Special Apology in Advance for Valentine’s 2015!

Between now and February 12th, anyone who orders Danny Bland and Greg Dulli’s I Apologize in Advance for the Awful Things I’m Gonna Do AND makes a $25 or greater donation to the very worthy MusiCares organization, will receive a copy of the book with a personalized, original haiku written by Mr. Danny Bland himself, inscribed by hand into this same book’s endpapers by this same D. Bland. This personalized haiku could be about you or about some friend, loved one or enemy (present, former or future)! It is your choice! You have only to provide us with some descriptive insight into the person about whom this haiku will be writ. Please provide this descriptive information and your invoice number from your MusiCares donation in the comments field at checkout.

Clearly, this is the best Valentine’s Day gift idea to come along perhaps ever.

Here’s where you can make a donation to MusiCares:

https://secure.grammy.org/musicares/donate/65891

And here is where you can order I Apologize…

https://megamart.subpop.com/goods/danny_bland_and_greg_dulli/i_apologize_in_advance_for_the_awful_th…

And yes, we did a very similar if not identical promotional thing during the holidays. Poetry is just too fitting for Valentine’s Day for us to pass up the opportunity to try again!

We’re a bunch of romantics here at Sub Pop HQ, but like a jilted lover, if you screw us over, our love quickly turns into a viscous pail of blackened hatred that we’ll threaten to fill your lungs with. We decided to make a Valentine’s Day playlist that reflects this romantic insanity. We think you’ll enjoy it!

Spotify: Love U / Hate U 

THEESatisfaction dropped the title track to their upcoming full-length, EarthEE, out February 24th on Sub Pop, and it can be described as a smooth ride in a deep groove. The song features THEESat labelmates and fellow Seattle hip hop stalwarts, Shabazz Palaces and Porter Ray. Pick up the duo’s amazing Sub Pop sophomore record, EarthEE right here.

Sub Pop will release feedtime’s “flatiron” b/w “stick up jack” single, the Australian group’s first new recorded material in 20 years, on 7” / DL worldwide February 9th/10th.

After reforming and touring in support of the Aberrant years, 2012’s box-set collection of feedtime’s early material, the band couldn’t help but bang out a couple of new songs. “flatiron” is a shuffling blues-punk thumper that stands up to the most classic feedtime songs, and “stick up jack” is an uptempo  one-chord wonder akin to Wire playing a cowboy bar. Both tracks were recorded by Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring) in 2014.

Mess and Noise says, ““flatiron” has everything we expect from feedtime: gnashing slide guitar, a rail-jumping bass hook, choppy drums and terse vocals.” Meanwhile Brooklyn Vegan had this to say,  “Age doesn’t seem to have mellowed the band at all, as both songs are raspy-voiced ragers.”

You can now preorder “flatiron” b/w “stick up jack” through the Sub Pop Mega Mart. The single will also be available digitally next week via megamart.subpop.com, iTunes and Amazon.

Resolutions:

1. Get an early jump on resolutions for 2015. I can do this.

2. Listen to Mudhoney. Yes, their records and live performances, but here I mean to include their suggestions, opinions and endorsements as well. The performance of the reunited Flesh Eaters which Mudhoney opened on Tuesday, January 13th was just phenomenally good, even for a somewhat casual fan. Other examples include: the 2004 MC5/DKT tour (Mark sang), feedtime’s Seattle performance in 2012 (also a Mudhoney bill), the 2014 Sub Pop South America tour with Obits and METZ they helped to make happen, and… Though I could go on (ask anyone who suffers through working here with me) no doubt you get the picture. Even though I don’t think they had anything to do with the just-fucking-incredibly-good Scratch Acid reunion show at the Showbox a few years back, their track record is so good that I’m going to go ahead and make the association in my own memory. And, I am already looking forward to the shows they will play with Strange Wilds in the future that I am willing into existence (note to Mudhonies: please play some shows with Strange Wilds).

3. Make less of a big deal out of things like the bumper sticker, one of maybe 15, on the back of the red Chevy Genero-Sedan, which cut me off on this morning’snear- interminable crawl up the viaduct which read: “My other ride is YOUR MOM.” Maybe this person’s own mom was unavailable for riding? Perhaps this is, after all, okay with MY MOM? Accept what you can’t change, etc…

4. With the recent transition of the talented Mr. Frere-Jones from the New Yorker to Rap Genius or now Genius Just (RIP M. Hedberg) pin hopes for NY’er coverage of the brilliant new METZ album (details still TBA) elsewhere. That or shoot for annotation of same. Also: figure out what “annotation” means in this context.

5. W/R/T Sleater-Kinney, their new album No Cities to Love, and the towering, enduring talent it flaunts, admit and embrace that “surface envy” is an understatement. This is deep, abiding and well-earned envy. (And, while we’re on the subject of getting comfy with radioactive levels of well-justified envy, look at the big brain on this guy, mere weeks after his band’s debut album was certified gold.)

6. Investigate synonyms for “share.” This or give up reading music press releases, music-related news items, and the like. Alternate solution: substitute “crap out” for “share” every time it’s encountered in these materials. Laugh derisively to self, without the jovial camaraderie of friends and co-workers, maybe, for a moment, feel superior-ish. Repeat as necessary, with diminishing returns, die friendless and afraid. Wait, DON’T do this!

7. Sign up for innovative and largely fictional new streaming service SAP! Pitch to relevant parties new SAP/ASAP ad campaign and imagine, in embarrassing, florid detail, resulting wealth, how it will be spent, used to destroy entirety of enemies list, etc.

8. Re-watch Chad VanGaalen’s wild, stupefying new video for Shabazz Palaces’ “Forerunner Foray.” Make contact, conceptually, with Magic Johnson flying on a piece of pizza.

9. Recognize that most of what people are listening to through streaming services comes through playlists. And the most popular of these playlists, the ones that are really, I am led to believe, WORKING, are those with names like “Coffee Shop Indie Workout Mix,” “Sunday Morning Sex Jams,” or “It’s Friday Night and I Like Alternative Music.” And then, surrender to the idea of lowest common denominator playlist titling as PROMOTIONAL BEST PRACTICE with Sub Pop playlists bearing names like “Happy Top Songs Best,” “100 Great Music Things,” “Today’s Massive Hit Time,” etc. (consider repurposing spam subject lines for this use?). Nobody’s interest is going to be piqued by “Flatulent Mid-Morning,” so just knock that shit off.

10. Make it all the way to 10 this year.

Now there’s a horse without a rider…

Chris