Hey, there! We’re excited to share the brand new video from The Postal Service for their new song, “A Tattered Line of String”! Available on Give Up (Deluxe, 10th Anniversary Edition).

Getting to Know Us

With less than a month left until Seattleites, Washingtonians, fellow Northwesterners, national and international travelers, and the great unwashed (Sub Pop employees) arrive en masse in Seattle’s historic Georgetown neighborhood for the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee, we’re running out of time to tell you all about ourselves in an effort to coerce you into thinking to yourself, “This free, all day concert-going experience, featuring many of my favorite artists and musicians, and possibly introducing me to additional favorite artists and musicians, is how I will spend Saturday, July 13th. I should tell all of my friends about this now”. And you know what, you’re right, you should tell your friends about this; it’s going to be the best G-D day of all. This week’s Getting to Know Us, the feature intended to acquaint/reacquaint you with the artists playing the Jubilee, features King Tuff and Chad VanGaalen, two overwhelming creative hubs of music and art and wonderful weirdness of all kinds. Here, let me show you about them:

Led by long-haired, self-taught Bedazzler virtuoso and all around natural creative force, Kyle Thomas, King Tuff came to Sub Pop on the heels of their near-perfect debut, King Tuff Was Dead, (which, if you’re a connoisseur of good times, you should own (lucky for you, it just got reissued on the vinyl formatway)). Instead of releasing the King Tuff follow-up, Thomas reengineered his formula for his next project and came up with the KT bridge project, Happy Birthday, and we released their brilliant self-titled, laid-back pop anthem-laden debut in 2010 to much hoo-ha from the press. In 2012, Thomas refocused on King Tuff and gave the world King Tuff, pleasing virtually all who chose to gaze their ears upon its fuzzy glory. Watch the embedded video for KT’s “Bad Thing” to get an earful of what we’re clumsily trying to tell you about. OH! It’s always worth noting that AllMusic.com decreed upon King Tuff the musical theme: “TGIF”; those guys clearly get it.

Sub Pop has had the privilege of putting out four of Chad VanGaalen’s records in just eight years. They’ve each been haunting, beautiful and weird—a sort of weird beauty. In addition to being a uniquely gifted and prolific musician/songwriter, Chad is also a visual artist with an output similar to his musical output, which is to say, he’s like a nuclear reactor of creative energy. He has illustrated and animated most of his own music videos, adding an additional sensory dimension through which his haunting songs can are conveyed. Watch the accompanying “Molten Light” to get the eerie and enthralling CvG experience. Chad has also illustrated and animated music videos for Sub Pop labelmates like J Mascis (also playing the Jubilee), as you can see here.

Chad and Kyle are just two of Sub Pop’s many creative weirdos, and two more very convincing reasons why the July 13th Sub Pop Silver Jubilee is going to be a wonderfully absurd place to park yourself for the day—we hope to see you there. Thanks again for getting to know us.

This is the link to clicl for complete Silver Jubilee details.

Sub Pop is very happy to be able to share with you Low’s new video for “Plastic Cup” directed by Ryley Fogg. You can watch the video in the embedded player.

We’re also pleased to announce screenings of Low Movie (How to Quit Smoking) all over the United States this summer. The film follows the band’s entire career and relationship with director, Philip Harder. For twenty years, we made music videos and short films together, filming on ice, in railroad yards, and in rapidly disintegrating rooms.

So far, screenings have been scheduled in the cities below. You can see the full list of screenings and ticketing links here, but make sure to check back often as cities are still being added.

Iowa City, IA – Duluth, MN – Philadelphia, PA – Washington, DC – Chicago, IL Harrisburg, PA – Tulsa, OK – Omaha, NE – Seattle, WA – Grand Rapids, MI Cleveland, OH – New York, NY – Hartford, CT – San Francisco, CA – Arcata, CA Los Angeles, CA – Washburn, WI – Auburn, NY – Columbia, SC – Boston, MA – Madison, WI

Low have also just announced two shows in the southeast in September. Tickets for both shows are on sale on Friday, June 14. You can also get more information about each here.

