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Hello Sorry Staters! It’s a rainy gloomy today, so I have been listening to some gloomy but poppy tracks from a Philadelphia, PA band called Full Body 2. FB2 combines shoegaze with some really great drum & bass techno beats. It really does not sound like it would work, but it definitely does. The last album they put out was Infinity Signature in 2023 and besides them doing Audiotree Live on YouTube, not much new has come out from the bad. The band’s music follows the line of shoegaze, but you can tell they want to do something different, and that is where the drum & bass / break beats come in. It almost sounds like if Aphex Twin and My Bloody Valentine had a baby. It’s simple, fuzzed out shoegaze with a twist. The phyiscal copies are hard to come by as they are all self released, but check them out on bandcamp!

On another note, we have been getting in some killer new records that I hope everyone will give a listen and check them out! The new Nisemono LP, the new Ultimate Disaster LP, and of course Necron 9! I continue to list used CDs daily, so as always keep an eye out on our used section for some killer CDs if that is your thing. Until next week!

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone had a great week. As expected, the show this past week at The Pour House was amazing. All three bands (Scarecrow, Homemade Speed, and Paprika) absolutely killed it and it was a great way to spend a Wednesday night. Always a hoot. I’m pretty sure the next show in Raleigh will be on the 24th at Neptunes and Scarecrow will be ripping it up again with Jail and Paranoid Maniac, so mark your calendars! This past week we got a bunch of heat at the store with a bunch of different orders from various labels, so it was a dangerous week for the wallet. I ended up grabbing both Varaus reissues we got in: the 7” and the 1/2 LP. I’m sure most everyone reading the newsletter is familiar with these records, but they’re new to me and they both quickly grabbed my attention. Another reason I’m always grateful for working at Sorry State is cause I’m always introduced to sick shit like this that I’m fairly positive I never would have discovered on my own. I don’t have much of my own thoughts to share on these other than they totally rip and if you don’t own these, I highly recommend snagging them while we have both in stock. Obviously I’m a fan of both, but I’ve had a slight lean towards the 7”. Maybe cause it’s just four tracks, so it’s a little easier to digest while listening for the first few times. If I had to go with a favorite track, I’d say track one on the B side, Tuhoava Voima. Anyways, that’s it for this time, I hope wherever you are you get some great spring weather this week!

Hello and thanks for reading. There have been a lot of great records that arrived over the last week. It was hard to pick just one to write about! Since I have limited time and have been anticipating ULTIMATE DISASTER’s debut 12” the most, I decided to write about that beast today. It’s funny that Grave Mistake isn’t nearly as active as a label as it used to be, but randomly they drop some crazy shit like this or DESTRUCT. ULTIMATE DISASTER is a pretty well-known band in my mind, but we live close to them and I have seen them a lot. I realize that even the average Sorry State reader may not be that familiar with them, since their demo tape came out just last year on a fairly new label, Acute Noise Manufacture.

The guitarist had a short-lived project before this that some of you might remember called HORRID PEACE. If I remember right, HORRID PEACE was just meant to be a studio project, but ended up playing a few gigs. I am glad they did and that I was there, cos they ripped. Their one and only release was also the debut for Acute Noise Manufacture. If you missed that one, I would check it out. While ULTIMATE DISASTER and HORRID PEACE have obvious similarities (i.e. DISCHARGE), the latter seemed to take much more influence from DOOM. Ironically, I think ULTIMATE DISASTER really leans into the DISASTER side of things. To some these distinctions are super silly and possibly not even distinguishable, but I think it’s an important reflection of each band’s sound. ULTIMATE DISASTER tends to play faster than DISASTER though, and they never have gang vocals on the chorus. I feel like that is something a lot of bands lack these days, but also half the time you’re playing at a DIY spot where you’re lucky to get one good working microphone and maybe a microphone stand. Ah yes, I wanted to point out that ULTIMATE DISASTER is a 3-piece band, and I am always impressed when people can really maximize what they are doing like that.

