snapcase - lookinglasself rsd '17

for record store day as such i care less and less every year. i am not speaking of the vinyl releases. although the prices are helplessly inflated but i know if i really want a record, i would buy it regardless. i am speaking of actually getting out of the house and take the trip to a store. my favourite store in hamburg, burnout records, closed down last year and the rest doesn't carry much metal vinyl let alone hardcore titles.

therefore it was difficult to obtain my desired items through the record stores and so i bought stuff via the internet, at least one if not all of the records i wanted for rsd. i said to myself not to leave the house this year and try to get all from the digital world. after checking the list there was just one interesting release anyway. snapcase's debut album "lookinglasself" put out back in 1993 via victory records.

back then the label even had a european imprint aptly called victory europe. so there is also an eu vinyl edition of "lookinglasself" but whatever first press copy you're after, they don't come too cheap. to see the record on the rsd list on coloured vinyl made me anxious to find a source to get it from. the search became a brief one, though. nuclear blast put up some copies without even marking it as a record store day release.

now with the final product in hands i have got to say the label did a splendid job. for this re-press victory produced it in the fashion of the most limited and numbered version of the first press. with the art of dan o'connor spread over the whole cover instead of the combination with a live photography of the regular first press version. the opaque light blue vinyl cut at 45rpm looks just as good. 2000 copies made if discogs is right. victory records. 1993/2017.

snapcase - steps

the last piece of snapcase vinyl i ordered from victory in this year's october. the steps 7" from 1995. boy, twenty years. these timeframes never cease to amaze me. victory re-pressed alot of their snapcase back catalogue recently and i am happy to have snatched them all up. to obtain any coloured snapcase vinyl from the usual sources turned out to be quite difficult.

all the copies i came across were too pricey or went for more money than i wanted to pay. so these re-presses were welcomed opportunities to finally grab them on vinyl. the moderate shipping costs victory claims were another encouragement to pull the trigger on the items. again victory went for no changes with the original artwork of 'steps', which just suits me fine.

for me, this is the best way to make a re-press. i do appreciate some slight changes, if they make sense, but i am not that much a fan of completely new artwork. personal preferences aside, i really like the look of this thing. crisp and clean. looks very much hardcore if you ask me. of course i am an admirer of this lovely clear pink vinyl. it has some black smudges in it, which makes it even more attractive.

musically this baby rocks. those three songs were a promise that was about to be kept on 'progression through unlearning' two years later. it's that fine snapcase hardcore that they perfected on further releases. check out 'cognition', 'steps' and 'windows'. three shots of most delicate musicianship. clear pink vinyl is out of 220 copies and still available from the label. victory records. 1995/2015.

snapcase - progression through unlearning

some essential nineties hardcore release. this is, without a doubt, the second snapcase full length 'progression through unlearning'. i really love their records. it's unmistakably hardcore but not the same old routine over and over again. it's elaborate and heavy music. you can hear its nineties origin any time but at the risk i am repeating myself, it still sounds fresh today. fortunately victory decided to re-press their gems quite regularly.

so after the last re-pressing from 2012 for the annual record store day, three years later and we saw the birth of another pressing. the purchase of a used copy of 'end transmission' triggered my hunt for their remaining output, and so this new edition was more than welcomed. i ordered directly from the victory store and thus was able to snag the most limited variant. i am, among other collectors, a friend of pink vinyl colour patterns so there isn't much to be desired here.

ok, maybe an opaque pink would have been a little cooler but that's just my personal opinion. again victory went for a more or less duplicate version compared to the original first press. i like that. concerning the cover art, i am always a bit puzzled as to what snapcase did pursue with them. they must have a meaning but i can't figure it out. anyway, listen to some 'zombie prescription' and then go and order a pink copy out of 112 pressed as long as they are available. victory records. 1997/2015.

snapcase - designs for automotion

picking up the 'end transmission' lp used this summer in düsseldorf was a friendly reminder that i had way too less snapcase vinyl in my collection. so i checked back with the label almost all their output was released on - chicago's finest victory records. fortunately victory just re-pressed three snapcase titles that i didn't own on vinyl. thanks to victory's very moderate oversea shipping costs, i bagged them all.

the first of the batch i post up here is their third full length 'designs for automotion'. this album is the next progressive step to 'progression through unlearning' and fits perfectly between the aforementioned album and 'end transmission'. snapcase records make sense evolutionary, if you can follow me. although it's probably the snapcase album i like the least, it doesn't mean 'designs for automotion' is weak. not at all.

it is packed with energy and shows the possibilities of hardcore. it doesn't have to be your average gang shout, breakdown, my-crew- and my-city-lyrics over and over again. snapcase raised the bar and they still sound relevant today. check out 'disconnector' and 'ambition now'. victory re-pressed this baby for the first time since its release. 112 on 'funfetti/tan putty'. looks lovely. victory records. 1999/2015.

snapcase - end transmission

this year's september has seen real nineties galore on almost every vinyl blog i read on a regular basis, mine included. so i thought it might be very appropriate to finish the month with another deeply ninties rooted band. snapcase is the name. of all those lovely bands/releases of that decade snapcase was, despite their rather popular reputation, probably the least noticed by myself. i knew some stuff from their 'progression through unlearning' lp and put that on my wantlist. it wasn't really high priority, though.

one of that records i would pick up along the way, whenever a chance would appear. apparantly that didn't work out yet. when i was in düsseldorf on this year's holiday, checking out hitsville records store, i came across a nice reminder that i should put more focus towards snapcase releases. i snagged a copy of their last real full length 'end transmission'on coloured vinyl. i heard mixed opinions on that record, so i wasn't really expecting anything - i was just curious. after the first listen i was blown away at how much i liked this album. i needed some more spins to confirm my first impression and the record just got better.

a very sophisticated and progressive take on hardcore with loads of melodies, aggression and energy. check out 'believe/revolt' and 'new kata'. unfortunately my copy isn't what one would call prime condition. the sleeve is a piece of folded card and has a clipped corner and some warps. the vinyl has some surface noise but plays fine. the price was ok, too but i probably would have gotten a better copy on discogs for five bucks more. just can't walk off a store empty handed and i don't regret it at all. 835 copies on white with black bonus 7". victory records. 2002.