Please join us in welcoming Heron Oblivion to the Sub Pop family. The San Francisco based group, featuring Meg Baird (Espers), Noel Von Harmonson (Comets on Fire, Six Organs of Admittance, Sic Alps, The Lowdown), Ethan Miller (Comets on Fire, Howlin’ Rain, Feral Ohms), and Charlie Saufley (Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound), will release their label debut worldwide in the spring of 2016.
Preceding the release of their debut LP, Heron Oblivion will perform as support for Matador Records act Kurt Vile on his upcoming west coast tour. The trek begins October 14th in Los Angeles, CA at The Fonda Theatre and ends on October 18th in Seattle, WA at Showbox at the Market. (tour dates below)
[photo credit: Raeni Miller]
About Heron Oblivion:
Meg Baird: Drums, lead vocals Ethan Miller: Bass, backing vocals Noel Von Harmonson: Guitar Charlie Saufley: Guitar
Heron Oblivion’s origins date to 2013 in SF’s Bayview district, where its four members– fueled by a love of 60s/70s scuzz and commune jams, folk rock, noise, and P.S.F. Japanese underground—would get together for what Miller describes as “blistering, extended free jam sessions.” The four musicians realized that their initial chemistry (which was strong from the outset) was undeniable and it’s vision unified. Heron Oblivion was born.
Ultimately, Heron Oblivion fused song craft to its improvisational leanings. What materialized is a mesmeric compilation of English folk rock and earthy West Coast psychedelia spiked with feedback and explosive dissonant elements. The sum of these elements will make up their Sub Pop debut.
Tour Dates : Supporting Kurt Vile Oct. 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Fonda Theatre Oct. 15 - San Francisco, CA - Slims Oct. 16 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore Oct. 17 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom Oct. 18 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
We could not be more stoked to finally share details of Mark Lanegan’s One Way Street, a vinyl box set which compiles the first five solo albums from the Pacific Northwest icon (also known for his work with Screaming Trees, Gutter Twins, Mad Season, Queens of the Stone Age, Isobel Campbell, and more). The One Way Street box set will be available on 5xLP / DL worldwide November 20th from Sub Pop, and is now available for pre-order from Sub Pop Mega Mart.
All five Mark Lanegan titles have been out-of-print or unreleased on vinyl: The Winding Sheet, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, and Scraps at Midnight have been out of print on vinyl for many years; I’ll Take Care of You was only released on vinyl in Europe, and Field Songs was only issued on CD.
Each album in the One Way Street box set was cut from new lacquers and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and is housed in a sleeve reproducing the art for its original release. One Way Street
- - - - - New to Mark Lanegan? Might we suggest this Beginner’s Guide playlist as an introduction?
As a solo artist, Mark Lanegan built a devoted following, slowly releasing records that highlighted his love for singer/songwriters, and American folk and blues. His love for the rich history of American contemporary music was showcased throughout these five remarkable efforts: The Winding Sheet (1990), Whiskey for the Holy Ghost (1994), Scraps at Midnight (1998), I’ll Take Care of You(1999) and Field Songs (2001). And let’s not forget that voice! Trying to describe the power of Mark’s voice is not an easy task, but to paraphrase Fred Neil, he sure can sing the shit out of a song.
Mark Lanegan also collaborated regularly with Mike Johnson (Dinosaur Jr.), a multi-instrumentalist known for his understated yet incredible guitar work, who co-wrote, arranged and co-produced some of the early records and various songs from the discography.
Mark Lanegan has a a few international live dates to mention at this time: October 3rd in Seattle, WA at the Macefield Festival; And October 30th in London’s Barbican for ‘Love And Other Crimes: The Songs Of Lee Hazlewood’ tribute event.
About the Mark Lanegan Sub Pop Discography:
The Winding Sheet (SP61 / May 1, 1990) The Winding Sheet is Lanegan’s first solo work and showcases his adept skills as a lyricist and his deep, soulful voice. Highlights include “Mockingbirds,” “Ugly Sunday” and the haunting “Wild Flowers.” The late Kurt Cobain lends vocals to “Down in the Dark,” and for the folk classic “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” Cobain contributes guitar and vocals and Krist Novoselic plays bass. Nirvana would later also cover “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” on their Unplugged album. The album was produced by Jack Endino, Lanegan, and Johnson.
