On May 7th, 2021, Sub Pop will release Tallahassee; Archive Series Volume no. 5, the lost-in-time debut album from Iron & Wine. A collection of songs recorded over a two-year (1998-99) window during which Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam attended Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts. Three years later, Iron & Wine would issue The Creek Drank the Cradle and begin a run of records widely praised as being part of a new blueprint in the singer-songwriter genre.
Tallahassee doesn’t attempt to re-write history but instead aims to document the very first steps in Beam’s journey to becoming one of America’s most original and distinctive artists.
The eleven-song collection was culled from a number of recordings that had been (mostly) forgotten by Beam himself but had been preserved by former roommate and one-time Iron & Wine member, EJ Holowicki. Holowicki, whom went on to work as a sound designer at Skywalker Sound, was a catalyst in making sure Beam documented these songs while the two were roommates in a house on St. Augustine St. near campus. In addition to serving as both engineer and bassist, Holowicki also worked as an archival producer in preparing the tracks for official release.
Tallahassee, with its sparse instrumental canvas and live-in one-room takes, is very much akin to early Iron & Wine releases, TheCreek Drank the Cradle, The Sea & The Rhythm, and In the Reins. From the wandering country-esque tempo of “Calm on the Valley” to the more mid-tempo Harvest-era vibe of “This Solemn Day”, the seeds of the portrait of an artist as a young man are all present. While still in its formative stages, the lyrical imagery and intimate musical nature that has become a trademark of the Iron & Wine “sound” is present and represented throughout Tallahassee.
Early music file-sharers have long claimed ownership of a number of early Iron & Wine recordings, many that still have yet to be officially released. While this record will not quite correct all the wrongs of the early days of the internet, it will fill in many of the blanks for long-time fans.
Tallahassee is part of the official Iron and Wine Archive Series. It will be released on LP/CD/CS/DSPs and is now available for preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, Iron & Wine’s official website, select independent retailers in North America, the U.K. and EU will receive the limited Loser edition on yellow-splattered vinyl (while supplies last).
Iron & Wine Archive Series Volume No.5: Tallahassee
Tracklisting: 1. Why Hate the Winter 2. This Solemn Day 3. Loaning Me Secrets 4. John’s Glass Eye 5. Calm on the Valley 6. Ex-Lover Lucy Jones 7. Elizabeth 8. Show Him the Ground 9. Straight and Tall 10. Cold Town 11. Valentine
On April 30th, 2021, Sub Pop will release Indian Yard, the debut record from Sitka, Alaska project Ya Tseen. Indian Yard is an intense illumination of feeling and interconnectedness. Following the group’s debut offerings, “Close the Distance”, and “Knives” (feat. John Baldwin Gourley of Portugal. The Man), comes their latest single “Synthetic Gods.” Hinging on verses from Shabazz Palaces and Stas THEE Boss, “Synthetic Gods” is sonically seductive, a tense reflection on crisis that summons the pressure needed to ensure Indigenous sovereignty and power to the people.
Photo Credit: Desert X 2021 installation view of Nicholas Galanin, Never Forget, photo by Lance Geber, courtesy of Desert X.https://www.gofundme.com/f/landback.
Ya Tseen’s Nicholas Galanin is one of the most vital voices in contemporary art. His work spans sculpture, video, installation, photography, jewelry, and music; advocating for Indigenous sovereignty, racial, social, and environmental justice, for present, and future generations. For Galanin, memory and land are inevitably entwined. His most recent installation for Desert X 2021, on view through May 16, 2021, entitled Never Forget has garnered international media acclaim including from outlets such as The New York Times, TheLos Angeles Times, The Desert Sun, Galerie Magazine, and Time Out. The 45-foot letters of Never Forget reference the Hollywood sign, which initially spelled out HOLLYWOODLAND and was erected to promote a whites-only development. Its timing coincided with a development in Palm Springs that also connected to the film industry: Studio contracts limited actors’ travel, contributing to the city’s rise as a playground and refuge of the stars. Meanwhile, the white settler mythology of America as the land of the free, home of the brave was promoted in the West, and the landscape was cinematized through the same lens. Never Forget asks settler landowners to participate in the work by transferring land titles and management to local Indigenous communities. The work is a call to action and a reminder that land acknowledgments become only performative when they do not explicitly support the land back movement. Not only does the work transmit a shockwave of historical correction, but also promises to do so globally through social media. In connection with this installation, Galanin has organized a Go Fund Me account to benefit the Native American Land Conservancy (NALC.) You can contribute here.
