Sub Pop Records, The Big Bag of Beans

Watch The Making of Father Creeper by Spoek Mathambo

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:17:32 -0800

On March 13 South African artist Spoek Mathambo is releasing his Sub Pop Debut Father Creeper. You can check the first offering entitled “Let Them Talk” by clicking on the track name. Spoek has announced a slew of US dates, kicking of in March around the release of his Sub Pop debut & SXSW. See below for a full list of shows. Because we learned the importance of sharing at an early age, see above for a look into the life of Spoek Mathambo, and making of Father Creeper.

Spoek Mathambo Tour Dates
Mar 22 SOB’S New York, NY
Mar 23 The Great Hall Toronto, ON
Mar 24 La Tulipe Montreal QC
Mar 25 TT the Bears Cambridge, MA

Watch Niki & The Doves New Video for "The Fox"

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:02:48 -0800

Stockholm’s Niki & The Dove, a/k/a Malin Dahlstroem and Gustaf Karloef, have announced a handful of US dates in early March surrounding SXSW. To support this batch of shows, we thought we would share with you a new video for the track “The Fox” which was directed by the folks at WINTR You can watch above. Like what you see & hear? Click here to download the MP3.

Niki & The Dove Tour Dates:
Mar 8 U Street Music Hall Washington, DC
Mar 10 Knitting Factory Brooklyn, NY
Mar 20 Soda Bar San Diego, CA
Mar 21 Bootleg Theater Los Angeles, CA

What people have been saying about Niki & The Dove:

…the combinations of confident, drum machine-fused hooks and Dahlstoem’s mystical lyrics, similar to a Bjork-esque fairy tale, leave you an eerie sense of menace. (Vogue, track review “The Fox” 2011)

“The Fox” is the titular, earthquaking single from Swedish pop duo Niki & the Dove. (Pitchfork, track review “The Fox” 2011)

The band’s promising distinctive electronic pop overlays should be held accountable for the earworm syndrome with Niki & The Dove. Their songs are full of magic and light but with an unsettling darkness hidden beneath the surface. Take a listen for yourself, below. (Filter, “The Drummer” EP review 2012)

Click on this for more information on Niki & The Dove.

Download New THEESatisfaction track QueenS

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:19:12 -0800

awE naturalE, the debut full-length from Seattle’s THEESatisfaction comes out March 27th. You can download, listen to, own, and otherwise enjoy the track “QueenS” from that album through the clever media delivery device (“widget”) above.

THEESatisfaction will soon tour the U.S., Europe and the UK, with more stateside dates to be announced in the near-ish future. See below for a full list of confirmed shows.

Here is where you can find more information about THEESatisfaction.

THEESatisfaction Tour:
02-18 Seattle, WA – Town Hall
03-09 Brooklyn, NY – Cameo Gallery
03-27 Seattle, WA – Easy Street
03-29 Seattle, WA – Neumos
04-04 Nantes, France – Stereolux
04-05 Amiens, France – La Lune Des Pirates
04-06 Lille, France – Aeronef
04-09 Lyon, France – TBA
04-11 Angers, France – Chabada
04-12 Tours, France – Temps Machine
04-13 Poitiers, France – Confort Moderne
04-15 Madrid, Spain – Festival Electronica
04-17 Lisbon, Portugal – ZDB
04-20 Bristol, England – Start the Bus
04-21 Glasgow, Scotland – Arches
04-23 Brighton, England – Hope
04-24 London, England – White Heat

FATHER JOHN MISTY to Release FEAR FUN on May 1st 2012

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:46:13 -0800

On May 1st we are releasing the debut effort from Father John Misty. You can watch the new video for the track “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” starring Aubrey Plaza of NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Sundance Film Festival Hit “Safety Not Guaranteed” and the upcoming “A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III” by clicking here. The video was directed by Noel Paul.

Like what you hear & see? You can chat with frontman Josh Tillman talk about his music, live today at 3 pm PST.

Click here to chat.

Tour Dates
Feb 29 – new parish – oakland
March 3 grass valley – center for the arts
March 4 santa cruz – crepe place

Read About Fear Fun
When discussing ‘Father John Misty’, Tillman paraphrases Philip Roth: ’It’s all of me and none of me, if you can’t see that, you won’t get it’. What I call it is totally arbitrary, but I like the name. You’ve got to have a name. I never got to choose mine."

He goes on, “‘People who make records are afforded this assumption by the culture that their music is coming from an exclusively personal place, but more often than not what you hear are actually the affectations of an ’alter-ego’ or a cartoon of an emotionally heightened persona,” says Josh Tillman, who has been recording/releasing solo albums since 2003 and who recently left Seattle’s Fleet Foxes after playing drums from 2008-2011. “That kind of emotional quotient isn’t sustainable if your concern is portraying a human-being made up of more than just chest-beating pathos. I see a lot of rampant, sexless, male-fantasy everywhere in the music around me. I didn’t want any alter-egos, any vagaries, fantasy, escapism, any over-wrought sentimentality. I like humor and sex and mischief. So when you think about it, it’s kind of mischievous to write about yourself in a plain-spoken, kind of explicitly obvious way and call it something like ‘Misty’. I mean, I may as well have called it ‘Steve’”.

Musically, “Fear Fun” consists of such disparate elements as Waylon Jennings, Harry Nilsson, Arthur Russell, “All Things Must Pass,” and “Physical Graffiti,” often within the same song. Tillman’s voice has never been better and often sounds like Roy Orbison, “The Caruso of Rock”, at his most joyous, while the music maintains a dark, mysterious and yet conversely playful, almost Dionysian quality. Lyrically, his absurdist fever dreams of pain and pleasure elicit, in equal measures, the blunt descriptive power of Bukowski or Brautigan, the hedonist-philosophy of Oscar Wilde and the dried-out wit of Loudon Wainwright III.

The album began gestating during what Tillman describes as an “immobilizing period of depression”, in his former Seattle home. “Songwriting for me had always only been interesting and necessary because I saw it as this vehicle for truth, but I had this realization that all I had really done with it was lick my wounds for years and years, and become more and more isolated from people and experiences. I don’t even like wound-licking music, I want to listen to someone rip their arm off and beat themselves with it. I don’t believe that until now I’ve ever put anything at risk in my music. I was hell-bent on putting my preciousness at stake in order to find something worth singing about.”

He continues, "I lost all interest in writing music, or identifying as a ‘songwriter’. I got into my van with enough mushrooms to choke a horse and started driving down the coast with nowhere to go. After a few weeks, I was writing a novel, which is where I finally found my narrative voice. The voice that is actually useful.

“It was a while before that voice started manifesting in a musical way, but once I settled in the Laurel Canyon spider-shack where I’m living now, I spent months demoing all these weird-ass songs about weird-ass experiences almost in real-time, and kind of had this musical ‘Oh-there-I-am’ moment, identical to how I felt when I was writing the book. It was unbelievably liberating. I knew there was never any going back to the place I was writing from before, which was a huge relief. The monkey got banished off my back.”

Tillman brought the demos to LA producer/songwriter/pal Jonathan Wilson, and in February 2011 began recording at his home-studio in Echo Park. "Initially, the idea was to just kind of recreate the demos with me playing everything, since they were pretty fleshed out and sounded cool, but a place like LA affords you a different wealth of talent, potential, etc than just about anywhere else. I realized what was possible between Jonathan’s abilities, and the caliber of musicians that are just hanging around LA, pretty quickly. People were coming in and out of the studio all day sometimes, and other days, it would just be Jonathan and I holed up, getting stoned, and doing everything.

“I was honest with myself about what music actually excites my joy-glands when I was considering the arrangements and instrumentation,” says Tillman. “As opposed to what’s been enjoyable to me in the past – namely, alienating people or making choices based on what I think people won’t like or understand. Pretty narcissistic stuff.”

When asked about Laurel Canyon, where he eventually ended up living in the aforementioned tree-house with a family of spiders, Tillman says, “My attitude about it all is pretty explicit in the record. Given my fairly adversarial personal attitude about the music and aesthetic that comes from that place, it’s kind of a huge joke that I live in a former hippie-fantasy land. I have a really morbid sense of humor.”

Phil Ek (who everyone knows has worked with Built To Spill, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes) heard the rough versions of the album in May 2011 and offered his services to mix. “Phil and I have known each other for a while by virtue of Fleet Foxes, so he was familiar with my music, but we had never discussed working together. I think he immediately recognized the shift in my writing and singing from a producer and friend’s standpoint. His excitement is really evident in mixes, I think.”

Fear Fun is available May 1, 2012 from Sub Pop and Bella Union, in the US and UK/EU respectively.

Interviews by Richard Metzger and Casey Wescott
Written by Paula Zabrey, Jan. 2012

SHABAZZ PALACES ANNOUNCE NEW TOUR DATES & VIDEO FOR "ARE YOU...CAN YOU...WERE YOU...? (FELT)"

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:45:06 -0800

2011 was a stellar year for Shabazz Palaces, the sonic movement of Palaceer Lazaro (Ishmael Butler). The debut release, Black Up, was one of the most critically celebrated records of 2011, landing on the best of lists at SPIN, LA Times, The New Yorker, Pitchfork and more. Shabazz Palaces has no plans to slow down in 2012, announcing the group’s first official stateside touring, kicking off on April 3 in Minneapolis, with European dates preceding their North American tour.

To remind you how truly awesome Shabazz Palaces really is, we thought we would share with you the new video for the groups song “Are You… Can You… Were You…? (Felt)”, which was directed by Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes. You can watch the video above.

Shabazz Palaces Tour Dates:

Saturday, February 18, 2012 La Cave aux poetes, Roubaix France

Sunday, February 19, 2012 Stereolux, Nantes France

Monday February 20, 2012 Les Trinitaires, Metz France

Tuesday February 21, 2012 Strasbourg La Laiterie, France

Friday February 24, 2012 Palace, St Gallen Switzerland

Saturday, February 25, 2012 Stall 6, Zurich Switzerland

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Astoria, Turin Italy

Thursday, March 01, 2012 Circolo degli Artisti, Rome Italy

Friday, March 02, 2012 Bronson, Ravenna Italy

Saturday, March 03, 2012 Studio 2, Vigonovo (Venezia) Italy

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 The Whole, Minneapolis MN (All Ages Show)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 Mad Planet, Milwaukee WI

Thursday, April 5, 2012 Lincoln Hall, Chicago IL

Friday, April 6, 2012 Magic Stick, Detroit MI

Saturday, April 7, 2012 The Horn Gallery, Gambier OH

Sunday, April 2012 The Shadow Lounge, East Liberty PA

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 Lee’s Palace, Toronto ON

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 II Motore, Montreal QC

Thursday, April 12, 2012 Iron Horse, Northampton MA

Friday, April 13 2012 SOB’s, New York NY

Saturday, April 14, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn NY

Download "Walk With Me" by Memoryhouse

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:54:04 -0800

On February 28th, Memoryhouse are releasing their debut record, The Slideshow Effect, and will be kicking off a 15-date North American tour, with a handful of European shows to follow. Because sharing is our middle name, you can listen to the new track “Walk With Me” by inserting your email in the widget above. Pre-order The Slideshow Effect by February 28th via subpop.com, and you’ll receive a limited edition photo scrapbook put together by the band! Click here to find more information on this release and pre-order.

Download "Let Them Talk" by Spoek Mathambo

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:46:03 -0800

On March 13, South African artist Spoek Mathambo will release his Sophomore effort & Sub Pop debut, Father Creeper. You can check out his first offering by inserting your email address into the widget above. Stay tuned for more goodies from Spoek Mathambo in the coming weeks, including videos, tour dates and more sonic jams.

LOW ANNOUNCE 12 DATE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR WITH DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:56:01 -0800

Beginning April 10th, Sub Pop recording artists Low will serve as main support for the first 12 dates of Death Cab for Cutie’s upcoming North American spring tour. These dates will bring the bands to intimate venues and historic theaters across much of the United States, as Death Cab for Cutie performs with San Francisco’s innovative Magik*Magik Orchestra. Low was specially selected by Death Cab for Cutie as main support for these dates.

Low are touring in support of their 2011 release, C’mon, which was recorded in an old church in Duluth, MN and mixed in Hollywood, CA with producer Matt Beckley working alongside the band. C’mon received warm accolades from such places as: SPIN, Blurt, Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, Washington Post, and NPR, who had this to say about their latest release:

Lush and beautiful in its simplicity… Longtime fans who’ve lived with Low will no doubt appreciate the return to form, while newcomers ought to fall in love with these songs and want to dig into the rest of the band’s 18 years of passionate restraint.

Alan Sparhawk describes C’mon simply as: “Warm, pretty, large like Nashville without the country. Mim and I are talking to each other in the lyrics, sometimes it’s not pretty, but it’s as honest as love.”

See below for a full list of tour dates. Click here for more information on Low.

Low Tour Dates
Jan 27 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Mar 09 All Tomorrow’s Parties, Minehead, United Kingdom
Mar 26 Teatro Central, Sevilla, Spain
Mar 27 Apolo, Barcelona, Spain
Mar 28 Teatro Kapital, Madrid, Spain
Mar 29 Sala Capitol , Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Mar 30 Kursaal, San Sebastian, Spain
Mar 31 Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, Spain
Mar 31 Circulo de Arte de Toledo, Toledo, Spain
Apr 02 Glee Club (UK), Birmingham, United Kingdom
Apr 03 Royal Festival Hall, London, United Kingdom

w/ Death Cab for Cutie

04/10/12 Denver CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House
04/11/12 Omaha NE @ Omaha Music Hall
04/13/12 Louisville KY @ Louisville Palace
04/14/12 Grand Rapids MI @ Covenant Fine Arts Center / Calvin College
04/15/12 Milwaukee WI @ Riverside Theatre
04/16/12 Chicago IL @ Chicago Theatre
04/19/12 Toronto ON @ Massey Hall
04/20/12 Montreal QC @ St Jean Baptiste Church
04/21/12 Boston MA @ Citi Performing Arts Center / Wang Theatre
04/23/12 Providence RI @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
04/24/12 Buffalo NY @ Kleinhan’s Music Hall
04/25/12 Philadelphia PA @ Tower Theatre

Shearwater's Sub Pop Debut out February 14th!

sams@subpop.com (Sam Sawyer) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:04:35 -0800

We, the people who make Sub Pop Records run (it’s a filthy, filthy job), are feeling very fortunate to be able to say that on February 14th, we are releasing Shearwater’s Sub Pop debut, Animal Joy, on CD and LP. As we often like to do, we shower those who pre-order records through the Sub Pop webstore with modestly lavish gifts, and in the case of Animal Joy, things will be no different. If you pre-order the record, you’ll receive instant access to download five exclusive demos from the forthcoming record, AND we’ll donate $2 from the purchase to the Audubon Society on behalf of Shearwater! That’s a lot of goodwill moving around, and we want you to get in on the action. Also, if you pre-order the LP, you’ll receive the limited “Loser Edition”, colored vinyl version of the record—in this case, a lovely blood red. Oh, and stickers!

