Hi, everyone! A few weeks ago, I was sent music from a promotions manager at the famous indie label Sub Pop. I reviewed a variety of recent and upcoming releases from artists on Sub Pop and their sister label Hardly Art Records. Here are the artists I checked out, and my thoughts and opinions regarding each:
GREEN RIVER- DRY AS A BONE/REHAB DOLL (both released January 25, 2019)
I never realized that these were the pioneers behind grunge genre back in the late 80s, and their sound is nothing short of awesome. Though this is a reissue of an earlier compilation by the Seattle-based rockers, the list of tunes on this record is still sick. All in all, the gritty, loud production is quite enjoyable, plus the lyrics and instrumentation are edgy and in your face. I was pretty shocked when I originally found out these guys were from the 80s, as a lot of the songs sound like something that could have been released recently. Despite only releasing one studio album (Rehab Doll), Green River is, without a doubt, a great find from the earlier days of Sub Pop. For anyone who likes the early days of punk and grunge, I would definitely recommend checking them out!
PERFECT SON- CAST (released February 15, 2019)
This is the debut Sub Pop release of Polish singer and producer Tobiasz Biliński, formerly under the moniker Coldair. This record, for the most part, was a standard one. The emotional, yet harmonious vocals alongside ethereal, synth-based production are pretty genre-typical, but Biliński did a nice job of putting his own spin on things. Songs like “Reel Me” and “It’s Your Life” are great examples of what I mean by his “spin”. The darker synths and powerful drums were intelligently paired with his higher-range vocals. These choices would be something that a more experienced producer would have chosen to do. The only flaw I saw with this album was that it sounded somewhat fake and overdone. It seemed as if many of the tracks had been given extensive, high-tech edits in post to make them sound much more real than they were. Nevertheless, the tracklist I heard was alright, and I hope to see some more great tracks from Biliński in the future.
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS- LIVE IN LONDON (released March 8, 2019)
The famed New Zealand comedy duo recently dropped a live album from an earlier show in London. I had never heard anything by these guys before, but I thought they had some decent stuff. Sure, they’re not amazing singers, but the musicianship of both comedians is quite stellar for them not being musicians. The music is quite simple but well-arranged, again, for non-musicians. Plus, they’re really funny, too! Throughout Live in London, Clement and McKenzie go between side gags and comedy songs, and it’s structured quite well. It’s almost as if FOTC are a musical version Seinfeld- the two continuously draw humor out of ordinary things in everyday life. I am personally a fan of Jerry Seinfeld, so props to them for keeping that style alive. I guarantee you guys will be laughing for the entire 97 minutes of this show!
ORVILLE PECK- PONY (released March 22, 2019)
Pony will be the first release of the masked Nevadan country singer. Who knew that outlaw country could be this cool in the 21st century? Peck came out of the gates with his decut, and there’s so much nostalgia on this record. I felt immersed in the 60s-esque vibe right from the beginning, and recollected about guys like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson. I was really impressed by a lot of the songs I heard off of the album, as they showed off Peck’s authentic outlaw style to a T. I see this guy having a lot going for him in the future if he keeps putting out stuff as good as this!
WEYES BLOOD- TITANIC RISING (releasing April 5, 2019)
Titanic Rising will be the fourth record by the psych-pop mastermind Natalie Mering, a.k.a Weyes Blood. Out of everyone on this list, she is the only name that I have heard of before. Mering has already received acclaim for her earlier releases, and Titanic Rising is no exception. Overall, The art and dream pop elements on this albums are a spectacular flashback to the 90s art pop artists such as Bjork and Fiona Apple. Each one of these tracks seem to be more sad than the next, and I thought her portrayal of this depression was very well-done. The sorrowful vocals and desolate instrumentation choices were quite diversified. Once this record comes out, you will not be disappointed with what you hear.
SHANA CLEVELAND- NIGHT OF THE WORM MOON (releasing April 5, 2019)
Frontwoman and lead guitarist of the LA rock band La Luz Shana Cleveland is showing off her talent on the solo side with her upcoming project. After a first listen, I will say she actually did pretty well on this record. This is another record that is on the sad side, so I would advise you to keep your tissue box at the ready. Cleveland’s soft, coffeehouse-esque vocals and reverbing instruments that she uses were a nice combo to see. Additionally, I’d comment that her songwriting is decent, also. However, my only criticism is that she seemed to repeat many elements on tracks throughout the record, and I wished she’d ventured into the unknown a little more. Nevertheless, it’s a solid release that I think you don’t want to sell short.
VERSING- 10000 (releasing May 3, 2019)
Seattle quartet Versing are premiering their fourth studio album this May, and it certainly had a lot going for it. I really liked the mostly noisy and grungy feeling these guys gave off. What made this record mean more to me, though, was the quality of the guitar riffs on many songs. In most of the songs, they make the lyrics somewhat inaudible, but they’re all so impressively crafted and played. Sometimes, lyricism and vocals are important, but Versing made a much bigger impact on me with their instrumentation. Despite having a much smaller following on Spotify and Apple Music, 10000 is actually one of the better releases Sub Pop sent me.
THE GOTOBEDS- DEBT BEGINS AT 30 (releasing May 30, 2019)
The experienced Steel City rockers have a future release coming out in late May. I would say they have a sound similar to Versing, but Debt Begins was more of a power-punk/post-punk fusion that I personally enjoyed. I think the lead singer Eli Kazan was trying to mimic Ian Curtis of Joy Division a little bit, and I thought it wasn’t all that great. In fact, most of the vocals were slightly more irritating on this record than on 10000. Yet again, I firmly believe the instrumentation on many of the tracks made up for this flaw. Overall, this was another great find from Sub Pop, and I recommend a listen of this album once it comes out!
I would like to thank the publicity team at Sub Pop for sending me these downloads to review, and I wish these artists best of luck with their new releases. I hope you have found something new and interesting to check out. Thanks so much for checking this out, and more great content will be coming your way soon!
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