UNWELCOME MAT

Regular readers may have noticed a sizeable lack in the frequency of my posting over the last few weeks. A few factors have made contributions to the situation but at the end of the day the leading culprit is certainly the recent increase in USPS rates, and more to the point, the increases in international priority rates that exceed more than a 100% step up in most cases. Most of you should be familiar with the rate hikes that I am speaking of as I am sure it's affecting you in much the same way. Likewise, you probably understand that a good chunk of my posting is about stuff from abroad, and it's a shame to say that around 80% of my incoming vinyl is sourced directly from the USA. Upwards of $30 to have ONE 7" record posted to Australia is obviously out of the question. With that said though there are certain bands that will not be ignored no matter what the costs (2 new records from Bone Sickness this year, new LP's from a couple of the best bands from Austin, Texas, new Violent Reaction LP on Painkiller, and a rumoured release from my favourite Boston blast beat/mosh bit hardcore band, just to name a few) but I expect that regular posting of new platters will take quite a kick to the nut sack in 2013. Perhaps we can expect posts centred around various releases that have been a part of my collection since before this blog existed. I haven't really decided what I'll do yet, if anything. I would like to know how other collectors have been affected by the recent changes, and how they're getting around it.

Anyway, a recent acquisition made before the rate spikes is this demo tape from the newly named Social Damage from Indianapolis. For those of you playing at home, this is the demo from the band formerly known as Blind Justice, not to be confused with the group of the same name from New Jersey. This recording made my best of list for 2012 based purely off the digital tracks alone. Reportedly they managed to move something like 500 copies of the hard copy under the old name and I never managed to get my hands on one, until recently when they put the final batch up of something like 70 copies with the new moniker. Hard, simple New York styled HARDcore with a big, loud recording. They take massive and precise cues from mid to late 80's bands from the Big Apple, namely Straight Ahead. Like Nottingham's Think Twice the singer here does a brilliant Tommy Carol impression also that goes very far to concrete the comparisons to that amazing NYHC group. Actual no frills, brilliant hardcore sans bells, whistles or any other filler bullshit.