Pre-order Animal Joy here.

THEESatisfaction Announce Sub Pop Debut awE naturalE

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:21:06 -0800

On March 27, THEESatisfaction will release their Sub Pop debut, awE naturalE and we could not be more pumped. THEESatisfaction are Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White. Stas was born and raised in Tacoma, Cat in Seattle and Hawaii. The pair live/laugh/love/dance and create in Seattle, WA. They write, produce and perform their own material, funk-psychedelic feminista sci-fi epics with the warmth and depth of Black Jazz and Sunday morning soul, frosted with icy raps that evoke equal parts Elaine Brown, Ursula Rucker and Q-Tip. They met by what was clearly cosmic happenstance at the University of Washington and haven’t stopped the flow since.

You can find out more information on awE naturalE by clicking on the album title, and stay tuned to SubPop.com to hear music off the ladies upcoming album.

Buy a signed, limited-edition Mudhoney photo for an exceptionally good cause

chrisj@subpop.com (Chris Jacobs) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:46:44 -0800

This past February we were shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic death of Rick Kulwicki. Kulwicki was best known as the guitarist for The Fluid, Sub Pop’s first non-Seattle signing, and had been a mainstay on the Colorado music scene for more than 25 years. While his passing left a big hole in the music world, it left an even bigger hole in his family.

Rick was a proud single father and his life revolved around his sons, Richard and Roman, whose well-being and happiness were important to him above all else. He was proud of their academic achievements, their band Purple Fluid, and their profound kindness. The fact that they were growing up to be individuals who were wonderful beyond his imagination filled him with happiness.

While the pain of something like this can be unbearable for the family, the financial strain of losing a sole parent and provider is also a great hardship and the boys’ basic needs should not be threatened because Rick died unexpectedly. These are teenagers with very bright futures and together we can help lessen the strain by giving generously in memory of their dad.

Which is why Mudhoney has teamed with the Denver-based organization Prints For a Cause to offer signed, limited-edition photographs taken during their mesmerizing performance at The Kulwicki Twins Benefit show in Denver on January 6th, 2012. Proceeds from the sale of the signed prints will be donated directly to The Kulwicki Twins Foundation in the name of Mudhoney.

Mudhoney jumped at the opportunity to take part in the benefit. “Rick is an old friend of ours and we want to do whatever we can to help his boys out,” Mark Arm said before the show. “We met Rick and the rest of The Fluid back in ‘88. In fact, we played with them at a small club in Denver on our first tour in October of that year. It’s a fucking tragedy that we even have to do this.”

Purchase your limited-edition, signed Mudhoney print before they’re gone.

Read the Listen Up, Denver! review of the Jan. 2012 benefit show where the Kulwicki Twins’ band Purple Fluid performed alongside The Fluid and Mudhoney.

Sub Pop Records Snags Seattle's Poor Moon

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:20:08 -0800

Poor Moon is Christian Wargo (Fleet Foxes, Crystal Skulls) Casey Wescott (Fleet Foxes, Crystal Skulls) and brothers Ian and Peter Murray (The Christmas Cards). The band, named for frontman and primary songwriter Christian Wargo’s favorite Canned Heat song, began four years ago as a long-distance project with demos being created and sent back and forth while Wargo and Wescott were touring in support of the Fleet Foxes 2008 self-titled debut and Ian and Peter living in the Bay area. Their first shows were at intimate Seattle house parties where they used playful throwaway monikers like Rabbit Kingdom and Cookie Mask. It wasn’t until the band opened up for Deakin at Seattle’s Neumos (under the name Peppermint Majesty) that things began to really take form. Recording began and the four longtime friends became a band and Sub Pop didn’t hesitate to pursue them with unabashed enthusiasm. And it worked.

Illusion was recorded in a variety of bedrooms, practice spaces, the Murray residence, as well as AVAST! and Fastback studios in Seattle, Washington with the help of engineer Jared Hankins with guest performances by many a musician friend.

Poor Moon 2012 US Tour Dates
03/20 La Jolla CA @ UCSD – The Loft w/ Lost in the Trees
03/22 Los Angeles CA@ The Echo w/ Lost in the Trees
03/23 San Francisco CA @ Bottom of The Hill w/ Lost in the Trees
03/24 Arcata CA @ Arcata Playhouse w/ Lost in the Trees
03/25 Portland OR @ Doug Fir Lounge w/ Lost in the Trees
03/27 Seattle WA @ Tractor Tavern w/ Lost in the Trees
03/28 Boise ID @ Neurolux w/ Lost in the Trees
03/29 Salt Lake City UT @ The State Room w/ Lost in the Trees
03/30 Denver CO @ Hi Dive w/ Lost in the Trees
03/31 Omaha NE @ Slowdown Jr. w/ Lost in the Trees
04/02 Minneapolis MN @ Cedar Cultural Centre w/ Lost in the Trees
04/03 Chicago IL @ Schubas w/ Lost in the Trees
04/04 Evanston IL @ Space w/ Lost in the Trees
04/05 Columbus OH @ Wexner Center w/ Lost in the Trees
04/06 Toronto ON @ The Drake Hotel w/ Lost in the Trees
04/07 Montreal QC @ Il Motore w/ Lost in the Trees
04/09 Burling VT @ Burlington City Arts Center w/ Lost in the Trees
04/10 Portland ME @ Space w/ Lost in the Trees
04/11New York NY @ Le Poisson Rouge w/ Lost in the Trees
04/13 Boston MA @ Museum of Fine Arts, Boston w/ Lost in the Trees
04/14 Washington DC @ Black Cat Backstage w/ Lost in the Trees
04/16 Cleveland OH @ Beachland Tavern
4/18 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
4/20 Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium

it's feedtime

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:11 -0800

On March 13 we’re reissuing the first four long out-of-print albums from Australia’s feedtime in the form of both a 4 CD box set and a 4 LP box set. We’re calling it the Aberrant years. You can learn more about the band by clicking here. Listen to your new favorite feedtime songs according to Mark Arm in the player above.

ACL Episode Featuring The Head & the Heart to Air Tomorrow, January 7th!

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:50:15 -0800

2011 was an amazing year for The Head and the Heart and, though it is difficult to even imagine, 2012 is looking like it will be even more amazing-er. They just announced another headlining run of US tour dates starting March 3rd in Avon, CO (Full list of dates here) and will be featured on the legendary TV music program Austin City Limits (ACL), this Saturday, January 7th. In other AACL news (that’s “Amazing Austin City Limits news” not “Alcoholics Anonymous City Limits news”…): Fleet Foxes will appear on the January 21st episode of the show! We’ll have more info on that closer to the 21st. You can find your local PBS channel and schedule here!

Sub Pop in 2012

sams@subpop.com (Sam Sawyer) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:10:39 -0800

First of all, Happy New Year! You guys are the best. Seriously. 2012 really feels like it’s going to be a good one, or at least an okay one. But, we’re really feeling optimistic. The optimism I was just saying about stems from the fact that the first couple of months of 2012 we’re putting out some pretty awesome records, and if it’s any indication of the rest of the year, we’re in for a great year (at least until the Mayan calendar proves true, and we all part from our mortal vessels, or whatever).

On February 14th, we’ve got Animal Joy, the Sub Pop debut from Shearwater, a record we’re very proud and excited to be releasing. Then, we’ve got the debut LP from Memoryhouse, called The Slideshow Effect, and it’s a very strong debut. On March 13th, we’ve got the debut LP from South Africa’s Spoek Mathambo, called Father Creeper. It’s impossible to pin this record down genre-wise, which is part of what makes it destined to be one of the coolest sounding records of the year. Also on March 13th, we’re releasing a long-awaited collection of the long out-of-print first four albums from Australia’s feedtime—all remastered and with bonus material. We’re rounding out an action-packed March with the debut record from Seattle’s THEESatisfaction, and a 7" from Retribution Gospel Choir, both on the 27th.

Yep, 2012 is definitely shaping up to be at least as pretty great as 2011.

Sub Pop Dot Com is Closed for 2011 (See you in 2012)

sams@subpop.com (Sam Sawyer) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:18:32 -0800

As the subject of this post says, we’re on a holiday-style hiatus until January 3rd, 2012 celebrating whatever it is we’re celebrating (mainly, time off). When we return, we’ll be getting online orders out, answering emails, voice mails, and snail mails as fast as we can, and generally looking forward to another year of some really, really (really!) good records.

Happy holidays,
The loving staff of Sub Pop Records

All of Our Free Downloads from 2011! For You!

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:35:20 -0800

After enjoying this excellent playlist, we invite you to look to our artist pages for more information (and incidentally, products available for purchase) for all these fine musicians.

2012, here we come.

With Love,
Sub Pop

New Music from Memoryhouse!

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:00:15 -0800

Find out more about Memoryhouse and their upcoming 2012 album,The Slideshow Effect here

Top 10 of 2011 -- Artist Edition

laceys@subpop.com (Lacey Swain) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:44:20 -0800

Here is the final post in our top 10 of 2011 series, and, let’s be honest, it’s the one you came to see. Ever wonder what Robin Pecknold jams in between tweets? Curious about what caught Ernest Greene’s ear this year? Do you and Dulli watch the same shit on TV? Wonder how much sex will be in Alexei Perry Cox’s list? You will find out the answers to all this and more below, plus you’ll be able to listen to playlists by each artist while you do so!

If you can’t get enough lists please check out our staff top 10 lists here and lists made by friends of Sub Pop here.

As our loveable VP Megan Jasper STILL says on a seemingly daily basis, “See you on the flippity flop.” We’re hoping she finally lets go of the Grunge Lexicon in 2012, but I don’t know how we’re going to get that laminated New York Times article out of her purse. 2011, over and out.
xo

Matt Korvette of Pissed Jeans

Top ten clothing purchases this year, ranked by stunningness:

10. Damir Doma asymmetrical t-shirt
09. Boris Bidjan Saberi sewn-sleeve t-shirt
08. Ann Demeulemeester pinstripe cropped pants
07. Rick Owens sleeveless tee
06. Faliero Sarti cotton scarf
05. Lumen et Umbra painted silk sweater
04. Maison Martin Margiela gladiator sandals
03. Boris Bidjan Saberi waxed druid-neck hoodie
02. Ann Demeulemeester Berlin jacket
01. Lost & Found leather/shearling coat

Ernest Greene of Washed Out

Ernest’s Playlist on Spotify
Ernest’s Playlist on Rdio

Araabmuzik – “Streetz Tonight”
Atlas Sound – “Terra Incognita”
Chairlift – “Amanaemonesia”
Cut Copy – “Hanging on to Every Heartbeat”
The Horrors – “Still Life”
John Maus – “The Believer”
Panda Bear – “Last Night At the Jetty”
Real Estate – “It’s Real”
Toro y Moi – “Go With You”
Tycho – “Hours”

Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes

Robin’s Playlist on Spotify

1. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo & Bill Callahan – Apocalypse – “I got… runner ups… YEEEAAH!” and the part in “Universal Applicant” where Bill does the flare gun sound effects.
2. The license plate that said “SNUTS”
3. The section of “Codex” by Radiohead where he sings “Jump off the end” and the piano ascends but the vocal melody descends. And the drum sound that’s like tapping your finger on a chair at the airport.
4. Portishead in Poznan, Poland & Bill Callahan in Chorzow, Poland.
5. The Walkmen playing horns together in the basement of the Masonic Temple in Cleveland, recording it on my phone, and then watching it all the time.
6. Van Dyke Parks’ business card
7. The album “To My Long Lost Love” by an anonymous Portland musician. Easily the new album I’ve listened to most.
8. The show Breaking Bad
9. Etta James’ version of “God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)” by Randy Newman
10. William Tyler, BEHOLD THE SPIRIT! So awesome.

THEESatisfaction

Ten Movies We Watched While Making awE naturalE

The Wiz
Coming To America
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows
Meteor Man
Mary Poppins
Bedknobs & Broomsticks
Lady Sings the Blues
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane
I’m Gonna Get You Sucka
The Nutty Professor

Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces

1.belaynesh
2.all american/Weekend
3.kola boof
4.toyin odutola all her work
5.lob stop sta (feat Coco o.)
6.nov 5
7.black bean burger zippy’s
8.the view from saul’s rooftop
9.the mavs
10.the alien i saw working in a kebab shop in berlin. he looked like a slightly melting arab gary shandling. i knew something was funny watching him move something in the way it poured the tahini. then a weird incandescent light was poured out of his ears sort of like honey. a leak of sorts.he peeped me noticing it saw the confused horror explode through my expression and moved in a time folding way, like a film jumping. it looked shocked like a young boy discovered stealing quarters from his moms purse to play galaga at the corner store. i backed away into the door and almost broke through it but then it said something that sounded like “xeeulis” or something and i felt comfort like never before. we spoke for about an hour but everything it said i immediately forgot. except this, that kanye west was the greatest artist of any kind in the history of man.

Lou Barlow of Sebadoh

Lou’s Playlist on Spotify
Lou’s Playlist on Rdio

Top 10 Albums (and Radio Station and Podcast) of 2011, in no particular order
1. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – UMO
2. Electric Wizard – Black Masses
3. George Jones – Ragged But Right: The Starday Years Plus
4. Webb Pierce – Fallen Angel/Cross Country ( 2-LP reissue)
5. Wye Oak- Civilian
6. Panda Bear-Tomboy
7. Weekend – Sports
8. WTF Marc Maron – probably the most popular podcast in the world right now
9. KXLU – KXLU is freeform college radio in LA that plays all manner of current and happening indie rock throughout the day…it’s raw, brilliant and occasionally unlistenable like college radio is s’posed to be.
Britney Spears-’Til the World Ends

Rick from feedtime’s highlights of 2011:

hearing Useless Children in full roar
finding the shovelhead
S S Records’ invite (SS10)
Sub Pop’s invite
feeding beer to Kobuki Bnk
rolling with feedtime & Bruce Aberrant

Brandon Summers of Helio Sequence

Brandon’s Playlist on Rdio
Brandon’s Playlist on Spotify

My 2011 Top 10 (in no ranking order):
1.) Let England Shake- PJ Harvey
2.) Bon Iver-Bon Iver
3.) Black Up- Shabazz Palaces
4.) Build A Rocket Boys- Elbow
5.) Ravedeath 1972- Tim Hecker
6.) Mark Hollis (Reissue)- Mark Hollis
7.) Laughing Stock (Reissue)- Talk Talk
8.) Smoke Ring for My Halo- Kurt Vile
9.)James Blake- James Blake1
0.)King of Limbs- Radiohead

Greg Dulli of The Twilight Singers and The Gutter Twins

Greg’s Playlist on Rdio
Greg’s Playlist on Spotify

1. Louis CK at Mahalia Jackson Theater/New Orleans 10.6.11
2. The 2011 World Series
3. Breaking Bad/Season 4
4. Prince at the Forum/Inglewood 4.30.11
5. Vetiver/The Errant Charm
6. Drive
7. Blake Griffin/Los Angeles Clippers
8. Metronomy/English Riviera
9. Curb Your Enthusiasm/Palestinian Chicken
10. Dam Funk at One Eyed Jack’s/New Orleans 10.3.11

Daniel Martin Moore

Daniel’s Playlist on Rdio
Daniel’s Playlist on Spotify

My 10 (not in order) Favorite Things (that i can think of right now) of 2011 (so far),

-Circuital by My Morning Jacket
Their best album yet? I love these guys.

