Clarity

Usually I really enjoy exploring record stores in new cities, but on this trip I wasn‘t too bothered by the fact that I didn‘t have that many opportunities to go digging. The main reason for this was that I knew I was going to an excellent record store in Adelaide. My friend Dan had been telling me about this fantastic record store called Clarity. And what can I say, he didn‘t exaggerate. Clarity is the kind of shop I would love to have close to where I live because the selection of new records is excellent, the second hand section is equally as good and all of the records are priced fairly. Hell, the section on hardcore and punk related books alone would be enough for me. I would also hate to have a record store like this so close to    where I live because I would spend way too much time and money there. But as always in life, love prevails.

The first LP I got was Liveage, the Descendants live LP. Great selection of songs from their early period. I was pretty excited to find this LP because I in my head this record was high on my want list. Well, I should have checked my actual want list and, more importantly, my spreadsheet, because I could have seen that I already own a copy. As much as I like this album, I certainly don’t need two copies.  So if anyone wants a copy for cheap or do a quick trade, let me know. 

Most Recent Repress (?) on Black on SST

I love Fucked Up as a band, but their discography is such a nightmare. They’re such a prolific band, it’s hard to keep track with all of their released. 7”s are much worse than LPs, so I mostly stick to their full lengths or compilations nowadays. Do All Words Can Do is a collection of B-sides and demo versions from the David Comes To Life era, which in my opinion is their album. When I read the information on the hype sticker, I knew I had to get this. This record is probably not a necessity, but I really enjoy the songs on here. 

1st Press on Black on Matador

Last, but certainly not least is the first LP by Tørsö called Sono Pronat A Morire. This was originally released on Agipunk, but later on it was re-released by Sorry State. I love both 7”s they released on Revelation a few years ago, especially Build and Break. But for some reason I never bothered to pick up their other releases. When I saw this record in the wild, it was a no-brainer to pick it up. I’m usually not a fan of swirl records and yellow-green is definitely not my favourite color combo, but for some reason this colorway works for me. 

5th Press on Yellow / Green Swirl on Sorry State (no further pressing info)

I also have to say that the prices of the records were incredibly fair. Not only for Australia, but for records in general. Big shoutout to Clarity Records. If I ever get back to Australia, I’m definitely going there again. 

Top Of The Pops 2016

2016 has been another really good year for new music. People always tell me that there are fewer and fewer new bands and records that get them excited, but in my opinion that's just a lame excuse for being lazy and just another way of saying "everything was better way back when". I get the sentiment of having the feeling one has heard that breakdown or that riff before, but maybe those aren't exactly the same and people simply have to keep an open mind. There are some old bands that had great releases in 2016 and there are some new bands that got me really excited with their records or demos. I can't wait for 2017 to come and bring me more good new music.

Record Of The Year 2016

Dangers - The Bend In The Break

7" Of The Year

Spirit Crusher - The Absolute

Demo Of The Year

Tie between Free and Lowest Priority

Discovery Of The Year

Rvivr and Erica Freas

Best Split 7"(s), Band With The Most Output and Most Loveable Band

Spirits

Honorable Mention (because it was played to me only once and I don't own the record)

Fury - Paramount

Milo Goes To Emergency Room

The Descendents had a few songs left over from their LP recording session, so they decided to put them out on a one-sided 12" record. The b-side features a nice etching. 4,000 copies total, all on black vinyl.

Hyperdescendentium Spazzinate

A few weeks ago everybody's favourite punk rock band released their first new material in more than ten years so the level of anticipation was pretty high. And they sure delivered. I need to listen to more often though because I haven't found any real hit yet, but I feel thoroughly entertained by the LP. Since I got kind of late into the game, I could choose between the different colours available. After reading Marcus'  lengthy post about the new Descendents LP, I decided to get a copy on green/black swirl. It looks like regular black vinyl, but in the right light it changes to this awesome combination of colours. It was also easy to get because this was the exclusive colour for two German mail orders, so I didn't have to pay a whole lot for shipping.

Close up. The green/black swirl looks so awesome in real life.