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Hi Sorry State readers! How is everyone doing? Things are good on my end. I can’t really complain. I feel like I need some more introductory content that isn’t weather-related. Ya know, talking about the passage of time is also pretty popular. So like… can you believe we’re already halfway through April? Crazy, right?

So my staff pick is the self-titled debut record by the Philly phenoms, Dark Thoughts. Let me preface this by saying that I sadly do not have this record. Come to find out, it’s also not very easy to get (wink wink, nudge nudge). That’s why you’re seeing a generic stock photo. Sigh. Anyways, I’ve been listening to this band a LOT. This particular album is totally infectious.

I’ve only known of their existence for maybe six months? They popped up on my Spotify and I was like, wow this is really good. So I started playing their music at work and it was funny because at separate times, each of my esteemed colleagues said something like “oh you’re listening to Dark Thoughts?” which would subsequently be followed with a string of praise for the band. So yeah, pretty much everyone here already likes and literally knows the band, and I’m just late to the game.

I’ve listened to all three of their LPs, but I play the first one the most. It’s 20 minutes of the catchiest shit. I hate to use a Ramones comparison because it feels like a lazy cop out. But, it is the right band to reference to give a basic description of the type of punk this is. It’s that really catchy, boppy, fun, easy to sing-a-long with kind of punk. But it has a lot of depth.

I know a lot of bands go for that fun and simple straightforward kind of punk that the Ramones are known for, but a lot of them just don’t get their hooks into you. On the contrary, Dark Thoughts makes you feel something. I think that it you can accomplish that, any other measure of what’s good and what sucks doesn’t really matter anymore.

With all that said, I can’t stress enough this band sounds like they should be way bigger and more well known than they are. That’s the first thing that came to mind after listening to just a few songs. They really have their shit together and the songwriting is impressive. They play super tight and fast-paced from start to finish, often exceeding the pace of the track before it. Jim’s vocals are perfect for the music. They aren’t overdone or obnoxious, nor are they too understated.

There are zero duds on this album. Seriously, every track could be a single. But if I had to choose, my favorites are Identity Crisis, No More Soul, Where Did You Go, and Nothin to Do. I’m all for short and sweet tracks, but I wouldn’t be mad if their songs were a little longer. They’re that good. If their goal was to leave you wanting more, then mission accomplished.

I will leave a link to Spotify if you want to check out this album, but don’t sleep on their other two full lengths. They have a strong catalogue and I hope they add to it soon!

Thank you for reading! Until next time!

-Angela

https://open.spotify.com/album/6B7ej8MpaYYN5Z8jeLmgOj?si=jQ2KW5AARMKFU85hwV8GgA

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I am writing about ANTI-SYSTEM. My introduction to the band was via their debut 7” ‘Defence Of The Realm EP’. At this point, the band more or less has that classic UK anarcho sound. The guitar sounds fairly tinny and noisy like a band on Crass Records, but the drummer plays with more DISCHARGE style compared to most of those bands. This EP is excellent, and I’m not sure I could say which of their records I like the most… but man, I’ve been playing their full-length ‘No Laughing Matter’ non-stop lately. I feel like it’s one of the best records that came out in 1985. They leaned way more into the DISCHARGE on it. The guitar tone even sounds more like ‘Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing", with the tinny guitar replaced by a huge wall of sound. While these elements were pushed harder on the LP, they still take the time and space to go deeper into the anarcho side of things. From audio-clips, to percussive passages accompanied by chanting, and even a tiny bit of political spoken word—this record has it all for me. I feel like this fusion of DISCHARGE and CRASS was not too uncommon around this time, but when has it ever been this perfect? ANTISECT’s ‘In Darkness There Is No Choice" is another example of this perfect fusion for me. Alright, I’m happy to say I don’t have to go back to work for once… but I am going to drink gin and tonics, and make some pizza. I hope everyone is well. Thank you for reading and thanks to everyone for the support!!