-Golder by Haley Bonar
HB does it again. This is a wonderful record. My favorite song is probably Wendy Bird.

-La Petite Mort by Russell Ihrig
Hilarious & gross. Read it!

-Family & friends all having babies!
Lots of new kidos around this year. People are tired & happy.

-Lullabies by Maiden Radio
Some dear friends released this breathtaking album full of quiet harmony. And it’s the first record to come out on my new label, Ol Kentuck. It’s very near to my heart.

-Finally saw the Movie 2001: A Space Odyssey
Hard to believe that all happened only 10 short years ago.

-Produced Someone Else’s Record For The First Time!
Joan Shelley, a good friend & artist from Louisville, KY, has a new record due out in 2012. I’m proud to have worked on it.

-Planted 3 Ginko Trees & 4 Magnolias
And a bunch of pines, too.

-Daniel Joseph Dorff’s New Album
I got to help Dan record his new solo piano album which will be coming out on Dec. 12, 2011!

-Finally Outsmarted The Squirrels That Have Been Eating The Cabin
By mixing tremendous amounts of cayenne pepper with common wood glue, and painting it onto the places they (for some mystifying reason) were bound & determined to chew up. It burned their little faces off, I bet. But they’ve stopped chomping holes in the walls. And it’s better than shooting them, right? Right.

Skye Skjelset of Fleet Foxes
Skye’s Playlist on Rdio
Skye’s Playlist on Spotify

Bill Callahan’s “Apocalypse.”
Marvel Comics’ “Uncanny X-Force” and “X-Men: Schism.”
South Brooklyn Pizza or Joe’s in New York City.
Thurston Moore’s “Demolished Thoughts.”
The movie “Martha Marcy May Marlene.”
Kurt Vile’s “Smoke Ring for My Halo.”
Gillian Welch’s “The Harrow & The Harvest.”
Samurai Mama in New York City.
Playing the bass clarinet.

Sohrab Habibion of Obits

Sohrab’s Playlist on Rdio
Sohrab’s Playlist on Spotify

Best of 2011 (no particular order):

1-3. Three albums most listened to at home: Angola Soundtrack – The
Unique Sound of Luanda (1968-1976); The Psychedelic Aliens – Psycho
African Beat; Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesian Hard,
Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk 1970-1978

4-6. Three albums most listened to walking around my neighborhood:
Discharge – Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing; The Skull Defekts
- Peer Amid; Abner Jay – Folk Song Stylist

7. Most popular van listening: Best Show Gems
(http://wfmu.org/playlists/BD)

8. Favorite Obits show – The Rivoli in Toronto with Metz

9. Best new band: Wrong Dots

10. Most fun Twitter reading: @jonwurster

11. New local restaurant I’m most excited about: Littleneck
(http://littleneckbrooklyn.com/)

12. Album happiest to have re-issued: Faith – Subject to Change plus
First Demo
(http://www.dischord.com/release/172/subject-to-change-plus-first-demo)

Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel

Jimmy’s Playlist on Rdio
Jimmy’s Playlist on Spotify

FAVORITES OF 2011 (not including friend’s music!)

Andy Stott – Passed Me By EP (Modern Love)
Clams Casino – Rainforest EP (Tri Angle)
Morphosis – What Have We Learned (Delsin)
Leyland Kirby – Intrigue & Stuff (Vol. 2) (History Always Favours The Winners)
Robag Wruhme – Thora Vukk (Pampa)
Massive Attack vs. Burial – Four Walls EP (The Vinyl Factory)
Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain (Nonesuch)
Ezekiel Honig – Folding In On Itself (Type)
Emptyset – Demiurge (Subtext)
Oneohtrix Point – Never Replica (Software)

Jaill

Over here at Jaill Top Ten Productions, we can’t ever seem to get enough James Franco. Well, who can really?
So we present-JAILL’s TOP TEN THINGS THAT JAMES FRANCO WAS IN 2011
10. The Broken Tower (never heard of it)
9. The Colbert Report as HIMSELF, JAMES FRANCO
8. General Hospital Episode #1.12270
7. Your Highness (never saw it, but we’re thinking its like a Game of Thrones, but more graphic?)
6.The Green Hornet
5. The Oscars as James Anne Hathaway is fucking obnoxious Franco
4. General Hospital Episode #1.12250
3. General Hospital Episode #1.12251
2. The Oscars as James Give me my check, this is bullshit Franco, (arguably the best Franco)
1. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES as something. didn’t see it, Vinnie says its good.

Alexei Perry Cox of Handsome Furs

Top “Ten” Great Things From 2011 In No Particular Order

Number one: Belgrade Punk band Repetitor’s debut album Sve Sto Vidim Je Prvi Put

Number two: Making out on a docked Ukranian gun ship/venue in Budapest prior to stage time

Number three: Crossing eight borders in sixteen hours touring through the Balkans with Bernays Propaganda

Number four: Terreneo Festival in Sibenik

Number five: Martinis in a can at 3am on day off in post-recession deserted Reno Nevada

Number six: Sweatiest backstage wardrobe change in chapel of First Unitarian church with Thee Satisfaction

Number seven: Onstage vs frontrow full frontal nudity at a squat show in Berlin

Number eight: PDX police bust us during “fake raping” of “What About Us?” director Scott Coffey

Number nine: Encore at Neumos in Seattle the band grows exponentially to include Suuns and Talk Demonic

Number ten: Four minute crowd surf at Palaty Kulturana in Warzaw

Number eleven: PJ Harvey sighting at show in London

Number twelve: After thirty minute “interrogation” by Swedish narcotics officers, realizing that merely raising your voice is an effective way to avoid a trip to the police station in Scandinavia

Number thirteen: The dingy that transported our uninsured gear to our show at Beach number five in Lake Ohrid Macedonia (plus naked nightswimming afterwards!)

Number fourteen: The amazing young man who came out to his parents immediately before coming to our show in Boston and then danced harder than anyone in attendance

Number fifteen: Our tourmanager eerily and robotically being able to sing every single word of every single song played on XM radio’s Back Spin… “She’s so fly she’ll drive you right out of your mind. Steal your heart when your blind. You’ll fall in love and you’ll be screaming dreaming. Never trust a big butt and a smile. That girl is poison.”

Number sixteen: The fact that Prince Hubertus is a real person and we met him and his shinily bejeweled and wildly patterned crew in the sketchiest back alley of East Hastings where a junkie was practicing his knife throwing skills at a telephone pole

Number seventeen: Epic Lord of the Rings style mushroom picking adventure followed by day long smoke sauna in the Finnish countryside

Number eighteen: Crazy ass May Day party in the hills above Sarejevo featuring live band on tiny porch and entire roast lamb

Number nineteen: Performing as punk rock karaoke super group with No Age after packed secret show in the basement of an Albanian restaurant in Skopje. Karaoke band begins covers of Black Flag, CCR, Bob Dylan and others four hours after show had officially ended.

Male Bonding

Male Bonding’s Playlist on Rdio"
Male Bonding’s Playlist on Spotify

Sun Araw – Ancient Romans
Ganglians – Still Living
Blanck Mass – Blanck Mass
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Metronomy – The English Riviera
Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls
Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo
Half Man Half Biscuit – 90 Bisodol (Crimond)
Trash Talk – AWAKE (it’s an EP, I know.)
Milk Music – Beyond Living (it’s an EP, I know)
Diva Dompe

Dee Dee of Dum Dum Girls

Dee Dee’s Playlist on Rdio
Dee Dee’s Playlist on Spotify

I have only 2!! Kurt Vile and John Maus.

King Tuff

King Tuff Playlist on Rdio
King Tuff’s Playlist on Spotify

Music-
Crazy Band “fuck you” LP (teenage teardrops)
http://crazybandla.tumblr.com/
Magic Jake & the Power Crystals s/t cassette (burger records)
http://www.facebook.com/thepowercrystals

Kurt Vile – “Smoke Ring for my Halo”

Blog-
zenmafia.tumblr.com

Events-
Nocturnal Vermont winter- Last February I spent recording 40 or so demos in the middle of the night. I barely saw the sun for a month and I would take walks early in the morning in the blue light and the snow with no one around.
Moving to LA- I left Vermont and for 2 months I subletted a room in an amazing house in Laurel Canyon. It was the closest thing I could find to Vermont in LA. I wrote songs on the ancient piano there, drank coffee alongside Sebastian Bach in the mornings at the country store, and spied on Jack Osbourne through the brambles whilst he blasted NIN.
Detroit – after my time in laurel canyon I flew to Detroit to record with Bobby Harlow in an old abandoned elementary school. I got sick and Bobby made me drink lots of raw juice and I think I peed more than I ever have in my entire life.
playing guitar in Hunx & His Punx.
stick and poke tattoos with Emily Hexe.
Driving Abby Banks’ truck around LA.
Saturn Return?

Other-
Taco Zone taco truck – asada mullitas
Buzz beverages

Aaron Sperske of Beachwood Sparks

Aaron’s Playlist on Rdio
Aaron’s Playlist on Spotify

1)DEERHUNTER/ATLAS SOUND
2)IASOS
3)HOLY SHIT
4)HOLY FUCK
5)PURO INSTINCT
6)GENEVA JACUZZI
7)DIVA DOMPE
8)TEEN INC.
9)NITE JEWEL
10)ARROW

Dave Scher

Dave’s Playlist on Rdio
Dave’s Playlist on Spotify

a personal random and by no means comprehensive top ten love fd

1. Living at the beach (powerful sea energy, more emphasis on health + bicycles more than cars, and tons more surfing, also babe city )

2. Breathing through worry + anxiety, and letting the little naysaying babbling voice in the head play itself out rather than getting stuck believing it

3. old surf/skate/whale movies on the tv with no sound (good with sound on or off)

4. Having a monthly club nite … super fun, redunks (http://www.farmerdavescher.com/clubpacific)

5. Hanging out at Linda’s in Seattle around 1999 (?) (fire up your flux capacitors…I’ll meet y’all there)
now some music:

6. Mark Eric Midsummer’s Day Dream (whole album—rev old single pics think “Build Your Own Dream” or “Lynns Baby”)

7. Dirty Beaches “true blue” (like that song)

8. Spirit The Spirit of ’76…. (Tampa-recorded many gems-containing bicentennial double album, mental… if I had to pick songs, “Like a Rolling Stone” or “Feeling in Time”)

9. Pagliaro, “Some Sing Some Dance” (mental)

10. Boz Scaggs “the Low Down” ….. hearing it loud flipped my lid put me down one night in Austin, with me still. A molecule-changer. I’ll see y’all later

oh, and 10.5 BWS Returns… the Juggler’s last revenge, bustin’ domes for old times sake

Brent Rademaker of Beachwood Sparks

Brent’s Playlist on Rdio
Brent’s Playlist on Spotify

here’s what I bought/downloaded/experienced
2011?
1. yuck lp
2. Girls- father, son, holy ghost
3. Washed Out
4. Sebadoh- live at the Social (Orlando)
5. Comet Gain- Howl of the Loney Crowd
6. Kurt Vile- Ghost Town
7. Neal Casal- Sweeten the Distance
8. Joshua Carpenter- Full Flight
9. Criss Angel- How to Levitate dvd
10.Buffalo Springfield- Rockin in the Free World at Bonnaroo

Memoryhouse’s Top 10 of 2011

Memoryhouse’s Playlist on Rdio
Memoryhouse’s Playlist on Spotify

1. Breaking Bad
2. Adele – 21
3. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
4. Floral Dresses (Denise)
5. LeBron/Wade/Bosh – Fail
6. Feist – Metals
7. Drive
8. Louie (T.V.)
9. Alela Diane – Alela Diane and Wild Divine
10. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972/Dropped Pianos E.P

Utrillo Kushner of Comets on Fire

Utrillo’s Playlist on Rdio
Utrillo’sPlaylist on Spotify

A typical day in Music – My Top Ten
10. 1. The kid is at pre-school and the wife is at work, time to blast Birds Of Maya Ready to Howl with my first cup of coffee of the morning.

2. Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington for the walk from home to the BART train station. More coffee.

3. Try to wrap my head around The Gift by Lewis Hyde during the commute from Oakland to San Francisco. The current trend of letting business types dress casual really pisses me off. It’s become increasingly hard to differentiate US vs. THEM at first glance. Come on people, back to briefcases and power suits. At risk of a $250 fine – more coffee.

4. Try to regain my psyche with Andy Kim’s 1968 debut How’d We Ever Get This Way. More coffee.

5. Power through the late morning / early afternoon with the Thin Lizzy Vagabonds, Kings, Warriors, Angels box set. At this point I think it’s safe to say I’ll love Thin Lizzy for the rest of my life. More coffee.

6. During my sanctioned 45 minute lunch break watch the MK Ultra CIA mind control documentary on YouTube: http://youtu.be/e8k0C88B0QE

7. After lunch pick-me-up with the Pumphouse Gang S/t reissue on Sing Sing. Last cup of coffee.

8. Oneohtrix Point Never Replica for the commute home.

9. Erik Satie Satie: 3 Gymnopedies for dinner jams with the fam. Switch to beer.

10. Scott Walker: 30 Century Man movie for late night entertainment. More beer and then to bed.

Jussi Lehtisalo from Circle

here is a list. just something…-Zouo – The Final Agony 7"-Roy Harper: Stormcock LP-Andre Breton: Nadja (book)-Lou Reed & Metallica Lulu 2CD-Crazy Spirit: I’m Dead 7"-Messiah: Final Warning CD-Condominium:Warm Home 12"-Theodor Adorno-Satantango (Bela Tarr, 1994) DVD-Antisect (Live concert in Puntala, Finland 2011) take care.jussi

Nick Thorburn of Mister Heavenly

Nick’s Playlist on Rdio
Nick’s Playlist on Spotify

Blood Orange “I’m Sorry We Lied”
Dum Dum Girls “Coming Down”
Handsome Furs “Serve the People”
Cass McCombs “County Line”
Das Racist “Power”
Sandro Perri “changes”
Random Axe “the Hex”
PJ Harvey “The Last Living Rose”
Nick Waterhouse “Some Place”
Raphael Saadiq “Good Man”

Guy Maddison (daughter) from Mudhoney

Guy’s Playlist on Rdio
Guy’s Playlist on Spotify

How about top ten songs baby Coco (six months old) likes to dance to?
1. Top of the Pop, by the Rezillos
2. Constantinople by The Residents
3. Concrete Jungle, By the Specials
4. Reet Petitie by Jackie Wilson
5. I Can’t Lose by Obits
6. Blue Snow by Orange Goblin.
7. Here comes your Man by the Pixies
8. Get off the Phone by Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers
9.Neat Neat Neat by the Damned.
and of course #10 Papa’s got a brand new Bag, by James Brown.

