Sub Pop Pumps Pucks
Indie tunes in a hockey game, eh?
Published: August 2, 2006
We made an offhand comment a few weeks back about hockey game music not having the same kind of attention thrown at it as something like, say, a football game, and it's true. Both EA Sports' hockey series and 2K Sports' version of the NHL weren't exactly renowned for their soundtracks, but apparently that's changing. In response to [ps2news=]EA going semi-indie[/game], 2K has gone one better and hooked up with Sub Pop Records.
The poster child for grunge music artists, Sub Pop was the birthplace of plenty of Seattle bands, most notably Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Nirvana. Though the label has lost plenty of it's indie cred over the years for doing the very thing they originally set out to do, which was become a viable label for smaller-time artists while reflecting the community, Sub Pop is nonetheless something of a indie force these days, thanks to artists like The Postal Service, Sleater-Kinney and, yes, Mudhoney keeping them more than just afloat.
But... hockey? What exactly does indie music have to do with hockey? Hell, Sub Pop is based in Seattle, and Seattle doesn't even have a hockey team (though there is Vancouver just a ways away). While we happily remind folks that Sub Pop hooked up with SEGA about 10 years ago for a record (and SEGA used to own the 2K line of sports games), have a listen to the reasoning behind the folks making the bucks and see for yourself what you think.
"Sub Pop is the leader in bringing the underground sound to the mainstream without compromising their integrity," complemented a slightly out-of-touch Tim Rosa, director of brand and lifestyle marketing for 2K Sports. "Because we share this mindset when developing our games, NHL 2K7 is the perfect vehicle for Sub Pop to stay true to its vision."
"While Sub Pop and hockey are rarely mentioned in the same breath, the vibe of our music really suits the action of NHL 2K7," agreed Steve Manning, Publicity/Marketing Director at Sub Pop Records. "Because 2K Sports values authenticity in its games with the same passion we treasure authenticity in our artists, we knew this partnership would resonate with fans of both the sport and our music."
Something tells us hockey video games weren't in the original plan back in the days when Sub Pop was still a column in The Rocket, but hey, video games aren't quite "selling out" yet, are they? Regardless of your feeling of indie-meets-commerce, you may still take a liking to the tracks assembled for the game:
Arlo - Runaround
Band of Horses - Wicked Gil
Hot Hot Heat - Talk to me, Dance with Me
Kinski - Hot Stenographer
Love as Laughter - Temptation Island
Mudhoney - Empty Shells
Nebula - Giant
The Postal Service - Brand New Colony
Seaweed - Losing Skin
Sleater-Kinney - Rollercoaster
The Constantines - Working Full-time
The Thermals - I Hold the Sound
Sub Pop isn't the only label featured in the game, and we'll likely have an update as to who else will be crooning over the echoed sounds of shaved ice and slapped pucks. More deets when we get 'em.
The poster child for grunge music artists, Sub Pop was the birthplace of plenty of Seattle bands, most notably Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Nirvana. Though the label has lost plenty of it's indie cred over the years for doing the very thing they originally set out to do, which was become a viable label for smaller-time artists while reflecting the community, Sub Pop is nonetheless something of a indie force these days, thanks to artists like The Postal Service, Sleater-Kinney and, yes, Mudhoney keeping them more than just afloat.
But... hockey? What exactly does indie music have to do with hockey? Hell, Sub Pop is based in Seattle, and Seattle doesn't even have a hockey team (though there is Vancouver just a ways away). While we happily remind folks that Sub Pop hooked up with SEGA about 10 years ago for a record (and SEGA used to own the 2K line of sports games), have a listen to the reasoning behind the folks making the bucks and see for yourself what you think.
"Sub Pop is the leader in bringing the underground sound to the mainstream without compromising their integrity," complemented a slightly out-of-touch Tim Rosa, director of brand and lifestyle marketing for 2K Sports. "Because we share this mindset when developing our games, NHL 2K7 is the perfect vehicle for Sub Pop to stay true to its vision."
"While Sub Pop and hockey are rarely mentioned in the same breath, the vibe of our music really suits the action of NHL 2K7," agreed Steve Manning, Publicity/Marketing Director at Sub Pop Records. "Because 2K Sports values authenticity in its games with the same passion we treasure authenticity in our artists, we knew this partnership would resonate with fans of both the sport and our music."
Something tells us hockey video games weren't in the original plan back in the days when Sub Pop was still a column in The Rocket, but hey, video games aren't quite "selling out" yet, are they? Regardless of your feeling of indie-meets-commerce, you may still take a liking to the tracks assembled for the game:
Arlo - Runaround
Band of Horses - Wicked Gil
Hot Hot Heat - Talk to me, Dance with Me
Kinski - Hot Stenographer
Love as Laughter - Temptation Island
Mudhoney - Empty Shells
Nebula - Giant
The Postal Service - Brand New Colony
Seaweed - Losing Skin
Sleater-Kinney - Rollercoaster
The Constantines - Working Full-time
The Thermals - I Hold the Sound
Sub Pop isn't the only label featured in the game, and we'll likely have an update as to who else will be crooning over the echoed sounds of shaved ice and slapped pucks. More deets when we get 'em.