Howdy, howdy everyone, thanks for dialing us up again this week. It’s been a typical busy week here at Sorry State with more and more great records hitting the bins. Record Store Day is just around the corner, and we are beginning to receive some of those titles from our distributors. There are a lot of great releases this go-around. Besides the RSD records, we are busying trying to price up as many cool used records as possible so that the store will be bursting with great records. More than normal. Don’t worry, we have plenty to still load up the Friday New Arrivals before then and for a good while afterwards. All sorts of great stuff too, not just punk and metal. This week, for instance, I have been working on a box that had a lot of Blues records. We let you know about a couple the other day on our Instagram, which you may have seen. John Scott and I were enjoying spinning those and a few other cool ones. Come flip through the Blues section and our new arrivals next time you are visiting to get your fix.

I have always liked Blues music. As a kid discovering 1950s Rock ‘n’ Roll and Rockabilly, it was natural to dig deeper and sideways and appreciate Blues, Country, Jazz and R & B at the same time. I fell in love with B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Robert Johnson et al. My love of Jimi Hendrix solidified my appreciation of blues music considerably. I don’t have a massive number of blues records, but over the years have collected a few good ones. Anytime I can pick up a new to me good one I am happy. Such was the case whilst pricing up some of these latest purchases. It wasn’t one that I had initial high hopes for as it was recorded in the 1980s, not the classic era for Blues music but a time when there were still plenty of old school blues artists alive and a few younger cats playing authentic blues. Anyway, I enjoyed this album, and I’d like to make it my staff pick for this week.

Johnny Copeland: Texas Twister. Rounder Records. 1983

Johnny Copeland played the Texas Blues style and had a career beginning in the mid to late 1950s. Born in Louisiana, he established himself in Houston, Texas and released records on Duke and other labels to marginal success. He established himself on the touring circuit however, and spent a good couple of decades slinging guitar and playing the blues with a dash of soul to audiences across Texas and the South. Towards the late 1970s, he moved to New York with an eye on mixing in some of the disco sound into his music. Here he linked with an upcoming younger producer, Dan Doyle, who helped sign him to Rounder Records and produced his early records on the label. Texas Twister was his second for the label and features a couple of special guest artists. Firstly, Stevie Ray Vaughan plays guitar on a couple of songs, which is cool and probably why people pay a bit more for the record. Johnny met Stevie playing the blues festivals and clubs and performed on several of the same bills during this time. The second special guest is Archie Shepp, the Jazz legend. He plays some cool tenor sax on my favorite track on the album, the song called North Carolina. It was that cut that made me check the record in the first place and it’s been ear worming me all week. For an 80s record, it still has the funk with the blues. Any track that can connect on a personal level is a winner in my book and the lyrics of this tune where he sings about moving from New York to North Carolina had relevance to my own life. The track has a cool repetitive horn and piano hook and then the nice solo by Archie Shepp to cap it off. Nice. I’ve been digging it.

The record has an awesome cover too. Our man Johnny sporting a dapper suit with his Peavey T-60 guitar looking bad ass. Jeff confirmed the guitar make btw and informs us that this model has a cool Toaster pickup. So, there you go. Cheers Jeff for the expert info.

Sadly, Johnny left this world prematurely aged just sixty in 1997, but left an enduring legacy of fine blues and soul recordings behind him. His daughter, Shemekia Copeland, has carried on the family tradition however, and is an award-winning blues vocalist with over ten albums under her belt.

Is this the best blues record in the world? Of course not. Is Johnny Copeland cool and a bad ass? You bet he is. Crank up the computer volume and give North Carolina a blast and nod your head along with me.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time. Cheers – Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I’m in so much pain. Not even kidding. It’s kinda funny how it happened tho. Scarecrow played a local gig the other night after what felt like a long hiatus from NC punk gigs. And I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t stretch before we played, or if it’s a symptom of how hard I was rockin’ out (yeah right 🙄), but I’m feeling rough. The muscle running down my neck and down along my shoulder is sore as all hell. And I’ll be honest, when I go through my day focusing on how much my shoulder hurts, it’s hard for me to maintain a good mood. I was pretty cranky yesterday. The soreness also made me not really feel excited about getting up off the couch and flipping records. As soon as I got home from work, I went into full lazy couch potato mode.