Sept. 5 – Mercy Lounge – Nashville, TN
Sept. 6 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA

Don’t forget about Low’s shows next week with Mike Doughty, Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival and July shows with Swans. They return to Europe in August and November. Details below.

June 14 – Red Star – Duluth, MN
June 15 – Rock the Garden – Minneapolis, MN
June 17 – Sixth and I Synagogue – Washington, DC
June 18 – Altar – Pittsburgh, PA
June 19 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY
June 20 – Spaceland Ballroom – Hamden, CT
June 21 – World Cafe Live – Philadelphia, PA
June 22 – Solid Sound Festival @ Mass Moca – North Adams, MA
July 18 – Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN
July 19 – The Majestic – Detroit, MI
July 20 – Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park – Chicago, IL
Aug. 16 – Pukkelpop @ Kiewet Hasselt Festival Grounds – Hasselt, Belgium
Aug. 17 – Green Man Festival – Glansuk, Wales
Aug. 19 – Cyprus Avenue – Cork, Ireland
Aug. 20 – Whelan’s – Dublin, Ireland
Aug. 21 – Empire Music Hall – Belfast, Ireland
Aug. 30 – Big Top Chautauqua – Bayfield, WI
Sept. 5 – Mercy Lounge – Nashville, TN
Sept. 6 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA
Sept. 7 – Hopscotch Music Festival – Raleigh, NC
Nov. 4 – Sala Petrassi: Auditorium Parco della Musica – Rome, Italy
Nov. 5 – Teatro Puccini – Florence, Italy
Nov. 6 – Teatro Martinitt – Milan, Italy
Nov. 7 – Bogen F – Zurich, Switzerland
Nov. 8 – Le Bourg – Lausanne, Switzerland
Nov. 9 – Manufaktur – Schorndorf, Germany
Nov. 11 – Stadsschouwburg – Groningen, Netherlands
Nov. 12 – Lux – Nijmegen, Netherlands
Nov. 13 – Het Depot – Leuven, Belgium
Nov. 14 – Junction – Cambridge, United Kingdom
Nov. 15 – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham, United Kingdom
Nov. 16 – Queens Social Club – Sheffield, United Kingdom
Nov. 18 – Anglican Cathedral – Liverpool, United Kingdom
Nov. 19 – Queens Hall – Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Nov. 20 – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds, United Kingdom
Nov. 21 – Arts Centre – Norwich, United Kingdom
Nov. 22-24 – ATP Festival – Camber Sands, United Kingdom

As we’ve previously reported, the stunning follow up to No Age’s Everything In Between, An Object, comes out on August 20th. And for a band well known for their holistic approach to the use of the album as an artistic expression—maximizing all aspects of the album as expression, not just the sonic experience—No Age take it several notches further by stepping into virtually all aspects of the creation of An Object, from creating the music to printing, all the way to assembling and packaging each of the CDs and LPs in the first run of the record, the band redefine the entire artistic process of the recording artist; and they do it to wonderful effect. And though you’ll have to wait until August 20th to hear, see, and feel the aptly titled, An Object in all of it’s sonic and tactile glory, today, we give you a taste of what the record sounds like with “C’mon Stimmung”. Welcome back, No Age.

Look for pre-order details for An Object next week.

In continuity with the aesthetic that Washed Out established when they released the summer fever-inducing album trailer for the forthcoming, summer anthem-packed Paracosm, they now give us the similarly floral and kaleidoscopic music video for “It All Feels Right”, the massive, hazy, lead off hitter for the new record. Out August 13th on Sub Pop Records.

If you pre-order Paracosm on CD or LP, you’ll receive the very limited-edition Washed Out 7" single, featuring “Pull You Down” b/w “Exit”, at no charge. Speaking of limited edition vinyl, if you pre-order the record on the larger, fidelity-maximizing LP format, you’ll receive the limited, colored-vinyl Loser Edition of Paracosm. But, as is the nature of limited things, the sooner you order, the better your chances are of receiving them. Lastly, we have two brand new Washed Out t-shirts, both available at a discount when bundled with the Paracosm CD or LP.

