Resolutions:

1. Get an early jump on resolutions for 2015. I can do this.

2. Listen to Mudhoney. Yes, their records and live performances, but here I mean to include their suggestions, opinions and endorsements as well. The performance of the reunited Flesh Eaters which Mudhoney opened on Tuesday, January 13th was just phenomenally good, even for a somewhat casual fan. Other examples include: the 2004 MC5/DKT tour (Mark sang), feedtime’s Seattle performance in 2012 (also a Mudhoney bill), the 2014 Sub Pop South America tour with Obits and METZ they helped to make happen, and… Though I could go on (ask anyone who suffers through working here with me) no doubt you get the picture. Even though I don’t think they had anything to do with the just-fucking-incredibly-good Scratch Acid reunion show at the Showbox a few years back, their track record is so good that I’m going to go ahead and make the association in my own memory. And, I am already looking forward to the shows they will play with Strange Wilds in the future that I am willing into existence (note to Mudhonies: please play some shows with Strange Wilds).

3. Make less of a big deal out of things like the bumper sticker, one of maybe 15, on the back of the red Chevy Genero-Sedan, which cut me off on this morning’snear- interminable crawl up the viaduct which read: “My other ride is YOUR MOM.” Maybe this person’s own mom was unavailable for riding? Perhaps this is, after all, okay with MY MOM? Accept what you can’t change, etc…

4. With the recent transition of the talented Mr. Frere-Jones from the New Yorker to Rap Genius or now Genius Just (RIP M. Hedberg) pin hopes for NY’er coverage of the brilliant new METZ album (details still TBA) elsewhere. That or shoot for annotation of same. Also: figure out what “annotation” means in this context.

5. W/R/T Sleater-Kinney, their new album No Cities to Love, and the towering, enduring talent it flaunts, admit and embrace that “surface envy” is an understatement. This is deep, abiding and well-earned envy. (And, while we’re on the subject of getting comfy with radioactive levels of well-justified envy, look at the big brain on this guy, mere weeks after his band’s debut album was certified gold.)

6. Investigate synonyms for “share.” This or give up reading music press releases, music-related news items, and the like. Alternate solution: substitute “crap out” for “share” every time it’s encountered in these materials. Laugh derisively to self, without the jovial camaraderie of friends and co-workers, maybe, for a moment, feel superior-ish. Repeat as necessary, with diminishing returns, die friendless and afraid. Wait, DON’T do this!

7. Sign up for innovative and largely fictional new streaming service SAP! Pitch to relevant parties new SAP/ASAP ad campaign and imagine, in embarrassing, florid detail, resulting wealth, how it will be spent, used to destroy entirety of enemies list, etc.

8. Re-watch Chad VanGaalen’s wild, stupefying new video for Shabazz Palaces’ “Forerunner Foray.” Make contact, conceptually, with Magic Johnson flying on a piece of pizza.

9. Recognize that most of what people are listening to through streaming services comes through playlists. And the most popular of these playlists, the ones that are really, I am led to believe, WORKING, are those with names like “Coffee Shop Indie Workout Mix,” “Sunday Morning Sex Jams,” or “It’s Friday Night and I Like Alternative Music.” And then, surrender to the idea of lowest common denominator playlist titling as PROMOTIONAL BEST PRACTICE with Sub Pop playlists bearing names like “Happy Top Songs Best,” “100 Great Music Things,” “Today’s Massive Hit Time,” etc. (consider repurposing spam subject lines for this use?). Nobody’s interest is going to be piqued by “Flatulent Mid-Morning,” so just knock that shit off.

10. Make it all the way to 10 this year.

Now there’s a horse without a rider…

Chris

THEESatisfaction dropped the title track to their upcoming full-length, EarthEE, out February 24th on Sub Pop, and it can be described as a smooth ride in a deep groove. The song features THEESat labelmates and fellow Seattle hip hop stalwarts, Shabazz Palaces and Porter Ray. Pick up the duo’s amazing Sub Pop sophomore record, EarthEE right here.

