Velocity Girl’s UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded), the definitive reissue of the beloved indie-rock band’s long out-of-print 1993 debut album.
 
Velocity Girl were one of the leading lights of 1990s indie-pop, fusing the hooks of Britpop with the fuzzy guitars of shoegaze. This updated edition of the album features a new, band-approved mix, plus a full bonus album with singles, outtakes, and the band’s 1993 Peel Session. All of the music has been freshly mastered by Golden Mastering, and the package includes extensive liner notes from the band.
 
Velocity Girl’s UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded) is available on CD/2xLP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP orders are available in North America at the Sub Pop Mega Mart, in the UK and Europe at Mega Mart 2, and at your local record store. The first vinyl pressing is on opaque red vinyl, limited to 2,000 copies worldwide.
 
Velocity Girl’s previously announced shows in support of UltraCopacetic for the fall of 2024 include Friday, October 25th in Los Angeles at The Teragram Ballroom and Saturday, November 23rd in Washington, DC at Black Cat.
 
Velocity Girl formed in 1989 or so at the University of Maryland outside Washington DC, and shortly thereafter settled on the lasting lineup of guitarist Archie Moore (Black Tambourine), guitarist Brian Nelson (Black Tambourine), drummer Jim Spellman (Starry Eyes, Foxhall Stacks, High Back Chairs, Julie Ocean, Piper Club), bassist Kelly Riles (Starry Eyes), and singer Sarah Shannon (Starry Eyes, The Not Its). The band combined English-inspired noisy shoegaze fuzz with scrappy US indie rock and classic ‘60s-style pop songwriting. A killer single on Slumberland and non-stop touring grabbed the attention of the indie-rock cognoscenti of the day, and, following a heated courtship involving both dinner AND dessert, Velocity Girl signed a contract on a car hood in Hoboken, New Jersey, making Sub Pop their home.
 
In 1992, the band began work on their debut album, Copacetic, at Easley Studios - once home base to the Bar-Kays and other classic soul bands - in Memphis with Bob Weston (Volcano Suns, Shellac) at the helm, and then mixed the album with Weston in Chicago. While the album had strong songs - pop tunes like “Audrey’s Eyes,” “Pop Loser,” and “Living Well” alongside ambitious explorations like “Pretty Sister” and “Here Comes” - the band had little experience with production and lacked the skills to “drive the boat” in the studio. As a result, the album turned out to be a rather stripped-down affair, lacking the lushness of their prior recordings. To the band’s ear it was jarring, and they soon realized this wasn’t the record they hoped to make. Bob Weston had done exactly what was asked of him and captured the sounds, but the band didn’t do its part to articulate a clear vision. But the band’s slot in the studio was over, and Polvo had just showed up to work on their album, so off Velocity Girl went to shoot the video for “Audrey’s Eyes.” Copacetic came out in 1993 and people seemed to like it just fine, but within the band there was a sense of disappointment to the point where most members couldn’t stand to hear the record.
 
Between then and now, the band learned a lot about recording, and Archie Moore developed a career in audio work, and the band finally decided to revisit Copacetic. After extensive digging, the 2” tape reels appeared in Jim’s ex-wife’s mother’s house, and in the spring of 2023, Archie began working on a remix.
 
Song by song the new mixes emerged just as the band envisioned them. Soaring vocals from Sarah (who studied opera in college), chiming lead guitar, juicy fuzzed-out rhythm guitars, and clear pounding drums. The pop songs are much poppier. The sonic blasts are more powerful, and the record hangs together as a cohesive document that flows from song to song. The approach was not to make a 2024-sounding record but rather to go back to the 1992 mindset and create the record the band should have made then. The result, UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded), is an exciting alternate history of Copacetic.
 
And, while they were at it, the band dug up and refreshed the rest of their studio material from the era: Ultraopacetic includes “Warm/Crawl” from the Velocity Girl/Tsunami split 7”, “Creepy” from the Crazy Town 7”, “Stupid Thing” from the Audrey’s Eyes 7”, and the unreleased album outtake “Even Die.” Topping it all off is the band’s complete five-song 1993 John Peel session, including two tracks that haven’t been heard since the original broadcast. UltraCopacetic is truly the definitive version of Velocity Girl’s first record.

Today, August 19th, Bandcamp Daily made Ultracopacetic its “Album of the Day” and said, “It isn’t your run-of-the-mill re-release with an addendum of cutting-room-floor finds. It’s how this album deserves to sound: copacetic. That goes for all the elements, which juxtapose more richly. The guitars may well be stroked with plectrums made of feathers one minute and attacked with razors the next.”