Obits "Killer" video

chrisj@subpop.com (Chris Jacobs) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:33:17 -0800

A few months back, the very good rock band Obits welcomed Alexis Fleisig as their new drummer. (Previous drummer and all-around excellent human Scott Gursky, decided to hang it up a few months before that.) Alexis is in or has been in about 500 bands (Girls Against Boys, Paramount Styles, Bellini, Soulside…) so it’s understandable that he did not realize that as a part of his employment at Obits Music, Filmworks and Probate, Inc., he is now contractually required to make music videos for the band as well. He is, after all, a busy guy. Owing to his respect for a legal, binding contract (it’s all right there, in black and white) and what turns out to be a genuine knack for making music videos, Alexis made a video for the song “Killer” from Obits’ 2011 album Moody, Standard and Poor (which, by the by, Exclaim! recently featured as one of their best punk records of 2011).

And the thing is, this video is really good! See for yourself.

Also! The following items of related note…

—Obits will be performing live at The Bell House in Brooklyn on Friday, December 30th. This, of course, is New Year’s Eve Eve, the new and much cooler celebratory event that is, we are right now pretending, ALL THE RAGE among many of the trend-setting young people of that borough.

—After that, Obits will be playing still more live shows on the east coast of these United States in March. Specifically, these:
March 14 – Washington, DC at the Black Cat Backstage
March 15 – Philadelphia, PA at Johnny Brenda’s
March 16 – Cambridge, MA at TT the Bear’s
March 17 – New York, NY at Cake Shop.

—We recently received and are now offering for sale some more of the popular Les Obits t-shirts!

—Did you know that these same Obits participate in and are very funny in the use of the internet’s seemingly quite popular social media thingamajigs? While that former thing might be surprising and the latter not at all, they do! Like this:
Obits on Facebook
Obits on Twitter

Thank you for what we might as well assume to be your time and indulgence here.

DOWNLOAD SHEARWATER'S NEW SONG "Breaking the Yearlings"

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:50:34 -0800

On February 14, 2012 Shearwater will release their Sub Pop debut Animal Joy. You can now check out the debut offering off the band’s new album entitled “Breaking the Yearlings” by entering your email address into the widget above.

The band will embark on a 13-date North American tour opening for Sharon Van Etten beginning on February 2nd with European shows to follow. See below for a full list of dates, with more shows to be announced soon.

Shearwater Tour Dates with Sharon Van Etten:

Feb 10 Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA *
Feb 11 Black Cat, Washington, DC *
Feb 12 Cats Cradle, Carrboro, NC *
Feb 14 Wexner Center, Columbus, OH *
Feb 15 Ladies Literary Club, Grand Rapids, MI *
Feb 16 Lincoln Hall (IL), Chicago, IL *
Feb 17 Lincoln Hall (IL), Chicago, IL *
Feb 18 Cedar Cultural Centre, Minneapolis, MN *
Feb 21 Lee’s Palace, Toronto, Canada *
Feb 22 Il Motore, Montreal, QC *
Feb 23 Paradise (MA), Boston, MA *
Feb 24 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY *
Feb 25 Bowery Ballroom, The, New York City, NY *
Mar 28 Bitterzoet (NL), Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mar 29 Botanique, Brussels, Belgium
Mar 30 Haunt (UK), Brighton , United Kingdom
Mar 31 Deaf Institute, Manchester, United Kingdom
Apr 01 Stereo, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Apr 03 Scala, London, United Kingdom
Apr 04 Le Grand Mix (F), Tourcoing, France
Apr 05 La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
Apr 06 Bad Bonn, DA
Apr 08 Palace (CH), Gallen, Switzerland
Apr 09 Bloom , Milano, Italy
Apr 10 Circolo Degli Artisti, Rome, Italy
Apr 11 Bronson, Ravenna, Italy
Apr 12 Menza pri koritu (SL), Lubijana, Slovenia
Apr 16 GrooveStation, Dresden, Germany
Apr 17 Prinzenbar, Hamburg, Germany
Apr 18 Comet (DE), Berlin, Germany
Apr 19 Babylon (TR), Istanbul , Turkey
Apr 21 AN Club, Athens , Greece

w/ Sharon Van Etten

New Video from Shabazz Palaces

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:46:07 -0800

Shabazz Palaces’ Black Up available here

Directed by: Kahlil Joseph www.the-most.com

Fleet Foxes Grammy Nomination! Yeah!

susanb@subpop.com (Susan Busch) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:05:53 -0800

Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues has been nominated for a Grammy! Folk Album of The Year to be exact! Everyone here at Sub Pop is proud as can be and we wish the dudes nothing but the best of luck come Feb 12th. Well done Foxes!

New Video from Still Corners! "Into the Trees"

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:54:36 -0800

Check out Still Corners’ artist page for tour dates and free MP3s too!

Top 10 of 2011 -- Friends of Sub Pop Edition

laceys@subpop.com (Lacey Swain) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:27:20 -0800

The end of the year is time for deep reflection, and an opportunity to give thanks and lend an ear to the people in your life. It may come as a surprise to you, but it takes more than the actual staff of Sub Pop Records to run the beast that is Sub Pop Records. We rely on tons of different people including European promo folks, editors, filmmakers, music supervisors, fellow labels, artists, and delivery people to keep the label running, and it’s time we asked them what they like. You know, just this once. Without further ado, here are the top 10 lists from Friends of Sub Pop. Click each person’s name to find out what they do!

If you’d like to review Staff Top 10 lists click here.

And, here’s a link to listen to these jams on Spotify. You’ll need to sign up for an account if you don’t already have one. Enjoy!

Federico Federici
Talk Normal, performing at Sonic City Festival, Kortrijk, Belgium
Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu, performing Joy Division’s Day of the Lords, Lee Palace, Toronto, Canada
Asian Women on the telephone (AWOTT), live at SKIF Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia
KILLL, live at SKIF Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia
Sic Alps, live at Victoria Dalston, London, UK
Thulebasen, live at Sodra Theater, Stockolm, Sweden
The Ex & Brass Unbound live at Magasin 4, Brussels, Belgium
Movie Star Junkies, live at No Fest, Turin, Italy
Dead Western, performing at HUB, Sacramento, US
Monstro (i believe they changed their name to “Consort of the true drone”, anyway look for Ezra Buchla!) live at The Smell, Los Angeles, US

Dawn Sutter Madell
(personal favorites, in no particular order)
Bill Callahan Apocolypse Drag City
Reatards Teenage Hate Goner
Charles Bradley No Time For Dreaming Daptone
Wild Flag Wild Flag Merge
Mark Hollis Mark Hollis Ba Da Bing (vinyl reissue)
Tune Yards Whokill 4AD
PJ Harvey Let England Shake Island/Vagrant
Eleventh Dream Day/Come (Live show Bell House Brooklyn)
Dinosaur Jr.,Henry Rollins (interviewing), F’d Up, Off! (Live show Terminal 5, NYC)
Eleanor Friedberger Last Summer Merge

Toddrick Spalding
OK the best shit of 11. Here we go. For some reason this year I’m really struggling to break down the year so instead I’m just gonna ramble and hope it comes out in some semblance of order. No spell checks or rewrites… wish me luck.

First let’s confront the horrors of 2011 – clean the palate to really enjoy the frothy brew of goodness that is my 2011 best of list. So in no order whatsoever, the worst shit of 2011 was – Lakers out in the 2nd round like chumps, No NBA, Tea Party, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Facebook, Herman Cain, Banks, George Lucas STOP MEDDLING, weird global warming weather, wars, The Dodgers, the insane price you pay for a 7" record these days and the death of Steve Jobs, oh – and no NBA. Exhale. Don’t you feel better? I do. Palate cleansed. Let’s do this thing.

The tenth greatest thing of this year is the Nigel Tufnel Day movement. It was close running but Tap just barely nudged out Occupy Wall Street for the number 10 spot. The ninth most amazing thing this year was Netflix adding all the original Star Trek episodes. Stoked on that. Number 8 goes to this last season of Curb Your Enthusiasm and especially to the Palestinian chicken episode. Best live show of the year for me aka number 7, I think was TV On The Radio and Charles Bradley at Stubb’s during SXSW but it could also be all six times I’ve seen Bass Drum of Death this year. I’ll give the nod to Charles Bradley but give Bass Drum of Death’s tune “Leaves” the Killer Riff of The Year Award otherwise known as NUMBER SIX (the whole GB City record is as they say in nashvegas “tight as hell”). I think my favorite movie this year was Submarine directed Richard Ayoade of the Mighty Boosh. So let’s give that the 5 spot. The grower not a shower award this year goes to The Decemberists’ record The King Is Dead, which I detested until there wasn’t any other cds in the car and now I can’t stop listening to. Fine, Tom DeSavia – you were right it probably IS the record of the year – but this is my list so it’s getting number 4. The third best thing this year is a fine concoction called The Thirsty Crow that i’ve been drinking at local booze house The Thirsty Crow. The bar has the same name as the drink. don’t be confused. it’s all kinds of good. The next two best things are kinda personal so if you’re uncomfortable or uninterested you can totally stop reading now. Coming in at number 2… my awesome wife’s killer design of the new High Bias offices. You’ll have to just trust me. It’s fucking bitchin’ in here. AND FINALLY THE NUMBER ONE GREATEST THING EVER IN 2011: My son Salinger’s love of Spiderman and his near constant insistence to be wearing at all times a Spiderman costume.

Derek Erdman
Top 10 ways to eat eggs in 2012:
10. sunny side-up
9. scotch-style
8. in bed
7. chopped into bits
6. hard boiled
5. omelette
4. scrambled
3. deviled
2. poached
1. over-easy

Jill Guidi
-Married Joram Young 7/30/11!
-The overwhelming awesomeness of our family and friends who helped us have and celebrate said wedding
-Acoustic Black Mountain/Pink Mountain Tops/Lightening Dust basement jam at Deary’s
-Fleet Foxes, Montezuma
-The Rolling Stones at the Rondevouz Jewel Box Theatre, Seattle WA
-The amazing pizzas my friend Suzie made on the BBQ in June
-Stevie Nicks signing Landslide at Key Arena
-Hard Drugs and Jesse Lortz backyard performances
- The Rolling Stones at the Comet Tavern, Seattle WA
- All the trees, plants, animals and birds in The Washington Park Arboretum that provided the backdrop for countless hours of walking and talking

Thor Slaughter
1. Going to CMJ Marathon 2011 in New York for the first time!
2. Becoming a music director at KWVA Eugene, and realizing radio is where I’m meant to be.
3. The Dum Dum Girls Only In Dreams vinyl looks like beautiful bubble gum I want to eat…
4. Hosting an in-studio with Chad Vangaalen and his band of merry men!
5. Discovering this audio phenomena known as “Post-Rock”
6. Sebadoh melting my face at Music Fest Northwest
7. Memory House live at the knitting factory!
8. Realizing my super fuzz hero J Mascis can still blow my mind with just an acoustic guitar.
9. The Fruit Bats poster from their latest album features a picture of clouds in the sky, this poster now hangs on the wall right by my office desk, I stare into it on boring days and wish I was Falcor from the never ending story.
10. Too busy listening to new music and studying to actually eat has forced me to champion the peanut butter taco ritual: taking a slice of bread jamming it full of peanut butter, folding it over and eating it, then waiting for that magical moment where I can’t breathe due to how much peanut butter I’ve consumed and washing it down with a cup of milk, this cup is in the shape of Spider-Man’s head.

Melyssa D. Hardwick
Music (alphabetical order):
1. Bon Iver Bon Iver
2. Cults Cults
3. Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues
4. Florence + The Machine Ceremonials
5. Gardens & Villa Gardens & Villa
6. The Horrors Skying
7. M83 Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
8. Pete & The Pirates One Thousand Pictures
9. Ravenna Woods Valley Of The Headless Men
10.Spotify “officially” in the US (not an album, but one of my favorite music events of the year!)

Brian Cole
Amon Tobin – ISAM Tour
American Horror Story
Zola Jesus – Stridulum EP
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Bridesmaids
Hunx & His Punx
Gorillaz – The Fall
Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler / The Dream
Beastie Boys – Make Some Noise Video
Washed Out – Within and Without

Kyle Johnson
Top 10 Seattle Burgers of 2011 in no ranking order.
Sun Liquor-Cheese Burger Basket
Uneeda Burger-BBQ Smash
Lil Woodies-Smoked Out Burger
Re: Public-Kobe Deluxe Burger
Local 360-Butchers GrindHouse Burger
Skillet Diner-The Burger
Jak’s Grill-The Jak’s Burger
Zippys Burgers-The Zip Royal
Cyclops Cafe-Super Bueno Burger
Quinns- Painted Hills Cheeseburger

Phil Ek
1.Cannonball Adderly – The Cannonball Adderly Quintet In Chicago
2. Booker Little – Out Front
3. Jackie McLean – Let Freedom Ring
4. Herbie Hancock – Sextant
5. Thelonious Monk – Monk’s Dream
6. Lee Morgan – Sonic Boom
7. Miles Davis – Someday My Prince Will Come
8. John Coltrane – “Live” At The Village Vanguard
9. Charles Mingus – Pithecanthropus Erectus
10. Ornette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz To Come
*Honorable Mention – Street Seats

James Sherry
1. Pie and Mash meal with The Who and Quadrophenia mania
2. Pete Townshend making me a cup of tea.
3. Black Lips Arabia Mountain album and fire extinguisher riot in Paris
4. Home Of Metal Exhibition in Birmingham with Tony Iommi
5. Flaming Lips/Dinosaur Jr and Deerhoof at Alexandra Palace
6. True Widow at the Macbeth – doom heaven.
7. Faith and Void cds on Dischord Records
8. The Last Supper – Crass Songs 1977-1984
10. Hitting 40 years old and still punk rocking and breathing

Ewan Hall
Primavera Sound 2011
Pete & The Pirates One Thousand Pictures album
Girls Father, Son, Holy Ghost album
Smith Westerns Dye It Blonde album
Male Bonding Endless Now album
Atlas Sound Parallax album
PJ Harvey Let England Shake album
EMA Past Life Martyred Saints album
Bill Callaghan Apocalypse album
Dum Dum Girls Only In Dreams album   

Will Lawrence
1. Smile Sessions & eating Vega-tables with Brian Wilson  
2. Wonderfulsounds: The Kramford Look & John Stammers  
3. Mario Barwuah Balotelli: bully-beating, homeless-helping pyrotechnics genius. Good at darts. Plays football a bit too. See Man U 1:6 Manchester City FC, 23rd October. Why Always Me?  
4. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
5. New series of Curb
6. Left Banke reissues (and Shindig! magazine’s seriously detailed overview)  
7. New old Manchester hangouts – Kraak Gallery, The Castle Hotel & The Angel
8. The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
9. Discovering Ilkely Gold ale and for non alcholic refreshment Bundaberg Ginger Ale
10. Wells Moffat Funeral Directors

Gregory Wells
1. Death Grips – Exmilitary
2. Jurgen Muller – Sea Bed Meditation (the perfect bookend to anything noisy)
3. Dum Dum Girls – Only In Dreams LP
4. Felino Music Blog (thankfully Google Chrome has allowed me to read this amazing spanish blog, their monthly mix tapes are soo good)
5. The Antlers – Burst Apart LP
6. Ale (Why didn’t I drink this before??, find of 2011)
7. D/R/U/G/S – Connected EP
8. White Ninja – El Alfa (beautifully strange song and a ‘interesting’ video too
9. Fav youtube video of the year – Football Manager Mick McCarthy scared of nothing
10. Deerhunter @ Primavera (losing my wallet, phone and passport aside.. what a show!!!)