Tracklist: 1. “Mockingbirds” / 2. “Museum” / 3. “Undertow” / 4. “Ugly Sunday” / 5. “Down in the Dark” / 6. “Wild Flowers” / 7. “Eyes of a Child” / 8. “The Winding Sheet” / 9. “Woe” / 10. “Ten Feet Tall” / 11. “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” / 12. “Juarez” / 13. “I Love You Little Girl”
Whiskey for the Holy Ghost (SP132 / January 18, 1994) Whiskey for the Holy Ghost is the second solo album from Lanegan, and builds upon the roots music foundation that he had established with his debut The Winding Sheet. Released during the grunge explosion of the early 1990s, Whiskey for the Holy Ghostshowcases Lanegan’s growing maturity as a songwriter and vocalist. Lyrically, Lanegan continues to delve into the darker side of the human experience on songs like “Borracho” and the biblical “Pendulum.” “House a Home” was released as a single with an accompanying video. Dan Peters of Mudhoney guests on the album, playing drums on the songs “Borracho” and “House a Home.”
Tracklist: 1. “The River Rise” / 2. “Borracho” / 3. “House a Home” / 4. “Kingdoms of Rain” / 5. “Carnival” / 6. “Riding the Nightingale” / 7. “El Sol” / 8. “Dead on You” / 9. “Shooting Gallery” / 10. “Sunrise” / 11. “Pendulum” / 12. “Judas Touch” / 13. “Beggar’s Blues”
Scraps at Midnight (SP419 / July 21, 1998): Scraps at Midnight is the third solo album by Lanegan, which he co-produced with longtime collaborator Johnson. Scraps at Midnightcould arguably be considered the final installment of a trilogy of albums (preceded by The Winding Sheet and Whiskey for the Holy Ghost) which feature the songwriter’s interpretation of American roots music set to troubling lyrics that explore themes of loss, sin and redemption.
Tracklist: 1. “Hospital Roll Call” / 2. “Hotel” / 3. “Stay” / 4. “Bell Black Ocean” / 5. “Last One in the World” / 6. “Praying Ground“ / 7. “Wheels” / 8. “Waiting on a Train” / 9. “Day and Night” / 10. “Because of This”
I’ll Take Care of You (SP445 / September 21, 1999): For I’ll Take Care of You, his fourth solo album, Lanegan chose to cover songs by artists who have influenced and inspired him over the years, including Jeffrey Lee Pierce of the Gun Club, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Buck Owens, Leaving Trains, O.V. Wright, Fred Neil, Tim Hardin, Tim Rose, and more.
Field Songs (SP502 / May 8, 2001): Field Songs is his fifth solo and final studio album for Sub Pop. Lanegan seems to have gone back through all his previous work, and taken the best elements from each to create one of the most fulfilled, and fulfilling, albums of his career; a demonstration of his continued love of singer/songwriters and American folk and blues.Field Songs also includes the song “Kimiko’s Dream House,” which Mark co-wrote with Jeffrey Lee Pierce of Gun Club fame.
And, five years ago this month, way too goddamned soon, our co-worker and friend died as a result of injuries he sustained in a car accident. I don’t think I have anything especially new or helpful to add about the loss of a loved one, or anything all that insightful about the inexorableness of time. It’s frightening to me to mark the passing of these last five years in the knowledge that we only knew each other for ten. And, I worry about the gradual fade of my Andy memories.
So! For my own benefit and for the benefit of people who didn’t get to know him (there are several of them here at Sub Pop now), let’s go over a few. While we’re now, as a company and as just a group of people, definably less for his absence, we are, absolutely without a doubt, so much more, so much better for the time we had. Here’s some of the stuff I’m grateful for and the ways in which Andy still influences what Sub Pop is and what (I think…) we want to keep working to become.
And though there are a million of these, I’m not deluded enough to presume that kind of sustained attention. So here are five…
Let’s have a good time with this. What we do here should be fun, and he was the funniest guy. A few, quick examples… The Northwest Pole, as I kept trying to get him to be known around the office, almost exclusively and altogether affectionately referred to Vetiver’s album Tight Knit as Ted Knight. He thought that the next Palin baby should be named Cram, Twig or maybe Pep Rally. He helped create stuff like this and also this.
Mix it up sometimes. He was unafraid of saying what he really thought, sometimes blowing his top. Andy would often fake this for effect, knowing he had a reputation. But, that rep was based on real stuff, strongly-held feelings. I was in one memorable meeting in which he said to a co-worker, flat-out, “Listen: I don’t fucking work for you.” Come to think of it, that’s at least a little bit of number 1, too…
Please to enjoy. He loved lunch and also wine. Us too. That’s it. (Zingerman’s: I am coming for you, sooner or later…)
Love it to death. He had a prodigious, wide-ranging and just wholly enthused love of music. The above list of artists he worked with here is way more than proof enough. But! He was also the ad hoc reggae buyer for Easy Street Records here in Seattle (paid in store credit), and a heartfelt advocate for music he loved, regardless of any affiliation with Sub Pop. The following email to the entire staff about Eddy Current Suppression Ring playing in Seattle is a good example of that spirit: “Hey guys! Just wanted to recommend going to see them at Vera with the Helpers tonight! Caught them at the Funhouse last night and they were fucking unreal! For those who don’t know, they are Australian and have never been to Seattle before, so this is a really rare treat. Turn this opportunity yes. Do the job. Go see this band tonight. Do it. You will be so glad you did.” Why would anyone say no to that??