But wha wha, I’m sorry to be a cry baby. One thing that I’ve been experiencing lately (besides the pinched nerve in my shoulder) is a pinch of nostalgia. In part because while I was lazing away my evenings, I was binging a bunch of punk documentaries on Tubi. Have y’all checked out this streaming site before? It’s free, and the selection of music documentaries and horror movies makes me want to cancel all the streaming services I pay money for. Lately Daniel and Usman have been buzzing about skateboarding. Which is rad. Daniel got a bit thrashed the other day, which I’m sure he’s not stoked about, but I thought it was so rad because it was evidence of getting out there and shredding!! Once my shoulder heals, maybe I’ll hop back on my board and skate around a little bit. Until then, I watched the Bones Brigade documentary for like the 100th time to tide me over. I also re-watched the Descendents documentary. I don’t know why, but content like this has been making me feel cozy lately I guess.

By funny coincidence, Sorry State recently purchased this collection chock full o’ pop punk bangers that I loved in my early teenage years. The other night, I decided to throw on Screeching Weasel’s 1993 banger Anthem For A New Tomorrow. Now, I understand that Screeching Weasel is divisive—for many reasons. Some people can’t stand Ben Weasel’s voice. Some people have written off the band due to Weasel’s very publicized on-stage behavior. I totally get it. But I didn’t know about any of this when I was in my innocence, jamming bands like The Queers and The Lillingtons. So whether people are turned off by them or not, I will say that for me at least, Anthems always stuck out to me as one of the band’s better records from the 90s.

I threw this copy on the turntable as I was closing up the store, and I actually found myself wanting to stick around and listen to the whole damn thing. When I was younger, I don’t think I made the connection that a good amount of Screeching Weasel’s records came out on Lookout! and that they were connected to that whole scene. I was somewhat tempted to set this platter aside for myself, but this copy we have at the store is an original copy in nice shape with a hefty price tag. I’m trying to practice self-restraint. But it’s funny, as I was listening, there were a bunch of killer moments on this record I totally forgot about: The awesome instrumental tune “Talk To Me Summer”… the moody, jangly guitar strumming in “Inside Out”… the catchy organ (or is it like children’s piano?) passage in “Peter Brady,” which also it sounds like Fat Mike does guest vocals on? Wild. I don’t know how these little details of the production seem to be wiped from my memory. This copy sounds fucking great, so all these little decorative extras in the instrumentation were really hitting me.

I had fun revisiting this pop punk banger from my youth. I guess this is more-so directed at shop locals who read the newsletter, but if you’re into that world of melodic punk and garage, then we’ll have some cool stuff hitting the used new arrivals for you over the next couple of weeks.

Anyway, wish I had more to contribute this week, but I think this is all I can muster. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

B.G.K.: Jonestown Aloha LP (1983, Vögelspin Records / R Radical Records)

This week we’ve been experiencing our annual brief but glorious glimpse of California weather here in North Carolina. Living in the South my whole life, I’ve learned to savor this fleeting moment between winter (which, to be fair, usually isn’t too bad for us) and the scorching summer heat that will make existing outdoors all but impossible until October. I’ve been sleeping with the windows open, drinking my morning coffee on the back porch and, for the first time in many years, dusting off my skateboard.

I’ve been thinking about skateboarding for a while. I skated regularly until my early 30s, when I drifted away from it, for fear of injuring myself and not being able to play music. Lately, though, a few of my friends have been getting back into skating, and I felt jealous. Then I was at the Zorn show in Richmond the other day and I ended up talking to my friend Justin about skating for a while… I met Justin in high school at my first DIY punk show and he’s about the same age as me (it was his first DIY punk show too), so I figured if he could do it, then I could too. It took me a minute to get going because the only shoes I owned were boots and running shoes, but last week I scooped a new pair of Vans and rolled into an empty parking lot to fuck around. It took about 2 minutes to realize how much I missed it. I keep thinking about this sample on Spazz’s La Revancha LP, when someone asks this kid, “What do you love about skateboarding?” And he answers, “the motherfucking god damn freedom.”