Father John Misty’s I Love You Honeybear, his critically acclaimed new album, has earned the singer his highest chart position in the US to date, entering at #17 on the BillboardI Love You, Honeybear also entered at #14 on the UK sales chart.

At radio this week, I Love You, Honeybear is the #1 most added album at CMJ, debuting at #32 on the Top 200 albums chart. Additionally, the album is also #1 album at alternative specialty, #3 at NonComm and Top 20 with Triple A reporters. On a related note, Father John Misty’s takeover of iHeartRadio’s

Father John Misty’s fast-selling 2015 world tour in support of I Love You, Honeybear has been extended through October 29th, which includes his just announced headline performance New York’s Central Park SummerStage on August 5th.

I Love You, Honeybear featuring the highlights “Bored In The USA,” “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins),” “True Affection,” and the title track, was produced by Josh Tillman and Jonathan Wilson, mixed by Phil Ek, and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound. I Love You, Honeybear is available now on CD / LP / 2xLP / Deluxe 2xLP to purchase via Father John Misty.net,  Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, and Amazon. The album is also available in Europe via Bella Union.

What are people are saying about Father John Misty? Great things:
“This warped, lovely album suggests that a true longtime partnership isn’t two people who love each other even for their flaws, but of two people accepting decay–their own and each other’s–and choosing to ride it out nonetheless.” - New York Times

“The artist born Josh Tillman aims for grandiosity in his Father John Misty disguise, and his second album for Sub Pop repeatedly reaches such heights. A musical genie bottle with the spirits of Phil Spector, Lee Hazlewood and Brian Wilson corked within, Tillman and co-producer Jonathan Wilson seem to revel in letting these sounds seep out and intermingle.” - Los Angeles Times

“Upping the spectacle from Fear Fun his 2012 debut, I Love You, Honeybear is an autobiographical set about love, marriage and derangement that’s both ironic and empathic.” [4/5] - Rolling Stone

“His beloved Father John Misty debut was Fear Fun, issued in 2012. The new album, out now, is I Love You, Honeybear….and it is as good as, though quite different from, its predecessor.” - Wall Street Journal

“I Love You, Honeybear, an album by turns passionate and disillusioned, tender and angry, so cynical it’s repulsive and so openhearted it hurts.” [8.8 / 10, “Best New Music”] - Pitchfork

“If there’s a funnier, stranger and more touchingly bizarre album released this year, it will be a very good year indeed.” [4/5] - Billboard

“This is a gorgeous album.” [10/10] - Exclaim

“For all the layers of irony on I Love You, Honeybear, the biggest irony of all might be that such an ostensibly knotty and confusing album’s real strength lies in something as prosaic and transparent as its author’s ability to write a beautiful melody.” [5/5] - The Guardian

