Daughn Gibson’s Carnation will be available on CD / LP / DL June 1st in Europe, June 2nd in North America and June 8th in the UK from Sub Pop. The album, featuring the highlights “Shatter You Through,” “Bled to Death,” “It Wants Everything,” was co-produced by Gibson and Randall Dunn (Earth, Sunn O))), Tim Hecker), recorded at Avast Studios in Seattle, Washington and mastered by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering. The album features guest appearances from composer/violinist to Eyvind Kang (string arrangements), renowned studio drummer Matt Chamberlain, as well as Gibson’s long-standing musical conspirator, Jim Elkington. Additional contributions include: Steve Moore (Piano, Trombone, Keyboards and Synths); Milky Burgess, Paul Wegman, and Jer Rouse (Guitars); Skerik (Saxophone); and Jay Kardong (Pedal Steel). Carnation is the follow up to Me Moan, his Sub Pop debut.  Please find a complete tracklisting below.
 
You can now listen to the lead single, “Shatter You Through” via Stereogum, who says of the track: “As odd as anything he’s committed to tape, but it’s also his most instantly appealing single” (see premiere March 12th).”
 
Pre-orders of Carnation are available through Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon and Bandcamp. Fans who purchase the album from megamart.subpop.com will receive the Loser Edition on white, black and blue swirl colored vinyl (while supplies last).  There will also be new T-shirt design, available individually and as part of a bundle with purchase of Carnation.
 
About Daughn Gibson’s Carnation:
Daughn Gibson of Carlisle, PA is a singer, songwriter and musician possessed of a singular and strange vision. Carnation is the latest exhilarating and dark embodiment of that vision. It’s also his third album. It’s an album that’s more elegant and sophisticated than anything he’s done to date, and which sees the elements of country music, more prominent on his past records (the 2012 release All Hell on the White Denim label and Sub Pop’s 2013 release of Me Moan), undone by ambient textures and sounds to extraordinary effect.

Shot through with a deep sensuality, Carnation is a high-wire balancing act, at times sexual, emotionally intense and comforting. The album features Daughn’s strongest songwriting yet, with lyrical subject matter that shares a kinship with writers Raymond Carver and Donald Ray Pollack. The music here combines with those lyrics to widescreen effect, and Carnation feels filmic in its execution: It evokes, and in many ways pays homage to, the works of Tim Burton, Pier Paulo Pasolini, and John Waters.
 
Carnation’s most pervasive theme might best be described as the chaos of circumstance and the 11 tracks here tell related stories. In “Bled to Death,” Daughn passes away and laments the cruel hand dragging him back to earth.  On “Daddy I Cut My Hair,” a young man recently released from a mental health facility desperately searches for sexual intimacy. “A Rope Ain’t Enough” follows the story of an ambivalent man suddenly awaking to the disease of masculinity, and formulating a plan to eradicate it. “It Wants Everything” is written from the point of view of a drunk and belligerent “jester of circumstance”. Then there’s the addictive lead single, “Shatter You Through,” which happens to detail a moment of peaceful sleep broken by the alarm clock toll of dread and sadness, but proves to be one hell of an earworm (read more at Sub Pop).

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.

Selective Listening: Notes from the Desk of the General Manager, April 2015

A Brief History of Tooting Our Own Horn

Though Bruce (here I mean Pavitt) had been using the title Subterranean Pop since sometime in ‘79 for fanzines, cassette compilations, radio shows, potent weed hybrids, and the like, somewhere along the line he and Jonathan (and here I mean Mr. Poneman, aka my boss) decided that April 1, 1988, the day they quit their jobs and rented a tiny office in the Terminal Sales Bldg., was the day the Sub Pop label was really born. No doubt the three of you still reading this possess the high-level math skills to quickly compute the following fact that will be the foundational excuse for the nonsense which follows: today, April 1, 2015, is the 27th birthday of Sub Pop Records, the record label most well-known (to me anyway…) for continuing to offer me employment. (You are, of course, free to have your own associations…).

And, what better way to celebrate a birthday than with a good party? We here at Seattle’s most loud-mouthed record label, have a long, expensive tradition of congratulating ourselves with self-indulgent parties just for continuing to exist for another year. 