Pre-order Paracosm on CD or LP.

Another week is already on top of us, June’s entering its awkward tweens, and we’ve got another issue of Getting to Know Us, the weekly column in which we go on and on (and on) about a few of the artists playing our self indulgent 25th anniversary party (the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee—July 13th—Seattle), with the tedium of proud parents in an effort to acquaint/reacquaint you with the artists playing. This week, we’re going to tell you all about Greg Dulli, Shearwater, and The Baptist Generals.

Among Sub Pop’s many prodigal sons, Greg Dulli stands out because we’ve been fortunate enough to be able to work with him on not just one, but three different projects: The Afghan Whigs, The Gutter Twins, and most recently, The Twilight Singers; each sonically unique unto themselves yet somehow all clearly branded “Dulli”—all with truly astonishing releases. Greg Dulli is going to have an unparalleled depth in which to pull songs from, so a performance from him is likely to be a multi-decade-spanning trip from the past to the present with stops everywhere in between—we’re excited to board any ship with Greg Dulli at the helm—it’s going to be a great ride. Watch the video for “On The Corner”, from Twight Singers’ 2011 Dynamite Steps to hear what we’re saying.

Shearwater’s prolific career has been on high speed for over a decade, but we’ve only just recently been lucky enough to work with them having released their seventh full-length record, Animal Joy, in 2012. Without a background in poetry, it’s difficult to accurately describe exactly the sound that Shearwater has so developed over the years—dark with a healthy dose of pirated optimism?—yikes, that’s not it. Check out their cinematic video for “You As You Were”, my personal favorite Shearwater song.

The Baptist Generals hold the Sub Pop Records record for longest time span between debut and sophomore record—No Silver/No Gold and Jackleg Devotional to the Heart—2003 and 2013, respectively; a full decade. It’s no small feat reintroducing a band to a generation of music listeners and record collectors who were forced to move on after the long wait, but upon our first hearing Jackleg, there was no question that we had to share this record with anyone and everyone who we could play it for, which is to say, it may have been a long time, but The Baptist Generals sound is as good as ever. They’re like the Meryl Streep of Denton, TX-based musicians. To hear proof of this well-aged sound, listen to “Broken Glass.”

With last Friday’s announcement expanding the already get-here-July 13th-no-matter-what caliber lineup for The Silver Jubilee to include METZ, King Tuff, Built To Spill, Chad VanGaalen, and brand new Sub Pop artists, clipping., this festival is shaping up to be the best we’ve ever been to—here’s to hoping you can join us.

More info for the event can be found here.

To say that we’re tediously excited to share the news that Italian band His Electro Blue Voice will release Ruthless Sperm, their Sub Pop debut, on August 20th is a gross understatement. The self-produced album is the band’s first full-length release, and it’s remarkably noisy and perfect in its devastating execution. All of which is to say, it’s so good and we think you’re going to love it as much as us.

Watch the Ruthless Sperm album trailer on the embed, listen to the track, “Kidult”, from the Sub Pop 1000 comp, and look for more HEBV news in the weeks to come.

We at Sub Pop are feeling even more self-congratulatory than usual in sharing further details on our 25th anniversary celebration: the Sub Pop Records Silver Jubilee. To be held July 12th-13th in Seattle, Washington, the event will feature music and comedy performances by past and present Sub Pop and Sub Pop-related artists.

On Friday, July 12th, the previously announced Silver Jubil-eve: A 25th Anniversary Comedy Thing (for Charity!) takes place at the Moore Theatre. The evening will be hosted by Eugene Mirman and feature performances from David Cross, Jon Benjamin, Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler, with additional guests to be announced shortly. Tickets for the event are $25 and are on sale now. More information is here.

