Seattle, our home: there sure are a lot of great things about it! Arguably two of the very best are local industry thought leaders Sub Pop Records and Amazon(dotcom). The recent discovery of a not-altogether-recent video for prospective Amazon employees had the staff at Sub Pop Records newly excited about being new in Seattle, all over again. Because we felt they left a few things out, we made this companion version (at what, we imagine and we’re sure you’ll be able to tell, was a tiny fraction of the cost) to welcome all newcomers to our wonderful city . We at Sub Pop Records love Amazon’s love of Seattle almost as much as we love Seattle itself: and it shows.

We here at Sub Pop Records love few things more than Record Store Day. Tomorrow, Saturday, April 18th, 2015 aka Record Store Day, we will release two very limited (and potentially, for you) anticipated efforts: The self-titled LP from the Alan Bishop-led Koes Barat and a heart-shaped single from Father John Misty.     
 
Father John Misty’s “I Loved You, Honeybee” 7” Single:
Father John Misty presents a lovely, alternate version of the title track of his latest album, I Love You, Honeybear, along with a new, exclusive B-side, truthfully-entitled “I’ve Never Been a Woman,” on a red-colored, heart-shaped 7” in a 10” sleeve. This release is exclusive to Record Store Day, and it is limited to 5,700 copies worldwide. You can check out “I Loved You, Honeybee” here. 
 
Koes Barat Koes Barat LP:
In 2010, Sun City Girls legend Alan Bishop asserted his fandom of Indonesian ‘60s/’70s pop legends Koes Bersaudara (aka Koes Plus) with two archival releases on his and Hisham Mayet’s Sublime Frequencies label. But that wasn’t enough. Feeling an overwhelming urge to interpret Koes tunes, Bishop recorded Koes Barat in less than a week of sessions with some of his favorite musicians and producer Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Marisa Nadler). The result is the most immediate, fun collection that the prolific Bishop has ever led. This album is a Record Store Day exclusive, limited to 3,800 worldwide. 

On a related note, Dangerous Minds ran a feature on Koes Barat + Koes Plus and call the album “FUCKING WONDERFUL.” We couldn’t agree more (see April 14th premiere)!

 
Father John Misty
“I Loved You, Honeybee” 7” (includes download code)
Tracklisting:
A. “I Loved You, Honeybee”
B. “I’ve Never Been a Woman”
                                                                                                                                              
Koes Barat
Koes Barat
LP (includes download code)
Tracklisting:
1. Kelelewar
2. Kisah Sedih di Hari Minggu
3. Pent Juri Hati
4. Mister Time
5. Hidup Yang Sepi
6. And to the so-called “The Guilties”
7. Tjintamu Telah Berlalu
8. Poor Clown
9. Land of Evergreen
10. Rahasia Hatiku
11. Tiba Tiba Ku Menangis
 
More About Record Store Day:
This is a day for the people who make up the world of the record store—the staff, the customers, and the artists—to come together and celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role these independently owned stores play in their communities. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.
http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of this year’s applicants for the Sub Pop Loser Scholarship. The breadth of qualified applicants this year gave us quite an inspiring glimpse into the minds of many of the freakiest high school Loser brains in the Pacific Northwest. Every year we get the privilege to be inspired by our applicants and every year we still manage to get blown away by how many awesome young people are waving their freak flags high and fighting the good fight here in our little corner of the U.S.A. GOOD JOB LOSERS, you win again!

Noah Philips-Reardon –$7,000

Noah inspired us all with her heart and dedication to promoting a more inclusive, productive, and inspred all ages music community here in Seattle. Her work interning with STG, EMP, Vera Project, Sasquatch and various other local organizations showed us how involved a young person can be in the music community. The blog she runs, showed us a self-driven spirit that looked to promote up and coming artists. The reporting she did on all ages music for KUOW showed us a high school perspective on a Seattle scene, that mainly caters to adults, leaving young people wanting more. She is off to USC to study the music industry and likely one day take all of our jobs.

For the first time in the history of the Loser Scholarship, we could not decide between the second and third spot. After much discussion, comparison, and debate, we decided to split the remaining money evenly between the two.

Michael Erickson–$4,000

You can now listen to Rose Windows “Strip Mall Babylon, a new offering from the group’s forthcoming, self-titled and final album, due out May 4th on Sub Pop.
 
Stereogum premiered the track and had this to say, ““Strip Mall Babylon” suggests the album is well worth hearing (we can attest to this suggestion). The song starts deceptively with a slinky groove, before Qazi’s Joplin-esque roar explodes over thick, fuzzy guitars and searing organs. It’s a victorious sign-off for a band with a brief but impressive run. Hear the track below.(see track premiere April 14th).”
 
Preorders for Rose Windows are available now from Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon and Bandcamp. All customers who pre-order the LP version of the album from megamart.subpop.com will receive the “Loser Edition” on red & black marbled vinyl, and a limited edition 7” which features the songs “Never Did Me Wrong” and a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Wanton Song” (while supplies last). Additionally, there will be a new T-shirt design available in two colors, both individually and as part of a bundle with purchases of the new record.
 
Rose Windows recently shared the news of their dissolution through their Facebook page (read more here) and have canceled all scheduled live dates. With that said, we are very proud to have released two albums with Rose Windows, and wish them well in their future pursuits, both musically and otherwise.