ULTIMATE DISASTER will come through here in May to support their new record. If they’re playing anywhere close to you, I would say it is well worth the drive to catch them live! Alright, I think that sums it up for the week. I do wanna also mention we got some VARAUS shit in stock. I’m not sure how long they will last, and this stuff does not seem to circulate too well. If you missed their EP the first time, grab one now!! We have also just stocked the repress of the 12” that was previously reissued. It was an extremely nice and clever touch to house the repress in a fold-out poster sleeve, just like they did the original pressings. Even though I got a copy of the first reissue (in the proper jacket like the first press) I had to get this one because of the packaging as well, haha. Alright thanks for reading, ‘til next week.

Hi Sorry Staters. Thanks for giving five minutes of your time to check in with us. It really is appreciated. It can sometimes feel like shouting into a tornado trying to write these things and connect with you all, but we know you love music so there’s always a chance that something one of us talks about will resonate with some of you. LoL. That’s our hope. Horses for courses and to each their own etc. etc. I’m very grateful to have this opportunity to evangelize over music and stuff without there being any rules or requirements to plug certain things. God bless Doctor D for creating this for us and for all of you past, present and future who are a part of it. It is special.

Not that any of us wants to turn our section of the newsletter to their personal diary, but we try to be honest here and tell you what’s going on with us and how that it is influencing our listening for that moment. I know I do, and I apologize if that annoys anyone. I missed last week’s newsletter because the last of my kitty cats passed away, which was a crushing loss for me. I have had a cat or four in the home for the past twenty-five plus years, and to be without one is horrible for me. It’s been a tough week, but made better by a mid-week punk show that was cool and some kind comments received from a couple of friends that missed me in the newsletter. That was nice and ties in with what I was trying to say before. Cheers for that.

Anyway, for this week because I was in sad boy mode, a loner folk record from the early 70s connected with me, and so I’ll quickly talk about that one and another record from the early 80s, this time that is a much punkier affair. Both though are private press records, and one offs, which is what connects them. Kinda cool.

Reid Abrams: A Speck Of Time. 1972. Abrams Music Association

This one came into the store during the week and was the only half interesting record in a pile of dusty bargain bin classic rock and pop fodder that I wasn’t really interested in buying, but for a buck a piece we can just about make it work. The Reid Abrams stood out amongst the rest as being worthy of a closer inspection. It wasn’t in top shape, but I’ve seen enough old private press loner and acid folk records to know that it might be something. Turns out I was sort of right. The record is somewhat collectable, and people have paid more than $50 for a nice copy, but $35 seems a more realistic price. I gave this copy a clean and took it home to listen to.

It’s a mixture of acoustic guitar instrumentals and vocal tracks that range somewhere between Neil Young and Nick Drake, with a dash of John Fahey and Bert Jansch for good measure.

Reid Abrams was American and from Denver but was clearly into the UK folkies of the time. If that kind of stuff is in your bag, then you would probably enjoy A Speck Of Time.

There isn’t too much information out there on the music career of Reid Abrams, but apparently he went on to become a top orthopedic surgeon. He was approached by a record dealer once who was informed that the record was a one-off private press on his own label in a run of three hundred. He recorded it as a teenager and it was his only record.

On a couple of the songs, he is backed with a second guitar and vocals from a fellow called Marc McKinnon, who also wrote the lyrics to one song. Otherwise, all music and lyrics are by Reid Abrams. On the title track he’s backed on vocals by an Alice Abrams. Not sure what her relation to him is. Wife? Sister? Regardless, it’s not a bad album, with some decent songs with decent lyrics and worthy of investigation if you see it out there in the bins. My favorite song is probably the lead song called Ambivalence. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a link to that one, but here’s title track A Speck Of Time and one that features that second guitar called Mothers Never Die.

Okay, this next one is from 1982 and credited to Soldiers Of Fortune, with the fantastic title No Wimps Or Posers (It’s The American Way).

Again, a private press record, this time on Slow Death Records, created for the band and this release. Also, a one off as far as I can tell. There’s not too much I can tell you about these guys as the internet didn’t turn up a lot. Perhaps one of you reading knows. My guess is they were from Southern California, but I could be way off. The record is a five track E.P., ranging from Dead Kennedys style punk to Cramps like psychobilly. There’s also some New Wave Talking Heads influence in there. That cross section might not be to everyone’s taste, but I like DKs and The Cramps, and I liked this record. Not going to change your life, but still cool and a good listen.

