Little of that angular nature abundant on Foals‘ debut Antidote remains in their first single off the forthcoming sophomore release, Total Life Forever. In fact, “Spanish Sahara” begin so softly, virtually all traces of the elements that kept Antidote consistent and connected have vanished. You’ll find this common throughout Total Life Forever, which for the most part distances itself from that electric debut. There’s more melody here, more emotion, and a hell of a lot less hype. “Spanish Sahara” conjures memories of Radiohead post Kid A, …

At Mount Zoomer, Wolf Parade‘s last LP, took a while to catch on for me, and from the first few listens of Expo 86, the same has held true here. The album does feature a few of those insatiable tracks, namely the first two made available for public consumption, “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” and “Ghost Pressure”. But many of the tracks are lingerers, tracks that will stay in the background for a short period of time before coming full circle …

Oh man, this is pretty amazing. In their first release in… what, like, 20 years? Yeah, The Vaselines are finally back. Last year Sub Pop gave us a retrospective, an extensive two disc reissue of the band’s previous work. What is most impressive is that despite the distance between their last original release (not reissue) and this one, the band has only changed in years.
Yes, their sound remains strikingly similar. Sure there’s maturity, which is to be expected, of course, but those elements …

Over the last decade, there has been a strange emergence in the indie rock world that has made people feel downright silly for only tuning in now. It has also built an even stranger devotion that can only be described as fanatical and a bit obsessive. Oh Ye, Blitzen Trapper, you are back! When Sub Pop picked these guys up to release their, what is now an indie classic, fourth album Furr, something magical happened for fans of true American folk and experimental rock. And it …

After two phenomenal albums, Apologies To The Queen Mary and At Mount Zoomer respectively, many of us have been looking forward to Wolf Parade‘s third. That day is near, meaning Sub Pop has now given us a taste of what to expect. And our expectations have been fulfilled — “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” and “Ghost Pressure” take on the sort of progression we heard between Apologies and Mount Zoomer while maintaining those core elements that make Wolf Parade such a …

Earlier this week I noted in my review of Avi Buffalo that Sub Pop may very well dominate my end of year list, and that being notable as we near the 1/3 mark of 2010. After thinking about it, I figured it was time for another list in Label Spotlight form. Now, the typical Label Spotlight covers the unknown record collectives throughout the world, but as some of my favorite releases so far this year have come from Sub Pop, I figured What the hell… Let’s go for …

Opening with “Truth Sets In”, we’re given a clean, almost simple melody. When the vocals finally enter at just past one minute, it solidifies Avi Buffalo‘s similarity to carefree psychedelic folk-pop. But there are a few distinct dissimilarities between the two artists that, in a way, set Avi Buffalo off in an entirely different direction. And for that, you have to experience the band’s self-titled LP in the aggregate. It begins, again, in “Truth Sets In”; those occasional flirts with electric guitar demonstrate a greater plane …

Sub Pop announced yesterday that they have a new artist on their roster, one cherished throughout the independent music community. Yes, they have signed Papercuts for the band’s next album, slated for a tentative 2011 release. As a pretty big fan of both Papercuts and Sub Pop, you bet I’m pretty stoked! The band comes off a very successful 2009, in which they released the astounding You Can Have What You Want to critical acclaim.

Like many of you, I’ve had “Jail La La” pumping through my speakers for months now, and it’s worn itself well. Loud, fuzzy guitars fronted by pleasant and occasionally harmonic female vocals, to say Dum Dum Girls have been generating a bit of hype in the indie scene is right on the button. So, upon hearing the first two tracks (“It Only Takes One Night” and “Bhang, Bhang, I’m A Burnout”) of their debut LP on Sub Pop, I feel quite satisfied to say that Dum Dum Girls …

Eric Earley and his band of merry men known as Blitzen Trapper are set to release their fifth studio album, Destroyer Of The Void, on June 8th via Sub Pop Records. It’s been two years since their debut at Sub Pop with their critically acclaimed Furr, and of course during we were fortunate enough to receive Black River Killer EP as well. But now the time has come! There is no doubt in the western world that this is one of the most highly anticipated albums of …