Some “highlights,” then!

In 1998, to commemorate 10 whole years of record making and flirting indiscreetly with insolvency, we put together a party at The Showbox here in Seattle, with Rebecca Gates of The Spinanes, 10 Minute Warning, TAD, The Afghan Whigs, and surprise guests The Murder City Devils. The bands were all great and it was all an exceedingly good time. And… Around this same time the MTV show “The Real World” was filming a season here in Seattle. Several or maybe all of the cast members participated in the internship program at our local commercial alternative radio affiliate (to the best of my memory, they were referred to as something like “Regurgitators”) and came to the event early to conduct interviews with the bands for the station. During their interview with Tad Doyle (of TAD…), beneath a high school reunion-style banner reading “Welcome Alumni! Sub Pop 1988-1998”, Stacey or Donny or Puck or whoever it was, lost no time in diving into the tough questions: “So, what’s it like for The Afghan Whigs to play Sub Pop’s anniversary show?” Tad, known equally for visibly resembling no one so much as Tad, the guy from TAD, and also for being a genuine and affable guy, ran with it and gave an insightful and largely fictional interview on the subject.

No idea (or clear recollection) of what happened between anniversaries 10 and 20, really.

But, in July of 2008, for our 20th anniversary, we held a 2-day festival called SP20 out at Marymoor Park, preceded by a comedy show at the Moore Theatre that Friday night, and then we gave away all of the money we made. We also hosted a party at the Space Needle here in Seattle, painted its roof to look like a 7” label (with the words “Thank You Seattle. Love, Sub Pop”), and flew a giant Sub Pop flag from its very top. Of the fucking SPACE NEEDLE! There are photos to prove I am not making this up. This was a fantastic event – tons of old friends showed up, all of the bands played amazing sets AND got along, good vibes reigned throughout, and somehow, miraculously nothing went disastrously wrong. We did, inadvertently offend Girl Trouble by not thinking to invite them to play, but they wound up showing up and playing for free outside the front gate anyway, so even that worked out. (Strictly Sacred, the doc about Girl Trouble is very worth seeing, BTW.)

Our only possible regret: why didn’t we call the whole thing SPF20? That’s definitely a better name for a summer festival, right?

And then, in July of 2013, we hosted a free one-day event in Seattle’s gritty, colorful Georgetown neighborhood which we called The Sub Pop Records Silver Jubilee. As you might imagine there was live music, and an opening night comedy show, but this time there was also a record fair, poster fair, readings and panels, a historical art show at a pop-up Sub Pop Mega Mart, and as much merch as we could possibly make and sell. All told, somewhere around 40,000 people showed up, and I got to answer some questions from my kids (aged 10 and 6 at the time) about the full mod prim gent in a dusty Utilikilt and Thunderdome hairdo/beard design, who, on a roughly 4’ x 4’ scrabbly little ashtray of ground between two buildings, was offering passersby the chance to staple cash to his body… Stay in school, kids!

The Silver Jubilee was also an incredibly good time, an unbelievable gathering of some of our favorite people and music, and great throngs of well-meaning, happy and clearly intoxicated strangers (and also the guy with the stapler).

The one possible negative aspect: some grumbling that Soundgarden did not materialize as a surprise guest. To be clear, we never actually said that they would (though, the guy from The Afghan Whigs in this video seems to be saying something that MIGHT be confusing…).

Happily, in the end, our Yelp reviews were largely positive…

And, because we just can’t seem to keep our hands (or, in this case, bands) off of it, we somehow convinced the usually responsible people who operate the Space Needle to allow Mudhoney to perform on the actual roof of this very tall, very iconic building a few days before the Jubilee. Our friends at KEXP broadcast and recorded this monumentally historic event.

One thing that’s been unmistakable, through all of this, is that none of it matters if you guys aren’t paying attention. And, a lot of times, more times than we’d have guessed, you have! We’re grateful, thank you.