21. Copacetic (Peel Session version) 

Last week, Sub Pop shared details on behalf of Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil’s bold new effort, The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film…The Jazz Daredevil and its lead single, “I Want You.”
 
Today, you can now watch ”The Making of The Jazz Daredevil Movie Soundtrack.”  Can The Jazz Daredevil make an entire soundtrack album to a movie that doesn’t yet exist? He tried.
 
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film…The Jazz Daredevil is out today, August 15th, worldwide from Sub Pop. It features guest appearances from Therese Plaehn-Mirman, Wyatt Cenac, Alexis Kesselman, Larry Murphy, Ana Silvia Daniel, Leo Allen, Brendon Small, Ronnell Johnson, and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The soundtrack was produced and mixed by Zachary Seman and mastered by Levi Seitz at Blackbelt Mastering.
 
The album is available on LP and all DSPs and can be ordered now from Sub Pop Mega Mart (North America), Bandcamp, and independent retailers in North America. LP orders will receive the Loser Edition on silver vinyl, which is limited to 1,500 copies.
 
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of the (Unproduced) Film… The Jazz Daredevil follows his landmark 2015 debut Well I Should Have… Learned How to Play Piano, which garnered coverage from people like Stephen Colbert and NPR’s “All Things Considered,” blew through two vinyl pressings, and is now a sought-after collectible; and the 2020 follow-up The Soundtrack Collection, arguably the first truly great collection of movie theme songs performed poorly with a Moog synthesizer and expertly by an orchestra at the same time.

Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film…The Jazz Daredevil 
 
1. They All Say… (The Jazz Daredevil Theme)
2. The Proposition (Dialogue)
3. Apartment Fire (Instrumental)
4. Limo Ride (Dialogue)
5. Limo Ride (Instrumental)
6. Balcony (Dialogue)
7. I Want You
8. Truth or Dare (Dialogue)
9. Sex Scene Song (Instrumental)
10. Do You Want Half a Sandwich? (Dialogue)
11. I Got My Hook in You
12. Meeting Ray (Dialogue)
13. The Man in the Mask (Rich’s Theme)
14. Rita’s Plea (Dialogue)
15. Walk Through the Woods (Instrumental)
16. Don’t Go Through the Woods (Dialogue)
17. Murder Plot (The Caretaker’s Theme)
18. Who’s Rich? (Dialogue)
19. I Shoplift Even Though I’m Rich
20. How Do I Know You’re Telling the Truth (Dialogue)
21. The Twist (Instrumental)
22. Lorraine, No… (Dialogue)
23. They All Say… (Reprise)

On August 15th, 2024, Sub Pop will release Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil’s bold, forthcoming third album, The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film, The Jazz Daredevil Movie.
 
The Jazz Daredevil sets the scene:
Through ribbons of smoke, Jazz Daredevil walks across the small stage. He takes his place at the piano. Looking out, he clocks his small audience, most of whom talk amongst themselves. “This is my life,” he thinks to himself. It’s not a happy thought. At one table, a woman in sunglasses sits alone. “Is she as lost as I?” He counts in the trio, “one, two, one, two, three…” The Jazz Daredevil plays. He can’t play, though. It’s complicated. It’s the same feeling. That feeling of both freedom and failure. “There’s never nothing to lose” is the thought that crosses his mind, as he mindlessly hits random notes on the baby grand. He glances at the woman alone. ‘Can she change everything?’”
 
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack… includes guest appearances from Therese Plaehn-Mirman, Wyatt Cenac, Alexis Kesselman, Larry Murphy, Ana Silvia Daniel, Leo Allen, Brendon Small, Ronnell Johnson, and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The soundtrack was produced and mixed by Zachary Seman, and mastered by Levi Seitz at Blackbelt Mastering. Watch today’s first offering, the official video for “I Want You,” which stars Marin Ireland and is directed by Jason Woliner.
 
The album will be available on LP and all DSPs, and can be pre-ordered now from Sub Pop Mega Mart (North America), Bandcamp, and independent retailers in North America. LP preorders will receive the Loser Edition on silver vinyl, which is limited to 1,500 copies.
 
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of the (Unproduced) Film, The Jazz Daredevil Movie follows his landmark 2015 debut Well I Should Have… Learned How to Play Piano, which garnered gushing coverage from people like Stephen Colbert and NPR’s “All Things Considered,” blew through two vinyl pressings, and is now a sought-after collectible; and the 2020 follow-up The Soundtrack Collection, arguably the first truly great collection of movie theme songs performed poorly with a Moog synthesizer and expertly by an orchestra at the same time.

Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film, The Jazz Daredevil Movie
 
1. They All Say… (The Jazz Daredevil Theme)
2. The Proposition (Dialogue)
3. Apartment Fire (Instrumental)
4. Limo Ride (Dialogue)
5. Limo Ride (Instrumental)
6. Balcony (Dialogue)
7. I Want You
8. Truth or Dare (Dialogue)
9. Sex Scene Song (Instrumental)
10. Do You Want Half a Sandwich? (Dialogue)
11. I Got My Hook in You
12. Meeting Ray (Dialogue)
13. The Man in the Mask (Rich’s Theme)
14. Rita’s Plea (Dialogue)
15. Walk Through the Woods (Instrumental)
16. Don’t Go Through the Woods (Dialogue)
17. Murder Plot (The Caretaker’s Theme)
18. Who’s Rich? (Dialogue)
19. I Shoplift Even Though I’m Rich
20. How Do I Know You’re Telling the Truth (Dialogue)
21. The Twist (Instrumental)
22. Lorraine, No… (Dialogue)
23. They All Say… (Reprise)

Today, musician Suki Waterhouse shares a new single titled “Blackout Drunk,” a standout from Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, her forthcoming 18-track double album.
 
“Blackout Drunk” intoxicates with its swinging handclap-laden bounce, woozy riffing, doo-wop harmonies, and chantable chorus. The blistering new bop was produced by Fred Ball, Hazey Eyes, and the album’s executive producer, Eli Hirsch, and written by Suki, Ball, and Natalie Findlay.
 
Watch the new visualizer by filmmaker and animator Callum Scott-Dyson (who directed Suki’s “My Fun” and “Faded” visuals).

Memoir of a Sparklemuffin will be available on Friday, September 13th, 2024 on CD/2xLP/CS/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com (US), Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU), and your local record store will receive the limited Loser edition vinyl on Sparklemuffin Pearl (North America), and Sparkle Starlight (UK/Europe). There is also an Afterglow Purple vinyl, along with new Suki merch available from her Official Merch Store (All limited edition vinyl colors available whilst stock lasts!).
 
Suki’s The Sparklemuffin Tour, her previously announced 25-city North American headlining jaunt in support of the album, begins at Salt Lake City’s Love Letters Festival on Friday, September 27th, and will make stops in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, and more. Preceding the tour, Suki will also appear at London’s All Points East (August 18th), and will support Mitski at Portland, OR’s Moda Theatre (September 21st).
 
For more ticket information, please visit https://laylo.com/sukiwaterhouse/m/sparklemuffintour.
 
SUMMER/FALL 2024
Sun. Aug. 18 - London, UK - All Points East Festival
Sat. Sep. 21 - Portland, OR - MODA Center +
 
“THE SPARKLEMUFFIN TOUR” FALL 2024
Fri. Sep. 27 - Salt Lake City, UT - Love Letters Festival
Sat. Sep. 28 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom *           
Thu. Oct. 17 - Houston, TX -  House of Blues ^                      
Fri. Oct. 18 - Austin, TX -  ACL Live at the Moody Theater ^
Sat. Oct. 19 - Dallas, TX  - The Factory in Deep Ellum ^     
Mon. Oct. 21 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren ^                       
Tue. Oct. 22 - San Diego, CA - The Sound ^               
Wed. Oct. 23 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre ^                          
Fri. Oct. 25 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield                                                  
Mon. Oct. 28 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom ^                   
Tue. Oct. 30 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater ^
Mon. Dec. 02 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman ^
Tue. Dec. 03 - St. Louis, MO - The Factory ^ 
Wed. Dec. 04 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre ^               
Fri. Dec. 06 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora ^  
Sat. Dec. 07 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Paramount ^ [Sold Out]
Sun. Dec. 08 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Paramount ^
Tue. Dec. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall ^                       
Wed. Dec. 11 - Washington, DC - The Anthem ^
Fri. Dec. 13 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner ^
Sat. Dec. 14 - Montreal, QC - MTELUS ^           
Sun. Dec. 15  - Toronto, ON - HISTORY ^         
Tue. Dec. 17 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre ^
Wed. Dec. 18 - Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed ^
Thu. Dec. 19 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium ^
Sat. Dec.  21 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern ^
 
^ w/ Bully
* w/ Debbii Dawson
+ w/ Mitski

Suki Waterhouse
Memoir of a Sparklemuffin
 
1. Gateway Drug
2. Supersad
3. Blackout Drunk
4. Faded
5. Nonchalant
6. My Fun
7. Model, Actress, Whatever
8. To Get You
9. Lullaby
10. Big Love
11. Lawsuit
12. OMG
13. Think Twice
14. Could’ve Been A Star
15. Legendary
16. Everybody Breaks Up Anyway
17. Helpless
18. To Love