame. Who knows? I think their later stuff does shift more toward hard rock, but we’re here to talk Death of Innocence.
Looping back to the versatility of Kat’s vocals for a minute. I am even reminded a little bit of Siouxsie Sioux. A good example of this is on the title track, Death of Innocence. Such a dynamic track. It’s melodic and also really gritty, with darker and more dramatic vocals.
Another great track that’s more on brand for a punk album is Daddy’s Gone Mad. It’s fast and furious, with gritty hooks and high-pitched riffs. Likewise, War Babies is another killer track. That one is angrier and more anthemic. Waiting in Line is my favorite song on the album. It’s rather simple, but I love the tempo changes on this one and how the vocals shift from playful to threatening. It’s a slower track, but it’s also really powerful.
That all said, there isn’t a bad song or even a mediocre song on the album. It kept me engaged from start to finish, and my attention span is pretty short. I don’t really know how well known this album is, but for how good it is, I imagine it’s tragically underrated.
By the way, this is the album’s first reissue with fully remastered audio. It’s limited to 500 copies on color vinyl. Plus, you get a bad ass and rather sizable poster featuring an unpublished photo of Kat Arthur. The poster did not come with the original album, so this is a really cool bonus! Oh, and even though you don’t see it in my picture, it does have a hype sticker on the poly bag it comes with.
Give it a try. You’ll like it, I promise. Thanks so much for reading and see ya next week!
-Angela