Kate Price
1. Best album of the year: EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints
2. Food discovery of the year: Roast dinners from The Londesborough in Stoke Newington (BEST ROAST DINNER IN THE WORLD)
4. Best festival of the year: Sonishpere
5. Boozy discovery of the year: Hot mulled cider with a shot of apple brandy at End of the Road. Warm/drunk/happy.
6. Best smelling music magazine: Clash
7. Best music video of the year: Chad VanGaalen – “Peace on the Rise”(this is not me sucking up, it’s just fkking brilliant)
3. Almost best album of the year: Peaking Lights 936
8. Best gig of the year: Dananananaykroyd’s last ever London show at Kings College last week That or Wye Oak at Hoxton B&K earlier in the year.
9. Best piece of art I’ve seen this year: Doug Foster’s Chimera at The Minotaur exhibition in the Old Vic Tunnels
10. Best moment of the year: meeting Hanson after they performed Middle of Nowhere back in June. My inner 11 year old found peace.

Feedy Frizzi—Part time chef to Sub Pop bands and lodger at Sub Pop UK HQ
The Cocks family
Making carbonara at 4am in Ewan’s home – whole pot of boiling water on the floor (reason why my next thing made it in the top 10)
Leslie (alive)
Paint It Black
May Jesus Bless you – Happy Birthday remake
Bunga Bunga
FISH!
Bingo
“Feedy sleeps sometimes” – Avi’s creation in Bardolph HQ after Honey Vodka
Honey Vodka and Sharkey

Chris Swanson
Top 10 Albums of 2011 (in alphabetical order):
Active Child You Are All I See (Vagrant)
Azari & III Azari & III (Loose Lips)
DJ Quik The Book of David (Mad Science)
Dreamers of the Ghetto Enemy/Lover (Temporary Residence Ltd)
Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop)
Iceage New Brigade (What’s Your Rupture?)
Invisible Conga People In a Hole / Can’t Feel My Knees EP (DFA)
James Blake James Blake (Atlas)
M83 Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (Mute)
Toro Y Moi Freaking Out (Carpark)

Andrew Morgan
In no particular order…
M83 Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
The Tree of Life
Poutine Tater Tots
Major League Baseball the night of 9/28
Eleanor Freidburger Last Summer
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Spotify
Belatedly getting into records from 2010 (The National, Titus Andronicus)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor at The Metro
Homeland

Lindsey Kronmiller
1. the birth of dancin’ anson
2. the ross flournoy experience
3. highline NYC
4. swimming at the quarry!
5. back-seat ribs at Hopscotch 2011
6. album of the year
7. biking around durham
8. dumplings in koreatown
9. friday night lights
10. planning my first vacations for 2012!

Matt Sullivan
Analog Coffee, Seattle
Cure For Pain: The Mark Sandman Story (Gatling Pictures)
Charles Bradley No Time For Dreaming (Dunham)
Portishead, Shrine Auditorium, Oct 18
Gold Leaves The Ornament (Hardly Art)
Group Doueh, Nectar Lounge, June 29
Michael Chapman & Bill Callahan, Troubadour, June 16
Kourosh Yagmaei Back From The Brink (Now Again)
Black Power Mixtape 1967-75 (Louverture Films)
Warbler Records, Santa Barbara, CA
Michael Kiwanuka Tell Me A Tale

Rebecca Pellman
1. Raw kale smoothies
2. Power walks
3. Seats on the streets
4. New art by John Atkins
5. Music that everyone has already heard of
6. Tooti
7. Taking the train to Portland
8. Movies at the Harvard Exit
9. Blue Bloods CBS
10. Laughs courtesy of smart, funny friends

David Dickenson
best show: Thee Oh Sees at Radar Hair and Records
best hotel: Casa Cody – Palm Springs, CA
best mixtape: Clams Casino “Instrumentals”
best albums: Real Estate Days, Wolves in the Throne Room Celestial Lineage, Pure X Faded
best hip-hop single: ‘Peso’ by A$AP Rocky
best EP: Trash Talk Awake
best video: The Coathangers Hurricane
best television show: First 48

Eli Anderson
1. The Best Show on WFMU – The best thing of 2010. The best thing of 2011. The best thing of 2012…
2. Dum Dum Girls Only in Dreams – 100% perfect pop record. Easily my most played record of the year.
3. Pretty much everything put out by Acephale Records. Pure X, Elite Gymnastics, Korallreven. Great music with super ace packaging. Love it.
4. Batman Arkham City – If I won the lottery I’d probably go broke within six months because I was trying to be Batman
5. The movie Drive- SPOILER ALERT! Nothing could have prepared me for seeing that dude’s head get stomped in.
6. The time I was trying to text a friend about a “Special Episode” of the Cosby Show but I am a horrible speller so my iPhone auto-corrected it to “Speculum Episode”. I live a thrilling life.
7. Destroyer, Telekinesis and Wye Oak records on Merge. INDIE ROCK.
8. New cats!
9. Ty Segall live at The Crocodile. Just incredibly powerful. Dude did a Sabbath cover WHILE crowd surfing.
10. Yogurtland. Nothing like non-fat yogurt covered in Reese’s Pieces. HEALTH ZONE.

Andreas S. Trolf
TOP 10 of 2011, by me, Andreas Trolf, Los Angeles, CA, as of today, Thursday, November 10th, 2011:
1. The Occupy Wall Street (and everywhere else) Movement. And the finest moment of solidarity was when I saw photos of young Egyptians holding up signs in support of OWS. The shittiest moment was when Fox News broadcast some idiots overlooking the protests from their offices (on Wall St.) while drinking champagne. Go fuck yourselves please.

2. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Although it came out in 2010, I didn’t have a chance to read it then because of being busy for the whole year and having not yet finished reading some other book. I managed to read it earlier this year and have now elevated Ms. Egan into a tier of writer heretofore reserved for modern American masters such as David Foster Wallace, George Saunders, John Barth, Joseph Heller, Don DeLillo, and John Gardner. Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award well earned. Congratulations also to my friend and mentor Darin Strauss on his own National Book Critics Circle Award for his memoir, Half a Life.

3. TV is good again: New episodes of It’s Always Sunny, The Walking Dead, Super Jail, Boardwalk Empire, and Louie. Plus the Arrested Development reunion (2012?).

4. The film Drive. Best car chase scene since Bullitt, brilliantly filmed and acted, and one or two perfect moments of violence.   

5. Born Free 3 custom motorcycle show in Oak Canyon Ranch, CA. Getting together with half a dozen good friends and riding out into the hills on a motorcycle way older than you are is certainly one of the best feelings in the world. Looking forward to BF4 and the Brooklyn Invitational in 2012.

6. GBV, Descendents, Dead Milkmen, and No Age at FYF in Los Angeles. I haven’t enjoyed (or attended) a music festival since high school because those things are for dusty retards who love getting sunburns and alcohol poisoning, but this one was excellent.   
7. Paul Krugman’s continued bombardment of common sense and common decency in his New York Times op-ed columns.   

8. The Arab Spring in general. Here’s to hoping that Syria is next.

9. Some folks died, some folks got born.

10. I thought I had an STD, but it turns out I didn’t. So that was good. (It was a gummy bear stuck to my wang, in case anyone was wondering.)

Amy Hixon
Things that kept me SANE in 2011(In other words..my best of 2011)and in no particular order btw..
1. Housewives of Beverly Hills
2.Ozark Mountain Daredevils station on Pandora
3.Smoke Shop Brandy Hot Toddys
4. Smoke Shop, in general
5.Michelle Bachmann and her corndog artistically and wonderfully displayed via City Market’s sandwich board
6.Heart/Def Leppard show at the Minnesota State Fair
7.Witnessing the daily freak shows that took place on the bus starting out at the lovely 3rd and Pike and stopping approx. 1 1/2 blks. down 3rd, which I lovingly dubbed “the stretch limo to DSHS”.
8.The “2 orders of toast” rap in process, soon to be the ultimate highlight of 2011.
9. Hail Merry chocolate tarts washed down with a dubbly bubbly Cosmic Cranberry Kombucha AND
10. Seeing my lovely ladies Alissa, Carly, and Lacey on a regular basis during the ridiculous sandwich/soup/hotbar craziness. Thanks for keeping me sane my angels of lunch rush! Bring on 2012!!!

Nita Keeler
Fair Ohs Everything is Dancing. I certainly was, it’s about time you did too.

Learning and discovering: you’re never too old (or young!) – Fixing ipods and learning how to use a saw and a drill probably fall into this bracket as well, though it’s debateable if i can do the latter two properly judging by my husband’s face. Saying that, perhaps ‘the look’ is more to do with me doing ‘his jobs’. this would fall in line with how he feels when i use an axe.

The ever wonderful Vivian Girls’ Share The Joy. They did you know. Share the Joy that is. They even dedicated a song to me in Bristol.

Discovering Mikal Cronin. so should you.

(I’m so) Agitated (Records) and the return of Icarus Line

In The Red’s continued mission to spread joyous SCUZZ far and wide

The year that was Beirut The Riptide — Hot dog!

Reading books (that is a whole BOOK and not just the same page over and over) again after an 8 year hiatus. Go me.

Merlin back on BBC TV. Love magic. And dragons. And knights. Merlin has all three: the most magical of all magicians, the noblest of all knights and John Hurt as the almost-last-remaining dragon

Log fires. nothing quite like it.

Frank Nieto
St. Vincent Strange Mercy (4ad)
The Coathangers Larceny & Old Lace (Suicide Squeeze)
Dirty Beaches Lone Runner (Suicide Squeeze) and Badlands (Zoo Music)
Nu Sensae Tea Swamp Park EP (Fast Weapons)
Shabazz Palaces Black Up (Sub Pop)
tUnE-yArDs whokill (4ad)
The Beets Let The Poison Out (Hardly Art)
USF The Spray (Circle Into Square)
Feist Metals (Cherry Tree)
Holiday Shores New Masses For Squaw Peak (twosyllable)

Brad Barrish
Ten Lists I Considered, But For Various Reasons Decided Not To Go With, Before I Settled On A Reverse Alphabetical List Of Ten Albums That Will Make It Look Like You Know What The Fuck You’re Talking About When Someone Asks What Your Favorite Albums Of 2011 Are.
Ten used albums I tried to sell to Amoeba in 2011, but couldn’t because they wouldn’t take them.
Ten artists you didn’t hear in 2011, but should have and probably will once everyone else’s lists are published.
Ten female music artists I asked permission from my wife to sleep with, only if the opportunity were to present itself.
Ten albums that, if mentioned in the context of best albums released in 2011 in my presence, would result in me punching you in the face.
Ten artists or bands that released an album in 2011 and whose name rhymes with a fruit or vegetable.
Ten reasons the Metallica and Lou Reed collaboration is one of the worst albums in the history of music.
Ten albums released in 2011 that I tried to sync with The Wizard of Oz.
Ten albums I decided to add to my own top of 2011 list, only after reading other people’s lists.
Ten albums I added to my top of 2011 list but never actually listed to.
Ten albums released in 2011 that I’m embarrassed to say I like.

A Reverse Alphabetical List Of Ten Albums That Will Make It Look Like You Know What The Fuck You’re Talking About When Someone Asks What Your Favorite Albums Of 2011 Are.
Washed Out Within And Without
Kurt Vile Smoke Ring For My Halo
Jessica Lea Mayfield Tell Me
The Horrors Skying
Fucked Up David Comes To Life
Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues
Elbow Build A Rock Boys!
James Blake James Blake
Atlas Sound Parallax
A.A. Bondy – Believers

Miguel Marques
“New History Warfare, Vol2: Judges” by Colin Stetson
“Building Waves” by The Glockenwise
“Black Up” by Shabazz Palaces
“Eye Contact” by Gang Gang Dance
Oneida live at OutFest
“Kerosene” cover by St Vincent
“Offside” and “This This Is Not a Film” by Jafar Panahi
“The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu” by Andrei Ujica
“Lemmy” by Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski
 "Mad Men"

Ralph Buchbender
01. Tom Waits Bad As Me (Anti)
02. Forest Swords Dagger Paths (No Pain In Pop)
03. Destroyer Kaputt (Dead Oceans)
04. PJ Harvey Let England Shake (Island)
05. Mogwai Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (PIAS)
06. Dum Dum Girls Only In Dreams (Sub Pop)
07. Bonnie “Prince” Billy Wolfroy Goes To Town (Domino)
08. Jim Sullivan U.F.O. (Light In The Attic)
09. Fucked Up David Comes To Life (Matador)
10. Jeff Bridges Jeff Bridges (Blue Note Records)

Peter @ Rhythmethod
Top Ten New Zealand Vinyl finds this year:
Victor Dimisich Band – EP
Double Happys The Others Way 7"
The Pin Group Go To Town EP
Look Blue Go Purple This Is This EP
The Clean Late Last Night 7"
Peter Jefferies/Stephen Kilroy Crossover 7"
Various Solid Krypton Hits LP
The Clean Vehicle LP
The Builders Schwimmen In Der See 7"
Tall Dwarfs Canned Music LP

Tom Ojendyk
Sperm Wails Lady Chatterley 7" (SS Records)
Mind Over Mirrors The Voice Rolling (Digitalis)
Tabou Combo Respect (Secret Stash)
Astral Social Club Generator Breaker (Dekorder)
Bloodloss Lost My Head for Drink (Dirty Knobby)
Fungus Brains Ron Pistos Real World (Load Records)
Feeling of Love Dissolve Me (Kill Shaman)
Annapurna Illusion Life Is An Illusion (Rocket Records)
High Wolf Atlas Nation (Holy Mountain)
Parasites of the Western World s/t (De Stijl)

Diane
Being a Downtown UPS driver has a special array of daily annoyances!
Here are my top ten..
1. The person who always asks, “What am I signing for?” Really?!! How would I know? You are just one of more than a hundred deliveries I make during my day. Do you really think I know-or care- what is in that package? You are signing for the right to open that box and see for yourself. I also hate, “who is that from?” and “But I didn’t order anything!”

2. The person who feels they need to park two inches away from my back bumper even when there is no other car on the entire block. Is there a giant magnet on my bumper that pulls your car so close to my truck that I am now unable to open my back door without climbing on your hood?