Then, on Saturday, July 13th, our entirely FREE, all-ages festival will happen to a stretch of Airport Way in Seattle’s historic & colorful Georgetown neighborhood. The music lineup has been expanded to include friends of Sub Pop Built to Spill (fun fact: Built to Spill recorded their landmark album There’s Nothing Wrong with Love, for the Sub Pop offshoot and respected indie label Up Records in 1994). Also added to the lineup are Sub Pop artists King Tuff, METZ, Chad VanGaalen and the newest addition to the Sub Pop roster, clipping., from Los Angeles. Our sister label, Hardly Art, will host the " Hardly Art Sideshow Stage" at the Georgetown venue The Mix. The 21-and-over show, which features Hausu, Protomartyr, Deep Time, and more, will begin at 9pm. Please find full updated music lineup details below.

We’d also like to officially welcome clipping. to the Sub Pop family. The group joined the label earlier this month, and will release their label debut in 2014. In the meantime, listen to their album midcity here or watch their latest video for “bout that” here.

Finally, the temporary Sub Pop Mega Mart store, located in the heart of the Georgetown neighborhood, will open its doors on June 8th. Discerning music lovers will find records—including lots of rare and out-of-print colored vinyl—and merchandise from the label’s storied catalog, and take in an art exhibit featuring little-seen materials (sketches and artwork, label ads and press sheets, blue-lines and cutting room floor scraps) from throughout the label’s history. The store hours are Thursday-Saturday 12-8pm, and Sunday 12-6pm. The Mega Mart is at 6003 12th Avenue South in Seattle and will be open from June 8th until July 21st.

All proceeds from both the ticketed Silver Jubil-eve comedy night and donations collected from the Silver Jubilee music event will benefit local organizations 90.3FM KEXP, Northwest Harvest and the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation. In addition to these worthy organizations, Sub Pop is fortunate to be working with the Georgetown Merchants Association and great businesses like Nordstrom, STG Presents, Uber, Top Pot Doughnuts, Chihuly Garden and Glass, Georgetown Brewing Company, the Sandbox, Fantagraphics Books, Georgetown Records, Via Tribunali, Elysian Brewing Company, and the Georgetown Inn to create a one-of-a-kind event in a one-of-a-kind neighborhood.

For more information and updates on the event, please visit http://silverjubilee.subpop.com.

Friday July 12, 2013
Sub Pop Records’ Silver Jubil-eve
A 25th Anniversary Comedy Thing (for Charity!)
At The Moore Theatre
7p.m. Door

Tickets $25, All Ages

Ticketing info here.

Lineup:
Eugene Mirman
David Cross
Jon Benjamin
Kristen Schaal
Kurt Braunholer

Saturday July 13th
Sub Pop’s Silver Jubilee
On Airport Way in Georgetown
10am-11pm

FREE, All Ages

Lineup:
Built to Spill
J Mascis
Mudhoney
Greg Dulli
Father John Misty
Shabazz Palaces
Shearwater
METZ
King Tuff
Pissed Jeans
Chad VanGaalen
The Baptist Generals
clipping.
Brothers of the Sonic Cloth (featuring Tad Doyle)
Jack Endino’s Earthworm
And special guest TBA

*Hardly…

Father John Misty has had a very busy year—he’s played countless shows, countless festivals, serenaded a boat or two, he’s performed on the TV several times, has made music videos for nearly half of 2012 masterpiece Fear Fun, and now, this consummate performer can also add the title of perfumer to his resume. But more on that in the paragraph after next.

First, let’s talk about the new Father John Misty clip for the song that gets Fear Fun rolling—track one/side one—“Fun Times in Babylon”. It’s a delightful, post-apocalyptic romp through a thoroughly ravaged Everytown, USA co-directed by and starring Father John Misty leader, Josh Tillman, who had this to say about the video: "Music videos don’t need blurbs. It’s like putting a brief summary before a Garfield comic strip. Also when did everyone start calling them “clips”? A “clip” is an excerpt of a whole, I thought. Whoever post’s this, don’t spoil the ending in your blurb, which will probably read like this: "Seattle based folk beardo Father John Murphy mopes around a deserted, apocalyptic landscape (and shows off some of those infamous dance moves) in this Josh Tillman directed clip for “Funtimes In Babylon”." Well, at least we didn’t spoil the ending.