“Album of the Week” - Stereogum

Tour Dates
Feb. 21 - Dublin, IE - Whelans [Sold Out]
Feb. 22 - Glasgow, UK - King Tuts [Sold Out]
Feb. 23 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla [Sold Out]
Feb. 26 - London, UK - Village Underground [Sold Out]
Feb. 27 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club [Sold Out]
Feb. 28 - Bristol, UK - Thekla [Sold Out]
Mar. 03 - Paris, FR - La Maroquinerie
Mar. 04 - Brussels, BE - Botanique - Orangerie
Mar. 05 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
Mar. 07 - Berlin, DE - Heimathafen
Mar. 08 - Hamburg, DE - Nochtspelcher
Mar. 25 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works**
Mar. 26 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse** [Sold Out]
Mar. 27 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel** [Sold Out]
Mar. 28 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club** [Sold Out]
Mar. 31 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club** [Sold Out]
Apr. 01 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer** [Sold Out]
Apr. 03 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theater** [Sold Out]
Apr. 04 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave** [Sold Out]
Apr. 05 - Iowa City, IA - Mission Creek Festival @ The Englert
Apr. 07 - Lawrence, KS - Granada**
Apr. 08 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium**
Apr. 09 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
Apr. 11 - Indio, CA - Coachella [Sold Out]
Apr. 13 - Pomona, CA - The Glasshouse [Sold Out]
Apr.14 - San Diego, CA - North Park Theatre [Sold Out]
Apr. 16 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore  [Sold Out]
Apr. 17 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore  [Sold Out]
Apr. 18 - Indio, CA - Coachella [Sold Out]
Apr. 22 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater^
Apr. 23 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald’s^
Apr. 24 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s^
Apr. 25 - New Orleans, LA - Civic Theater^
May 16 - Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
May 22 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
May 23- George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
May 24 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom [Sold Out]
Jun. 04 - Columbia, MD -  Merriweather Post Pavillion ^^
Jun. 07 - Toronto, ON - Field Trip Festival
Jun. 27 - Killarney, IE - Killarney Food & Music Festival
Aug. 5 - New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage #
Aug. 11 - Oslo, NO - Oya Festival
Aug. 13 - Gothenburg, SE - Way Out West
Aug. 20 - Paredes de Coura, PT - Pauredes de Coura Festival
Aug. 21-23 - Beacon, UK - Green Man Festival
Oct. 24 - Dublin, IE - Vicar Street
Oct. 29 - London, UK - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
* w/ Guy Blakeslee
** w/ King Tuff
^ w/ Luluc
^^ w/ The Decemberists
# w/ Angel Olsen

THEESatisfaction’s EarthEE is now available now on CD / LP / DL via Sub Pop. EarthEE is the follow up to awE naturalE, the alternative R&B group’s critically acclaimed debut, and is led by highlights “Recognition,” “Nature’s Candy,” and the title track.  

EarthEE was produced by THEESatisfaction and Erik Blood, mixed by Blood at Protect and Exalt Labs: A Black Space and mastered by Adam Straney at BreakPoint Mastering in Seattle. The album also features guest appearances from Shabazz Palaces, Meshell Ndegeocello, Porter Ray, Blood and Taylor Brown.

EarthEE, along with “Recognition” and the title track, is earning THEESatisfaction acclaim from outlets likes of NPR Music, CBC, AV Club, Exclaim, NME, The Quietus, Q Magazine, Mojo, The Guardian, Consequence of Sound,  Okay Player, Treble, The Needle Drop, Pitchfork, The FADER,  Bitch, BUST, Dummy, and more. At radio, the album was #3 most added with CMJ reporters. On a related note,  you can watch the band’s just recorded KEXP session now.

THEESatisfaction’s 2015 tour schedule in support of EarthEE has been extended through May 9th. Highlights include:  CD release shows in Seattle (Feb. 26th at Neumos), Los Angeles (Feb. 28th at Jewel’s Catch One) and New York (Mar. 6th at Santos Party House);  SXSW (Mar. 20th-21st); And a support tour with label mates Sleater-Kinney (April. 16th-May 9th). For a complete list of tour dates, please view the attached flier or visit https://www.subpop.com/artists/theesatisfaction/tours.

EarthEE is now available for purchase from Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon and Bandcamp. All customers who purchase the LP version of EarthEE from megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser Edition” on emerald-colored vinyl and a 7” single with “I Don’t Like You” on the A-side, and “Supa Dupa (Love Affair)” on the B-side (while supplies last). Additionally, there will be two-new T shirt designs available as stand-alone items or as part of a bundle with purchases of EarthEE.

