Hammered Hulls

When Marcus posted about an LP by Hammered Hulls, I made a mental note to check out the band. It took me only about a year to actually listen to the band and order a record, which by my standards when it comes to checking out stuff I made a mental note for translates to ‘got it done right away’. 

Marcus was right, this album is excellent. The blue copy he got looks really good, but white is an equally good choice I feel. I’m guessing this is the third press. 

3rd Press (?) on White on Dischord Records. 

The Bed Is In The Ocean

One of my favorite discoveries of an old band in 2023 was the band Karate. The first record I got to know was their self titled debut, which I fell in love with head over heels. Luckily, all of their records have been repressed somewhat recently, although I had to wait what felt like forever until one of the distros I order from frequently had them back in stock. I’m usually not a big fan of striped vinyl, but it somehow works with this sleeve. The Bed Is In The Ocean is a Karate’s third LP and it’s also really good. It’s a little more jazz-influenced I guess, but that also makes it very interesting. 

2022 Repress on Lego Tri-Colour on Numero Group /???

As most records, this record also came in shrink-wrap. Personally. I hate shrink wrap. I get why labels do it, but I could do without it. It’s a waste of plastic and sometimes it deforms the records. In this case, the printed shrink-wrap this record came in left a permanent ink mark on the back of the sleeve. At least I’ll never forget this sleeve was printed in Canada. 

Spaced Jams

A few weeks ago I saw that Spaced had a new record up for pre-order. This reminded me of how much I liked their first LP. So I went to my record shelf to grab the record and listen to it, but I searched in vain. I checked my spreadsheet and lo and behold, I'd never bought the record. I could have sworn I got it shortly after it was released, but apparently my memory had played a trick on me. 

Luckily, Genet Records, the label that put out Spaced Jams in Europe, still had copies in their webstore, so I quickly added a copy to my shopping basket and bought it right away. As I said before, I really like this album. Gives me strong Turnstile vibes. The vinyl color looks great and this variant is even numbered on the A-side label, so what else could a collector ask for? 

1st Press on Turquoise on Genet Records #73/110

I Against II

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a gold vinyl copy of I Against I that I’d picked up recently and now I managed to find a copy on blue vinyl from a seller in Germany for a fair price. 

The record is not in mint condition because one owner, I’m guessing the original owner, put his address on the A-side label and also wrote his name on the dust sleeve. What’s more interesting though is that he also wrote down a date: February 19, 1991. I’m guessing again that this is the date he got the record. I checked on Discogs and the colored versions are listed as represses. However, there’s no release date listed on Discogs for any of the represses on colored vinyl. The sleeve of the records says 1986, but I’m not sure if the colored records were pressed back then as well. If the original owner actually got this record early in 1991, the coloured represses, or at least the blue one, was probably released sometime in 1990. Obviously this is just guess work. The Flex Discography doesn’t provide any information on this either unfortunately. Does anyone have more info on this? 

13 Chambers

I don't remember exactly who I saw posting about this record on Instagram, but when I saw a picture of this, I knew I needed to get a copy. And yes, I know (now) that this has been around for 10+ years, but apparently I do live under a rock so this was news to me. I've never really listened to mash ups and I'm sure it's pretty easy that those can turn horrible, but in this case, I just love the result. This is by far my most listened to record in 2024 so far and I don't see that changing any time soon. 

 The "worst" part about this record is the vinyl color and even that isn't that bad if you take a look at the whole package. The music on 13 Chambers is awesome. The tracks are put together so well. But it's not just that. The names of both "band" and album are perfect, as is the cover art, right down to the "promotional copy" fake stamp and the labels, which are are fake stamped as well I guess, but it looks dope. 

2024 Repress on Black and Gold Swirl /1000

Somewhere, Sometime

Meant To Let You Down by Kill Holiday is one of my all-time favorite songs. However, the first time I listened to their sole LP Somewhere Between The Wrong Is Right, I did not like it. I guess, I wasn’t ready for it. Plus, the sound is so different from Meant To Let It Down. Over the last few years I though, I listend to more of the music that inspired this record, and when I decided to check it out again, it clicked. Now, none of the songs on this record comes close to Meant To Let You Down, but I can totally appreciate this record for what it is on its own. 

RSD 2016 Press on Purple Vinyl /717

Love Your Friends

There are so many different reasons that make me pick up certain records and many of them only make sense to me. Peace Of Mind was a hardcore band from Germany in the 90s and I’d probably have never heard of them if it wasn’t for a podcast I listen to regularly. Shout out Und Dann Kam Punk. One of the hosts mentioned that he’d played in this band (and dozens of other bands, most notably probably Highscore, who you should definitely check out if you’re not familiar with them). 