3. ZAPPOS. Why don’t I just wait for you to try on your new shoes? Then we can just put the ARS label on so I don’t have to come back to pick them up tomorrow.

4. CODs. God, how I hate them. Why, in the age of online shopping and credit cards, do we still have them? The people who get them are like the ones in the grocery checkout who don’t pull out there cheque book and start to write until they have been completely rung up. Worst are the old-men business owners with the new cheque printer software they don’t know how to use.

5. When it’s raining, please don’t tell me I look like a drowned rat…

6. To you drivers who speed up to prevent me from merging into you lane of traffic. I realize my truck is very large and may impede your vision but would you be that rude if you weren’t in the anonymity of your car? To those of you who did let me merge in front of you, I wish I could jump out of my truck give you five dollars and a hug!

7. The people who think by turning on their four-way flashers they have carte blanch to park wherever they please, including my very limited truck zones. A parking enforcement officer once told me they are a beacon to illegally parked cars.

8. When I am making a huge delivery, as soon as I have finished unloading my hand truck, the customer who has the audacity to ask if I can put those packages in another location. No problem; just ask while they are still on the hand truck!

9. To all the people who see a big UPS truck blocking the alley… do you really think I’m going to be there a second? I’m probably delivering at least a hundred packages to 20 or 30 offices. I’m going to be there a while. When you start laying on your horn all it does is piss me off and really you want me to believe you have a sick kid at home you are rushing to see?

10. Lastly, THE JOKE… “Did you hear that FedEx and UPS are merging? They are going to be called Fed Ups” I have heard the joke hundreds of time. ALL UPS drivers have heard that joke hundreds of time. ALL FedEx drivers have heard that damn joke too. Please STOP!!! ( but when you see Todd, your FedEx driver, be sure to tell him this joke and see if he laughs)

Clint Simonson
the new ayler CD “Stockholm, Berlin 1966”: you kidding me?
luxardo fernet (this magic reduces branca to the realm of junior mints, fuck)
this new fahey boxset Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You: The Fonotone Years (1958-1965)
monday morning mushrooms
2 copies of jean dubuffet on finnadar came into the store used in 3 months, unreal !!
olivia wyatt’s staring into the sun @spectacle
blank realm deja what? LP
my kid playing “beat on the brat”
nylon string gtr stare case at PS1

The Head & the Heart's iTunes Session Featuring Two New Songs out Today!

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:32:24 -0800

In mid-October of this year, in the midst of their first-ever headlining tour, Seattle’s The Head & the Heart stopped at LA’s EastWest Studios to record an exclusive session for iTunes. The band spent a full day recording eight songs, including alternate versions of “Lost in My Mind” and “Cats and Dogs” from their breakthrough 2011 self-titled release. The sessions also features “Chasing a Ghost” and “When I Fall Asleep,” two brand new songs that have become live show staples and fan favorites. The Head and the Heart’s iTunes Session is out November 29th. To preview some tracks and purchase, click here.

iTunes Session: The Head and the Heart

1. Lost in My Mind [Alternate version]
2. When I Fall Asleep
3. Coeur d’Alene
4. Rivers and Roads
5. Cats and Dogs [Alternate version]
6. Ghosts
7. Down in the Valley
8. Chasing a Ghost

Recorded and mixed at East West Studios by Wally Gagel, mastered by Jason Marcucci at Dubway.

Memoryhouse's debut full-length, The Slideshow Effect, comes out February 28th

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:53:47 -0800

On February 28, 2012 we at Sub Pop Records will be releasing The Slideshow Effect, the full-length debut from Toronto’s Memoryhouse. This new record builds on and broadens ambitions hinted at on their 2011 EP The Years, and it’s a stunner. We’ll have more information on The Slideshow Effect as well as forthcoming Memoryhouse tour dates in the coming weeks.

More information on Memoryhouse is available here.

TWENTY'S PLENTY SALE

sams@subpop.com (Sam Sawyer) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:04:51 -0800

As a fan of SUB POP ARTIST NAME, we recognize you to be a person of discerning taste. After all, SUB POP ARTIST NAME clearly stands head and shoulders above all other GENRE NAME artists performing today. Makes us feel sad for the rest, etc.

Because you have such excellent taste, we would like to let you know about our new and very exciting TWENTY’S PLENTY sale currently and totally happening right G-D now at WWW.SUBPOP.COM. During this sale, we are offering 20% OFF ALL PURCHASES OF $20 OR MORE! This is your chance to buy all kinds of junk from us, including whatever you might not already own by SUB POP ARTIST NAME, at a real, appreciable discount. Also: gifts! This is an excellent time to buy gifts from us!

Sub Pop Staff's Top Picks of 2011

laceys@subpop.com (Lacey Swain) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:00:09 -0800

The end of every year means wading through the “Best Of” lists of numerous internet jack-offs, both trusted and despised. Each year Sub Pop (that’s us!) contributes to this somewhat disgusting custom, but this year we’re doing things slightly differently. 2011 means that we’re in the fucking future, so this year we have created Spotify and Rdio playlists for you so that you can actually listen to the shit we like while you read about it. Like, whoa, right? Without further ado, here are the Top 10 lists by the staff and interns at Sub Pop Records. Check back next week for top 10 lists from some of our friends, and then check back the week after that for top 10s from our bands!

Spotify Playlist
Rdio Playlist

Yes, you need an account to listen, but a lot of time went into this, so just sign up already.

Susan
1-Pulp at Primavera
2-PJ Harvey-All and Everyone
3-Kurt Vile-Baby’s Arms
4-The Horrors-Still Life
5-The Kills-Future Starts Slow
6-M83-Midnight City
7-Iceage-White Rune
8-Belispeak-Purity Ring
9-Quimet y Quimet-Best meal of 2011.
10-Alex Turner-Stuck on the Puzzle (soundtrack super jam from Submarine)

Sarah Moody
01. The Sandwitches – Mrs. Jones’ Cookies
02. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo
03. Shannon & the Clams – Sleep Talk
04. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
05. Tim Cohen – Magic Trick – The Glad Birth of Love
06. Grave Babies – Deathface
07. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
08. Grouper – A I A : Alien Observer
09. A Winged Victory for the Sullen – s/t
10. Woods – Sun & Shade
11. Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler / The Dream

Best live shows: Ty Segall, Davila 666, Nu Sensae, White Lung, Thee Oh Sees, Pictureplane, Lovers, Big Freedia, Fucked Up, Fresh & Onlys.

Honorable mention: Demdike Stare, The Babies, Hunx & Tuffy, up all night in Austin, up all night in NYC, Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx, Factory Floor, Clap reissue, Bill Cosby & His White Pudding Pops, James Blake, A$AP Rocky, Iceage, Grass Widow, Case Studies… everything on Hardly Art and Sub Pop that I refrained from putting in the proper 10.

Angelina
1. Upgrading from my Razor to the I-Phone
2. Dlisted.com
3. The Big C
4. Long Tamarind rolls
5. The Georgia Gold at Lottie’s
6. Finding How To Make It In America
7. Bacon wrapped jalapenos
9. Flying first class to and from Greece
10. Clean bistro floor

Richard
Adele – 21
The Antlers – Burst Apart
Bill Callahan – Apocalypse
Colin Stetson – New History of Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Gil Scott Heron & Jamie xx – We’re New Here
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler/The Dream
We Were Promised Jetpacks – In the Pit of the Stomach

Sasha Barr
Best of 2011, or whatever, in order of no order.
1. Bon Iver- Bon Iver
2. Kurt Vile- Smoke Ring For My Halo
3. Gillian Welch- The Harrow and The Harvest
4. A.A. Bondy- Believers
5. Mr Gnome- Madness in Miniature
6. Yuck- Yuck
7. Porcelain Raft- Gone Blind
8. We put out some pretty good stuff too- J Mascis, Fleet Foxes, Male Bonding, Chad VanGaalen, Mogwai, Washed Out, Vetiver, The Head and The Heart, Mister Heavenly, Dum Dum Girls, Fruit Bats, these are a few of my favorite things.
9. I’ve listened to a lot of Allman Bros, Thin Lizzy and Lynyrd Skynyrd this year.
10. Got to see From Ashes Rise play again, it had been too long. They’re the best.
11. Starfucker- Reptillians
12. The new M83 has a couple jams on it.
13. Oh No Oh My- People Problems
14. My Goodness- My Goodness

Dean Whitmore
Bakers 10 records both new & reissued that I bought & liked a lot this year. Alphabetically:
Mahmoud Ahmed – Jeguol Naw Betwa (Mississippi)
Bloodloss – Lost My Head for Drink (Dirty Knobby)
Broken Water – Peripheral Star (Perennial)
Condiminum – Warm Home 12" (Condominium)
Cruddy – Negative World (12xU)
Fungus Brains – Ron Pistos Real World (Load)
L’orchestre Kanaga De Mopti – Kanaga De Mopti (Kindred Spirits)
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)
Shin Joong Hyun – Beautiful Rivers & Mountains (Light in the Attic)
Sonskull – Wiped Clean (Perennial)
Total Control – Henge Beat (Iron Lung)

Records from last year that hooked me this year:
Hype Williams – Find Out What Happens (De Stijl)
Kemialliset Ystavat – Ullakkopalo (Fonal)
No Balls – Less (Who Can You Trust/Streaks)

Something that I just got & think I am going to totally love end of ’11 & beyond:
Opika Pende Africa at 78 RPM Box

Other great stuff:
Camping w/ Cassidy
Tour w/ Uzi Rash
Getting rid of cable TV.
Squire Park
Living in a house again / playing records late etc.
Riding bike & ditching car.
Sloop Tavern.
20/20 Cycle
Getting to know Vancouver
Lopez & Shaw Islands

Ruben
1. CHEVEU- 1000 (Kill Shamen/Born Bad)
2. KURT VILE – Smoke Ring for My Halo (Matador)
3. UV RACE- HOMO (In the Red)
4. THE BEETS- Should Have Stayed Home (Captured Tracks)
5. The RAPTURE- In the Grace of Your Love (DFA)
6. ALL LPS on KRAZY PUNX (Pudding Pops, German Measles, Silver Shampoo) duh.
7. WAX MUSEUMS- Eye Times (Trouble in Mind)
8. BLACK LIPS- Arabia Mountain (VICE…etc..)
9. TY SEGALL- Goodbye Bread (Drag City)
10. COP CITY/CHILL PILLARS – Held Hostage on Planet Chill (Florida’s Dying)
11. TOTAL CONTROL- Henge Beat (Iron Lung)
12. OBN IIIs- The One and Only (Tic Tac Totally)
13. CASS McCOMBS- Wit’s End (Domino)
14. Magic Trick – every release this year.
15. Black Marble

Jason
Here’s my Top 10 list! I did songs instead of albums because this is like the 4th one of these I’ve had to put together recently and I wanted a change of pace. You might have a hard time spotify-ing some of the more obscure inclusions.
Thanks!

Food Pyramid – The Sundance Kid
Born Gold – Wrinklecarver
Big Spider’s Back – Black Chow
High Places – Altos Lugares
M83 – Steve McQueen
Jacuzzi Boys – Libras and Zebras
Shabazz Palaces – Recollections of the Wraith
Pictureplane – Trancegender
Weed – Release Party

Dusty
Here is my top 20 cool? Also here is a spotify playlist with em: Thunderbird Hotel Best of 11

WU LYF-Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
PJ Harvey-Let England Shake
Waters-Out in the Light
Fleet Foxes-Helplessness Blues
Generationals-Actor-Caster
Cass McCombs-Humor Risk
Iron and Wine-Kiss Each Other Clean / Walking Far From Home EP
Woods-Sun and Shade
Kurt Vile-Smoke Ring for My Halo
E-40-Revenue Retrievin
Wild Flag-Wild Flag
Shabazz Palaces-Black Up
Surf City-Kudos
Danger Mouse-Rome
Smith Westerns-Dye it Blonde
Lord huron-Mighty EP
Random Axe-Random Axe
Blitzen Trapper-American Goldwing
Youth Lagoon-Year of Hibernation
Mikal Cronin-Mikal Cronin

Bekah
10 things that Slayed me (Bekah Zietz) in 2011:
Zola Jesus Conatus
Kurt Vile Smoke Ring For My Halo
Destroyer Kaputt
Liturgy Aesthethica
Bon Iver Bon Iver
Pure X Pleasure
Yuck Yuck
Buying Syl Johnson’s Complete Mythology
Getting my Namaste on in India.
Seeing Charles Bradley at the Wild Buffalo in Bellingham, WA.

Sasha M
1) Clap – Have You Reached Yet? (Sing Sing) A lot of people have compared it to King Tuff. Best re-issue of 2011. Listen to “Get It While You Can”here

2) Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador)

3) Ishilan N’Tenere – Guitar Music From The Western Sahel (Mississippi Records) – I think this was maybe out December of 2010 at the record shop, but then out officially in 2011. Super rad comp. Kind of like Tinariwen. Listen here

4) Black Twig Pickers/Glenn Jones – Even To Win Is To Fail/EastMont Syrup (Thrill Jockey) – Limited edition RSD release. “Double A-side LP from modern primitive folk guitarist Glenn Jones and country blues/string band excellence from Black Twig Pickers with Charlie Parr.”

5) LAKE – Giving and Receiving (K Records) My favorite release of the year by far. Good good good good good.

6) Karl Blau – MAX EP (K Records) I actually get bummed every time I listen to this because I want it to last an hour longer. Probably my second favorite release of the whole year. Another favorite moment in 2011 musical memorylane was when Karl reached his $16,000 goal on Kickstarter for the Kelp Lunacy Advanced Plagiarism Society project.

7) Group Doueh (w/ Angelo Spencer and Arrington de Dionyso) at Nectar Lounge

8) Michael Hurley at 20/20 Cycle: I finally got to meet my musical hero, Michael Hurley! My fiance hosted the show at his bike shop and I giddily sold merch for him. He gave us an 8Track of his album Ancestral Swamp and some of his watercolors at the end of the night. Major life highlight.

9) Golden Boots – DBX N SPF (People In The Position To Know) Mike Dixon runs a rad label out of Olympia that presses crazy shaped records, records on plastic plates, etc. and this is one of the gems from this year.

10) Angelo Spencer – World Garage (K Records): This is kind of three rolled in one. One of my fav records and one of my fav performances this year at the best festival of the year: What The Heck? Fest in Anacortes, WA. He made a giant pinata and everyone tried to break it during his set, and there wasn’t any candy in it…just giant plastic ears.

Ryan O
Primavera Festival (most notably seeing Avi & friends perform interpretive dance during Deerhunter, Ewan from Peer Group’s massive crowd surf fail during Pulp, drinking champagne in the sea at 9am and jumping around like a fool to Pissed Jeans).

Two years at Sub Pop and not fired (yet)!

Mecca Bingo nights in Camden…cheap beer and hot ladies

Fergus & Geronimo “Unlearn”

Prince at Hop Farm Festival and then DJing afterwards with Blood & Biscuits and being booed at for having our set cut short by security…it wasn’t our fault!!!!

