It’s a difficult time to be involved with a record label, which is all the more reason to celebrate those that are consistently putting out quality music.
There are, of course, far too many labels to which this applies to mention in one article without it becoming a War And Peace-sized undertaking, so any omissions in this piece are not meant as slights on any of them at all. Ultimately, the 10 labels below have been chosen because their set of releases from 2013 as a calendar year has not only been highly consistent in terms of quality, but also diverse.
4AD
Notable releases: Deerhunter - ‘Monomania’, The National - ‘Trouble Will Find Me’, Zomby - ‘With Love’
Of all the members of the Beggars group of labels, 4AD is the one with the most impeccable indiemuso credentials. Bon Iver, Cocteau Twins, Future of the Left, Pixies...the list of names associated with 4AD at some point or another during their career is probably long enough to outdo all the other labels included on this list.
Not only was Facing The Other Way, an acclaimed biography of the label, released this year, but so were several highly acclaimed records. The National returned with another slow-burning belter in the shape of ‘Trouble Will Find Me’. Deerhunter retained their place near the top of the art rock tree with ‘Monomania’. Actress unveiled a monumental double album of post-dubstep shenanigans and Daughter produced one of the year’s breakthrough debuts with ‘If You Leave’. Chalk it up as another successful year.
Denovali
Notable releases: Celeste - ‘Animale(s)’ / Field Rotation - ‘Fatalist: The Repetition of History’ / Petrels - ‘Onkalo’
This German label has released a wallet-busting amount of brilliant records from across the experimental music spectrum in recent years. This year, their annual Swingfest event stopped off in London, and the fact that they attracted performers like William Basinski and Andy Stott to play speaks volumes of their reputation.
One feature of that reputation that has been emphasised by many is the label’s consistently beautiful packaging, and releases such as French sludge monsters Celeste’s double album ‘Animale(s)’ in 2013 certainly kept that tradition going. Their online store is more than just a vinyl addict’s heaven, however, with brilliant ambient releases from Field Rotation and Petrels among the vast array of highpoints for Denovali over the last twelve months.
Domino
Notable releases: Grant Hart - ‘The Argument’, Julia Holter - ‘Loud City Song’, Jon Hopkins - ‘Immunity’
Domino may have released one of the year’s biggest records, in the shape of ‘AM’ by Arctic Monkeys, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it is solely about dull post-Britpopindie. Some legendary artists put albums out on Domino in 2013, with Sebadoh’s long-awaited return ‘Defend Yourself’ accompanied by former HüskerDü drummer Grant Hart’s ‘The Argument’, a concept album based on Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’.
However, it was two breakthrough records that impressed the most. Jon Hopkins has had his profile raised by collaborations with Coldplay and King Creosote in recent years but ‘Immunity’ has, deservedly, taken him to new heights. Art pop singer-songwriter Julia Holter, meanwhile, has been a wonderful secret to those in the know since first releasing ‘Tragedy’ in 2011. This shows that Domino’s real strength lies in bringing talent from the underground into the mainstream.
Kranky is one of those labels that can dart from genre to genre without compromising its overall musical aesthetic. Its strongest releases in 2013 may well have been ambient excursions from Ethernet and Tim Hecker, but there was also brilliant dark post-punk from Disappears, gorgeous post-folk from BenoitPioulard and Grouper, and shoegaze from Implodes. A label for hazy mornings, and even hazier evenings.
Profound Lore
Notable releases: Altar of Plagues - ‘Teethed In Glory And Injury’, Helen Money - ‘Arriving Angels’, Portal - ‘Vexovoid’
Profound Lore is Chris Bruni and, given that it’s a one-man operation, this is one label that doesn’t half get through plenty of great metal. Releasing ‘Teethed In Glory And Injury’, the black metal album of the year, in the States would be impressive enough on its own.
Pairing that with a strong contender for death album of the year from mysterious Australian collective Portal means that Bruni’s outfit has been pretty unbeatable in terms of extreme metal this year. Add in records from the likes of Castevet, Helen Money and Vaura, and the list only becomes more impressive.