Doldrums’ The Air Conditioned Nightmare is now available everywhere on CD / LP / DL from Sub Pop. The album, led by highlights “HOTFOOT”, “Video Hostage”, “Loops” and “Blow Away”, was recorded in Montreal and LA and produced by Doldrums’ Airick Woodhead.  
 
You can now watch the official video for “Loops” (via the embed) helmed by director Lily X. The FADER premiered the new visual, and had this to say, “What in God’s holy name is going on in the video for Doldrums’ “Loops”… A trove of trippy imagery that will damn near make your head explode—and it quite nicely fits the project’s warped, melted-pop aesthetic (see premiere April 7th).“
 
Doldrums’ previously announced 2-month tour in support of The Air Conditioned Nightmare, begins tomorrow night, April 9th with a hometown show in Montreal, QC at Bar Le Ritz and currently ends July 31st-August 2nd in Sackville, NB for Sappyfest. Support for the North American dates (April 15-May 9th) will come from Last Gang recording artist Moon King. Please find a complete list of tour dates below.
 
Purchases of The Air Conditioned Nightmare are available from Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon and Bandcamp. All customers who order the LP version of the album from megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser Edition” on clear vinyl and a limited edition clear 7” which features the songs “IDONTWANNABEDELETED” (feat. Samantha Urbani) and “Market Signals.” Additionally, there is a new T-shirt design available both individually and as part of a bundle with purchases of the new record.
 
What people are saying about Doldrums:
“Using samplers and DJ gear in place of guitars and drums, the expanded Doldrums have come up with a hyper-detailed prog-dance-pop odyssey” - FACT Magazine
 
“An album that is full of conflict, using samplers to create a blend of discordant noises with industrial drums and occasionally uplifting vocals. Music fit for Montreal’s late-night warehouse parties.” - CBC

“Nestled in these adrenalised, highly evolved songs are bright pop hooks, showing that other artists could compete with Doldrums, but they wouldn’t be able to keep up.” - DIY

“The album’s 10 tracks are an electronic counterculture update that proudly carries the scars of its disenchanted pioneers.” - Consequence of Sound

“ In what little cracks are left between demolitions and Woodhead’s sly, zonked-out rambling, you can hear the clatter of live, room-recorded drums, endless effects trails, and hand-triggered samples lifted from God knows where. These are remnants of Doldrums’ writing process, and chances are that involves jamming on some heady grooves in a small, smokey room. It’s surprising how well all the ideas work together, no matter how cluttered and overstuffed “HOTFOOT” may sound, but Doldrums has specialized in conjuring the unexpected.”  [“HOTFOOT” / Track Review] - Pitchfork 
 
“The song hits hard, its skewed metropolitan pulse giving way to aggro percussive bass bursts that remind me of LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge.”  [“HOTFOOT” Track Review]  - Stereogum
 
”A master class in drone-y weirdness with a pop sensibility”  [“HOTFOOT” / Track Review] - COMPLEX
 
“‘Owes a little to ’90s electronica, and this one would probably sound right at home next to Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy.’” [“My Friend Simjen” / Track Review] - Brooklyn Vegan
 
“Densely packed with shifting layers of sound effects and heart-pounding sub-bass.” [“My Friend Simjen” / Track Review] - The Fader

”Top notch.” [“Loops” / Track Review] - NME
 
“A techno infused banger” [“Loops” /Track Review] - Clash
 
“‘A less chaotic preview of the album, with a giddy beat taking the reigns for Woodhead’s yearning voice” [“Loops” / Track Review]  - DIY
 
“A complex tapestry of house pop textures, with undulating synths tying themselves around a steady set of hi-hat-heavy beats.” [“Loops” / Track Review] - Exclaim!
 
Tour Dates:
Apr. 09 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz*
Apr. 15 - Boston, MA - Great Scott*
Apr. 17 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge*
Apr. 18 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right*
Apr. 19 - Washington, DC - DC9*
Apr. 21 - Atlanta, GA -  Aisle 5*
Apr. 24 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald’s*
Apr. 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo*
May 02 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop*
May 04 - Seattle, WA - The Sunset*
May 05 - Portland, OR - Holocene*
May 08 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry*
May 09 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle*
May 15 - Copenhagen, DK - Pop Revo Festival, Atlas
May 16 - Rome, IT - Spring Attitude Festival
May 19 - Lile, FR - La Peniche
May 20 - London, UK -  Electrowerkz
May 21 - Dublin, IE - Hidden Agenda @ Whelans
May 22 - Bristol, UK - The Louisiana
May 23 - Manchester, UK - Soup Kitchen
May 24 - Glasgow, UK - Stereo
May 26 - Brighton, UK - The Hope
May 27 - Bruges, BE Cactus
May 28 - Amsterdam, NL - OT301
May 29 - Paris, FR - Le Pop Up du Label
May 30 - Bordeaux, FR - Iboat
Jun. 02 - Cologne, DE - Studio 672
Jun. 03 - Hamburg, DE - Volt
Jun. 04 - Berlin, DE - Privatclub
Jul. 11 - Antigonish, NS - Evolve Fest
Jul. 24 - Guelph, ON - Hillside Fest
Jul. 31 - Aug 2 - Sackville, NB - Sappyfest
* w/ Moon King