On July 23rd, 2021, Sub Pop will release the remastered 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of Mudhoney’s Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, the Seattle group’s classic second full-length album. This expanded release will include the original album in its entirety as well as a 15-track bonus LP and CD of additional material, with 7 previously unreleased songs. The album also includes liner notes from Mudhoney biographer (Mudhoney: The Sound and the Fury from Seattle) and MOJO journalist Keith Cameron, as well as new cover art, archival band photos, and a full-color fold-out poster. The first run of LP’s will be on colored vinyl.
In celebration of this upcoming, momentous release, please enjoy the new video for “Ounce of Deception”! This track was previously released as the b-side to the 1991 “Let it Slide” 7”, and was also included on the 52-track compilation of Mudhoney smash hits and rarities, March to Fuzz (orig released in 2000 and now only available on the increasingly unpopular CD format). The video was directed by Duncan Sharp, and features wonderfully entertaining, vintage footage of the group performing live.
Preorders for Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge: Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition are available now through Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, select independent retailers in North America, the UK, and Europe will receive the first pressing of this release on light blue (LP1) and red (LP 2) vinyl.
Mudhoney will also release a limited-edition split 7” single with Meat Puppets for Record Store Day 2021. This split single features two exclusive cover songs: “Warning,” performed by Mudhoney and originally by The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation (and famously covered by Black Sabbath); and “One of These Days,” performed by Meat Puppets, originally written by Earl Montgomery and first popularized by George Jones. This release is a Record Store Day 2021 exclusive, and it is limited to 2,500 copies.
More about Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge: Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition: “When in doubt, fudge it.” On September 19, 1990, perhaps with an eye on the daily news reports of US forces massing in Saudi Arabia in preparation for an assault on Iraq, Mark Arm recorded a version of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War,” at Reciprocal Recording studio in Seattle. Mudhoney fans might have been surprised to learn that the voice of such mindblown anthems to oblivion as “If I Think” and “In ‘n’ Out of Grace,” was now taking on the definitive antiwar song. The times were indeed a-changin’ – both for the world, and for Mudhoney.
During the same Reciprocal session with engineer Jack Endino, some further work was done on a recording from earlier that same year. On May 19, Mudhoney had taped five songs at Music Source, a large studio in Seattle’s Capitol Hill district. Endino was behind the desk then – as he had been for 1988’s catalytic debut double-A side “Touch Me I’m Sick”/”Sweet Young Thing Ain’t Sweet No More,” the Superfuzz Bigmuff mini-album and 1989’s self-titled LP – and this session was notionally the start of the next Mudhoney album. But the fact that nothing had been done with these recordings after four months told its own story.
“We decided we didn’t much care for it,” Steve Turner says today. “It didn’t sound right to me, it sounded a little too fancy, too clean. It didn’t have the dirt.”
Mudhoney hadn’t gotten where they were by sounding a little too fancy. “Touch Me I’m Sick” made a virtue of its tactile grubbiness – and in so doing, ignited a generation aesthetically jaded by pop culture always equating sophistication with progress. Yet now Mudhoney were apparently acquiescing to the same principle. During the few months which separated “Touch Me”/”Sweet Young Thing” from Superfuzz Bigmuff, Reciprocal had upgraded from 8-track recording to 16, and it was on this higher spec machine that Mudhoney had recorded both their mini-album and debut long-player. Granted, in the context of songs like “Here Comes Sickness” and “Flat Out Fucked,” ‘sophistication’ was a relative term. But as Mark Arm subsequently observed: “There was a grittiness to that very first single that never quite got recaptured.”
The Music Source session utilised 24 tracks, distancing Mudhoney even further from their raw essence. Unhappy with the recordings, Steve Turner instigated a change of direction. He noted that Thrillsphere, the cool new album by Tacoma WA garage rockers Girl Trouble, had been released by PopLlama, a record label run by Conrad Uno out of his house in Seattle’s U-District. In the basement of that same house, Uno had a recording studio, named Egg after the cartons pasted on the walls in an optimistic attempt at sound-proofing, which also boasted a ’60s vintage 8-track Spectra Sonics recording console, originally built for Stax in Memphis.
In the two-plus years since Mudhoney’s official inception on January 1, 1988, Turner had become worn down by the routine of what increasingly felt like a career as a professional musician – something he’d never aspired to. One benefit of the band’s frequent visits to the UK in 1989/90, however, had been the ready availability of cheap original era punk singles, which Turner brought home by the box-load. He proposed a twin-pronged palate-cleansing operation.
“My idea was, why don’t we go check out Egg Studios, go in there for a day and record a bunch of punk covers, and see what it sounds like. I called Conrad, and said, ‘This is Steve from Mudhoney. We want to come in there and record with you.’ He started laughing, and just said, ‘Why?!’ I figured that bode well for Conrad! (read more at Sub Pop).
