Sub Pop Ltd.

Sizzle & Fizzle: Special Edition: The Best Bay Area Records of 2011

The Rapture's Luke Jenner on Living in San Francisco, Being the "Black Sheep" of Sub Pop, and Learning to Be Positive

Touring on In the Grace of Your Love, the first album by his rhythmically aggressive, now gospel-influenced NYC-based band the Rapture in five years, singer/guitarist Luke Jenner took a moment to look at what he has accomplished to date. Turns out he's still a little sad he's never been able to get ... More >>

The Top 50 Songs To Get High To

As you might imagine, combing back numbers of my Listen to This While High column and my own vast library for a reasonable stab at the Fifty Stoniest Songs Ever is a labor and hashish intensive experience. Preliminary fossickings unearthed these half-hundred favorites, many of which may seem unfamil ... More >>

John Vanderslice on Seeking Discomfort, Tripping on Acid, and Making Pure Art

John Vanderslice and Magik*Magik's Minna Choi​It's a rare artist who, upon realizing all great art is danger, seeks first to test the idea upon their own nerves. This Friday night at the Herbst Theater, S.F. indie rock powerhouse John Vanderslice will play his acclaimed new album White Wilde ... More >>

S.F.'s Papercuts Make a Dreamy, Stunning Sub Pop Debut

John Vanderslice and Magik*Magik's Minna Choi​It's a rare artist who, upon realizing all great art is danger, seeks first to test the idea upon their own nerves. This Friday night at the Herbst Theater, S.F. indie rock powerhouse John Vanderslice will play his acclaimed new album White Wilde ... More >>

So, What Exactly Is A "Supergroup"? Some (Not Entirely Serious) Definitions

Mister Heavenly​The news today out of indieville is that Sub Pop has signed Mister Heavenly, a new group featuring Nick Diamonds from Islands, Honus Honus from Man Man, and Joe Plummer from Modest Mouse. (Can we pause for a second to ponder what a mischievous mindfuck this outfit will be? Have you ... More >>

Stopping piracy: How ultracheap downloads could save the music industry

Mister Heavenly​The news today out of indieville is that Sub Pop has signed Mister Heavenly, a new group featuring Nick Diamonds from Islands, Honus Honus from Man Man, and Joe Plummer from Modest Mouse. (Can we pause for a second to ponder what a mischievous mindfuck this outfit will be? Have you ... More >>

Kelley Stoltz' New Album To The Dreamers Out Oct. 12

Rich HirneisenKelley Stoltz​San Francisco's Kelley Stoltz is practically a scholar on the matter of vintage rock. So we have high hopes for his next Sub Pop release, To the Dreamers, which is due out October 12. Stoltz's last record, Circular Sounds, tread a familiar path of '60's-indebted pop/roc ... More >>

Last Night: Murder City Devils Nostalgia at Great American

Sub PopMurder City Devils, round 1​The Murder City DevilsThursday, May 6, 2010Great American Music HallBetter than: A MCD time machine.Last night the Great American was a sea of dyed black hair and inked skin. The tattooed ranks hung over the balconies and ballooned out from the stage for a g ... More >>

For hundreds of nostalgic fans and bands, cassettes are back

Sub PopMurder City Devils, round 1​The Murder City DevilsThursday, May 6, 2010Great American Music HallBetter than: A MCD time machine.Last night the Great American was a sea of dyed black hair and inked skin. The tattooed ranks hung over the balconies and ballooned out from the stage for a g ... More >>

Cheat Sheet for Cassettes to Care About in 2010

​Toro y Moi Chazwick Bundick's brand of chillwave is less grandiose than Washed Out and less distinguished than Neon Indian but makes better-suited cassette listening with more minimal dance grooves than nostalgia-evoking 80s chintz effects. You can even dance (grind?) to "You Hid" sober. ​N ... More >>

String Theory

​Toro y Moi Chazwick Bundick's brand of chillwave is less grandiose than Washed Out and less distinguished than Neon Indian but makes better-suited cassette listening with more minimal dance grooves than nostalgia-evoking 80s chintz effects. You can even dance (grind?) to "You Hid" sober. ​N ... More >>

Video of the Day: Golden Triangle Conjures Warhol's Ghost

Last fall I went to Portland for a big garage rock fest and got a chance to check out Brooklyn's Golden Triangle, a motley six-piece artist collective who perform fuzzed out art rock dressed in a colorful collection of thrifting finds. Their hazy, dazed vocals hover over primitive pop structures, c ... More >>