Funny thing about this particular record is that it was sent to us as packing material for another record free of charge. That was cool. It wasn’t in top condition, but still definitely playable ,and when we looked it up and saw that it went for $15-20, Jeff ended up putting it out for a few bucks. It didn’t sell, so I took it home ‘cos I liked it and played the song American Dream on Worldy this week. So there. Ha ha. This one’s not on YouTube either and I don’t run a channel to upload it, so no link but keep an eye out for it or ask a friend to play it for you.

Okay, that’s all for now. We have a busy week ahead. It’s Record Store Day this coming Saturday and we’ll be preparing for that. Our list is up on our website. Personally, there are a few things I think are cool. Have a great one wherever you are and perhaps we’ll see some of you come through Sorry State on the day.

Cheers - Dom

R.I.P. Clem Burke

What’s up Sorry Staters?

It’s a gloomy-ass Monday in Raleigh today. But thankfully the rain will wash away the thick layer of pollen that magically coated every inch of North Carolina overnight. My face has felt fucked up for days. I did have a nice weekend, though. Went to go visit my buddy who just moved into a new house out in the countryside. We’re talkin’ rural ass NC, dude. It was beautiful out there. And honestly, it was nice to just get away for a couple days. I also gotta say, the Paprika show at the Pour House was really fun last week! Appreciate all the local freaks for showing up. Those Paprika dudes rule. Don’t miss the Jail show on April 24th at Neptunes if you’re in the NC area!

This coming Friday, Public Acid is playing with Annihilation Time and some other cool bands at the Broadberry for the Municipal Waste 25th anniversary party weekend. Should be a fun time. There’s also a late night aftershow at the warehouse on Saturday night. I’m sure I’ll be hurtin’ working at the store on that following Sunday morning.

Okay, time for records. I almost feel bad talking about this record since it’s already sold out. But I’ve gotta do it. This new Necron 9 LP entitled People Die is so killer. It’s funny, speaking of that Paprika show at Pour House, Homemade Speed also played that gig. The following day, those dudes just happened to time it so that the box of Necron 9 LPs arrived in the mail just as they walked into Sorry State. Dom threw a copy of the LP onto the turntable, and it was rad to see all the Homemade Speed dudes raging to Necron 9 while they were shopping at the store. Of course, they bought copies right then and there.

I remember when Meat House was on tour a couple years ago, I met the singer Kai from Necron 9 at one of our shows. We ended up all hanging out and getting coffee the next day. I hadn’t yet heard Necron 9, though. Then later, I heard the demo and remember thinking it was cool, if not for sounding super raw and lo-fi. Then when Public Acid played Unlawful Assembly, Necron 9’s set at the fest was so raging. The room was so packed that I couldn’t get to the front of the stage. I remember standing in the back watching the mayhem, and then relocating to the bar where a live camera made it so you could watch the room with the stage on TV haha. Now hearing this LP, I just think they totally nailed the recording. It’s thick and punchy without sounding slick. I would guess this is an analog recording, still warm and gritty, but also clear and powerful. Right in that sweet spot.

Not unlike what I might have said about the Cicada 7”, there is something undefinably outsider feeling about Necron 9, not to mention many of the releases curated by Unlawful Assembly. I hate to bring that up honestly, because Necron 9 is a unique beast among the other bands on the label. Unlawful Assembly describes the band as “frantic blasts of sonic lunacy driven by a world gone mad.” This might sound corny: I feel like the expression of aggressive, pissed off energy on People Die feels like an explosion, devoid of posturing, and that also feels particular to this generation. That said, while on one hand the record feels totally fresh, there’s also something that feels familiar and traditionally hardcore about Necron 9’s songwriting. I mean dude, they’ve got an illustration of a psychotic Donald Trump on their record cover. I’m surprised that a young band hasn’t done this already. Inspired by Reagan-era hardcore maybe? But it also seems like frustration directed genuinely and appropriately.

