Sub Pop Turns 20

Twenty years is a pretty fricken long time. Back in 1988 I was probably only learning how to go to the toilet properly instead of just using that good old fail safe, the nappy. Well it is Sub Pops twentieth anniversary, and to celebrate all that was and is the below pop I'm compiling a list of I like and I hate some of the Sub Pop bands.

Bands I Like

The Shins

Obviously you can't go past Sub Pop without the shins, and I'm blowing my load straight up by putting them under my 'Bands I Like' section. They've a few albums that aren't going to offend you in any way. Personal highlight being Chutes Too Narrow [1]. This is backed up by their commitment to coming to the distant shores of New Zealand. Not only once, but twice. And both times they came, they gave Christchurch a show that was not forgotten. Supposedly all the Auckland gigs were ruined by band sound. But not down in the south, Christchurch held its own. And of course was topped off both times by the brilliant track Kissing the Lipless.



The Jesus and Mary Chain

Although JAMC had all the big albums come out on Blanco y Negro they did some work with Sub Pop, and although they were playing gigs the day I was born, and although I haven't really heard their entire catelog apart from mostly the best of album 21 Singles, Psycho Candy, and a few live bootlegs, they are still on the 'I Like' list. The first time I heard the track Upside Down it felt as though I was a little teenage boy seeing a porno for the first time. It moved me in new ways, stimulated parts of my audio receptors i hadn't felt before and got me slightly aroused (musically of course). I felt embarrassed about it, I couldn't let others hear this, they might blindly flick one off the wrist saying it is just a bunch of druggies making a whole load of noise. It wasn't until I found out other musical snobs were into it that I felt it was OK to listen to. Try for yourself, just make sure no one else is in the room.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey

Other Hot New Bands

There are a few new acts on the sub pop list that I also think are worth a mention.
The Ruby Suns: Hailing from New Zealand, and making strides into the USA.
Fleet Foxes: Had a fantastic EP release called Sun Giant, and have followed it up by a not as good self titled full album.
CSS: Up coming album is called Donkey, and it is pretty bad ass.

Bands I Do Not Like

The Postal Service

This is controversial, seeing I actually used to love The Postal Service. But there comes a time when an album is played too much, and all your mates start listening to it too much, and then the whole world listens to it too much that it turns on you. I happened to hear Give Up probably more times than I've heard nearly any other album. A lot to do with the fact it was one of the few I used to have on my computer to listen to. But I've moved on, grown my musical menu to a much larger repository and will hopefully never have to hear Such Great Heights ever again.

Flight of the Conchords

Another New Zealand band that has joined the Sub Pop band wagon over in the states. But instead of praising them, I give my harsh opinion to them. Sure the TV show was pretty funny and I enjoyed that. But before this was the live act. Some people say it is better than the TV show, to them I say you are wrong, mostly based on the fact the youtube videos of it remind me of other youtube videos, containing teenage boys playing guitars in front of their webcams mixed in with a bit of canned laughter. Anyway, the point is their Sub Pop albums, neither of which i've actually listened to. So although my opinion is unjustified in that regard, it isn't unjustified in the regard to the fact they sold the hell out. This makes me feel like Sub Pop has sold out. So good one FOTC, you've made me feel like Sub Pop is a bunch of sell outs.



So congratulations Sub Pop on the 20th anniversary, and hopefully the future will bring lots of other good bands and hopefully not a lot of terrible bands.