Oct 17, 2006 18:10
Indie 101: Getting To Know Your Record Labels.
By: Eddie McNeill
No matter what genre of music one is talking about, there is always a stand out record label or two. If someone talks about punk rock, in the same breath they are going to mention Epitaph records. Metal Blade is always talked about when the topic is heavy metal. The same is true for indie rock and pop. What follows is a brief list of the key record labels in the indie scene.
Kill Rock Stars: Originally a feminist recording label (which explains the origin of the name quite nicely), this Olympia, WA powerhouse is now a major player in the indie community with the rights to several bands’ material. These bands include everyone’s piratey folk-pop outfit The Decemberists (now signed to Capitol Records), and the all girl power pop group Sleater Kinney. Another notable band would be west coast post-rockers Xiu Xiu.
Standout Records: The Decemberists Picaresque, Xiu Xiu Fabulous Muscles, Sleater-Kinney Dig Me Out
Merge: Perhaps the second biggest indie record label around, Merge houses big names like Of Montreal, punk legends The Buzzcocks, and Spoon. With their reissue of Neutral Milk Hotel’s masterwork In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and purchase of Dinosaur Jr.’s entire back catalogue, Merge has firmly ensconced themselves as the leaders of the indie scene.
Standout Records: Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Of Montreal The Gay Parade, The Arcade Fire Funeral
Matador: Best known perhaps for the post-punk revivalists Interpol (who are no longer signed with them), Matador records houses a number of well respected and beloved acts in the indie world. One of the most notable is the Scottish music collective by the name of Belle & Sebastian. In terms of indie pop, Belle & Sebastian are near the pinnacle of notoriety and acclaim. Another feather in Matador’s cap is the Pavement back catalogue they are remastering and releasing. No one talks about indie rock without acknowledging Pavement for pioneering some of the conventions in the genre.
Standout Records: Belle & Sebastian The Life Pursuit, Pavement Slanted & Enchanted, Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights
Saddle Creek: Saddle Creek Records, led by Bright Eyes, is the pioneer of the “Omaha sound” in indie rock: introspective music with a strong folk twang infused into it. This label is well known as the playground of singer-songwriter and Bright Eyes’ brainchild Conor Oberst, Oberst is involved with three separate acts on this label and has collaborated with several more. Tim Kasher of Cursive is another driving force behind Saddle Creek, collaborating with Oberst on a number of albums and the pair’s side project band The Desaparecidos.
Standout Records: Bright Eyes I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, Cursive The Ugly Organ, The Faint Blank-Wave Arcade
Sup Pop: The most recognizable independent record label around. Made famous by Nirvana during the Seattle explosion, this label was at the forefront of the grunge era in the early 90s. Towards the tail end of the grunge, Sub Pop made a change and started signing bands with a less heavy sound. One of these bands was The Sunny Day Real Estate, a pioneer of the now loathsome genre of emo. Nowadays, Sup Pop is at the helm of the indie scene. Their repertoire contains heavy hitters like The Shins, Iron and Wine, and The Postal Service.
Standout Records: The Shins Oh, Inverted World, The Postal Service Give Up, Wolf Parade Apologies to the Queen Mary
These are not the only five labels, there are many many more to be sure. And the records I have selected are not the only one worth checking out on each by a long shot. This is just a brief introduction for the uninitiated to wet their feet and appetites as it were. Like anything worthwhile, further research may be required to get a better perspective on the genre as a whole.