Far Out 40: The best songs ever released on Sub Pop
Every now and then, a record label will arrive on the scene and go on to become a kind of cultural phenomenon, perfectly encapsulating the spirit of a certain genre or movement. Labels like Rough Trade, 2 Tone, and Factory are all iconic names which hold a lot of weight within music circles, and Seattle’s Sub Pop is right at home with them.
During the early part of the 1980s, Bruce Pavitt started the fanzine Subterranean Pop, unknowingly beginning a legacy which would last nearly four decades and change the face of rock music indefinitely. Officially launching Sub Pop, as we know it today, in 1986, the importance of Pavitt’s label cannot be overstated.
Sub Pop is often remembered best for nurturing Seattle’s vibrant grunge scene. Releasing legendary tracks by the likes of Mudhoney and, of course, Nirvana, the label had an inarguable role in breaking Seattle’s underground into the mainstream consciousness. Although most groups, Nirvana included, would later be drawn in by the finances of major labels, it all started with the pioneering work of Sub Pop.
Alas, the grunge movement, like most alternative music scenes, did not last very long. However, the label that had spearheaded the movement did not flinch at having to adapt its operations and output. There has never been a particularly coherent list of qualifications for a Sub Pop release. It seems to predominantly come down to whether a track is good or not – genre, style, gender and language seem to be largely irrelevant to the Seattle label.
For almost 40 years, Sub Pop has consistently released some of the most daring and stunningly original tracks worldwide. Throwing off their grunge shackles, the label has since provided a home to the likes of Marika Hackman, Weyes Blood, Father John Misty and Σtella, to name a few. The American indie label even had a brief flirt with Britpop during the 1990s, releasing limited copies of Elastica’s ‘Stutter’ and the Supergrass classic ‘Caught By The Fuzz’.
The strength of the label, however, lies in fostering local talent from America’s North-West, something that it has done time and time again over the past 38 years. Although Sub Pop were criticised for ‘selling out’ in 1995 when they struck up a partnership with the music industry ghouls at Warner Music Group, the partnership did not seem to have much effect on the operations of Sub Pop, which remained fiercely individualistic and firmly rooted in Seattle.
It would be a virtually impossible task to chronicle every track the label has released since its inception in 1986, but we here at Far Out have put together a list of 40 of our favourite Sub Pop tracks from over the years. Don’t worry; we have added the tracks to a playlist below so you can kick back and party like it’s 1991.
The 40 best songs ever released on Sub Pop:
- Mudhoney – ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’
- Nirvana – ‘About A Girl’
- The Postal Service – ‘Such Great Heights’
- Fleet Foxes – ‘White Winter Hymnal’
- Vaselines – ‘Dying For It’
- CSS – ‘Alala’
- Father John Misty – ‘I Love You, Honeybear’
- Sleater-Kinney – ‘Modern Girl’
- Σtella – ‘Up and Away’
- Marika Hackman – ‘Boyfriend’
- Suki Waterhouse – ‘Johanna’
- Stereolab – ‘Lo Boob Oscillator’
- Weyes Blood – ‘A Lot’s Gonna Change’
- Earth – ‘Seven Angels’
- Father John Misty – ‘Château Lobby #4 (In C For Two Virgins)’
- Green River – ‘Swallow My Pride’
- Goat – ‘Dig My Grave’
- Nirvana – ‘Love Buzz’
- Dinosaur Jr. – ‘The Wagon’
- Beach House – ‘Myth’
- Soundgarden – ‘Hunted Down’
- Mudhoney – ‘Mudride’
- Velocity Girl – ‘Crazy Town’
- Modest Mouse – ‘Never Ending Math Equation’
- Clipping – ‘Say the Name’
- Elastica – ‘Stutter’
- The Shins – ‘Australia’
- Kim Gordon and J Mascis – ‘Abstract Blues’
- Metz – ‘Get Off’
- Frankie Cosmos – ‘Abigail’
- Dum Dum Girls – ‘Pay for Me’
- Hole – ‘Dicknail’
- Pissed Jeans – ‘I’ve Still Got You (Ice Cream)’
- Foals – ‘Black Gold’
- Black Lips – ‘Disconnection’
- J Mascis – ‘What Do We Do Now’
- Chai – ‘Donuts Mind If I Do’
- The White Stripes – ‘Party of Special Things to Do’
- Cosmic Psychos – ‘Pub’
- King Khan & Pat Meteor – ‘The Fiery Tears of St. Laurent’
