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This year feels like a blur for so many reasons. I transitioned to Sorry State full time, got triple vaccinated, thought the pandemic was ending, got sad that it wasn’t, and spent so, so much money on records. I slowly ventured back out into the world and might have, uhh, almost doubled my record collection. Going back into thrift stores and the flea market, I didn’t count the amount of records I was buying because it’s always cheap… hundreds of records and an additional Kallax shelf later… fuck. 80 cent records might not add up to a lot of money but it’s a lot of shelf space. And, of course, having to work around so many amazing records, maybe I should pat myself on the back for not getting more? I doubt it.
I’ve been digging through my Discogs for the past few weeks trying to make sense of everything I’ve amassed this year and, without repeating something I’ve written about previously, here are my top acquisitions and top releases of 2021 (in no particular order):
Top Acquisitions of 2021
1. Curious George Takes a Job 7” (1969)
I didn’t have a baby blanket or teddy bear as a baby; for some reason my parents got me a Curious George puppet. I still have it; the Curious George logo has long since rubbed off, all of his fluff is gone, but like the people that are attached to strands of a baby blanket, I can’t get rid of him. I was excited to find any CG on vinyl, let alone THIS story. For those of y’all not familiar, George tries to get employed but ends up locking himself in a room with paint fumes and getting high as shit. I always remembered this story so I, of course, had to get this 7”.
2. Various: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 12” (2020)
I can’t take credit for this find; my boyfriend found it on a rare record buying outing without me. This is a bootleg so I can’t find out much information about this release. But I want to kiss the hand of whoever thought to press a soundtrack like this on vinyl. I suck at this game but, man, this soundtrack makes me nostalgic.
3. Project Pat: Mista Don’t Play Everythangs Workin 12” (2000)
Holy fuckin’ grail, my dudes. Another I technically didn’t purchase (thanks, boyfriend!), but most definitely enabled. This album is on rotation a ton in our house so finding an OG pressing on vinyl was a no brainer, no matter what the price tag was (don’t ask).
4. Osibisa: Woyaya 12” (1971)
I’m going to be wholesome for a second and say I REALLY LOVE MY JOB. Retail is hard, especially as a super antisocial person but our customers always seem to lift my spirits when I work the counter. A few months ago I was helping someone pick out records for their very new collection and he asked me about this record; I didn’t know it so I threw it on and we were both vibing to it. I told him I’d buy it if he didn’t but, of course, he purchased it and I told him I’ll be looking out for the next one… instead, he handed it to me and thanked me for the help and left the store before I could protest. A sweet memory I will forever associate with this record.
5. Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic: Symphony No. 3 Kaddish 12” (1963)
I picked this up for $1 at my favorite flea market spot because I always try to pick up anything Jewish on vinyl. My Jewish vinyl finds are few and far between but this is the most memorable. I grew up going to temple and I know everyone has their own tunes to the prayers but I’ve never heard the Kaddish like this. This is like some crazy witch shit, I’m linking to a recording because you just have to hear it.
Top releases of 2021:
1. Dollhouse: First Day of Spring 7” (Toxic State)
I love the weirdo vocals. I love the catchy guitars. But I was first drawn in by the packaging; beautiful screen printing and a haunting image is a match made in heaven. I also used to collect the type of doll in this photo so I immediately felt a weird kinship to Dollhouse.
2. Zorn: Hardcore Zorn 7” (Sorry State)
Not to toot our own horn, but FUCK, this release is everything I want in punk. It’s metal and menacing and EVIL. And I absolutely cannot wait for the day I finally get to see Zorn live; after seeing their videos I’m fucking dying for it.
3. Skeletal Family: The Singles plus 1983-85 12” (Graveface/NeverNotGoth)
I haven’t written about Graveface in a while, but I follow the owner’s career closely after working for him in college. His work ethic and passion for creating are so admirable and had a big impact on my time in Savannah, GA. Because obviously two+ record labels, a storefront, museum, and his own musical acts weren’t enough, Ryan has set out to release old obscure goth rock under the name NeverNotGoth. This is the first big release from this new label and it was at the top of my list for Record Store Day. Do yourself a favor and become familiar with Skeletal Family!
4. Collapsed: S/T 12” (Phobia Records)
Listening back to my new release purchases, almost everything skews on the metal side of punk. Usman will hate me saying this but I feel like crust and metal have a lot in common. And I think this release by Collapsed is the perfect example. The song structures feel punk but the vocals and guitar solos appeal to the metal in me.
5. Tower 7: …Peace on Earth? 12” (D4MT Labs)
I imagine I’m not the only one that had a pretty good idea of what the best of the year was and then Tower 7 came along and dropped this fucking bomb on us. It only took the first song for me to know this was going to slide its way into my top of the year. This thing rips from beginning to end.