And on to pleasures of a different sense, if you will (we really hope you’re still reading). As we said earlier, Father John Misty recently, and yes, seriously, got into the perfume making business, officially earning himself the additional title “perfumer”. Watch the, umm, trailer for his new, unisex fragrance, Innocence by Misty, it’s a wonderful introduction into the process of perfuming as guided by the always charming Father John Misty. Enjoy.

Sub Pop only turns 25 once! Did you think that we were only going to mark the momentous milestone by simply spending the better part of a year planning the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee which entailed booking a large number of Sub Pop-related bands that span the entirety of our tenure, shut down an ENTIRE Seattle neighborhood for one full day, figure out how to feed and tipsify a massive crowd of thousands, provide many other forms of entertainment and time-passery, and charge you absolutely nothing for entry? Well, what I’m saying here, awfully heavy-handed, is if you did think that long thing I was just saying about, you were dead wrong. We’re also having a comedy show at The Moore Theatre in Seattle the on July 12th—the Sub Pop Silver Jubil-eve (clever, no?). Watch the accompanying video starring the evening’s host, Eugene Mirman, and read on for more details.

The important things to know:

On Friday, July 12th (the night before our free, utterly vainglorious Silver Jubilee festival in Georgetown on July 13th), Sub Pop Records presents Silver Jubil-eve: A 25th Anniversary Comedy Thing (for Charity!) at the Moore Theatre. The evening will be hosted by Eugene Mirman and features performances from Marc Maron, Jon Benjamin, Kristen Schaal, & Kurt Braunohler. Tickets for the event are $25 and will be on sale June 7th at 10 a.m. You can purchase tickets via phone at 1-877-784-4849, online at STG Presents.org or in person at The Paramount Theatre box office. All proceeds from this event will benefit local organizations 90.3FM KEXP, Northwest Harvest and the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation.

Ticketing info:

Tickets avialable online at stgpresents.org and tickets.com, also available with NO service charge at the Paramount box office open Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm, plus show nights. Tickets available with a $1.50 service charge at 24 hr electronic kiosks located outside the Paramount, Moore, and Neptune and with a reduced service charge at Sonic Boom Records.

In this week’s installment of Getting to Know Us, the weekly column in which we shamelessly extoll the many audible virtues of the artists playing the very FREE Sub Pop Silver Jubilee on Saturday, July 13 in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. This week, we’re talking about the sonically disparate, but similarly remarkable live acts, the filthy Pissed Jeans and the effortlessly suave Father John Misty.

There’s a pretty visceral image that comes to mind the first time you hear the band name “Pissed Jeans”, and it’s pretty accurate. It’s not like the band GG Allins themselves when they perform, but it’s not like they don’t not GG Allin themselves, either—you know what I mean? Okay, it’s a little like this: they’re similar to GG Allin but with an utterly devastating sense of humor and with better songs. Also, with the Pissed Jeans, there’s no blood, urine or shit, only sweat. Upon further thought, the whole GG Allin analogy feels a little off…eh, I’m sticking with it. Watch the video from their megahit, “Bathroom Laughter” in the accompanying player. If that’s not enough, which is understandable when talking about Pissed Jeans, this live video portrayal of their song “False Jesii Part 2” is as worth your time as anything else you could be doing.

