the red flag of indie rock
for some reason, i was recently thinking about the Matador Records back catalog. after sifting through it, i've managed to come up with my 11 favorite releases since their inception in 1990. this doesn't count albums distributed by Matador in Europe (Sleater-Kinney, etc.). albums are listed with their catalog numbers and release dates. mmmm....1995.
1. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted (OLE-038 4/20/1992)
2. Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes (OLE-123 4/4/1995)
3. Chavez - Ride The Fader (OLE-200 11/5/1996)
4. Yo La Tengo - Electr-o-pura (OLE-132 5/2/1995)
5. Helium - The Dirt of Luck (OLE-124 3/21/1995)
6. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights (OLE-545 8/20/2002)
7. Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - Strangers From The Universe (OLE-109 9/6/1994)
8. Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville (OLE-051 6/24/1993)
9. New Pornographers - Electric Version (OLE-551 5/6/2003)
10. Cat Power - Moon Pix (OLE-286 9/22/1998)
11. Belle and Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap (OLE-311 9/8/1998)
bonus trivia: the last album matador ever released on cassette was the Arsonists "As the World Burns" on 8/24/99.
Comments
You're not the only one who's been thinking about the back catalog. Brendan too.
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/mail/archive/04-03/08.shtml
p.s. i can't believe CRCR doesn't make the cut.
Posted by: Tom Courtenay | May 11, 2004 04:46 PM
i sort of wanted to limit it to 1 album per band for some weird reason. Crooked Rain would have been pressed to make the top 5, but should definitely be up there. let's call it 6a.
Posted by: jamie | May 11, 2004 04:55 PM
Good stuff. Anyone else remember thinking at some point (probably around 1995), "Is there any other label I need listen to?" And I suppose the one-album rule played at least some part in excluding it, but no "Bee Thousand"? Or is that a Scat album?
Posted by: David | May 11, 2004 10:55 PM
All good choices. I'd have to find room for Spoon's "Telephono," Helium's "Pirate Prude" Yo La Tengo's "I Can Hear the Heart..." and Pavement's "Wowee Zowee" (which somehow always gets overlooked).
Posted by: Matt | May 11, 2004 11:03 PM
Oooooh, "I Can Hear the Heart..." I should have thought of that one.
Posted by: David | May 12, 2004 12:44 AM
oh, thinking fellers... i remember.
Posted by: alex | May 12, 2004 08:58 AM
Bee Thousand was a Scat album though there may have been some cross-promotion going on ( it was released by Matador in Europe). Under the Bushes was a Matador relaese too though.
Spoon made the honorable mention list along with Bettie Serveert, Superchunk, SF Seals, and a few others.
Posted by: jamie | May 12, 2004 12:21 PM
i thought the flag of indie rock was orange, or is that just the t-shirts?
Posted by: crispin | May 12, 2004 07:11 PM
matador...bulls...red flag
there's probably some other name for whatever that thing is. a cape, i guess, but that doesn't seem right.
but yes, orange is the offical flag color of Indie-ana.
Posted by: jamie | May 13, 2004 10:32 AM
and we all know that no self- respecting indie rocker wears new balance. right, jamie?
Posted by: dan | May 13, 2004 04:16 PM
not as of 1996 they didn't.
Posted by: jamie | May 13, 2004 04:29 PM
i guess i need to throw away a couple pairs of sneakers.
Posted by: sujan | May 13, 2004 06:42 PM
actually, after cursory footcount, many of my co-workers will have to throw away footwear too.
Posted by: sujan again | May 13, 2004 06:43 PM
Speaking of Orange, I would put that particular album by JSBX in my Matador Top 10.
Posted by: Jim | May 19, 2004 12:01 AM