Anyway, I was browsing through some bins at the local record store when I came across this one. The cover intrigued me, the name somehow rang a bell and when I read the back of the cover, one of the band member’s name caught my eye. All of this made me want to pick up the record and it definitely helped that it was very cheap. The music is 90s hardcore alright, but truth be told, it’s not that great. Maybe it’ll grow on me. 

2nd Press w/ Different Artwork #531/500 (?)

Buy In Bulk II

I managed to fill some more holes in my collection curtesy of the same seller I got the last two 7“s from. I was always a big fan of those Soul Control 7“s, but for some reason I never picked up a copy of Involution. This record is such a flashback to the mid-2000s. The music can definitely be pinpointed to that era, but there‘s always been some element of weirdness about Soul Control‘s music, which I just love. The color scheme of the vinyl and the swirl itself is very much off the time as well. And of course Rivalry Records was one of the premier record labels back then. 

1st Press on Red / Orange Swirl on Rivalry Records /200

This particular record had been on my want list pretty much since it came out. I don‘t actually remember which Blacklisted record I heard first. Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God or No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me since they only came out a year apart, but I do remember being completely in awe by what I heard on either record. No One… still takes the top spot for me in the Blacklisted catalogue, but Heavier… is a very close second. I had a copy of the European pressing on Reflections Records on blue vinyl I got when the record was released, but as soon as I saw a picture of this variant, I wanted to have this one. It looks simply amazing in my opinion. It‘s not a particularly rare record, but for reason this variant was hard to find in Europe, at least for a reasonable price. 

My friend who had tipped me off to this collection actually collects Blacklisted and had already bought this record from the seller, but since he knew I really liked this colorway and he didn‘t have the blue variant I had either, we did a quick trade. Mike, you‘re the best!

1st Press on Blue w/ Black Haze on Deathwish Records /1500

Buy In Bulk

I love when friends text me after finding a record collection for sale or an online seller that they want to order from, but since they're good friends, they look out for you, too. That's also how you spend even more money on records you hadn't necessarily planned on buying. 

I've been listening to a lot of Undertow these last few months after ignoring the band for a couple of years almost completely. That's how it goes sometimes. So when I had the chance to pick up a missing piece for cheap money and shipping, I jumped at it. The orange vinyl works pretty well with the cover. Well done, Indecision Records. 

Clear Orange on Indecision Records /345

I also picked up a copy of Dirty Money's No Escaping This. I got hyped on Dirty Money when High Vis covered the Dirty Money Intro off the demo. I knew the band existed when it was around but I don't think I ever listened to them back then, which clearly was a mistake, but hindsight is always 20/20. Unfortunately, there's no pressing info on Discogs for this variant. If anyone can help me out with this, I'd appreciate it. 

First Press (?) on Grey Vinyl /???

Australian Hardcore

A few weeks ago I received another care package from my mate in Australia as part of our ongoing open trade. There are some great bands going on down under and I'm always thankful to get records from bands I otherwise wouldn't probably know about. 

First up is a 7" by Engage, aptly called Eight Songs. This is really good meat and potatoes hardcore for those of you who like their hardcore a little bit more on the punk side. But there's also a youth crewish element to it. 

Last Ride Exclusive Colour on Recycled Vinyl /50

All In crank up the youth crew a couple of notches on What Remains. Everything you expect from a youth crew record, fast parts, mosh parts, and plenty of singalong. Seeing them live should be a lot of fun I expect. Love the full color eight page lyric sheet / booklet. 

Purple Marble / Recycled Vinyl /50

Extortion are an older band from Australia, but not as old as their sound might suggest. Degenerate was released in 2006, but could have been released in the early 80s as well. Just look at the cover and you get the idea what they might sound like. I'm guessing at least two people in the band have a Black Flag tattoo and the majority also likes a lot of power violence. 

There are many variants listed on Discogs, but unfortunately not this one. 

If you like Down To Nothing, definitely make sure to check out No Peace. I've been a fan since my friend sent me their 7" and they don't disappoint on Something More. There are few bands out there that sound like DTN, at least that I'm aware of, so this is very welcome to me. 

Transparent Orange /100

Best for last. This has definitely been the highlight of this batch of records for me. I'd never heard of Division before, but I was hooked from the first note. Fragments is their debut release and the first band it reminded me off was Give. But of course you could also go further back and cite Revolution Summer bands as inspiration. Unfortunately there aren't many copies and the band doesn't have an online presence where you could listen to their music, but if you have the chance, check them out.

Black Vinyl /150