The North American deluxe edition on clear vinyl is now available for preorder. The deluxe packaging will include a 24-page hardcover LP-sized book with covers featuring a sci-fi landscape populated by a toddler-wearing artist Merritt Johnson’s sculpture Mindset, a VR headset woven from sweetgrass. The interior art was designed by Galanin. This deluxe edition will be available while supplies last.
Tracklisting: 1. Knives (feat. Portugal. The Man) 2. Light the Torch 3. Born into Rain (feat. rum.gold and tunia) 4. At Tugáni 5. Get Yourself Together 6. Close the Distance 7. We Just Sit and Smile Here in Silence 8. A Feeling Undefined (feat. Nick Hakim and Iska Dhaaf) 9. Synthetic Gods (feat. Shabazz Palaces and Stas THEE Boss) 10. Gently to the Sun (feat. Tay Sean) 11. Back in That Time (feat. Qacung)
Cartel Madras is sharing the official video for “Dream Girl Concept,” a new single produced by Jide (Toronto, ON) and Tyris White (Waco, TX), and is available now on DSPs in Canada from Royal Mountain Records and the rest of the world through Sub Pop.
Cartel Madras’s Eboshi and Contra, who directed the video, had this to say, ”In 2021, so much seems illusory or bound to sensations pursued through technology. ‘Dream Girl Concept’ is a moody, lush, cyber-funk letter to those feelings. Propelled by vaporwave, house, and hyper pop sensibilities, ‘Dream Girl Concept’ had us experimenting in a sonic and visual landscape that is purely indulgent.
“We have been writing to Tyris White beats for years, so it was amazing to get the chance to work with him for this project. We also teamed up again with Jide, producer of ‘WORKING,’ who has mastered the art of building atmosphere.
“The video has Eboshi and Contra grooving as AI androids with fluctuating battery life. An outro cameo from Calgary Queen Desmond ‘Dayna’ Douglas juxtaposes the futuristic sounds and takes us into a lingering, glamorously vintage moment.”
Cartel Madras partnered with Finesse, an AI-powered brand, for the video’s outfit selection.
“Dream Girl Concept” is Cartel Madras’s second single of 2021, and follows the release of “DRIFT” released in January 2021. The tracks are from their forthcoming project TheSerpent and The Tiger, the third installment of the Project Goonda trilogy (which includes 2018’s Trapistan and 2019’s Age of the Goonda) due out later this year on Royal Mountain Records/Sub Pop.
What people are saying about Cartel Madras: “They’ve got an absolutely wicked flow — think M.I.A. meets Cardi B. Hints of traditional Tamil music are sprinkled throughout.” [“Goonda Gold”] - Stereogum
“Cartel Madras are smashing barrier musically and are sure to blow your mind with their uniqueness.” [Age of the Goonda] - CLASH
“Full of raw, powerful, nonchalant energy” [“Goonda Gold”] - Gal-Dem
“Age of the Goonda is an invigorating five-track blast…More, please.” - The Wire
“Comprised of six tracks, the EP possesses layered bass lines pumped with adrenaline, a range of Indian classical instruments weaved in and hooks that stay in your brain for days.” [Age of the Goonda] - NME
“Age of the Goonda provides an electrifying burst of the duo’s live show energy in concentrated form.” - Loud & Quiet
“In pop analogy, this hip-hop duo comprising Calgary-bred, Chennai-born siblings Bhagya and Priya Ramesh is somewhat like a Tamil Pulp Fiction-meets-MIA. With a carousel of bad-ass, no-fucks-given, brown girl anthems, Cartel Madras is brought to life by two sisters who don’t shy of braggadocio (you can’t miss their stack of gold jewelry) as they spout songs about feminism, empowerment and inclusivity.” [“12 New Musicians Set to Breakthrough in 2020”] - Vogue India
On June 11th, 2021, Sub Pop will reissue The Shins Oh, Inverted World (20th Anniversary Remaster), the group’s much-beloved debut, for its 20th birthday.