Skating has made me want to listen to hardcore, because those two things go together like peanut butter and jelly. I’ve listened to a bunch of rad records since the first time I went out, but one I hadn’t touched in a while is B.G.K.’s first album, Jonestown Aloha. For a band whose discography consists of three fucking killer records, B.G.K. doesn’t get the love they should. Jonestown Aloha is a scorcher, though. It’s B.G.K.’s catchiest record, smoothing out some of the rough edges of the more blistering White Male Dumbinance EP and more streamlined than the more ambitious Nothing Can Go Wrogn. The songs are lean and mean, most of them around a minute and a half long, making their way from a catchy main riff to a chanted chorus and back with no room for fiddly bits. “Race Riot,” “Arms Race,” “Pray for Peace and Kill for Christ…” classics abound.

I have little information on B.G.K. Maybe that’s why they don’t get talked about as much today, because there isn’t too much information about them on the internet and their members aren’t making fools of themselves on social media, selling busted ass merch, and doing lifeless reunion tours (at least as far as I know). But every B.G.K. record rules. Hardcore rules. Skateboarding rules. Get out there and have some fun if you can, because the clock is ticking.

Hey what’s up everybody? I’m stoked to be writing my first Sorry State Newsletter staff pick. My name’s Kestrel AKA Grubbs. I lived in Raleigh for around 7 years playing in different bands and then I moved to the northwest, bouncing around Oregon, northern California and Washington. I’m now staying on a land project in Siler City with some cool people. I decided to make the hour long drive to Raleigh four days a week to work at Sorry State because I love working and hanging with these psychos. I’ve been slowly learning how to balance Sorry State work with my night classes at Alamance Community College. I enrolled this semester for the welding program, and I’ve been loving every second. When I started this metalworking trade a few years ago, I was listening to a lot of bands that, I would say, have a natural congruence with metalworking like Sabbath, Dokken and of course Metallica... duh. I swear Tooth and Nail was on repeat for an embarrassing amount of time. As far as Metallica goes, there truly is nothing like forming and melting steel while blasting Ride the Lightning. It’s like time travel. Anyway on to my first staff pick. I’m going with A D-beat Odyssey by Wolfbrigade this week. I’ve been jamming this on headphones while I’ve been in welding shop class and it just gets me cooking... know what I mean? I’ve listened to a lot of different albums while welding, but this one just FITS. The super epic crust chorus on the second track puts me in a totally different time while I’m melting steel. I totally get why Rob Miller of Amebix became a swordsmith. As an added bonus to this stellar record, Poffen from Totalitar joined up to do guest vocals because Micke of Wolfbrigade lost his voice and found out he had a tumor on his throat. I really like the back-and-forth vocals, but to be perfectly honest I wouldn’t mind if Poffen did vocals for the entire record. Although I would say I really do like the handful of times where Micke has these crazy vocal rhythms that just sound straight up EVIL. That’s a weird thing to say... A vocal rhythm sounding evil.. I don’t know how to explain it further, but maybe it’s also just that the evilness is more than the sum of its parts. Anyway this Swedish crust/punk group kills it and I applaud them for continuing to release solid raw punk records into the early 2000s.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. My mind has been all over the place this week and sometimes when I find myself feeling this way, I like to listen to more instrumental music so I can kind of let my mind wander and think about different things. This week I found myself listening to an album I picked up a couple weeks ago, Ravi Shankar At The Monterey International Pop Festival. A lot of people have mixed feelings on live albums, but I’m personally a big fan of them. If your music doesn’t sound good live, then what’s the point of it? I love getting a new record that doesn’t sound like anything else I own already. I went over to a friend’s house the other week and brought some records to play, and at one point I pulled this one out and we listened to the whole thing and at the end my friend said “What do we even follow up with after that?” Probably just more Ravi Shankar records, but this is the only one I have for now, so I’m gonna have to just keep replaying it. As you could guess from the title, the music is taken from his performance at the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival, the same festival where Jimi Hendrix famously lit his guitar on fire, which Ravi was “horrified” to witness. His performance took place on the third and last day of this festival, on Sunday afternoon after a rainy morning, in front of a bunch of weird ass hippies, which he wasn’t really a fan of. But he grew to like some of the people in the crowd that he could tell were really enjoying the music. That’s part of the reason I enjoy live albums so much, because I like learning about the history behind the show and what was happening at the time and how people were feeling, because it can really affect how the music sounds. Anyway, this record has quickly become one of my favorites and I hope to add some more of his to my collection.