Speaking of which, the packaging on this record rules. Repurposed sleeves, flipped inside-out with fully silkscreened front and back cover art. Also comes with a huge poster! But for me, the booklet that comes with the record is the best part. Flipping through it, I feel like I’m looking at a zine that was xeroxed from an 80s compilation record, like the booklet that came with The Master Tape Vol. II or Charred Remains. The lyrics are blunt and direct, sort of written with this somewhat cynically funny, yet dark tone, evoking an energy of somebody who’s clearly fed up. The record within 2 seconds is talking about “Gut the pigs!” I’m like YES. There’s a song called “Flower Child” that says, “Fuck your Buddhist priest, fuck your wiccan gods.” One song just says, “Not me!” over and over.

Musically, there is something so midwestern to me about Necron 9. I don’t even know what I mean by that, really. In my mind, I hope these dudes are just listening to the Mecht Mensch/Tar Babies split cassette on repeat. The drums for me sound perfect, and the dude playing drums is throwing the fuck down on this record. I guess Kai’s vocals, being super deep and demonic sounding do kinda remind me of United Mutation a little bit. Sounds like maybe Kai might be into a lot of early, evil sounding Japanese punk as well though? The songs are directed with such ferociousness, but with so much intention in the way the parts are stitched together. The band is super tight too, playing super groovy and in the pocket, especially for how ripping fast a lot of these songs are. And for how dark and obtuse I’m making this record sound, every song just has big, meaty, anthemic riffs! I walk away from the record still humming parts. Then on my second listen, I remember feeling like I already knew the songs. I can’t exactly wrap my head around what the guitar player’s style is, but I just love it. At the end of the next-to-last track “Bad Habits”, they do this kinda melodic and high-pitched pull-off descending riff that is so unexpected and cool. And usually I hate samples, but the sound bite that happens right before the last track “Y.P.Y.D” gives me chills. A woman describes the disturbing after-effects of nuclear terror. My buddy Will from Public Acid did a little research and discovered the sample comes from a cartoon post-apocalyptic science fiction movie called Wizards from 1977.

So yeah, if you can’t tell by my long-winded word vomiting ass description, I really like this record. It’s difficult to eloquently deliver in written form how special this record feels. Ya know, beyond just being like “DUDE HARDCORE HELL YEAH.” I’ve already been making claims. I’m calling it now: Record of the year? We’ll see.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Various: Punk Que? Punk 12” (DRO, 1983; fan club, 2025)

First, I wanted to take a moment to mention the passing of SS Decontrol’s Al Barile. I rarely write eulogies in the Sorry State newsletter unless it’s someone I knew personally, but I was really sad to hear Al lost his battle with cancer. Of course I love SSD’s first two records to the moon and back, but what I really admired about Al Barile was the way he was so dedicated to forging his own path and seeing things his way. For a long time, he was a mysterious figure who kept the punk media world at arm’s length, but when he started giving interviews over the past few years, I feel like I really got a sense of who he was as a person. He had this incredible ability to see past the hangups that ensnare so many of us—ego, ambition, vanity, fear of / concern for what others think—and get right to the heart of the matter. Interviews with Al often seemed kind of awkward because he almost never said what you expected him to say. And it’s not like he was being contrary… he was just accessing a level of truth, honesty, and clarity that most of us will never know. Cheers Al, rest in peace.

My pick for this week’s newsletter is this 1983 compilation of Spanish punk rock, Punk Que? Punk, originally released on the Spanish label DRO in 1983 and recently reproduced by (I presume) an enterprising bootlegger. I read about Punk Que? Punk years ago (where and when is lost to the sands of time) and added the record to my want list, so when I saw we were getting in a reissue, I was stoked to check it out. I did not know I would like it as much as I do, though… it’s been on near-constant rotation since it arrived. Like a lot of 80s Spanish punk, the bands on Punk Que? Punk tend to have a potent combination of energy, power, and melody. As longtime readers will know, I’m a huge fan of 70s punk, and for whatever reason, 80s Spanish punk and hardcore seem to have a lot more 70s punk in their DNA than most scenes. Not that they ignored the worldwide trend toward harder and faster sounds, but they kept the melody and the strong songwriting from the original 70s bands.