Father John Misty: singer, dancer, actor; Sub Pop’s own in-house triple threat. If there ever was an SP artist who could bring us an EGOT, it’s him (or Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords who is halfway there). Chances are that you’ve seen him somewhere since Fear Fun, Father John Misty’s debut, came out in May 2012, as he and his band have performed on a number of TV shows, played countless festivals, and have toured extensively for well over a year now. Father John Misty performs like a preacher; through his huge, melodic voice, hypnotizing hip-shaking, white suits, decidedly better-than-average looks, perfectly suited (not to mention well dressed) band, you’ll come away a believer. There’s honestly not too many bands that are easier to enjoy. Watch the accompanying video for “Fun Times in Babylon”, track one off of Fear Fun to hear what we’re saying about.

So far, Getting to Know Us has acquainted/reacquainted its readers with Tad and Brothers of a Sonic Cloth, Jack Endino’s Earthworm, Shabazz Palaces, J Mascis, and now Pissed Jeans and Father John Misty. I know we’re blinded with bias, but this lineup is already near perfect and we’re only halfway through it. Oh, and it seems worth reminding you that entry to this festival is entirely free—we’re charging for falafels and beer, however.

More Sub Pop Silver Jubilee details can be read here

Today marks the release of Goat’s Dreambuilding on the Sub Pop Record label. Though just a single, we’re proud to spread the mystical power of Goat all over North America with the double-A-sided “Dreambuilding”/“Stonegoat” 7". This is Goat’s first North American release, and it comes hot on the heels of 2012’s critically-acclaimed, import-only psychedelic opus, World Music.

Pick it up here.

This morning, a small handful of press outlets received news of a new No Age record, An Object, via a small box, entirely created by No Age themselves—from the printing on the cover, right down to the music contained on An Object. The follow up to 2010’s groundbreaking Everything In Between finds the band on fertile ground creating something both completely different to anything they’ve done before, yet distinctly No Age. An Object comes out on Sub Pop on August 20th, and just like the promotional pieces the band sent out to announce An Object, No Age has performed, recorded, produced, and prepared and assembled the entirety of the physical packaging of An Object, including jackets, inserts, and labels, taking on the roll of manufacturer, artist, and musician until the roles trip on themselves and individual parts lose their distinct meanings, demanding to be considered as a whole.

The takeaway from this message, there’s a new record from No Age, it’s called An Object, it comes out on August 20th, and they’ve created something in An Object worthy of much anticipation.

There’s a new documentary film about Low and it is screening nationally this entire summer!

In short: Low Movie (How To Quit Smoking) follows the entire career of the iconic band Low and their relationship with director Philip Harder.

And there are many more details available here!

All of this hot on the metaphorical heels of the release of the new and very good album from Low called The Invisible Way.

Things are really coming up Low this summer.

Low Movie (How To Quit Smoking) Public Screening Dates

June 13th, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, IA

June 14th, Zinema 2 and Red Star, Duluth, MN

June 20th, Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA

June 28th, Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL

June 28th, Winona Film Society, Winona, MN

July 11th, Moviate at Studio A, Harrisburg, PA

July 12th, Circle Cinema, Tulsa, OK

July 16th, FilmStreams, Omaha, NE

July 17th, SIFF Cinema at the Uptown, Seattle, WA

July 19th, Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI

July 23rd, Capitol Theatre, Cleveland, OH

July 30th, Film Society of Lincoln Center, New York, NY

August, TBD, Washington, DC

August, TBD, Portland, OR

August, TBD, Salt Lake City, UT

August 7th, Wadsworth Atheneum Musem, Hartford, CT

August 8th, Roxie, San Francisco, CA

August 10th, Downtown Independent, Los Angeles, CA

August 15th, Stagenorth, Washburn, WI

August 17th, Auburn Public Theater, Auburn, NY

August 31st, TBD, Washington, DC

August 23rd, The Nickelodeon, Columbia, SC

August, 30th, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

September 25th, Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI

In this second installment of Getting to Know Us, the self-serving, Sub Pop Silver Jubilee Festival-promoting column in which we talk about some of the world class artists who are playing our (free (to you)) birthday party taking place on Saturday, July 13th in Seattle’s esteemed Georgetown Neighborhood. This week, we would like to show you about the majestic J Mascis and the enigmatic Shabazz Palaces.