Hi Sorry State fam! How are you? Things are pretty good on my end. Dude, it’s been blazing hot here in Raleigh and it’s super gross. But the temperature is gonna get 40 degrees lower in a few days. Nothing says tornado like 85 one day and 48 the next.

Anyway, I’m going off the beaten path this week to talk about a show I saw a couple of days ago. Bikini Kill! This was a momentous occasion, as I’ve had tickets since 2020! The shows in 2020 and 2021 were postponed because of the pandemic. But a 2022 cancellation came as a total shock. I did shed some tears, as I thought there was no way I will see them anytime soon. But they ended up rescheduling the few shows they had to cancel, so I was so excited! Except they cut the Raleigh date and kept the Asheville date, so I had to drive to Asheville. I don’t like driving to Asheville at all. I get car sick and it’s just a whole thing.

So we got to the venue two hours before Bikini Kill was to take the stage, so that I could stand right up against the barricade. But sadly I didn’t get there in time and I had to settle for somewhere around second and third row. Anyway, they came out on stage in all of their wondrous glory and I got a little emo. It was such a great show. They opened with my favorite BK song, New Radio, which was great, but I just wasn’t mentally prepared for that. I need a few warm up songs ya know?

They played most of my favorite songs like I like Fucking, Feels Blind, Suck My Left One, and lots more. It was super cool getting to see Tobi sing. And they closed out with Double Dare Ya and Rebel Girl. It was a sold out show so the place was packed. I’m so happy that they have sold out just about every show because they seemed to be having a blast.

They played 24 songs, which was amazing, and they put together a killer set pulling from all their albums. Kathleen used every opportunity she had between songs to speak out against all the bullshit. Old bullshit and new bullshit. That said, it made me think of how disheartening it must feel that the songs you wrote over 30 years ago are still very much applicable to the current social climate.

But besides her wisdom, Kathleen is also really funny, and to me she’s the absolute coolest woman on the planet. I really wanted to wait around to meet the band, but the way the venue is set up outside just isn’t conducive for such an activity. It was also cold and kinda rainy. Plus, I would probably piss my pants, and maybe say something stupid, which I would replay in my head at night for the rest of my life. It’s better this way.

I didn’t really take many pictures or video because I was way too into the show, but I’m attaching a few. It’s the best I could do. Anyway, thanks for reading. Until next time!

-Angela

Hello and thanks for reading. We rescheduled SCARECROW rehearsal this week and we went up to Richmond together to see KRIGSHODER and INDRE KRIG. It was awesome. INDRE KRIG was excellent, as expected. KRIGSHODER was awesome. I was really looking forward to seeing them. I saw a bunch of friends I didn’t expect to see, and I got way too drunk. One of my dreads was cut off by a friend to give to another friend, and I puked in a trash can outside of a gas station before we drove back home. Somehow I’m still managing to get some work done today...

