Upper Right: Jay Reatard (PHOTO: Rueben Cox); Middle Right: The New Pornographers (PHOTO: Erica Henderson); Upper Left: Bright Black Morning Light (PHOTO: Thomas Campbell); Lower Left: Times New Viking (PHOTO: Loreana Rushe)
Matador Records
TEXT: AARON KEMPLEY
In 1989, Chris Lombardi had a vision in his New York apartment: "I want to put out records." Many people may say or think this, but he just so happened to have to know-how, or maybe know-who to do so. He invited his friend, former Homestead Records manager Gererd Cosley to join him, and he brought some soon-to-be-Homesteaders with him. They released these first two records, as Matador Records, weeks apart in the earlier half off 1990. These two records? Well, one is Teenage Fanclub's A Catholic Education, and the other is Superchunk's acclaimed self titled album. Riding the success of these albums they got an office, they talked to some people, and found a way to offer six hundred bucks to a little act named Pavement.
It pretty much reads like a fairy tail, and if I were to just list off some of the albums Matador would put out in the 1990s, it wouldn't change that thought any. Liz Phair made the early coin. They signed eventual indie rock legends in Yo La Tengo and Guided By Voices. They got Belle and Sebastian from across the lake. They backed Cat Power in her more turbulent times. All this makes it look like they are the "it" label, but it's just good business in practice: only put out records from artists who have already put out good records.
There were a couple miscues in the 1990s as Matador teamed up with two major labels. First was Atlantic Records, an association that lasted only a couple years. In the wake of the grunge explosion it was heard that, “Atlantic was ill equipped to deal with the type of bands we work with.†Then, Matador moved on to Capitol. As that former giant of the music industry stood on the precipice of bankruptcy, Matador—again—moved on, hoping that the peer-to-peer boom and MP3 bloom were going to herald them into the new millennia. Today, A.C. Newman, Belle & Sebastian, Brightblack Morning Light, Cat Power, The Cave Singers, Cold Cave, Fucked Up, Jay Reatard, Julian Plenti, Kurt Vile, Matmos, Mission of Burma, Mogwai, The New Pornographers, The Ponys, Shearwater, Sonic Youth, Stephen Malkmus, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Times New Viking, Yo La Tengo, produce for Matador—an impressive roster of artists in the rapidly shifting.
It's also worth it to note, that Matador has a soured relationship, with the RIAA. Over file sharing stand offs, they have made it apparent they want nothing to do with the grrrRIAA. Patrick Amory, General Manager of Matador, has had many words with them and the daring label has been removed from the membership list.
• Read more about the label and it's artists on their website
• Read the Matablog for recipes (seriously), Matador music, and more...
2009 continues to be a great year for the label with releases by A.C. Newman, Condo Fucks, Sonic Youth, Pavement, God Help the Girl, Julian Plenti, Jay Reatard, The Cave Singers, Yo La Tengo, Mission of Burma, Time New Viking, Kurt Vile, Spiral Stirs, and Cold Cave.
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"At the Cut" by The Cave Singers (right-click & save)You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
"Mary's Market" by God Help the Girl (right-click & save)You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
"Come Monday Night" by God Help the Girl (right-click & save)You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
"Wounded" by Jay Reatard (right-click & save)You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
"Hunchback" by Kurt Vile (right-click & save)You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
"Overnight Religion" by Kurt Vile (right-click & save)You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
"1, 2, 3, Partyy!" by Mission of Burma (right-click & save)You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
"True Love" by Spiral Stairs (right-click & save)You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
"No Time, No Hope" by Times New Viking (right-click & save)
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