While the rhetorical question up there at the beginning, about 6 who-gives-a-shits ago, asking what better way to celebrate a birthday than with a good party, sort of begs a less rhetorical question along the lines of, “Then, sweet, merciful Jesus Christ pose, why is this overlong blog post not full of details about a forthcoming anniversary party instead of all of this preening, laurel-resting poppycock??!” the answer is pretty simple: we’re not ready yet. We’re keeping our nose to the grungestone: putting out a bunch of incredible records, opening a shop at the airport, working on the 2nd Sub Pop Festival in Brazil, tightening up our Myspace profile, and scheming for the future. The next time we throw a party, you are all totally invited.

Happy our birthday to you,

Chris

WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING RESUMES FOR THE DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR POSITION. 

Sub Pop Records: Digital Communications Coordinator

Overview
Sub Pop Records is currently looking for a new Digital Communications Coordinator, working here in the label’s Seattle headquarters. This is an important role within the company with responsibility for maintaining and growing our social media presence and managing direct-to-fan communications.  This person will work closely with marketing and sales staff and the Director of the Digital Communications department.

Our ideal candidate for our growing Digital Communications department is an enthusiastic, creative and skilled social media manager and content producer who has a solid understanding of social media marketing and online communities, the artists and music represented by Sub Pop and how best to serve them and their fans in this digital environment. This person must have excellent written and overall communication skills and an appreciation for how to continue to develop and expand the Sub Pop voice within each unique social platform. A thorough understanding of social media campaigns and a drive for creating and sharing engaging content and recognizing new opportunities is essential. The ability to work well as a member of the Digital Communications and larger marketing and sales teams, representing the priorities of each is crucial as well.

The closing date to apply for this position is Monday, May 25th.


Summary
Social Media and direct-to-fan communications
Communication & Reporting


Responsibilities
Social media and direct-to-fan communications  

• Manage the social media efforts on behalf of Sub Pop Records to increase awareness of our releases, bands and the Sub Pop brand, and maintain regular communication on social channels for customer service opportunities, general fan interaction and identifying trends.

• Develop our growing email list and in coordination with Sub Pop’s Mega Mart (ecommerce) priorities write and deliver a bi-weekly newsletter to this list, with the goal of growing direct-to-consumer sales as well as artist and brand awareness.

• Schedule, organize and execute direct-to-fan communications, and create and distribute marketing assets on behalf of the label and its bands within a shared Digital Communications editorial calendar.

• Monitor and effectively leverage ever-changing social media tools; stay current with best practices and tools and evolve different strategies as appropriate.

• Address social media challenges and suggest solutions.

• Work in partnership with the Director of Digital Communications and marketing staff as a whole.

• Attend weekly marketing and departmental meetings to evaluate emerging opportunities and report on current projects. 

• Track and and report on digital analytics and effectively convey these findings in department and marketing staff weekly meetings, and at semiannual meetings.

• Responsible for all updating and maintenance of project reports; identify new needs for additional reporting and stats.

• Work with Director to help evolve strategies and determine best metrics to measure and report the results of social media initiatives for Sub Pop and our bands.

• Attend relevant conferences and maintain and develop contacts with all relative platforms and services, such as Facebook and Twitter.

• Work with and help educate marketing staff on emerging social media technologies and industry best practices.

• 3-5 years experience overseeing and developing content for a lifestyle or entertainment brand.

• Thorough knowledge of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest (and more) and integration of tools and third-party applications, such as Hootsuite.

• Advanced computer skills required; strong technical skills preferred; aptitude with the usual suite of current office software and tools are all expected.

• Data, analytics, and metrics oriented; strong analytical and quantitative skills.

• Ability to create and manipulate images and video for use online & familiarity with basic editing programs required; specific experience/background in  graphic design, multimedia, video production and all relevant software (Adobe Creative Suite, Pro Tools, Final Cut, etc) preferred.

• Must be highly motivated and organized self-starter with the ability to multitask and communicate clearly and effectively to large and small groups alike and interpersonally as well. A creative thinker with the ability to work well both independently and as part of team to see tasks through to completion.

We are happy to release Strange Wilds’ “Starved For,” the ferocious new single from Subjective Concepts, their full-length debut.