I’m taking this opportunity to let you know about the next release on my new label Mäkitie 8, which is this KAAOS LP! The recording on this 12” is from 1981, and it was their second show ever. This lineup is before Jakke became the front-man, and they play a lot of songs that have never been heard or released otherwise. The recording isn’t the greatest, but for a Finnish hardcore nerd like myself that is not a huge issue haha. Given that this is the earliest known recording to exist of KAAOS I was super excited to hear it, let alone play a role in the release of it! This is actually the first release under Mäkitie 8; the SEKAANNUS 7" just happened to be ready from the pressing plant before this one. The 12" comes with a 16-page booklet which consists of scans from an old zine called SUBCULTURE. I actually didn’t know about this zine prior to this release, alongside some other “interesting” things about KAAOS (mainly their influences)… haha maybe I’ll say more later but you can discover the same stuff inside the booklet for yourself. I’m just waiting on the booklets to arrive and these will be available from Sorry State as soon as those are in. If you need the color version though, you can still order a copy directly from my site. There is also a t-shirt available, huge thanks to Marty for that!!! Alright that’s all for today, thank you for reading and thanks to everyone for the support!!

Greetings one and all in Sorry State land. Glad to have you along for another newsletter. There’s always plenty going on as per usual. More new releases and lots more cool and interesting used records. The collections, small and large, keep on coming and we’ll have the bins stuffed with great records for a good while. Naturally, you never need an excuse to come by the shop and say hello, but if you do, we’ll have something for you no matter what the budget. We do our best to keep the bargain bins stocked with plenty of good records so you can always leave with something worthy for just a few bucks. Music is fun and records were meant for everyone, not just the rich. Obviously we can’t give stuff away and some things are going to be pricey because we pay good money for good records and are a business that needs to make a profit, but there will always be records here that are accessible to all. That’s what we strive to do. Sermon over.

This past week has seen the typical drastic weather changes here in North Carolina. We go from chilly and low 50s to muggy and hot almost overnight. It’s warm now and the sunny vibes tend to switch my listening habits. Lots more tropical sounds, etc. My DJ partner Matt took a trip to Puerto Rico this week and made a special PR edition of our show Worldy. He did a fabulous job and put together a super two hours of music that could be used for the Puerto Rico tourist department. The mix was perfect for the sunny weather back here in North Carolina and might do the same for you. Give him a listen.

A record that has seen some turntable action at home with me these last couple of weeks and one I finally managed to pick up recently is going to be my pick for you this week, but it might not mean much to any of you that didn’t grow up watching British TV in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s Matt Berry: Television Themes. Acid Jazz 2018.

That is correct. I’m talking about the British comedic actor whom you’ll recognize from his many great roles in film and TV. I’m a big fan and particularly loved the series Toast Of London, which I thought was hilarious and for which Berry provided the theme tune. He’s almost as active as a musician as an actor, and has at least ten albums to his name by this point, the majority of which have been released on UK based label Acid Jazz. In addition to that, he has provided theme and incidental music, albeit with musical assistance from collaborators, for a bunch of shows. He’s active, to say the least.

On this album, Matt and his crack band of musicians tackle a whole host of British TV themes that will bring on instant feelings of nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s. One that US residents might recognize is the theme to Are You Being Served? I seem to remember that show getting aired here in the states quite a bit back in the day. Matt and band do a great version; it’s a total banger. Other highlights include a nice take on the Dr. Who theme, a funky The Good Life and a cool working of the World In Action opener. Matt’s vocals are also heard on one or two numbers. There are lyrics to classic celebrity double entendre show Blankety Blank and my personal favorite, the theme to the kids’ teatime show, Rainbow. I loved Rainbow growing up. It was cool. They combined a hippy mentality with a progressive attitude and through the use of song and comedy always had a positive message for kids. The show was famous for its use of puppets alongside the human presenters, and everyone remembers the great Zippy character. He was the Muppet looking one with a zip over his mouth that would be zipped shut when he got loud or said something stupid. In a lot of the shows, Zippy was taught some kind of life lesson. I guess in recent years the dumb fuck right has accused Rainbow of being pro LBGT and grooming kids to be queer. I know, so fucking ridiculous. Whatever, Rainbow rules.