What people are saying about THEESatisfaction:
“In theory, EarthEE is a cosmic, funky dance party. In practice, it’s a revolution.” [First Listen] - NPR Music

“The true gift of this Seattle-based duo is their ability to seamlessly weave serious commentary into music that  also seriously brings the party.” [Review, 4/5 Stars] - BUST

[Review, 4/5 Stars] - Q Magazine

“EarthEE is remarkable in its ability to balance the obscure and experimental with the direct and familiar. It’s an album that engages with the history of black culture while challenging the political, cultural, and musical status quos at every turn.” [Review, B+] - AV Club

[Review, 4/5 Stars] - MOJO

“EarthEE feels both comfortingly familiar and thrillingly alien, without striving too hard to be either.”
[Review, 8/10] - Uncut

“This album is highly recommended, as its afro-futuristic, honest, and raw philosophy is too delicious to deny.” [Review]  - Bitch Magazine

“(A)n informed and encompassing portrait of life as we know it, that pays its respects where it’s merited and condemns injustice when it’s warranted.” [Album of the Week]  - Dummy Magazine

“EarthEE is a powerful record, crafted by two black, queer women in a time when many people would encourage you to think that it’s easier than ever to be any one of those three things. But THEESatisfaction, through powerful metaphors and otherworldly imagery, are clever enough to reveal just how often all people are asked to hide behind that very sort of facade.” [Album of the Week] - Treble Zine

“Every moment is rooted in spacious, natural, sometimes esoteric beats. It’s a sonically challenging, chilled out, blissful creation, where samples are stacked and staggered, breathing and bleeding into each other. At turns it’s angry, sexy, vulnerable, empowering and healing, every moment flowing like liquid gold into the next.” [First Play] - CBC

“(C)hallenging, engaging, and revolutionary” - Pop Matters

“The title track ripples with cosmic incantations. Harris-White commands with the intoxicating force of a priestess: “Loosen up my mind/ Lengthen and unwind/ Release, one time.” Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler and emerging MC Porter Ray share reverent verses of their own, the former reading like a personals ad seeking a moment of transcendence with a celestial goddess.” [“EarthEE” track review] - Pitchfork

“20 Albums To Get Excited About In February” [EarthEE] - NME

“”Recognition” shines a light on the duo’s spacey roots with a dazzling atmospheric treatment.” [“Recognition”] - Okay Player

“…Spacey, kaleidoscopic” [“Recognition”] -  Stereogum

“Blends Sun Ra percussion with woozily hypnagogic synths and a sprinkle of prog-jazz, in the best possible way – as ever, Stas and Cat duo sound like no one but themselves.” [“Recognition”] -  FACT

“A groovy, hypnotic jam that eventually leads to one rather engaging, synth-led interlude.” [“Recognition”] - Consequence of Sound

“On “Recognition,” the duo fuses their own soulful delivery with the esotericism of Erik Blood and Shabazz Palaces.” [“Recognition”] -  Mass Appeal

“Song of the Day” [“Recognition”] - The Stranger

“The panoramic rhythms, chants, and deep space synths on this cut are alluring and intoxicating.” [“Recognition”] -  The Needle Drop

We’re a bunch of romantics here at Sub Pop HQ, but like a jilted lover, if you screw us over, our love quickly turns into a viscous pail of blackened hatred that we’ll threaten to fill your lungs with. We decided to make a Valentine’s Day playlist that reflects this romantic insanity. We think you’ll enjoy it!

Spotify: Love U / Hate U 

Sub Pop will release feedtime’s “flatiron” b/w “stick up jack” single, the Australian group’s first new recorded material in 20 years, on 7” / DL worldwide February 9th/10th.

After reforming and touring in support of the Aberrant years, 2012’s box-set collection of feedtime’s early material, the band couldn’t help but bang out a couple of new songs. “flatiron” is a shuffling blues-punk thumper that stands up to the most classic feedtime songs, and “stick up jack” is an uptempo  one-chord wonder akin to Wire playing a cowboy bar. Both tracks were recorded by Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring) in 2014.

Mess and Noise says, ““flatiron” has everything we expect from feedtime: gnashing slide guitar, a rail-jumping bass hook, choppy drums and terse vocals.” Meanwhile Brooklyn Vegan had this to say,  “Age doesn’t seem to have mellowed the band at all, as both songs are raspy-voiced ragers.”

You can now preorder “flatiron” b/w “stick up jack” through the Sub Pop Mega Mart. The single will also be available digitally next week via megamart.subpop.com, iTunes and Amazon.