Punk Que? Punk features two songs each from seven bands, each band delivering one song on each side. I’d only heard a few of the bands before, which is unsurprising since most of them never made records of their own. Madrid’s Espasmódicos released a 7” and a 12” EP and we carried their discography LP on Beat Generation a while back, so I was familiar with their upbeat, slightly arty punk, which would fit nicely on a mix tape full of Dangerhouse Records singles. Seguridad Social is by far the most prolific band on the comp, having released many LPs and EPs in the 80s and continuing to release music into the 2000s. Coincidentally, I had come across their 1982 cassette ¡¡Konsspiracion!! online a couple months before this comp got re-released and had listened to it a bunch. I checked out several of Seguridad Social’s records, but it seems like they drifted away from punk and toward new wave pretty quickly. Their two songs here, though, are pure punk, but with very strong chorus melodies. I particularly like their song on the b-side, “Cuando Llegue A Casa Te Desatare,” which has a bright, major-key chord progression and a memorable vocal melody, but still sounds tough as nails.

Alongside Seguridad Social, the other standout band for me on Punk Que? Punk is KGB. Very much in the melodic, 70s-influenced mode I associate with classic Spanish punk, KGB’s two tracks here remind me of the Dickies in that they’re fast, tight, and powerful, yet still put vocal melody front and center. “Maroto” is my favorite song on the record, with a massive singalong chorus that would have been right at home on Dawn of the Dickies, but their other track, the curiously titled “Agradable Sobremesa Con Una Japonesa” (“A Pleasant After-Dinner Chat with a Japanese Woman”) isn’t too far behind. KGB released a single on DRO in 1983 that I would really like to get my hands on, and there’s also a 2016 compilation LP on Vomitopunkrock Records with additional tracks. I need to investigate that too.

Most of the other bands on Punk Que? Punk only appeared on compilations, but don’t let this deter you as their quality ranges from very good to excellent. Carne De Psiquiatríco have a couple of tracks with a humorous bent (like “Quiero Ser Guitarra De Siniestro Total,” “I Want to Be the Guitar Player in Siniestro Total”) and a heavy Sex Pistols influence. San Sebastian’s No also sounds kind of like a second-wave UK punk band, while Urgente keeps things similarly raw yet song-oriented. Bilbao’s N.634 is the toughest-sounding band on the comp with simple, primal drums and busy bass playing. It’s kind of UK82-sounding, but with a gluebag griminess that makes me think of the first two Chaos UK singles.

So yeah, all killer and no filler on this one. We still have a few copies in stock as of this writing, so grab one if it sounds up your alley. And someone hook me up with a copy of that KGB single!

Hello Sorry Staters! I have a short one today. We just got in a bunch of new stuff and one record I have had my eye on finally came in. It’s a new band from Australia called Brut. Their new 12”, MMXXIII-MMXXIV, is a collection of recordings from EPs they put out between 2023 and 2024. Brut is a side project from Marching Order’s Brod Ashmole. It’s a great Cold Oi! Record with a couple of really excellent covers of Blitz’s “Nation on Fire” and Joy Division’s “Insight.” If you are a fan of Home Front, Syndrome 81, Camera Silens, anthemic vocals, and the new wave of Oi! music, then this band for you!

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. If you’re in Raleigh, or anywhere near, I’d make a point to come out to The Pour House here on Wednesday night (April 2nd) for a great gig. Three ripping bands (Scarecrow, Paprika, and Homemade Speed), all of whom I’m excited to see take the stage. Definitely gonna be a barn burner. On that note, today I’m actually gonna be writing about punk music. Yes, I still do in fact love listening to punk and hardcore even though most of the time my staff picks are about some old ass folk or bluegrass album. I figure my colleagues are much more qualified and knowledgeable in that realm than me, but every once in a while, I gotta dip my toes in. Actually, Usman already wrote about this comp last October, and much better than I will, but I’ve been blasting it this weekend so I figured why not. I’m talking about the We Can’t Help It If We’re From Florida comp that was reissued last year. If you read my staff picks, you know I’m a sucker for comps, and this one is right up my alley. The original was on a 7”, but this reissue is on a 10” with some bonus tracks. The title cracks me up; it’s too perfect. These crazy Floridians knew how to rip, though… there’s no doubt about that. It starts off strong with five songs from Hated Youth, my favorite of the bunch being “Hardcore Rules”. The standout group on here for me, though, would have to be Roach Motel, who has seven ripping tracks on here. How could you not love a song called “My Dog is Into Anarchy”? Anyways, surprisingly we still have some copies available here at Sorry State, so if you’ve been sleeping on this one, time to wake up and snag one!

