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Sub Pop Records, The '00s & Beyond playlist.We've already highlighted Sub Pop's formative years, when the label helped launch a musical revolution, kick-starting the careers of grunge kings and indie-rock innovators. But that was only the beginning of the story. From longhaired grunge to squeaky-clean indie folk to a world-music imprint and now hip-hop, the Seattle label has proven time and again to be one of the most reliable tastemakers in the biz. For over two decades, they've helped define whatever "indie music" is, or soon will be.
By the 2000s, the Seattle-based label was giving us such indie darlings as The Shins, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Beach House, Wolf Parade and Washed Out; they signed their first hip-hop act, Shabazz Palaces, in 2011; and they've even proven to have a hell of a sense of humor, releasing records from comedy iconoclasts like Flight of the Conchords, David Cross and Patton Oswalt.
Below, we spotlight key albums from Sub Pop's ever-expanding catalog.
The ShinsOh, Inverted World (2001)
Though Oh, Inverted World came out in 2001, The Shins have actor/director Zach Braff to thank for pushing their brisk indie pop into the mainstream in 2004. In Braff's film Garden State, "Caring Is Creepy" and "New Slang" were both featured, and Natalie Portman's character wistfully declares that The Shins "will change your life." It was a worthy boost for the band, which frames folky '60s psych-pop with a subtle, somber edge -- it's sunny with a chance of rain. James Mercer sounds like a soothing lover whispering sweet nothings, but listen closer and you'll hear a witty, poetic soul. [Stephanie Benson]
Band of HorsesEverything All the Time (2006)
Band of Horses' blog-ubiquitous "The Funeral" made them minor celebrities before they left the gate, but their debut slowly proved that multi-instrumentalists Ben Bridwell and Mathew Brooke were no fluke. The record's charm lies in the band's keen balance between beautiful bombast -- the walls of electric guitar, the slow-motion pulse of a half-open hi-hat and a mother lode of '90s alt-rock influences -- and the delicate, arching melodies. When the full transcendent mess of Everything finally sank in, Band of Horses emerged with one of 2006's most lasting efforts. [Nate Cavalieri]
Fleet FoxesFleet Foxes (2008)
Astute students of tradition, Fleet Foxes take inspiration from folk, pop, Celtic, gospel and sacred harp singing to create harmonic bursts of heartfelt precision. Sounding like Mother Nature's sons, they sing of valleys, mountains and hummingbirds while running through forests of lush guitars, tom-toms, bass, organs, mandolins and dulcimers. "Ragged Wood" and "Your Protector" have them chasing after the perfect trifecta of huge melodies, crescendos and harmonies, while the poignant "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and "Meadowlarks" slow things down to reveal these Foxes' charming fragility. [S.B.]
Beach HouseTeen Dream (2010)
Enjoying Beach House is almost solely dependent on your mood (languid, lonely, nostalgic are all recommended). The snaking slide guitar, rumbling organ and feather-light beats slowly seep in like a codeine drip, helping you sink into a melancholic cloud, before Victoria Legrand's deep Stevie Nicks-esque drawl grabs your attention, like a ghostly chill keeping you up at night. Where the duo's previous two albums were a little more one-note, Teen Dream is a bit more dynamic, the rhythms more variant and interesting, all while the group's signature sleepy melodies remain intact. [S.B.]
No AgeEverything in Between (2010)
Only three years following their debut, No Age are becoming old pros. Though their aesthetic has noise and saturation ingrained in it, they have a way with a catchy hook. Everything in Between is punk music for kids bred on movies -- the distortion is cinematic in its post-rock drone on instrumentals "Katerpillar," "Dusted" and "Positive Amputation," while "Shed and Transcend" is like Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" running like, well, hell. The bigger hooks come in tracks like "Glitter" and "Skinned," which employ a Cali-pop coolness to disguise the self-conscious lyrics within. [S.B.]
FoalsTotal Life Forever (2010)
The Brit band evolves beyond the hyper post-punk of its debut album, weaving in thick melodic swells of washed-out synths and layered guitars. A few funky turns and downtempo twists make this a more balanced and cohesive effort that's full of both fun and feeling. Don't miss "Miami" and "Spanish Sahara." [S.B.]
The Postal ServiceGive Up (2003)
What started as a one-off collaboration between electro-whiz James Tamborello and The Most Sensitive Human Ever, Ben Gibbard, led to an album (assembled by mailing sound snippets back and forth, hence the name), some exceptional remixes, and pretty much a whole aesthetic: unabashedly artificial-sounding earnest pop that you could dance and cry to in equal measure. It was emo for the IDM set, electronica for the indie rockers, and manna for anyone who's ever had a broken heart. [Garrett Kamps]
Flight of the ConchordsFlight of the Conchords (2008)
If you fancy yourself a fan of hip-hop, folk, reggae, R&B, New Wave, world pop, indie pop, synth pop -- basically of music, period -- these Kiwis have you covered. Droppin' names from Gerard Depardieu to Ravi Shankar, the loveable, gullible Grammy winners (no joke!) compile original songs from the first season of their HBO series. Showing off their erudite expertise in French culture, binary code and workin' the ladies, they ruminate over universal head-scratchers like, are hermaphrodites into themselves? Does David Bowie just have one really funky sequined spacesuit? Melodious wit at its finest. [S.B.]