Rune Grammofon
Notable releases: Fire! Orchestra - ‘Exit!’, Jenny Hval - ‘Innocence Is Kinky’, Motorpsycho - ‘Still Life With Eggplant’
You can always rely on Rune Grammofon for plenty of forward-thinking Scandinavian music. The highlight of the catalogue must be the magnificent ‘Exit!’ from the Fire! collective, a devilishly wonderful collision of free music styles. The fact that the Fire! members also released ‘(Without Noticing)’ on Rune Grammofon this year speaks volumes for that trio’s intense creativity, but it’s been a good year for other artists on the label too.
Jenny Hval’s ‘Innocence Is Kinky’ has been hugely acclaimed, and is especially worth seeking out for those who would like to hear what PJ Harvey might sound like if she’d been raised on an avant-garde musical diet. Jazz rock giants Motorpsycho are still on great form too.
Sargent House
Notable releases: And So I Watch You From Afar - ‘All Hail Bright Futures’, Russian Circles - ‘Memorial’, Chelsea Wolfe - ‘Pain Is Beauty’
Sargent House operates largely on the math rock/post-rock spectrum, although the release of Chelsea Wolfe’s ‘Pain Is Beauty’ this year proved that this is not exclusively the case. If Wolfe is most likely to force her way into the mainstream from Sargent House’s roster then And So I Watch You From Afar, Russian Circles and Tera Melos can’t be far behind. This is a label for anyone who believes that progressive guitar music is as much about texture as it is about instrumental wizardry (although there’s a fair bit of that too).
Students of Decay
Notable releases: Aquarelle - ‘August Undone’, Ekin Fil - ‘Ekin Fil’, Secret Pyramid - ‘Movements of Night’
Students of Decay is probably the least well known label on this list, largely because its roster consists of all things ambient. The label has honed a distinctive identity thanks to releases from the likes of Alex Cobb and Marielle V. Jakobsons, but in 2013 it did particularly well at demonstrating the breadth of its chosen musical style.
Aquarelle should appeal to fans of Fennesz at his most contemplative. EkinFil provides post-folk soundscapes from Istanbul, a la Liz Harris’s Grouper project, and Secret Pyramid lurks in the world of Basinskian sound deterioration. Start with that small sample and then move on to the rest of what this magnificent little label has to offer.
Thrill Jockey
Notable releases: Barn Owl - ‘V’, The Body - ‘Christs, Redeemers’, Grumbling Fur - ‘Glynnaestra’
This list is very deliberately not ranked, but if it was it’s hard to see how Thrill Jockey wouldn’t be at the top. Everything this label releases is worth at least trying out, but in 2013 there have been so many great releases on the label that it’s been hard to keep up.
Barn Owl provided another superlative drone release in the shape of ‘V’. Lightning Bolt drummer Brian Chippendale provided inspired noise with his Black Pus project. The Body delivered hard-hitting dark sludge with ‘Christs, Redeemers’. Grumbling Fur (pictured) popped up with some whimsically brilliant post-psychedelic art pop. That should give you a taste of Thrill Jockey’s diversity, but only listening will impress upon you just how good the label’s team are at providing the very best underground music available. Their 2013 offerings make for a veritable aural feast.
Warp
Notable releases: Autechre - ‘Exai’, Boards of Canada - ‘Tomorrow’s Harvest’, Oneohtrix Point Never - ‘R plus Seven’
Warp has a reputation as the home for forward-thinking electronic music and, while it is nowhere near alone in this regard, 2013 was a fantastic year for the label. The unexpected return of Boards of Canada alone would have effectively guaranteed Warp a place in this list, but the fact that Autechre returned to form with ‘Exai’ helped too. Releases by the likes of Darkstar, Mount Kimbie and Oneohtrix Point Never are all likely to feature high in end of year lists across the music media spectrum too.
It wouldn’t be right to leave the year behind without saying goodbye to a favourite label. Brew Records released some absolute crackers over the years, and arguably signed off with their best release of all in the shape of Humanfly’s ‘Awesome Science’ at the beginning of the year. The Leeds-based label also fantastically noisy records by the likes of Blacklisters, Castrovalva, Hawk Eyes, Kong and These Monsters. It will be sadly missed.
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