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Underground > Radio & Music >

Do you have any particular favourite indie labels?

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Murray Hamhandler

03:05 / 21.04.04

How did I miss this thread the first time around?

Seconding Troubleman Unlimited and Tigerbeat6. Drag City is certainly a good choice, as well.

Lately, I've been getting into Gold Standard Laboratories quite a bit, as well as 5 Rue Christine (which is a subsidiary of Kill Rock Stars). Although I'm not as into the bands on their respective rosters as I once was, I still have much love for Skin Graft and Thrill Jockey.

I like Matador, too, but I haven't thought of them as an indie label for a long time.

HERE BE NO DRAGONET

03:30 / 21.04.04

Touch and Go.
They have Shellac, Blonde Redhead, Man... or Astroman? and the best albuns of Girls against Boys.

and Matador, of course. Helium, JSBX, old Superchunk, Cat Power, Chavez and Pavement. Oh, and Solex too.

17:16 / 22.04.04

Despite not having bought a 4ad album in about 5 years, I was a bit of a fanatic back in the day (late 80's/early 90's) when I had a superlatively studied languid manner and fringe to match. As well as some titanic personal faves (Pixies, Cocteaus, Muses) this brand obsession introduced me to all sorts of glorious messes over the years; step up ye Pale Saints, Red House Painters, His Name is Alive, Tarnation, Gus Gus, Mojave 3, This Mortal Coil... Mmmmagical

I think that there was definately an element of trust there, in that I knew that the bulk of records would at least be interesting to my ears, if not necessarly being "my bag" or indeed sharing a generic "label sound" (which 4ad often got unfairly criticized for, and I kinda liked anyway, if that isn't a contradiction)

Also: SST and Too Pure, two great labels responsible for a hefty percentage of my favourite purchases in the 80's/ 90's

A

05:06 / 23.04.04

I, too, love Lookout!. Screeching Weasel, Raooul!, Operation Ivy, the Queers, the Mr T Experience, Green Day, the Donnas, Groovie Ghoulies, Pansy Division, Pinhead Gunpowder and a million other rad bands all on the same label? Groovy.

14:53 / 26.04.04

Just to correct myself, the Mountain Goats are on 4AD, not Barsuk. They do seem to tour with & get recorded by a fair number of Barsuk artists, though.

21:59 / 28.04.04

so many of my favorite labels are either dead or dormant - shrimper, harriet, sarah, simple machines. it makes me feel old.

on the indie pop side, magic marker records picked up some of the orphaned harriet bands (like tullycraft and vehicle flips). march continues to put out really good records - i really like the new album by sprites. also, i will buy just about anything on le grand magistery, matinee, or shelflife for excellent indie pop.

lookout has suddenly become an interesting label again after years of sound-alike pop-punk. they not only put out the ted leo album, but also the new album by the reputation. nice to hear something different from them.

jagjaguwar and secretly canadian have put out some interesting stuff in the slowcore/americana/whatever vein - simon joyner, spokane, songs: ohia.

flying nun continues to put out records by my favorite new zealand bands (clean, bats, tall dwarfs), though their recent signings haven't impressed me much.

adding to previous suggestions of sftri and estrus, dionysus (and their archive imprint bacchus), in the red, and planet pimp do an excellent job with the sleazy and/or incredibly faithful garage rock (with dionysus tending towards the latter and the other two tending towards the former)

finally, yep roc has signed a really eclectic bunch of artists that were apparently dropped by other labels (daniel johnston, los straitjackets, jason and the scorchers, minus five) not as coherent a sound as the other labels, but it's an impressive roster, even if it tends a bit towards adult alternative.

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