Troy Twomey is the drummer for Melbourne band DEAF WISH. They are set to release their debut LP "Pain" through Sus Pop Records on August 7th 2015. So it seemed rather fitting that we got Troy to lists his Crucial Five Sub Pop releases.
MUDHONEY - Since We've Become Translucent
Clearly there are more obvious choices for seminal Sub Pop recordings by Mudhoney, however I wanted to include this album because I am sure it doesn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves. The band's first album without original bass player Matt Lukin, I hardly expected that it was going to stand up next to there early gems. Fuck that. These guys are survivors. It kicks, with the same heart and intention behind the riffs. They just know how to splurge out on a big riff and keep it honest and fun. Great band, Great record.
IRON AND WINE - Our Endless Numbered Days
Sam Beam's debut 'The Creek Drank The Cradle' was a fragile gem that was passed into my share house at the time on a CDR with no track listing. I remember the guy who gave it to my girlfriend saying that he would never do anything better than this. With the exception of 'Our Endless Numbered Days' I think he was right. But what an exception. A sense of pop structure slipped into the songwriting on this album, but not to the detriment of the honesty and simplicity of 'Creek'. It is a very quiet album with plenty of space left between the simple arrangements of guitar, voice and banjo.
This was on high rotation for such a long time that I can't really think of that period of my life, age 22-23, without hearing those tunes. I keep coming back to it expecting the sincerity too have rubbed off. It is the kind of music that can easily go so wrong. But no. Sam Beam's dead set earnestness and effortlessness just keeps winning me over.
DIMMER - Crystalator
This 7-inch is sick. It's such a massive sounding record. A friend played this to my brother and I in late '99 and it just kicked our heads in. We took it home and would regularly experiment with how far we could push our Mum's Pioneer stereo with this one. The whole house shook. Manny, the guy next door, hated our guts and called the council. It was a fuckin' great record and a huge influence on everything we did for the following months in our shed - all punishingly loud and driving.
THEESATISFACTION - Earthee
This album is pure poetry. I was so struck by the lead single Recognition. The repetitive (mantra) vocal line. The strange synthy pulses that break through the middle section. They are such unique sounds. I love the strength that they find in their community and the way they are able to bring it to a wider audience. Incredible. THEESatisfaction are so clever and innovative, and to be honest, cool. They are just so damned cool.
NIRVANA - Bleach
I know. This one doesn't need any more attention than what it got, but I flat out refuse to choose a crucial 5 Sub Pop records without Bleach making the list. The change it brought to my life is just too immense. I saw a band do a cover of Love Buzz (the Nirvana version) at a gig about two years ago and welled up like they were playing the national anthem.