Finally getting a copy of “Pinkerton” on vinyl…Japanese vinyl at that

“Bones” by Male Bonding

Ishamel from Shabazz Palaces’ iPhone case

Meeting (and working with) J Mascis

No Age playing Wembley Arena

Carly
Top 10 Things in 2011
3 Solo Hikes in 3 Days – So what if I checked my back every few steps for bears…I still did it.
California – Napa, Sonoma, Stinson Beach, San Francisco x 2.
Friends – YA YA!
Halloween Weekend – Tequila, 3 parties, and 2 visits to Smith in 1 night.
Kombucha / Synergy – same fussy.
Lake Washington / Denny Blaine – summer savior.
Montmarte – finally discovered this gem and it changed my entire opinion of Paris.
The Opera Bar – 3 nights in a row with great new friends and colleagues.
The Packers -Superbowl Champs and currently undefeated (knock on wood).
Portland – damn you and your food carts, awesome restaurants and shopping, rad people, and no sales tax.

Soundtrack to 2011
EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints – “California”
Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials – “Shake It Out”
Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo – “Runner Ups”
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming – “Intro”
Pure X – Pleasure – “Easy”
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up – “Are you…Can you…Were you? (Felt)”
The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient – “Come to the City”
WU LYF – Go Tell Fire to the Mountain – “Cave Song”
Yuck – Yuck – “The Wall”
Zola Jesus – Conatus – “Ixode”

Nick Turner

Some things I quite enjoyed in 2011, in no particular order:
Total Control – Henge Beat LP
Human Eye – They Came From the Sky LP
The Vera Project turning ten years old
Soul Swallower – Devoured LP
Naked on the Vague – Abstract Figures 7" (and Heaps of Nothing LP, which came out in 2010 but I didn’t get until 2011)
The following musical acts in a live setting: True Radical Miracle, Rorschach, Useless Children, Iceage, Teargas, Cro-Mags, Self Com and Rose Tattoo.
Dude Behind The Record Counter never-ending stream of (figurative) cool shit
Kreng – Grimoire LP, and generally listening to a bunch of droney music that 17-year-old me would have made fun of mercilessly
SIFF reopening the Uptown Theater
Kim Phuc – Copsuckers LP
Well done, non-pixilated vinyl reissues of Void, Ratsia, Lama, Satan, Morbid, 13th Floor Elevators, Bastard, Svart Framtid
The distinguished gents of Wallaby Beat , and Burning Sands of Bondi

Honorable mention to the everlasting pleasures of The Larry Sanders Show, coconut water and the first three Blue Oeyster Cult LPs.

Scott Perlewitz

The Head And The Heart-working with this band at this label has been my biggest challenge literally since I started. To see all the band’s hard work pay off has been immensely gratifying. I learn something from every band I’ve worked with, but this one has been a blueprint for what’s possible.

Other Lives ‘Tamer Animals’- this music has played throughout the soundtrack to my life all year. A band that moves me and I never tire of. I absolutely love this record and this band. It was on repeat non-stop the entire time I drove from SF to Seattle in February.

Fleet Foxes ‘Helplessness Blues’ -again, a great band and one of the best records of the year.

Triumph Thruxton-deep down I’m a bad-ass white-trash biker and there isn’t a more beautiful bike than this in my opinion. Could use a few more cc’s, but I could do without the tickets too.

Seattle-not my first choice to live, but since moving here I’ve sort of fallen on love with this quirky, passive/aggressive mecca. The music scene is amazing and I actually like the weather. And coffee

Radiohead – ‘The King Of Limbs’/‘TKOL RMX 1234567, 8’.
Say what you want about this album/remix set Radiohead is unrelenting in it’s pursuit of music that challenges, entertains and ultimately influences a legion of admirers, imitators and haters. In the end it’s all about remaining true to yourself. I’m just glad they let us share in that journey.

Die Antwoord ‘$O$’-technically release in 2010, but i really played the crap out it in 2011. I’m not sure why I like this so much, but I do. I guess it’s the most punk-rock music out there right now. It’s hooky, well produced and so politically incorrect and trashy. It exists in the margins and is never at a loss for a point of view. Parody or serious musical expression, I like it.

Massive Attack live @ the Greek/Berkeley-breathtakingly good. Everything I wanted from their live show and more.

Portishead/WaMu Theatre, Seattle-again, an all-time favorite band bringing a live show that matches the sound with vision. Not an easy feat with analogue equipment and live singers. They delivered in a venue with less-than-impressive acoustics.

coffee wars-moving to Seattle I find myself drawn into a shared obsession with coffee. The snobbery rivals Napa whines and the irony of Starbucks is just too good not to appreciate. A lot of drama to justify $5.00 coffee drinks and really unhealthy bakery snacks if you ask me. Don’t get me started on Stumptown vs Hirkimer. Hats off to marketing genius, I’m hooked!

Megan Jasper

1. Maura and Mark’s wedding
2. Finally getting to work with J again
3. Poland
4. The water feature that Brian built
5. Vito Pepperoni’s ongoing cuteness
6. Biking Vashon
7. Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met
8. Gramercy Syrah 2009
9. Montmartre (thanks to Carly and Gabe!)
10. Tally, Coco and Mack
11. 2011 fall foliage in Seattle
12. Husky flake ice cream
13. The love triangle starring Vito Pepperoni, Chuy Pancakes and Chi Chi Coconuts

Jonathan Poneman
OWS!
OFF Festival 2011
anything by Total Control
collapsing supercommittees
watching Chris Jacobs’ pal attempt bumming a smoke from John Lydon in a Kotowice, Poland hotel lobby
the quality of releases from Hardly Art and Sub Pop
Full Toilet
my brilliant coworkers
the rest of my coworkers
waiting for 2112…I mean 2012

Lacey Swain
1. Meeting and talking with John Taylor of Duran Duran
2. Seeing Duran Duran play for the first time ever. I’ve wanted this since I was 7, which is about 30 years ago. Dreams can come true, y’all!
3. UV Race Homo
4. HBO’s Enlightened and FX’s Louie
5. Pizza Fest 2!
6. Magic Trick live. Your mind will be blown.
7. Inviting famous people to the office. (If you are mildly famous and happen to be in Seattle, please come over! It’s fun.)
8. Shellac at VERA
9. Shabazz Palaces Black Up
10.Dogtooth and Bridesmaids
11. Kitsap County Haunted Houses + Halloween in general this year

Alissa

- Still cracking myself up on a regular basis, usually over things like this

- Design*Sponge at Home by Grace Bonney – making me crazy inspired and happy

- Breaking Bad/Enlightened/Louie – If all of TV was this good, I would never leave the house

- Bridesmaids/Blue Valentine – I am not immune to Kristen Wiig or Ryan Gosling’s charms and I don’t want to be.

- This cat cake from lauren

- Reading Bossypants in one night

- Yogurtland on repeat

- Tinariwin with dinner

- UV Race in the car

- Kurt Vile while hanging out at home

- “Rolling in the Deep” on the radio

- WU LYF on Spotify

- Raphael Saadiq on weekend afternoons

- Shabazz Palaces on headphones

- Marc Maron podcast while working on projects

- Still loving my yearly viewings of Annie Hall & After Hours

- Finally starting Etsy Store after talking about it for years.

- This little lady

- This guy

- And all my favorite people that always make all the difference.

Andrew Sullivan

Fucked Up David Comes to Life

Unnatural Helpers/Uzi Rash West Cost Tour

Blouse S/T

Trashies/Shannon and the Clams Dangle Tangle tour 2011

Jeff the Brotherhood “Mellow Out”

Shannon and The Clams Sleep Talking LP

Vito’s Top 10:
1. Megan
2. Stuart M
3. Chuy
4. Sasha M
5. Sun spot near Chris’s desk
6. Summer in Worcester
7. Chi Chi
8. Enalapril
9. Carly
10. Short toenails

Cayle Sharrat intern & filler-inner
Adele 21
Banner Pilot Heart Beats Pacific 
Beastie Boys Hot Sauce Committee, Part II 
Fucked Up David Comes to Life 
Future Islands On the Water 
The Head and the Heart Self Titled 
Into it.Over It.
Proper Lights _Siberia_ 
Mariachi El Bronx Mariachi El Bronx (II)
Nothington Borrowed Time 
We Were Promised Jetpacks In the Pit of the Stomach  

Intern Jeff
I think I’ve got my top ten things of 2011. It’s not really a top ten (specific to a topic) thing… is that ok? It’s just 10 things that rocked 2011 for me.
-Intern Jeff
1. My new winter boots. Puddles can suck it.
2. Making a drinking game out of MarioKart N64.
3. The discovery of David James Duncan (PNW author).
4. The discovery of my macbook charger (seriously, lost it for 4 months).
5. The discovery that I can walk/bus/bum a ride anywhere. Parking can suck it.
6. Ok, let’s get honest. Red Box! You don’t even have to talk to people anymore.
7. Doe Bay Festival. I finally got hooked. Drinking in the wilderness while listening to Sera Cahoone & Damien Jurado? Yeah, ok.
8. El Cameon taco truck in Ballard. Nothing heals a broken heart like 6 tacos al pastor.
9. Buster Keaton movies.
10. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Intern Devin
1. The Beach Boys – The Smile Sessions
2. Middle Brother – Middle Brother
3. Weezer’s Blue/Pinkerton Tour
4. Learning how to make eggs benedict and eating it for breakfast 2-4 times a week.
5. Bloody Marys
6. My turquoise ring I got at a flea market in Portland.
7. Iced coffee.
8. Pickwick (more specifically, experiencing Pickwick play at a wedding and end up being one of the better wedding bands I’ve seen)
9. Having the same tattoo as my grandpa.
10. The Fling – What I’ve Seen

Top 10 Wines of Wine Friday:
1.Gramercy
2.Abeja
3.Gundlach Bundschu
4.Molly Dooker
5.Cave B
6.Long Shadows
7.Mark Ryan
8.Broadley
9.Owen Roe
10.Failla
HONORABLE MENTION: Pills and weed.

Edie Barr
Top ten things that happened to me in 2011
1. I got adopted by some fairly nice people.

New Video! Fleet Foxes - The Shrine / An Argument

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:00:29 -0800

I'm OK, You're JK

laceys@subpop.com (Lacey Swain) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:40:05 -0800

Our art director extraordinaire Jeff Kleinsmith is having a poster show this Friday at 112 Printworks, conveniently located at 12 N 36th St, deep in the heart of keepin’-it-weird Fremont. There will be a retrospective of his posters as well as two new, exclusive prints available for purchase, free beer for the adults, and DJs.

The shindig runs from 7-11, and the first 25 folks through the door will receive a free limited-edition print!

Make sure to chat Jeff up while you’re there. He especially loves talking about these topics: modern music, cured meats, and the philosophy of art.

More details here and here.

OMG! Shearwater has a new record, "Animal Joy" coming out on February 14, 2012

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:02:13 -0800

On February 14, 2012 Shearwater will release their Sub Pop debut Animal Joy and we could not be more excited! The band will embark on a 13 date North American tour opening for Sharon Van Etten beginning on February 2nd. See below for a full list of dates and more information on the bands upcoming release.

Shearwater Tour Dates with Sharon Van Etten:
2/10/2012 Philadelphia PA Johnny Brenda’s
2/11/2012 Washington DC Black Cat
2/12/2012 Carrboro NC Cat’s Cradle
2/14/2012 Columbus OH Wexner Center
2/15/2012 Newport KY The Southgate House
2/16/2012 Chicago IL Lincoln Hall
2/17/2012 Chicago IL Lincoln Hall
2/18/2012 Minneapolis MN Cedar Cultural Centre
2/21/2012 Toronto ON Lee’s Palace
2/22/2012 Montreal QC Il Motore
2/23/2012 Boston MA Paradise
2/24/2012 Brooklyn NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/25/2012 New York NY Bowery Ballroom

Click here for more information on Shearwater.

A Benefit for Heather Duby

meganj@subpop.com (megan jasper) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:06:55 -0700

We have some news about our friend Heather Duby…

Heather Duby was recently in an accident that crushed her right and her left hand. It was thought both hands might have to be amputated when she was first seen at the emergency room, but thanks to the expertise of the hand specialist team at UMDNJ Hospital, both hands were able to be saved. They are, however, substantially compromised.

She has undergone 7 surgeries to replace skin, bone and tendon, and still has at least 2 or 3 remaining. She did lose half of her right middle finger, and is currently waiting to have 3 tendons replaced in the left fingers. The surgery for tendon replacement is delayed until her recent skin graft surgery (which involves a 15-inch donor site from her leg) has healed enough to allow another invasive procedure. She is unable to work or play music right now, and it will likely be a long period of time before this changes.

There will be a benefit event for Heather here in Seattle on Saturday, November 26th, at The Crocodile.

The goal is to raise funds to ease Heather’s financial burden during this time, and to help her get quality physical therapy over the next couple of years, so that she will be able to continue to write and play her beautiful music.

Featuring HELMS ALEE!
THE REDWOOD PLAN!
& Special Guests TBA
DJ Potatoes O’Brien & more!

Plus! Silent Auction with fantastic items including a pair of Men’s MASTODON Vans, a custom Verellen Pedal, Devo merch, Kevin Devine merch, artwork, jewelry, shoes and much, much more!
SPONSORED IN PART BY THE STRANGER.

There is also a ChipIn Donation Site, if you are unable to attend the benefit.

The latest news and info about Heather Duby, the upcoming Seattle benefit event and her recent Latency EP is all right here.

New video! Mister Heavenly's "Bronx Sniper"

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:38:04 -0700

Mister Heavenly is on tour starting today.

Catching Up With No Age

susanb@subpop.com (Susan Busch) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:17:04 -0700

Dean and Randy released their second Sub Pop LP ‘Everything in Between’ in Sept 2010. After extensive worldwide touring they decided to kick back and relax for a while. And by relax I mean finding even more ways to keep themselves crazy busy. What have those dudes been up to? Well let me tell ya! In January of 2011 they teamed up with fashion designer and photographer Hedi Slimane for his Rock Diary series. Looking sharp boys! This shoot led to their upcoming collaboration at Hedi’s California Song exhibit at MOCA. No Age will contribute a sound installation for the exhibit and will play the opening party on Nov 12th.
Speaking of MOCA, No Age shot a video there for the excellent Glitter 7" B Side “Inflorescence” at the closing party for “Art in the Streets”. The video was directed by Todd Cole who took the promo photos for Everything in Between and had them score his short film for Rodarte Aanteni.
And there have been some epic shows! In July No Flag united No Age with Black Flag members Chuck Dukowski and Keith Morris for one killer free show. No Age also managed to play an amazing set at the Pitchfork Festival despite it feeling like the surface of the sun in Chicago that day.
Somehow Dean also finds time to run the fantastic label PPM which is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary this weekend at The Smell!
So, there you have it. That’s what’s up with No Age. Man those guys are lazy.

