Results tagged “subpop”

Sub Pop has put up a nice little sampler available as a free download. While a lot of the tracks were already available for free through Amazon, this is the first time they've been bundled up all together and man, it makes a good argument that the label has regained its footing and sharpened its focus after its nearly disastrous post-Nirvana expansion.

B-side/rarities compilations can be a tricky thing. There's a reason the songs ultimately didn't make the final cut of any LP but at the same time, an artist has an opportunity to get music out that hasn't been heard before, providing a nice compliment to an artist's discography. But it's a fine line to walk: the compilation can be either be tedious exercise in lackluster material or a fine addition to a catalog. Fortunately, Around the Well, the new two-disc compilation of previously unreleased songs from folk act Iron & Wine, hits all the right notes, literally and figuratively, providing fans with a nice fill-in-the-gaps collection.

Between "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above" and the iPod commercial soundtrack "Music Is My Hot Sex" we think it's safe to assume every human being has heard the music of Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS). On their sophomore effort Donkey, due next week from Sub Pop, the band continues to deliver danceable rock songs guaranteed to keep their fans happy. We've heard some criticism directed CSS's way for not being experimental enough on the new album, or failing to branch out their sound, but we think that sort of misses the whole point of the band.

She’s Your Sister was formed in Chicago, but after logging in a bunch of shows and pretty much getting nowhere, they decided to hightail it to California. We know, we thought that was weird too. Why would a reasonably decent band willingly plunge into the morass that is the Hollywood/L.A. music scene, right?

After speculation over who will be the "special guest" at the Robbins Family benefit we posted about last week, organizer Jessica Hopper announced today that local legends Eleventh Dream Day will headline the event at Empty Bottle on January 27 at 8:00 p.m. Also appearing that evening are Chin Up Chin Up, Bobby Conn, Life & Times, and Red-Eyed Legends. Plus, they'll be raffling off lots of goodies. Here's the list so far: * VIP...

If you haven't seen the Reader this week, there's an interesting cover story about a local college student, University of Chicago’s Loren Wilson, and his creation of a database that analyzes that Internet bastion of indie-rock coolness, Pitchfork. A Chicago-based website, Pitchfork is something of a guilty pleasure for Chicagoist. The site's staffers are pretentious, high-brow barometers of underground hype – the Rolling Stone of the indie world. (And they're just as easy to mock: Check out Popdork, indie label Sub Pop's hilarious parody of Pitchfork.) But their ability to write snarky reviews and expose readers to great unheard bands – their tireless cheerleading helped The Wrens, The Unicorns, and Broken Social Scene all achieve semi-fame over the past year – definitely appeals to our sensibilities.