Track of the Day: Beach House's Springtime Soundtrack

Jason Nocito​Last weekend was a beachy one in San Francisco. It finally felt like spring with all that sunshine, the Mavericks surf competition took over a couple bars and many conversations, and fun parties at surfy shops Mollusk and General Store Saturday night only added to the sandy lifestyle ... More >>

Track of the Day: Sub Pop Gets Strange w/ AFCGT

​I like it when Sub Pop just gets totally fucking weird with its signings. Years back, the Seattle label balanced out all those nice indie pop acts with a couple black LPs of paranoid, post-punk and post-apocalyptic darkness from A Frames. Now A Frames members have morphed into a project with even ... More >>

Le Loup

​I like it when Sub Pop just gets totally fucking weird with its signings. Years back, the Seattle label balanced out all those nice indie pop acts with a couple black LPs of paranoid, post-punk and post-apocalyptic darkness from A Frames. Now A Frames members have morphed into a project with even ... More >>

Track of the Day: Pissed Jeans

​I really miss Sub Pop's Loser days. Back before Seattle had a Sound(TM), the Northwest had a severely caustic, nihilistic musical aesthetic, egged on by punks who had beards when they didn't give a fuck about shaving. These were dudes who personified the sarcastic sneer--Green River, Mudhoney, Ta ... More >>

Let's Get Groovy

​I really miss Sub Pop's Loser days. Back before Seattle had a Sound(TM), the Northwest had a severely caustic, nihilistic musical aesthetic, egged on by punks who had beards when they didn't give a fuck about shaving. These were dudes who personified the sarcastic sneer--Green River, Mudhoney, Ta ... More >>

The Vaselines’ second round of fun

​I really miss Sub Pop's Loser days. Back before Seattle had a Sound(TM), the Northwest had a severely caustic, nihilistic musical aesthetic, egged on by punks who had beards when they didn't give a fuck about shaving. These were dudes who personified the sarcastic sneer--Green River, Mudhoney, Ta ... More >>

Top Ten Americana Albums of 2008

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

From hair gel to guitar picks, musician necessities in price bind

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

Day 3: Dizzee, sick, and talking shit on Vampire Weekend

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

Noise Pop Preview: Quick Picks

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

The Thermals Back in SF at Slim's December 5

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

CD Review: Band of Horses -- Cease to Begin

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

By The Bootstraps

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

Bellavista: Back in Vue

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

The snorification of indie rock

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

It Was a Year Of ...

Well, lots of things, actually

Wolf Eyes

Human Animal (Sub Pop)

Native Monster madness

Human Animal (Sub Pop)

A&R Q&A

Never mind the guys in Wolf Parade, here's an interview with their A&R guy

Boogie-rock freakoids Green Milk From the Planet Orange and No Doctors, and the megarock of OG grunge masters Mudhoney

Never mind the guys in Wolf Parade, here's an interview with their A&R guy

Various Artists

Just Say Sire: The Sire Records Story

Low

The Great Destroyer

Hear This

Let the wily noise of D Yellow Swans both fray and soothe your nerves

OK Then, 2004!

A dark year for America resulted in a great year for music

Marrying the Mainstream

White men learned to dance, and the emoting was as thick as the eyeliner on the year's best pop-rock records.

OK Then, 2004!

A dark year for America resulted in a great year for music

CD Gift Box

A dark year for America resulted in a great year for music

Best Next Big Thing

Rogue Wave

House Of Tudor

"Man's Ruin Showcase," Beachwood Sparks, Vue, Cave Catt Sammy, Out of the Gate: Heyday Records Bay Area Sampler

Reviews

"Man's Ruin Showcase," Beachwood Sparks, Vue, Cave Catt Sammy, Out of the Gate: Heyday Records Bay Area Sampler

That Giant Sucking Sound

"Man's Ruin Showcase," Beachwood Sparks, Vue, Cave Catt Sammy, Out of the Gate: Heyday Records Bay Area Sampler

Night+Day

"Man's Ruin Showcase," Beachwood Sparks, Vue, Cave Catt Sammy, Out of the Gate: Heyday Records Bay Area Sampler

Suspicious Minds

"Man's Ruin Showcase," Beachwood Sparks, Vue, Cave Catt Sammy, Out of the Gate: Heyday Records Bay Area Sampler

Beer-Soaked Lambs

Hype! surpasses its title

Recordings

Hype! surpasses its title

Recordings

Hype! surpasses its title

Sticky Fingers

The Six Finger Satellite swindle