Mudhoney Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge: 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Tracklisting: 1. Generation Genocide 2. Let It Slide 3. Good Enough 4. Something So Clear 5. Thorn 6. Into the Drink 7. Broken Hands 8. Who You Drivin’ Now? 9. Move Out 10. Shoot the Moon 11. Fuzzgun ‘91 12. Pokin’ Around 13. Don’t Fade IV 14. Check-Out Time 15. March to Fuzz 16. Ounce of Deception 17. Paperback Life (alternate version) 18. Fuzzbuster 19. Bushpusher Man 20. Flowers for Industry 21. Thorn (1st attempt) 22. Overblown 23. March From Fuzz 24. You’re Gone 25. Something So Clear (24-track demo) 26. Bushpusher Man (24-track demo) 27. Pokin’ Around (24-track demo) 28. Check-Out Time (24-track demo) 29. Generation Genocide (24-track demo)
Cartel Madras is sharing the official video for “Dream Girl Concept,” a new single produced by Jide (Toronto, ON) and Tyris White (Waco, TX), and is available now on DSPs in Canada from Royal Mountain Records and the rest of the world through Sub Pop.
Cartel Madras’s Eboshi and Contra, who directed the video, had this to say, ”In 2021, so much seems illusory or bound to sensations pursued through technology. ‘Dream Girl Concept’ is a moody, lush, cyber-funk letter to those feelings. Propelled by vaporwave, house, and hyper pop sensibilities, ‘Dream Girl Concept’ had us experimenting in a sonic and visual landscape that is purely indulgent.
“We have been writing to Tyris White beats for years, so it was amazing to get the chance to work with him for this project. We also teamed up again with Jide, producer of ‘WORKING,’ who has mastered the art of building atmosphere.
“The video has Eboshi and Contra grooving as AI androids with fluctuating battery life. An outro cameo from Calgary Queen Desmond ‘Dayna’ Douglas juxtaposes the futuristic sounds and takes us into a lingering, glamorously vintage moment.”
Cartel Madras partnered with Finesse, an AI-powered brand, for the video’s outfit selection.
“Dream Girl Concept” is Cartel Madras’s second single of 2021, and follows the release of “DRIFT” released in January 2021. The tracks are from their forthcoming project TheSerpent and The Tiger, the third installment of the Project Goonda trilogy (which includes 2018’s Trapistan and 2019’s Age of the Goonda) due out later this year on Royal Mountain Records/Sub Pop.
What people are saying about Cartel Madras: “They’ve got an absolutely wicked flow — think M.I.A. meets Cardi B. Hints of traditional Tamil music are sprinkled throughout.” [“Goonda Gold”] - Stereogum
“Cartel Madras are smashing barrier musically and are sure to blow your mind with their uniqueness.” [Age of the Goonda] - CLASH
“Full of raw, powerful, nonchalant energy” [“Goonda Gold”] - Gal-Dem
“Age of the Goonda is an invigorating five-track blast…More, please.” - The Wire
“Comprised of six tracks, the EP possesses layered bass lines pumped with adrenaline, a range of Indian classical instruments weaved in and hooks that stay in your brain for days.” [Age of the Goonda] - NME
“Age of the Goonda provides an electrifying burst of the duo’s live show energy in concentrated form.” - Loud & Quiet
“In pop analogy, this hip-hop duo comprising Calgary-bred, Chennai-born siblings Bhagya and Priya Ramesh is somewhat like a Tamil Pulp Fiction-meets-MIA. With a carousel of bad-ass, no-fucks-given, brown girl anthems, Cartel Madras is brought to life by two sisters who don’t shy of braggadocio (you can’t miss their stack of gold jewelry) as they spout songs about feminism, empowerment and inclusivity.” [“12 New Musicians Set to Breakthrough in 2020”] - Vogue India
Father John Misty returns to the stage for a free, two-night stand with the LA Phil on Wednesday, September 22nd, and Thursday, September 23rd, 2021. The shows will take place at the intimate 1,050 capacity outdoor amphitheatre The Ford in Los Angeles, California. These very special engagements will be Father John Misty’s first live appearances since 2019.
If selected, there will be a two (2) ticket limit per email address
Registration ends September 5th at 10pm PST
Eligible ticket registrants will be selected at random and notified via email between September 14th and September 17th to claim tickets
Registering does not guarantee tickets to the event
Entry is valid for either show date and is based on availability. Only one registration is needed to be eligible for tickets for either show date.
Father John Misty has released four widely acclaimed albums – Fear Fun (2012), I Love You, Honeybear (2015), Pure Comedy, his Grammy-nominated album (2017), God’s Favorite Customer (2018), and most recently, “To S.” b/w “To R.” the double A-side contribution to Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 5.
Father John Misty recently released Off-Key In Hamburg, his first live album in March of 2020, and Anthem +3, a collection of covers of songs by Leonard Cohen, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, and Link Wray released in July of 2020. Combined, Off-Key In Hamburg and Anthem +3 raised over $150,000 for multiple causes including The Recording Academy’s MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, CARE Action and Ground Game LA.
Iron & Wine worked with noted multimedia artist Steven Dufala for the video to lead track, “This Solemn Day.” The song’s bare-bones approach to storytelling comes to life as Dufala creates a world of sophisticated simplicity. Using stop motion animation, paper sculptures, and a bit of drawing, the video unfolds with a hypnotic charm carrying you through small town U.S.A. in new and unique ways.