Oh, Inverted World is the earth-shattering, indie-rock-redefining 2001 album from The Shins, and is presented here in its finest form. The classic tunes get new life with mastering by Bob Ludwig, under band leader James Mercer’s watchful eye. The new front cover of this edition of Oh, Inverted World features an ‘inverted’ color scheme, on a die-cut jacket, and includes a booklet filled with vintage photos, handwritten lyrics, liner notes, and more.
20 lucky fans who purchase the LP will receive the “Golden Ticket” edition of the album, which includes a 7”x7” classic photo of the band signed by Mercer, hidden in 10 Loser Edition and 10 standard black vinyl copies.
The music on Oh, Inverted World is obviously essential, and this remastering truly makes this the album Mercer always wanted it to be. Never quite satisfied with the sonics of the original, Mercer took the 20th anniversary of the album as his opportunity to finally set the (literal!) record straight. And the results sound stellar: great for new fans, and well worth the attention for those who fell in love with it in the first place.
Mercer says of Oh, Inverted World, “This record gave me the life that I never really dreamed I would have. It opened me up to the whole world and gave me validation. It’s also something that stands as a bit of a pinnacle for our band. You release that first record and it’s so well embraced, but you’re always trying to get that magic back, I think. We’ve done well, certainly, but the fervor that happened around Oh, Inverted World we never quite reached again. It’s a special moment when you’re a new band and you’ve got what was apparently kind of a new sound. This record symbolized a very special moment in my life, a watershed moment for sure.”
The Oh, Inverted World (20th Anniversary Remaster) is now available to pre-order through Sub Pop. LP pre-orders from megamart.subpop.com, The Shins merch store, select independent retailers in North America, the U.K., EU, Australia and New Zealand will receive the limited Loser edition on light blue with white marble vinyl (while supplies last).
The Shins Oh, Inverted World (20th Anniversary Remaster)
Tracklisting: 1. Caring Is Creepy 2. One by One All Day 3. Weird Divide 4. Know Your Onion! 5. Girl Inform Me 6. New Slang 7. The Celibate Life 8. Girl on the Wing 9. Your Algebra 10. Pressed in a Book 11. The Past and Pending
Today, Clipping will release the fan-favorite Wriggle EP, as a newly remastered and expanded nine-track set on vinyl, available for the first time ever worldwide on Sub Pop. A ten-track digital version is also out today in its new form on all DSPs. Watch the visual for “Wriggle (Homemade Weapons Remix)” directed by Cristina Bercovitz and Jonathan Snipes here.
The 2021 edition of Wriggle features new artwork, guests, and previously unreleased remixes. Included are the original versions of the title track, “Shooter,” “Hot Fuck No Love” (Feat. Cakes Da Killa & Maxi Wild), “Our Time” (Feat. Nailah Middleton), along with “Back Up 2021” featuring SB The Moor and a new verse from industrial-rap experimentalist Debby Friday. Wriggle also features remixes of the title track from Drum & Bass/Breakbeat act Homemade Weapons and Classicworks label co-founder Cardopusher, a rework of “Back Up” by producer Dave Quam (formerly Massacooramaan) and a vinyl-only version of “Hot Fuck No Love” from footwork producer Jana Rush.
