They fostered grunge, brought us Nirvana, invented slang ("swingin' on the flippety-flop"... so brilliant), and have rivaled major labels in sales with recent releases. You know 'em. You love 'em. They're Sup Pop Records and they are twenty years old this year. The Seattle Times profiles the label: Those who still dismiss Sub Pop as "that little grunge thing from back in the day" are missing the boat. In an e-mail interview, Jonathan Cohen, a Billboard senior editor, wrote about Sub Pop's reputation, old and new.
"I don't think they've been known as a grunge label for a very long time. Sub Pop remains one of the most important American indie-rock labels, regardless of its history with that particular type of music. They're very in touch with the pulse of the underground scene (as evidenced by signings like Wolf Eyes and No Age) while simultaneously building bands that are selling as many records as some major-label acts (Shins, Postal Service)."
The Billboard editor looks for a banner year from Sub Pop: "The new Helio Sequence record is fantastic, and there's a huge buzz for some of their new signings, like Blitzen Trapper. The Gutter Twins will also be a big record for them in '08, as well the Flight of the Conchords disc."
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