Hello and thanks for reading. Also, Eid Mubarak to anyone reading who might’ve celebrated. I probably would have never said something like that ten years ago, as I reject all religion strongly. But now I find it important to embrace some parts of my upbringing and my family’s culture. I find it more important than ever actually, with this growing MAGA cult shit that is whitewashing and homogenizing America. I actually just drank some water that came from the Zamzam Well, which is nuts to me. This was the first time I’ve ever had this water, unless maybe there was a time at a mosque when I was a kid and don’t remember. I’m assuming the average Sorry State reader does not know of this well. It is watering well inside Mecca, by the Kaaba. If you still don’t know what I am talking about, Muslims face towards Mecca when they pray cos this is where the Kaaba is. This is the holiest place on Earth to a Muslim, because of the Kabaa.

OK enough religion, haha, and onto TOTALITÄR. I have said this before: this is not the first time I have written about TOTALITÄR and I know it will not be the last. TOTALITÄR is one of the best hardcore bands ever for a good reason. They started in the ‘80s and continued to release unbelievably good records for twenty years. I am pretty sure I wrote about Sin Egen Motståndare when Prank put it back in print last time. But for good measure, I will explain a bit. This was their debut full-length and the first record where Jallo Letho would join them on drums for recording. Jallo Lehto was previously in NO SECURITY (who is arguably just as good as TOTALITÄR, but lacked the solid output of records). If you didn’t know, Jallo is the guitarist of MEANWHILE as well. Anyways, I remember when I first heard Sin Egen Motståndare, to my young and stupid ears it sounded too compressed. It didn’t sound as raw as their other records I had heard, and it starts out with a rocked-out intro. Again, I was a stupid teenager. In fact, this LP is absolutely a hardcore masterpiece. The speeds they hit on some tracks, and how damn locked in everything is… man, it’s hard to handle a record this good, haha. I’ve heard some people are turned off by the artwork of TOTALITÄR records. Maybe I am just too obsessed cos I don’t see anything wrong with this cover. Yeah, it’s simple, but I think the way it’s printed is cool and I mean the artwork is of a guy with a gun to his head in his reflection saying some shit like he’s his own enemy. It’s deep, haha, no joke. I met this guy at K-town last year that said he had the original artwork, fuck.

Alright, so this is the 30th anniversary pressing of this record! I didn’t buy a copy last time Prank reissued this cos I have every version that came before, including the CD. However, when I saw this reissue was coming, I knew I had to have a copy. Prank enhanced the artwork with some spot-gloss and even housed the LP in tip-on jackets!! That’s so sick. A tip-on in 2025? Those are so expensive to manufacture now. By the price point on this bad boy, he must have little to no profit on this release. Inside, this version also includes liner notes none of the previous ones had, alongside a bonus flyer from the original album release gig. If, for some reason, you didn’t buy this record in the last 30 years, this is probably the coolest version you can get. If you didn’t know, this album was originally only available on CD. It was released by Finn Records, which was a label that Jallo Letho operated with another guy. It was five years later when Prank released it on vinyl. Thank you Prank Records, haha.

I feel like everyone reading this already knows how good TOTALITÄR is, so I feel a bit silly writing about them, but literally every single one of their records belongs in your record collection, so I think they are worth talking about until I die. If you aren’t familiar or just have been sleeping on grabbing copies of their shit—step up, cos they won’t be in print forever! I think people already flip that first Skrammel comp on Discogs. We still have the second one in stock that compiled their EPs from 1998-2002. This is some of their rawest shit. If you don’t have this record, you need it. Unless you have those originals and like flipping 7”s, haha. But this compilation was seriously needed for so long, as those records are increasingly harder to find. We also have some copies of Ni Måste Bort, their second LP, and we’ve got some copies of their final LP, Vi Är Eliten in stock as well. The style of TOTALITÄR is very distinct, but each LP has its own unique sound, really. Sometimes they are a bit more raw, and sometimes they are a bit more catchy, but they ALWAYS groove hard as fuck at high speeds. If you don’t have all these records I mentioned today, you should load up your shopping cart with some of the best records ever made while hitting the free shipping minimum. Alright thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I’m still feeling a bit weary after this past weekend. I drove up to Richmond along with a few friends to go check out the Keith Caves art show! I’m sure most people reading this are familiar with Keith’s art, seeing as he’s been in high demand in the punk world over the last several years, being commissioned for record covers, flyers, and all kinds of imagery that requires Keith’s signature punkified gnarliness. Keith is also a good friend and we’ve done some serious time playing in our band Meat House together. I got a bit choked up walking into the gallery and seeing all the original hand-drawn artwork for all these pieces of art I’ve seen on record covers, t-shirts, etc… But then also to see Keith’s family hanging out and all these familiar faces walking in and out being stoked on seeing the art up on the walls. Seeing the art that Keith did for Scarecrow in person was so rad. I think Daniel bought it, which is awesome that we’ve got it in the family. I felt like a proud uncle or a similarly weird analogy.