Wolf ParadeApologies to the Queen Mary (2005)
This Canadian group's debut calls to mind two of the bands that helped them get their feet off of the ground: the Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse. Taking the former's lush unpredictability and marrying it with the latter's spastic pop sense results in an indie rock Frankenstein's monster. Songs good. Fire bad. [Jon Pruett]
Dum Dum GirlsOnly in Dreams (2011)
Dum Dum Girls main gal Dee Dee nails the rock-goddess coolness of Chrissie Hynde and the hippie-girl dreaminess of Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval on her quartet's sophomore album. Where their 2010 debut, I Will Be, was rooted more in Shangri-La shoegazer squall, Only in Dreams is darker in theme yet lighter and sharper in sound. Rhythms snap, hands clap and guitars shudder with surf-rock playfulness. There's sexy schoolgirl coyness ("Bedroom Eyes"), poignant Pretenders rock ("Hold Your Hand"), irresistible indie pop ("Just a Creep") and the silkiest dream pop since "Fade Into You" ("Coming Down"). [S.B.]
The ThermalsThe Body, The Blood, The Machine (2006)
This Portland band's third album takes a sardonic indie punk peek into the god machine. Original sin, Armageddon, the moralization of condoned military killing -- all the fodder of a mega-church near you is in this hymnal, but the musical approach varies slightly from that of past fervid releases. That's not to say that The Thermals have calmed down any on this glorious, full-of-feedback mission to take a good thwack at the religious right. [Michele Flannery]
Iron & WineThe Creek Drank the Cradle (2002)
We don't know how he does it, but Samuel Beam, the man they call Iron & Wine, somehow managed on his first album (culled from lo-fi tapes) to take the experience of lying in the grass in the country at twilight, listening to crickets and looking at the stars just creeping out of bed for the evening, and turn it into sound! Sure, he can and does draw from the repertoire of Nick Drake, another dusky cricket kind of guy. But Beam's aural country air, crafted out of hushed acoustic instruments and his own rock-a-bye voice, is so tangible you can almost smell the soft sweetness of the grass. [Rachel Devitt]
Shabazz PalacesBlack Up (2011)
Northwest collective Shabazz Palaces explores Afro surrealism on Black Up. "New off the spaceship/ Dipped in punctuation," claims Palaceer Lazaro on "Recollections of the Wraith" as he praises his band's dread bass and dub wallops, and dances over beats as beguiling as his rhymes. "It's a feeling," he says on "Are You ... Can You ... Were You?" Shabazz Palaces' willful experiments are too esoteric for pop consumption, but that may be the point, if his volleys against "corny" rappers on "Yeah You" are any indication. For the rest of us, delving into Black Up's riddles is its own reward. [Mosi Reeves]
Blitzen TrapperFurr (2008)
Blitzen Trapper are a lot like Dr. Dog. Both groups are American roots rockers imitating Brits who are imitating American roots rockers. Furr, for example, feels heavily inspired by Unicorn, The Move and Help Yourself, vintage English groups that filtered West Coast hippie rock through their native culture. This is important to keep in mind; if you approach Blitzen Trapper expecting 100% American-made country rock, then all the ornate Brit pop touches and sweet harmonies will drive you batty. [Justin Farrar]
Washed OutWithin and Without (2011)
Washed Out's full-length debut opens with a wash of synths that ebb and flow like an ocean dependent on electricity. This leisurely rhythm is the basis for main man Ernest Greene's chillwave aesthetic, which draws from '80s ambient music with its layers of soft beats and drones that echo nature at peace. Greene's stoic murmurs merely act as a parallel force, floating along like a fish swimming with the current. "Amor Fati" is the liveliest track of the bunch, and possibly the best, but the whole mix, produced by Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter), is as smooth and steady as the sea. [S.B.]
ALSO:
Comets on Fire, Blue Cathedral (2004)
CSS, Cansei De Ser Sexy (2006)
Patton Oswalt, Werewolves and Lollipops (2007)
Handsome Furs, Plague Park (2007)
The Head and the Heart, The Head and the Heart (2010)
The Album Leaf, In a Safe Place (2004)
The Helio Sequence, Keep Your Eyes Ahead (2008)
David Cross, Bigger and Blakerer (2010)
Hot Hot Heat, Make Up the Breakdown (2002)
Vetiver, Tight Knit (2009)