Chances are that if you know who we are (just to clarify, we’re the t-shirt and record manufacturer, Sub Pop), you are already well aware of who J Mascis is. As one of the shreddiest forces on the planet and singer of the pioneering band Dinosaur Jr., J has been creating some of the noisiest and most wonderful (in this blog poster’s opinion, at least) music for the better part of like, 15 decades or so. He’s also been involved with J Mascis + The Fog, Witch, Deep Wound, Upsidedown Cross, Sweet Apple, and most importantly (for the sake of this Silver Jubilee related blog post, at least), simply J Mascis. J’s most recent solo record, Several Shades of Why, came out on Sub Pop in 2011 to much critical acclaim, and quickly became a favorite among the staff at Sub Pop. In case you missed that record, here’s a link to the video for “Not Enough”, created by J’s labelmate, Chad VanGaalen.

Shabazz Palaces are an enigmatic hip-hop duo, bucking every trend in the modern rap game (take for example them signing with a record label not at all known for putting out hip hop records). They’re led by Palaceer Lazaro, also known as Ishmael Butler, a member of the pioneering 90’s rap group, Digable Planets and are rounded off with the multi-instrumental brilliance of Tendai Maraire. Shabazz Palaces’ debut full-length, Black Up, was released in 2011 amidst a frenzy of excitement and hype and according to universal critical acclaim, well exceeded the hype in its delivery. In case you needed proof of their prowess, we’ve attached a video for their song “Are You… Were You… Can You… (Felt)” off of Black Up.

Perhaps it feels a little desperate to attempt to sell you on an altogether FREE MUSIC FESTIVAL put on by a record label representing such historically and presently great artists, we wouldn’t be Sub Pop Records (and t-shirts!) if we weren’t trying to sell you something. So, on July 13th, we hope you’ll join us at the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee however you can and watch these three artists do their thing.For free.

Click here for more information on the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee.

Even just the small sample of Washed Out’s brand of hazy, summery pop music in the accompanying trailer for the forthcoming Paracosm has a way of lifting the clouds and warming the temperature from the long, damp, drawn out spring that we in Seattle seem to be hopelessly in the middle of. Paracosm, the long-awaited follow-up to Washed Out’s brilliant 2011 debut Within and Without, comes out on August 13th—just in time to ride ride out the heavy, languid days of summer. It’s getting a little poetic over here—must be the music.

The Sub Pop warehouse has seen its share of hustle (not to mention bustle) this week as we’ve been shipping Baptist Generals’ first full length in a decade as well as a 7" single from St. Paul, Minnesota’s hardcore punk, mutated, and art-damaged heaviness that is the band Condominium.

Watch the tragic video for the Baptist Generals’s “Dog That Bit You” in the handy player above, and check out “Carl”, the filthy and oddly wondrous a-side from the new Condominium single here.

Pick up Jackleg Devotional to the Heart here.

And the new Condominium 7" single right here.

The Losers have won! We here at Sub Pop HQ have been toiling away for the past couple of months trying to find the three Losers most worthy of winning our scholarship and we are finally ready to announce the Loser winners. With close to 300 submissions by a variety of awesome youth throughout the northwest, this process was not easy for us. It is tough to cull 99% of the applicants to just the top three, we thank all of the awesome Losers out there and are happy to see so many freak flags waving high in the sky. Now onto the Losers:

Our $3000 scholarship winner is Evan Neuhausen of Portland. Evan is an amazing organizer and fundraiser in the Portland music community who has helped get big name bands to support the arts in Portland Public Schools. Volunteering for the Music In The Schools non-profit, Evan has worked as the President of the organization for the past two years helping to raise tens of thousands of dollars through fundraising benefit shows with awesome local bands. When not in school or volunteering Evan interns for the Tender Loving Empire record label and works with the PDX Pop Now festival. Upon graduation Evan will be leaving the Pacific Northwest and headed to NYU, where hopefully he’ll become an even bigger Loser.