Wriggle (Expanded) vinyl is now available for through Sub Pop. LPs are available from megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on turquoise w/black swirl colored vinyl (while supplies last). Preorders through select independent retailers in the UK and Europe will receive the Loser on turquoise transparent/black marbled vinyl (while supplies last).
Meanwhile, orders through Clipping’s official website will receive the LP on clear w/opaque white vinyl (while supplies last).
The original, digital-only Wriggle was six tracks that weren’t finished in time to make it onto the group’s 2014 Sub Pop debut, CLPPNG. For “Shooter,” Clipping recorded themselves firing fifteen different guns, the sounds of which exclusively constituted the beat’s drums, augmented only by a synthesized tone-row. The verses referenced the well-worn technique of “hashtag rap,” but instead of using it to boast about the rapper’s personal wealth and masculine prowess, Clipping put forth imagistic narratives of three violent encounters. True to much of the group’s music, “Shooter” was an attempt to reframe a familiar style and test the limits of its formal capabilities. “Hot Fuck No Love” contains what might be the most explicit verse to date from Clipping’s favorite New Jersey rapper Cakes Da Killa. The EP’s title track, “Wriggle,” was built around a sample of the influential power-electronics song “Wriggle Like a Fucking Eel” by Whitehouse, transforming William Bennett’s torturous imperative into a instructional dance-floor banger. “Wriggle” and “Shooter” have become classic Clipping tracks and staples of their live show.
Recently, Clipping delivered an incredible at-home performance for NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk Meets SXSW” concert. The remote performance features, quite possibly, the tiniest desks to ever appear in the series, and includes highlights from Wriggle, along with selections from the band’s acclaimed albums Visions of Bodies Being Burned (2020) and There Existed an Addiction to Blood (2019), and debut mixtape midcity (2013).
Clipping’s Visions of Bodies Being Burned, There Existed an Addiction to Blood and CLPPNG, are available now worldwide from Sub Pop. The self-released midcity is also available at all DSPs.
Clipping Wriggle (Expanded)
Vinyl tracklisting: A1. Shooter A2. Back Up 2021 (Feat. Debby Friday & SB The Moor) A3. Wriggle A4. Hot Fuck No Love (Feat. Cakes Da Killa & Maxi Wild) A5. Our Time (Feat. Nailah Middleton)
B1. Wriggle (Homemade Weapons Remix) B2. Back Up (Dave Quam Remix) B3. Hot Fuck No Love (Jana Rush’s Naughty Bitch Remix) B4. Wriggle (Cardopusher’s EBM Remix)
Digital tracklisting: 1. Intro 2. Shooter 3. Back Up 2021 (Feat. Debby Friday & SB The Moor) 4. Wriggle 5. Hot Fuck No Love (Feat. Cakes Da Killa & Maxi Wild) 6. Our Time (Feat. Nailah Middleton) 7. Wriggle (Homemade Weapons Remix) 8. Back Up (Dave Quam Remix) 9. Shooter (Jana Rush’s Face Rearranged Remix) 10. Wriggle (Cardopusher’s EBM Remix)
Written and recorded during the 2017 Strange Peace sessions with Steve Albini, these two beloved offerings, initially left on the cutting room floor, were revisited, reworked, and ultimately reinvigorated during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. With “Acid” and “Slow Decay” the Canadian trio continue to break new ground while honing their ever-evolving, nuanced approach to pummeling rhythms and off-kilter melodies. The band describes “Acid” as, “…a song about having a fresh perspective, a newly widened outlook on the world and one’s life. Being shaken awake from a malaise and realizing there is no time for petty bullshit. Love what you love, love who you love! Embrace it and don’t wait.” Indeed, a fresh perspective and a sense of urgency is something METZ always manages to offer. These two songs are available physically on a 7” from Three One G, limited to 1,000 copies, with one side of the vinyl custom printed by The Black Moon Design, and featuring cover art by Jonathan Bauerle. Both songs are also now available for streaming and download from Sub Pop.