We spent some time at the art show, delivered Keith a fruity Island-style canned cocktail, and made our way to the big gig that was part of the same event. The show was like 7 or 8 bands and started later than it was supposed to (of course haha). It was my first time seeing Corrupt Faith since having seen a super early incarnation of the band several years ago. But now, with the current lineup, they totally blew me away. Heresy/Ripcord jumps non-stop. Total Nada totally ripped. And then we had to stick around for the whole thing since Invertebrates played last. They didn’t go on until like 1am or something, but totally brought the house down, as expected. Then we drove all the way back to Raleigh. I got into bed at like 5am and woke up to open the store the next day. Rock’n’roll, baby.

So yeah, here we go again: Jeff is once again talking about Totalitär. If you were unaware, Prank has released a special anniversary edition of Totalitär’s debut LP, Sin Egen Motståndare. It seems crazy to think about this record being 30 years old now. Any Totalitär-obssessed lunatic who has been frothing at the mouth for the latest edition of this record might have already pre-ordered a copy directly from Prank. Those who did not pre-order the record may not be jumping over furniture in a rush to order a copy, especially if said person has a different version of Sin Egen already. I totally get that. I, myself, probably already had 3 different pressings of this record. But me being one of the aforementioned drooling lunatics, of course I had to pre-order a copy.

In the scope of Swedish hardcore, I still weirdly think of Totalitär as an underdog band of sorts. For a long time, I feel like they were not held to the same standard as other Swedish legends like… I dunno, Anti-Cimex or something. But over the years, I feel like the band’s importance and influence has become more explained and recognized. For me, Totalitär’s stylistic approach to songwriting and signature delivery of playing hardcore is absolutely singular and has been hugely important to me. To me, their particular style of hardcore and even the imagery has become like a language. Now if you’ve heard the record, then you’ve heard the record. Some people might associate Totalitär with like dark and heavy crust. Which I understand to some degree? But not really. I always think about riffing in songs that I love like “På Väg Mot Mål” or “Skallra För Döden”, and what stands out to me is how damn catchy it is. But you know what? Sin Egen may not even be my favorite full-length by the band. That said, I think something about the band being inactive for many years preceding this record, then the addition of Jallo from No Security on drums (this being his first appearance on recording with the band), and this record then re-sparking a new era for the band recording fresh material makes this a landmark record.