THE TWILIGHT SINGERS TO RELEASE FIRST EVER LIVE ALBUM

meganj@subpop.com (megan jasper) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:49:43 -0700

As countless can attest, a live Twilight Singers show is truly an epic experience. For the first time ever, there will now be recorded proof. The Twilight Singers will release their first ever live album Live in New York on November 15th.

Recorded at Webster Hall in New York City this past May, the show was easily one of the highlights from the band’s world tour in support of their latest release Dynamite Steps. Live in New York features 21 songs from the band’s entire career including: “Teenage Wristband,” “I’m Ready,” “Annie Mae,” “On the Corner,” and many others.

Live in New York will be released digitally worldwide. However, a limited-edition, deluxe double-CD is available directly through the band’s website.

This deluxe edition will feature the entire unedited New York performance and will only be available for purchase prior to November 15th. This CD will not be available in stores. Fans who purchase the deluxe CD edition will immediately receive the track “Teenage Wristband” via email and will also receive the full album digitally on the street date.

Low on 120 Minutes: tonight

chrisj@subpop.com (Chris Jacobs) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:45:48 -0700

This month’s new episode of 120 Minutes airs tonight, Wed., Oct 26th, on MTV2. And what makes this interesting to us and also, we hope, to you is that this episode will feature both an interview with and a music video by the very great band Low!

We have suspicions that the music video will be the one for the song “Especially Me” from Low’s 2011 full-on full-length album release C’mon. What’s in that interview is really anyone’s guess.

“120 Minutes”: with Low airs tonight (verrrry early in the morning on Wed., Oct. 26th, aka late at night on Tuesday, Oct. 25th) on MTV2 at 3 am ET/12 am PT.

Niki & The Dove

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:35:10 -0700

Sweden’s Niki & The Dove released their digital-only EP The Drummer this week and in celebration of this celebratory event, we’re offering up their title track along with a special limited Blood Diamonds remix of “The Drummer” as well. Listen and grab a download of both tracks in exchange for your email address via the widget posted above here.

Niki & The Dove explain The Drummer
“The Drummer tells a story about a wrestle at night, in a no mans land, where everything is uncertain. It’s about the inevitable question of if you’re choosing the right direction in your life or not.”

The Drummer EP Track Listing:
Sundog
The Drummer
Last Night
Mother Protect
The Breath of the World
Manon
The Birth of the Sun

Tour Dates:
Oct 02 Exeter Phoenix, Exeter, United Kingdom
Oct 03 Thekla Social, Bristol, United Kingdom
Oct 04 Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Oct 05 Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Oct 07 02 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Oct 08 Club Academy, Manchester, United Kingdom
Oct 09 02 Academy Newcastle, Newcastle, United Kingdom
Oct 10 King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Oct 11 Cockpit, Leeds, United Kingdom
Oct 13 Waterfront, Norwich, United Kingdom
Oct 14 Oxford Academy, Oxford, United Kingdom
Oct 15 Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
Oct 17 Concorde 2, Brighton, United Kingdom
Oct 18 Koko, London, United Kingdom

Guess what!

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:28:14 -0700

Dum Dum Girls are headlining the Sub Pop/Hardly Art 2011 CMJ Showcase this coming Thursday, Oct 20 at The Mercury Lounge in New York City.

Tickets for the show are SOLD OUT but badge holders should have no problem getting in as long as you show up EARLY.

See below for set times for Lame Fest II Eclectic Boogaloo

Dum Dum Girls – 1am
J Mascis – 12am
Still Corners – 11pm
Memoryhouse – 10pm
Jacuzzi Boys – 9pm
Gem Club – 8pm
XRay Eyeballs – 7pm

Doors – 6:30pm

“‘Only in Dreams,’ the second Dum Dum Girls album, seethes with a beautiful, raging confidence, louder and fuller than anything they’ve done before, and better than the onetime peers they’re leaving behind. These lush and reverb-thick songs are ambitious and pointed about subjects that often drag: leaving, wasting away, aching.” – New York Times (Only in Dreams album review, 2011)

Other shows our bands are playing at CMJ:

Wednesday – October 19th

Still Corners
Under the Radar party
Public Assembly (front room)
70 North 6th Street Brooklyn, NY 11211
TIME: 4:10 – 4:40 PM

Still Corners
Apple Store
401 W 14th Street, New York City, NY 10014
TIME: 8:20

Still Corners
The FIXED CMJ Freakout!
Public Assembly (front room)
70 North 6th Street Brooklyn, NY 11211
TIME: TBA

Thursday – October 20th

Dum Dum Girls
KEXP Live @ Ace Hotel
20 W. 29th Street
New York City, NY 10001
http://www.acehotel.com/newyork/contact
TIME: 2:30 PM

Memoryhouse DJ Set
CJLO hosted Medium Rotation CMJ Mixer
Solas
232 E 9th Street
New York, NY
TIME: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Dum Dum Girls
Above Allen @ Thompson LES
Thompson LES
190 Allen Street
TIME: 7 PM

Friday – October 21st

Memoryhouse
6DB Unofficial CMJ Showcase
The Studio at Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY 10003
TIME: 1:05-1:35pm

Dum Dum Girls
Bowery/Ground Control CMJ Showcase
Bowery Ballroom
6 Delancey Street
New York, NY 10002
TIME: 11 PM

Memoryhouse
Yours Truly CMJ Showcase
Glasslands
289 Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
TIME: 11 PM

Saturday – October 22nd

Memoryhouse
AAM Showcase
The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
TIME: 3:15-3:45

Rocktober-wicz

chrisj@subpop.com (Chris Jacobs) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:59:59 -0700

We created a playlist for the month of October in a couple of different places. It’s called Roctober-wicz.

Here it is on Spotify.

Here it is on Rdio.

Please to enjoy.

Spoek Mathambo's Put Some Red on It EP

chrisj@subpop.com (Chris Jacobs) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:08:46 -0700

Because it’s really pretty rare that we put out digital-only releases (though, in the near term, with the Oct. 18 release of The Drummer EP by Niki and the Dove, this will be substantially less unusual…), please note that…

On September 27th, we put out our first release from South Africa’s Spoek Mathambo. Produced by Spoek in collaboration with Copenhagen-based future-bass artist Chllngr, Put Some Red on It is a 6-song digital-only EP featuring two tracks (“Put Some Red on It” and “Dog to Bone”) that will also appear in some form on Spoek’s as-yet-unscheduled 2012 debut full-length, plus remixes of those tracks and a brief intro piece. We’re just ridiculously excited about the music Spoek’s making and this EP provides a glimpse at a album we hope you’ll soon look forward to as much as we do.

Right now, in exchange for signing up for Spoek’s email list, you can get an mp3 of the title track from this EP right here.

You can buy the Put Some Red on It EP from us here.

Put Some Red on It is also available from the iTunes store and from Amazon’s digital music store.

The Increasingly Poor Luck of Mogwai

tonyk@subpop.com (tony kiewel) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:21:34 -0700

These dudes just can’t catch a break it seems. As some of you probably recall, Mogwai had to cancel a series of shows earlier this year due to visa issues. Unfortunately their makeup dates have now been cancelled due to medical issues. We wish them a speedy recovery and please stay tuned for the makeup for the makeup dates to be announced.

Here’s the official word from the bands site:

US DATES: ANNOUNCEMENT
It is with the utmost regret that for medical reasons we have to postpone our American shows this week and cancel the I’ll Be Your Mirror performance. We will announce new dates as soon as possible and apologise for the last minute nature of this announcement.

Mogwai
The dates postponed are:
sept 2011
26 new york, ny, usa – webster hall
27 new york, ny, usa – webster hall
28 philadelphia, pa, usa – union transfer
29 washington, dc, usa – 9.30 club

oct 2011
1 boston, ma, usa – house of blues
2 asbury park, nj, usa – atp ’i’ll be your mirror’

Sub Pop's finally #1 at something.

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:22:52 -0700

2011 has been an amazing year for Seattle’s The Head and the Heart. Since the release of their self-titled debut (which to date has scanned more than 70,000 copies in the US) the band has been touring non-stop, playing shows with Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, Iron and Wine, Dr. Dog, and The Decemberists. They are currently on their first headlining tour with more than half of the shows SOLD OUT far in advance, including a 2-night stand at New York’s, Bowery Ballroom. The band has also performed to jam-packed crowds at Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival, Seattle’s Capitol Hill Block Party and, most recently, the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

And this week The Head and the Heart’s “Lost in My Mind” is the #1 single in the country at Triple A radio. This comes 24 weeks after entering the chart and makes The Head and the Heart the first artist to reach #1 at the format with a debut single since Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” this past January.
Continuing to tour across the US through October, followed by dates in the UK and Europe in November and Australia at the end of the year, The Head and the Heart will remain incredibly busy for the foreseeable future. On October 28th the band will play on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman. And, in addition, the legendary TV music program Austin City Limits has announced that The Head and the Heart will be part of its 37th season on PBS. This season marks the first ACL television season filmed entirely in the show’s new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater. The performance will air in early 2012.

The Head and the Heart on the road
Sep 24 Jefferson Theater, Charlottesville, VA
Sep 25 Ukie Club, Philadelphia, PA
Sep 26 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Sep 27 Bowery Ballroom, The, New York City, NY
Sep 28 Bowery Ballroom, The, New York City, NY
Sep 30 Royale (MA), Boston, MA
Oct 01 Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY
Oct 02 Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
Oct 03 Calvin College Fine Arts Center, Grand Rapids, MI
Oct 04 Metro, Chicago, IL
Oct 06 Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WI
Oct 07 Majestic Theater (WI), Madison, WI
Oct 08 Cedar Cultural Centre, Minneapolis, MN
Oct 09 Waiting Room, Omaha, NE
Oct 10 Gothic Theater (CO), Denver , CO
Oct 13 The Music Box – Los Angeles, CA
Oct 14 The House of Blues – San Diego, CA
Oct 15 The Independent – San Francisco, CA
Oct 16 Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, CA
Oct 18 Wow Hall – Eugene, OR
Oct 19 Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
Oct 20 The Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
Oct 22 Key Arena – Seattle, WA

Still Corners' Album is Almost Here

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:33:28 -0700

New VIDEO: Amor Fati from Washed Out

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:00:34 -0700

September 13th Coming at You with Three New Releases

sams@subpop.com (Sam Sawyer) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:27:05 -0700

September 13th is filthy with new Sub Pop releases of note. First up, we’ve got the new full-length from Portland’s Blitzen Trapper. It’s called American Goldwing, and it comes with a really great Blitzen Trapper keychain! We’ve also got new EPs from Memoryhouse and Mogwai! There are four new tracks on Mogwai’s Earth Division EP and Memoryhouse’s The Years EP goes all the way to five. All of these great new releases are available on CD or LP, so please feel free to place your orders now; operators are standing by (that’s not actually true).

Also of note!

Blitzen Trapper will be playing a G-D FREE in-store performance at the Queen Anne location of Easy Street Records here in Seattle tonight (Sept. 13th) at 7:00 pm!

Unearthed 2011 Record Store Day Stock Available

sams@subpop.com (Sam Sawyer) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:05:08 -0700

Admittedly, our warehouse can get pretty cluttered. This clutter can cause us to periodically misplace things. Well, amongst our blessed mess, we’ve unearthed a small handful of each our our otherwise out-of-print, 2011 Record Store Day singles, and have decided to offer them to you, our favorite customers. Seriously, you guys are the best. So pick up a Fleet Foxes 12", a Blitzen Trapper 7", and a Lower Dens 7" by clicking on the respective hyperlink. But do it quickly, there’s only a few of each left.

Take the Sub Pop Survey

alissag@subpop.com (Alissa Gallivan) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:34:14 -0700

We’re working to improve our web store to provide you with better freebies, better access to the types of things that you actually want to buy, and a better overall shopping experience. To that end, we would love for you to answer some questions about how you listen to music, and how you buy it as well (we remain hopeful on this latter activity). It is going to be awesome.

We understand that bribery is what keeps the wheels of commerce turning, so management has authorized us to give 15 lucky respondents free compact disc editions of two 2011 releases of their choice. To qualify, you must include your email address (which is how we’ll contact our winners) and fill out the survey completely.

Winners will be chosen at random on Monday, September 26th.

Sub Pop’s survey can be found HERE.

We thank you!
The Sub Pop Records Department of Cyberspace

SketchFest Seattle

meganj@subpop.com (megan jasper) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:21:57 -0700

Maybe you like to laugh? If so, no doubt you’ll be happy to hear that SketchFest Seattle is right around the corner…

Taking place October 6th through the 8th, SketchFest Seattle is the world’s original sketch comedy festival and has established a reputation for presenting the best and most original comedy from around the globe. The 4th Annual SketchFest Comedy Film Festival kicks off the 2011 festival on Oct. 6th with a bang and a whirr, presenting the best in short comedy films from around the country. There is also an impressive lineup of talent ready to make you split your sides like a boiled hot dog. You can check out the schedule here. And if you’d like to purchase tickets to these events, you can do so here.

Proof that we here at Sub Pop also like to laugh can be had here. We’re proud to help promote this year’s SketchFest Seattle festival and we hope to see you there!

Niki and the Dove Announce "The Drummer" EP Out Oct 18

bekahz@subpop.com (Bekah Zietz) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:07:24 -0700

Niki and The Dove is a duo from Stockholm, Sweden made up of Malin Dahlström and Gustaf Karlöf. Their songs are full of magic and light but with an unsettling darkness hidden beneath the surface. Since getting together in February 2010, Malin and Gustaf have been busy writing together, figuring out just how pop music works and then discovering new ways to break it. The Swedish duo released The Fox EP earlier this year and are now set to release a digital-only EP on Oct 18 entitled The Drummer, which, according to the band and NME, “tells a story about a wrestle at night”.

They explain:
“The Drummer tells a story about a wrestle at night, in a no mans land, where everything is uncertain. It’s about the inevitable question of if you’re choosing the right direction in your life or not.”

The band will be heading to the states to open 3 SOLD OUT shows for Peter Bjorn & John in the NYC area with a 14 date UK tour to follow in October. See below for a full list of shows.

The Drummer EP Track Listing:
Sundog
The Drummer
Last Night
Mother Protect
The Breath of the World
Manon
The Birth of the Sun

Tour Dates:
Sep 13 HOBOKEN, NJ Maxwell’s w/ Peter Bjorn & John
Sep 15 BROOKLYN, NY MHOW w/ Peter Bjorn & John
Sep 16 NEW YORK, NY Bowery Ballroom w/ Peter Bjorn & John
Oct 02 Exeter Phoenix, Exeter, United Kingdom
Oct 03 Thekla Social, Bristol, United Kingdom
Oct 04 Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Oct 05 Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Oct 07 02 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Oct 08 Club Academy, Manchester, United Kingdom
Oct 09 02 Academy Newcastle, Newcastle, United Kingdom
Oct 10 King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Oct 11 Cockpit, Leeds, United Kingdom
Oct 13 Waterfront, Norwich, United Kingdom
Oct 14 Oxford Academy, Oxford, United Kingdom
Oct 15 Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
Oct 17 Concorde 2, Brighton, United Kingdom
Oct 18 Koko, London, United Kingdom