Our $4000 prize goes to the gifted Jamie Iwata. Multi-talented and very gifted, Jamie is a testament to how music can change people’s lives. Since he was a kid Jaimi has turned to music as a way to find self expression, now as a young adult Jaimi uses choir, his band The Great Train Robbery, and his friends from the Portland School of Rock to get his ya ya’s out. The sheer amount of vocal talent, musicianship, and eclectic musical interests combined with Jamie’s awesome attitude make us here at Sub Pop very excited to support such a wonderful Loser. After graduating Oregon Connections Academy, Jamie will continue his education at the University of Colorado where he’ll be majoring in vocal performance.

Our $6000 Loser is the ever-so-talented musician/journalist Mary Ruiz. Through her writing and her music, Mary has carved out a unique identity in her local community and found a perfect niche to grow up while also giving back. Cutting her teeth at the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls, Mary grew confidence as a youngster learning to perform and be herself. Now as a young adult she helps the next generation of young talented Losers by volunteering her summers as a roadie, guitar instructor, and mentor with the RNRCFG. Whether through her band Guadalupe, or her blog, or even her reporting as a student journalist Mary makes a calculated effort to reach out and positively influence the lives of others. As our newest Loser winner we’ll be helping Mary pursue and further her career in journalism at Mills College with this $6000 college scholarship.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all that applied. Every year we get to see just how many talented, freaky, weird, cool young people that are out there in the woods and hollows of the northwest and every year we get more and more impressed. Keep up the good work young folks, thank you for inspiring us once again, we’ll see you Losers again around this time next year.

July 9th, 2013, the birth date of Daughn Gibson’s Sub Pop debut and the long-awaited follow-up to last year’s brilliant All Hell. Me Moan, is approaching quickly. We’ve already given you “The Sound of Law”, the first track off the new record, and with today comes “You Don’t Fade”, which Pitchfork called “an easy lope with pitch-screwed vocal samples and frissons of guitar and bass”. So do yourself a favor and download the track, listen to it while on a nice, easy lope, and we guarantee you’ll get a frisson of excitement about the upcoming release date for Me Moan.

Pre-order Me Moan

As you may or may not have been previously aware, Sub Pop’s years of consecutive business operations without going out of business reached the 25 year milestone on April 1st, 2013, and to celebrate ourselves, we are throwing an altogether free event on Saturday, July 13th in Seattle’s historic Georgetown neighborhood featuring live music from the Sub Pop universe as well as other types of attractions to attract you, the potential free concert goer, to the aforementioned date and time to celebrate us with us.

In an effort to familiarize/refamiliarize you with the bands that make up our truly magnificent lineup for the event, each week, we will bring to you Getting to Know Us, a column highlighting a Sub Pop artist or two playing our Jubilee. This week, we’re starting with Endino’s Earthworm featuring legendary producer, Jack Endino, and Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, featuring Tad Doyle.

Jack Endino and Sub Pop go way back, him having produced many Sub Pop releases, including Nirvana’s culture-shifting record, Bleach, and us having released many of those records. Endino’s Earthworm are not surprisingly from Seattle, WA, and as an a proper sonic introduction, take a listen to “Count Me Out” from Endino’s 2005 record, Permanent Fatal Error, recorded live at The Tractor Tavern in Seattle. Now, imagine that same wonderful thing, but set outside on a beautiful sunny Seattle day in July—now that’s good livin’.

Also playing the Silver Jubilee are Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, featuring the one and only, Tad Doyle. Tad was a key figure in the early days of the Sub Pop roster, and we couldn’t be happier to have Brothers of the Sonic Cloth playing their brand of heavy dirge on one of our stages. Listen to the epic 12-minute track “Fires Burn Dim in the Shadows of the Mountain” to see what we’re talking about.

Tune in next week for another issue of Getting to Know Us. The complete lineup and additional information for the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee can be found here.