I think the major selling point for this special edition has gotta be the packaging. First of all, the vinyl looks beautiful. There are 2 variants, and I opted for the greener looking color myself. The record comes in a thick, heavy-duty tip-on gatefold sleeve. And I forget what’s it called, but it’s printed in a way where select sections of the artwork are hyper glossy to stand out from the rest of the artwork, where there’s more of a matte finish. It also includes a reproduction flyer for the record release show for Sin Egen Motståndare. The record originally only came out on CD, so really this is a 30th anniversary for the CD release year. On the inside gatefold, there’s a photo of the band from the release gig, which was in Uppsala on November 19th, 1994. There’s a nice little write-up on the inside gatefold which explains the scenario and events leading up to and surrounding the making of the record. The band humbly says that it’s “remarkable to see interest in this record 30 years later…” Then the liner notes end with, “Don’t be your own worst enemy. Read books instead of tweets. Fight the power! Fuck racism! 94 in 24!” Cool sentiments to read, but also dark to think about how these are just as relevant now if not more than when the band was writing lyrics in 1994. But—if you’ll allow me to be corny—there’s a part of me that feels kinda touched when I’m looking at this photo of the band playing in Uppsala in 1994, thinking about how Totalitär was directly influential on my band, and I’m like, “fuck man, we played in Uppsala.” Scarecrow did not play the same venue space pictured on the inside gatefold. That would be crazy. But when we played Uppsala, Poffen the singer was at the show. Pretty cool for young teenage punk me to think about when I was first hearing this record.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Not trying to convince anyone to buy a classic Swedish punk record you may or may not already have. For me, it was worth experiencing the extra little touches. Kudos to Prank; I feel like this reissue was done with a lot of love. Punk rules.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Unfortunately, I’ll have to keep things brief this week as I’m running late, but if an abbreviated staff pick doesn’t give you your “Daniel talking about records” fix, you can watch last week’s episode of What Are You Listening To? with me as a guest. I was joined by WAYLT?’s host Mike along with Tom from Static Shock Records and Dave from Sewercide Records. Shoegaze was derided. The gospel of Wire was sung. A good time was had by all. Watch it here.

One record I mentioned in passing on WAYLT? is my staff pick for this week: the debut LP from Finland’s Ratsia, released in 1979 on the Johanna label. Many of you know how great Finnish hardcore is, but their ’77-era punk scene was just as strong. Ratsia is one of my favorites, but there are a ton of great bands: Eppu Normaali, Kollaa Kestää, Loose Prick, and many more. While American punk bands from the 70s often sounded scrappy and raw, many of the Finnish bands were quite professional-sounding, following the lead of bands like the Buzzcocks and Stiff Little Fingers who continued growing after punk’s initial explosion of energy. Like those bands, Ratsia had an artisan’s approach to pop songwriting, and they weren’t afraid of strong production values either. If you’re the kind of punk listener who goes deep into the discographies of the ’77 set rather than just focusing on the earliest stuff, I bet you’ll really appreciate what Ratsia does.

After this self-titled LP, Ratsia released two more albums before they disbanded in 1982. Their second one, Elämän Syke is a little more new wave-sounding, of a piece with the first album but adding more layers and textures, while their final LP, 1982’s Jäljet, takes a turn toward post-punk. There are also four singles along the way, but I haven’t heard those and we’ll see if I ever lay my hands on them. Hopefully I can return to Ratsia’s discography again one day when I have more time and energy to dig in.

Hello Sorry Staters! I hope everyone is enjoying reading all the picks this week. We have been getting in a lot of killer new records that I hope everyone has had a chance to pick up. We have been busy getting those Hell preorders in your hands and it seems like everyone is enjoying the record! My listening has slimmed down a lot in recent weeks due to my current obsession with reading a nerdy fiction book called “Dungeon Crawler Carl” and nothing has been capturing my ear holes enough for it to be worthy to write in my weekly pick. So for the couple of you that made it all the way to the bottom of the newsletter to read my pick for this week, thank you!

One label I have been exploring the past couple of weeks is Habibi Funk. This label is everything I want when exploring new locations and old periods. The work and attention to detail these curators put in these releases are second to none. The music is absolutely brilliant and a dream for anybody that deejays live. Habibi Funk Records is based in Berlin and is a reissue record label founded by Jannis Stürtz. Established in 2015, the label is dedicated to reviving and sharing music from the Arab world, primarily focusing on genres like funk, jazz, and soul from the 1960s to the 1980s.

One release I own is Habibi Funk 015: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World, Pt. 2. The diversity on the compilation spans so many great genres from the Arab world such as Egyptian organ funk, Moroccan disco, and Libyan reggae. Some of my favorite tracks are Madgy El Hussainy—Music De Carnavel. This is a super funky organ funk track with drums and other percussion instruments in the background keeping the beat. This track is gold and will get anyone dancing. Then there is Ibrahim Hesnawi and his track on the complication called “Tendme”. The track is roots reggae straight from Libya. Habibi Funk label just released a whole record of more tracks from him and they are definitely worth checking out.

Going out of my comfort zone and seeking out music I had no idea existed is getting me out of this listening slump. So don’t be afraid and try some music you never heard of! Until next week friends!