PORTRAITS OF PAST

I was going to save this one for later, but since it's been a few days since you and I last spoke, and I have info ready to fire, you're getting this unparalleled hardcore moment now. Just as strongly as I feel Drive Like Jehu changed the direction of songwriting for early '90s discordant guitar music, I feel the Bay Area born Portraits of Past were equally as potent, though they had no real impact until years after disbanding.

This 1995 LP on Ebullition Records (the band's only full-length) is easily one of my favorite hardcore records of all time. The songs are powerful and hit me in ways few other recordings could, and even after years of listening, not a single track feels stale. The actual studio production is a little lean, but the robust deliveries and structures give its tech-related shortcomings a unique texture which works unlike any recording I've heard. I'm not bullshitting you. This record is that fantastic.

So why couldn't Portraits of Past make a dent in their lifespan? Was it because the band only really flourished for one year, making it difficult to permeate the limiting mailorder days of underground music? Who knows, really. This short blurb from the Ebullition website reveals the band's commercial unfulfillments.

The first pressing of this LP with the original cover is now sold out.

The hand screened cover version is still available. Once this pressing is sold out then this LP will never be available on vinyl again.

This eight song LP was not an immediate success. When it first came out it was way ahead of its time and the LP didn't really start to sell until many years after the band had broken up.

At one point the LP completely stopped selling. In fact, it was selling so poorly that we recycled all the left over inserts and covers as it appeared that no one was really interested in Portraits of Past. This turned out to be a mistake. A few years later interest in the band exploded and we started to sell a lot of LPs. So many in fact that the LP was repressed, but the original covers and cover art were no longer available. So we ended up making these hand screened versions.

Portraits of Past started out as a screamo band, and their debut split 7" with Bleed captured that sound. But the LP was much more controlled and refined. It has a moody almost sad feel to it that is quite captivating.

At some point soon a CD discography will be released.

I've been reading that last sentence for a couple years now, and I haven't found any indications on when the discography will be available. Portraits of Past has a website that does a good job filling all the informational voids I may have left here, so visit it for updates in the future.

Maybe if the remaining copies of their LP finally run down and out, it will scoot the discography production process along. This rare moment in California hardcore can be purchased here, and I highly suggest you invest.

I'm only going to post two songs from this record since the hand-screened version is still available from Ebullition Mailorder. The band members are adamant in their wish that no one bootleg their material, so hopefully the sample mp3s below will encourage you to buy legitimate copies.

But it is true what the Ebullition blurb said: "When it first came out it was way ahead of its time..."

1. KQED Equals Volvo
2. Bang Yer Head
3. The Control Freak
4. Implications of a Sinkhole Personality
5. The Outlook Is Bleak
6. Snicker Snicker
7. Something Less Than Intended