This record will appeal to those who dig that fat 70s Music Library sound. Lots of funky bass and dope beats mixed in with cool synth sounds and electric keyboard. Listening to it you could be convinced that these were recordings from back in the day as they nail the sound really well.

There’s some nice expanding of the theme on some numbers too and overall, very cool and clever arrangements. You certainly don’t have to be familiar with any of the shows and themes to be able to appreciate the record, which is the best praise I can give it. The music stands on its own merit regardless of the origin.

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Another end of the week comes around, and I’m feelin’ like a zombie like usual. But for good reason this time! Last night, the members of Scarecrow took a little field trip up to Richmond. Not to play a gig, mind you… just to go to see one. What a concept, right? Quite a stacked lineup with Indre Krig, Krigshoder and Last Affront. It was awesome to reunite with our friends in Indre Krig after meeting them last year on our Euro tour. Had a blast hangin’ with them. I gotta say, Krigshoder really stole the show. Those punks brought it. Even with their Norwegian singer, now that I’ve finally gotten to see them live, I can totally hear a bit of that Personal Damage flavor mixed in with the sound. We unfortunately weren’t able to hang with everyone after the gig because we all knew there was work to be done the following day for all you Sorry Staters out there. While Usman and Red were passed out the back seat, Daniel and I were laughing our asses off bullshitting on the drive back. It was a good night.

So what am I even gonna talk about this week? I don’t have an Iliad-length writeup about a sleeper new wave hit planned for this week, so I’m graspin’ at straws. Here’s an idea: Maybe I’ll talk about hardcore for the first time in a while…

Last time we got a bunch of reissues from our UK distributor, a lot of those reissues sold out pretty much instantly. And I get it, people love Sacrilege. But for whatever reason, people don’t seem nearly as excited as I am that Kill By Remote Control by Toxic Reasons is back in print! At first, I was like... Man, it’s weird that we have to get reissues of this US hardcore classic from overseas. But then again, if there was any 80s hardcore band that flew the flag for the US, Canada, AND the UK, then it’s Toxic Reasons haha. I mean shit, the alternate artwork on the UK Alternative Tentacles pressing depicts Reagan and Thatcher hangin’ out together.

The band is from Dayton, Ohio, but I’m pretty sure the tri-national flag represents the dudes in the band’s origins from several different places. I would like to think that when I listen to this record that no one’s faking a British accent, but the jury’s out on that one. Even so, the band’s sound is unique and decidedly not midwestern. They definitely don’t sound like Negative Approach or Necros. The UK influence is in there for sure. One of their early singles even has that reggae feel to it. It’s funny, Dom and I were listening to this Secret Records singles compilation right after listening to Toxic Reasons, and I swear Toxic Reasons sounds so much like Infa-Riot.

People talk about the Toxic Reasons’ first record, Independence, a lot. And I love that record too. It’s maybe even more decidedly UK-influenced. But I gotta say that this 2nd LP is where it’s at for me. Kill By Remote Control is delivered with a slightly harder edge than their first record. Toxic Reasons’ songwriting can have a more melodic, tuneful slant, like the opening track “Stuck In A Rut.” But once we kick into “Destroyer,” the gloves are off and your fist is flying in the air. You can hear a little GBH, maybe a little Motorhead, but then with power and snarl of US hardcore. Then a song like “Revolution?” is almost like a drunken shanty or something. “Jrs. Friends” and “Powercrazed” are total rippers. The first track on side B, “No Pity,” starts with this slow creepy dirge and then kicks in with this killer groovy single note riff. The total gymnastically frantic, intense drumming is so ripping. Then the big gang vocals and anthemic, shout-along choruses. This record just has well-written songs. Tuneful song structures, and especially on the slower songs, Toxic Reasons is masterful at building tension. I feel the hair on my neck stand up and goosebumps bubbling to the surface. Not to mention the earnest, but dead serious, political lyrics.