The team behind the video includes animator Josh Coll and cinematographer Drew Saracco, and was produced by Laris Kreslins and All Ages Productions.
Tallahassee documents a window of time (1998-99) in which Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam would make his very first musical recordings while attending Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts. Upon graduation Beam would move to Miami and begin writing new songs utilizing a four-track recorder to make The Creek Drank the Cradle, which would come out three years later.
The songs captured in that house on St. Augustine’s in Tallahassee - preserved on a hard drive by roommate, Tallahassee engineer and one time Iron & Wine band member EJ Holowicki – went largely forgotten for over 20 years.
Beam reflected by stating: “These songs are my first musical recordings. Listening back to these songs, I sometimes hear my younger self trying timidly to imitate musical heroes like Neil Young or Jason Molina with revealing affection. Other times, I hear the room where my friend EJ and I recorded and can easily picture it in my mind. I made many lasting friendships in that time of my life and all their faces come back to me too. One of my very favorite things about music is its powerful connection to memory. Mostly when I hear these songs, I just remember the joy that came with taking these first baby steps…Hope you enjoy them!”
Tallahassee is the fifth entry in the ongoing Iron & Wine Archive Series. It is available on LP/CD/CS/DSPs from Sub Pop. The limited Loser edition on yellow-splattered vinyl is still available at megamart.subpop.com, select independent retailers in North America, the U.K. , and EU (while supplies last).
Iron & Wine Archive Series Volume No.5: Tallahassee
Tracklisting: 1. Why Hate the Winter 2. This Solemn Day 3. Loaning Me Secrets 4. John’s Glass Eye 5. Calm on the Valley 6. Ex-Lover Lucy Jones 7. Elizabeth 8. Show Him the Ground 9. Straight and Tall 10. Cold Town 11. Valentine
No Trace Evidence is a short mini-documentary of Kiwi Jr’s recording process during the Summer of Covid 19, a candid peak into the recording studio as well as al fresco out-door mixing, isolation booths, temperature checks and black cats crossing their path.
Self-released internationally in January 2020, Kiwi Jr.’s Football Money was a critical smash, earning 4 and 5 star rave reviews. Primed for the buzz of a UK tour, festivals and SxSW, Covid 19 pulled the carpet out from under the bands’ plans. But just as suddenly, out of the blue, a record offer arrived via email from Sub Pop Records who had not yet seen, met or spoken to the band.
Pandemic-be-damned, Kiwi Jr. recorded their second album Cooler Returns in July, and full-speed ahead, released the first single in September and the album in January 2021, again to critical accolades and the praise of indie rock connoisseurs.
With Toronto in and out of lock-downs, slow vaccine rollout and the finger-pointing of Ontario Pandemic Politics, the band wonder will they ever tour?
Directed by Sean Egerton Foreman, who previously shot the bands’ videos for “Cooler Returns”, “Maid Marion’s Toast” and “Gimme More”.
Beginning on September 10th, Kiwi Jr will embark on a 9+ dates EU tour, with live performances at this year’s Waves Festival and additional shows in Vienna, Amsterdam, Manchester, London, Paris and Luxembourg (See below for full list of dates.)
Today, May 11th, 2021, marks the return of Shannon Lay with the official video for “Rare to Wake,” a gorgeous new single which is now available at all DSPs, and first material since the release of August, her acclaimed 2019 label debut.
Shannon says of “Rare to Wake”: “Change is a constant in every aspect of our experience yet sometimes it is difficult to accept. Without change we cannot become who we are meant to be and with change comes the upheaval and transformation of who we were. There is an inevitable discomfort that comes with challenging the environments, roles and identities we embody throughout our lives. Trust that part of yourself that knows you’re on the right track, even when it’s challenging. That trust and love helps to guide and reassure us as we explore new realms.
Wherever you are in your adventures let this song be a reminder to never be afraid to receive and accept the changes that beckon you to grow and evolve. Allow yourself to awaken and embrace your many destinies. When your heart feels heavy ask yourself what needs to be cleared out. That new found space will be occupied by something better, something brighter, something that lifts you up; make way.” You can watch the new video for “Rare to Wake” which was directed by Kai MacKnight by clicking here.
What people are saying about Shannon Lay’s August: “A quiet resolve underlies the folk singer’s mesmeric Sub Pop debut, which is her sunniest and most intrepid.” - Pitchfork
“Both bracing and enticing, as she invites you into her world but doesn’t let you get too comfortable (8/10).” - Uncut
“August feels like the product of a wandering mind deliberately slipping through the cracks” ★★★★ - Mojo
“Blissful but measured, pretty but also in possession of a soothing plainness.” ★★★★ - Q
“Shannon Lay lives in the real world even as she’s fascinated with all that is not obvious to us, and she’s rarely in better form than on August.” ★★★★- All Music
“Captures the artist’s pure joy in committing her life to music… exudes warmth and love, with empowering poetry sung along to creative updates on folk tropes.” -The Line Of Best Fit