Don’t be so predictable. Sadly unlike an awful lot of people, he could hold two seemingly opposing thoughts at the same time. In addition to the Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Demdike Stare and The Equals, he also loved Beyonce. He would regularly surprise me with his insights and perspective on work stuff, both about how we as a record label behave out in the world and how we operate as an organization internally. He had a Devo energy dome at his desk AND a Bo Schembechler bobblehead. (This is an excellent opportunity to confirm that we are, really, putting out a 7-LP box set from Eugene Mirman which includes, among other things, a full 45-minute LP of crying. This is not fake.)
I think of and miss him regularly. We have been very lucky.
We’re super happy to announce that The Album Leaf’s 2004 classic In A Safe Place vinyl reissue is available now worldwide from Sub Pop. This vinyl edition of the album - out of print since 2007 - has been repressed both on black and a limited “Loser” edition colored vinyl (while supplies last). In A Safe Place vinyl is now available for purchase at megamart.subpop.com, and you can revisit the official video for track “On Your Way” right here.
Later this fall, The Album Leaf will perform In A Safe Place in it’s entirety at All Tomorrow’s Parties “Nightmare Before Christmas” weekender, to be held at Prestatyn Holiday Centre, North Wales, UK, November 27th-29th, 2015. For more info please visit https://www.atpfestival.com/events/atpnbc112015/view/eventinfo.
In A Safe Place’s songs “On Your Way,” “Eastern Glow,” “Window,” “Over the Pond,” TwentyTwoFourteen,” “The Outer Banks” and “Another Day” have been featured in a variety of TV shows and films over the years, including The OC, CSI Miami, Brotherhood and more. Additionally, “Window” was used in a fan made, mashup video [view here] featuring Charlie Chaplan’s speech from The Great Dictator, which has amassed over 15 million views.
About The Album Leaf: Jimmy LaValle has released critically-acclaimed solo work as The Album Leaf (the name comes from a Chopin piece) since 1999’s mellow An Orchestrated Rise to Fall (Linkwork). During the realization of 2003’s Lifetime or More (Arena Rock) and Seal Beach (Acuarela) EPs, he prepared himself to take on a new direction by founding his rich, textural documents on minimalist beats. At the time of 2003’s recording sessions, however, nothing could have prepared LaValle for the experience he had in Iceland.
LaValle befriended Sigur Ros on their first U.S. tour, and they encouraged him northward to Iceland. With the help of his hosts, including members of Sigur Rós and Múm, LaValle was able to craft an album that ventures into new territory. Chillingly delicate and more pop-based than ever before, In A Safe Place masterfully negotiates the spaces between minimal electronic music and melancholy instrumental neo-rock. The inclusion of vocals from The Black Heart Procession’s Pall Jenkins, Sigur Rós’ Jon Thor Birgisson, and LaValle himself is one of the striking results from this newly collaborative process.
Release day has arrived for Goat’s 7” single, “It’s Time For Fun,” one of the first batch of new tunes from the group since their critically-acclaimed second album Commune was released last September.
Goat have scheduled a handful of live appearances this fall, taking their legendarily earth-shaking live show to Greece and Australia. (tour dates below)
“It’s Time For Fun” is now available digitally and on 7” vinyl in North America from Sub Pop Records, iTunes, and Amazon. [It’s also available in Scandinavia via Stranded Rekords, and via Rocket Recordings in the rest of the world.]
About Goat’s “It’s Time For Fun” single:
The winter months following that release saw the band return to their village of Korpilombolo in Sweden to start anew on fresh material, and this two-track single collects the first fruits of this work.
However, these two songs were not recorded in their native land - instead Goat decided to hit the studio on a recent excursion to the Americas. The A-side ‘It’s Time For Fun’ was recorded in New York whilst B-side ‘Relax’ was committed to posterity in Sao Paolo.
New York seems a fitting location for the recording of ‘It’s Time For Fun’ as the spirit of ESG and early ‘80s No Wave runs through the skittering drum machines, dubby basslines, fuzzy synth and the haunted chants of the vocals.
Its flip-side ‘Relax’ mainlines a similar vibe, yet this reflective instrumental marries ‘Future Days’ like drum machine, tribal percussion, grooved-out bass and a fan-driven organ solo that gyrates elegantly in a manner akin to a North African Heldon or Fripp & Eno.
[ photo by Ante Johansson ]
Tour Dates
Oct. 17 - Athens, GR - Gagarin Festival
Nov. 28 - Gothenburg, SE - Gothenburg Film Studios