Anyway, if this is an 80s hardcore record you’ve had your reservations about, I suggest you put those feelings to bed. This record is killer and one of my favorites, and I think it deserves more people giving it some attention.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Today is one of those days when it feels like there isn’t much gas in the tank for my staff pick. As I mentioned in my Record of the Week description, I haven’t been able to get the Salvaje Punk record off my turntable, and I’ve had an exhausting week in which I’ve driven to Richmond twice. Both gigs I saw were excellent, and it was energizing to connect with so many people and see so many stellar bands, but it has left little time for sitting around with records. As we were driving back from Richmond last night, Jeff asked me what I planned to write about for my staff pick. I told him I had no plan, but I spitballed a few ideas that have been floating around in my head. Which brings us to my pick for this week, the Oppressed’s first single, 1983’s Never Say Die.

I think the Oppressed came on my radar via Captain Oi!’s CD collection Oi! The Singles Collection Vol 1, which I picked up in the early 00s and played to death. Bringing together the A and B-sides from 10 essential early oi! 7” singles and EPs, this CD did much to spark my interest and shape my taste in oi!, and to this day the records on that compilation form a big part of my list of favorite oi! records. When I spent a few months in London in 2008, I listened to this comp incessantly and set about acquiring the originals. I got them all except, oddly enough, the Oppressed’s Work Together (though I picked up a 90s Spanish reissue at some point). I’ll get an original of that one day, but it’s my least favorite single on that collection, so I’m not sweating it too much.

A few months ago, though, I picked up a copy of the Oppressed first EP, Never Say Die, in a small collection. I don’t think I’d heard the record before, but it won me over with some of the rawest, most primitive punk music I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Weirdly enough, what sound like the band’s weaknesses on “Work Together” are their strengths on Never Say Die. Within the context of the oi! compilation I mentioned above, which is filled with anthems like the Business’s “National Insurance Blacklist,” Cock Sparrer’s “England Belongs to Me,” and Major Accident’s “Mr. Nobody” alongside rippers like 4 Skins’ “One Law for Them,” the Partisans’ “Police Story,” and Blitz’s “Never Surrender,” the slow place and leaden rhythms of “Work Together” are difficult to sit through. However, the primitive delivery on Never Say Die is charming as hell.

Jeff uses this word “dunderheaded” that I think captures why I love this record so much. The A-side, “Urban Soldiers,” is about as dead simple as a song can get, with a straightforward 4-chord progression, a basic rock beat, and vocal cadences one step removed from nursery rhymes. Oddly, the song has two choruses, one built around the phrase “Urban Soldiers” and the other just featuring the singer yelling “we’re skinheads!” four times in a row. The lyrical dunderheadedness continues on the two B-side tracks, “Ultra Violence” (“blood! on the! streets!”) and “Run from You” (as in “I won’t run from you”). The Oppressed sounds like a caricature of a skinhead band, from their lyrical focus on violence and their identity as skinheads to the giant boot on the front cover to their record label name, Firm Records. I would find this kind of thing stupid, but the Oppressed is so defiantly one-dimensional that I can’t help but love them. They are so committed to their thing that they leave me no option but to suspend disbelief and submerse myself in their world.

I should note that while Never Say Die appears to be the work of committed dunderheads, the Oppressed later had a political awakening and devoted themselves to combating fascism within the skinhead scene. The Oppressed’s singer Robby Moreno traveled to New York and discovered the S.H.A.R.P. (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice) movement and tried to import those ideals back to England. The Oppressed also got back together in the 90s, and their 1994 Anti Fascist Oi! E.P. repurposed a short set of classic oi! covers, changing the songs’ lyrics to critique the right wing politics that still haunted the UK and European skinhead scenes. These 90s releases aren’t as exciting to me, lacking the wide-eyed sense of discovery I hear on Never Say Die. I’m glad for that later era of the Oppressed, though, because the band’s outspoken political stance allows me to enjoy their earlier stuff free of any suspicions about dodgy politics.