Polyvinyl Records

The Polyvinyl Recording Company operates out of Danville, Illinois, about a hundred miles south of Chicago. This label focuses its attentions on releasing music that rocks and rolls in strange original new ways. We won't use the "e" word, but let's just say that most of the music on Polyvinyl is made by sensitive Midwestern boys who like noisy guitars.

Aloha
Ohio's Aloha creates music that seems to take on a strange, paradigm-defying life of its own, a music full of paradoxes. Their sprawling, multilayered, epics somehow find a way to be subtle and delicately nuanced, thoughtful and passionate at the same time.

That's Your Fire
The Great Communicators, the Interpreters, the Nonbelievers
Sugar - 2002
Some Echoes - 2006


AM/FM
Simple and sincere, AM/FM tells it like it is. Their sunny, fuzzy little pop ditties are perfect examples of less is more. Irresistable.

Mutilate Us
AM/FM Seven-Inch
Getting Into Sinking
The Sky Is The New Ground - 2002


American Football
Sparkling guitars tumble over each other like spilled trails of sunlight, the soundtrack to the coolest summertime love story ever told. Dazzling and hypnotic without being derivative or pantywaisted, American Football might make even the most die-hard opponents warm towards emo.

American Football


Ativin
Ativin creates angular guitar rock that combines the dark brooding power of Slint with the delicate orchestral beauty of Gastr del Sol. They explore the full breadth of the sonic spectrum, from whisper-soft to thunder-loud.

Pills Versus Planes - 1996
Summing The Approach - 1999
German Water - 1999
Interiors - 2001


Braid
Braid's thundering power-pop guitars and straight-from-the-heart emotions will tug even the most cynical heartstrings with their passionate recollections of adolescent anguish.

Frankie Welfare Boy Age 5 - 1995
Frame and Canvas - 1998
Movie Music Vol. One - 2000
Movie Music Vol. Two - 2000


Hey Mercedes
Another bright Midwestern emo star is shining down upon us in the form of Hey Mercedes, the direct descendent of those late great indie rock darlings of the prairie, Braid. The vocals are passionate and sincere, the guitars huge and buzzing, and the emotions couldn't be any truer.

EP


The Ivory Coast
A bouncy quintet from Boston with a penchant for raggedly emotional rock, the Ivory Coast draws on disparate influences to produce a solid, satisfying sound.

Re Direction


Kerosene 454
Rough-hewn, dynamic pop punk melodies tinged with the slightest amount of melancholy, adding tension without diluting texture.

Came By To Kill Me - 1997
Race - 1997
At Zero - 1998


Mates of State
Real life mates Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel play exuberant, life-affirming minimalist pop employing only keyboards and drums.

Our Constant Concern - 2002
Bring It Back - 2006


Matt Pond PA
Not a person, but a Philadelphia musical collective that devotes itself to the creation elegantly strange baroque chamber pop. Weaving strings, horn, and flute together with guitar, bass, and drums can be a dangerous undertaking, but Matt Pond PA does it with considerable aplomb, designing rich songs lush with a fragile sense of regret.

Measure
The Green Fury - 2002
The Nature of Maps - 2002


Of Montreal
Let's get one thing out of the way right now: Of Montreal isn't from Montreal. The band isn't even from Canada. In fact, the members hail from Athens, Georgia. Their music consists of cheery, rainbow-tinted love songs and parables populated by odd characters living in a world of candy flowers, ice cream cone trees, and ill-fated missing baby spiders. Prepare to be charmed.

horse & elephant eatery (no elephants allowed) the singles and songles album - 2000
The Sunlandic Twins - 2005


Owen
Under the Owen alias, Mike Kinsella sheds the arty pretensions of some of his previous bands (Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, American Football), stepping out of the indie rock fold to make dreamily intimate, surprisingly simple pop music.

Owen - 2001


Paris, Texas
Actually from Madison, Wisconsin, this five-piece group delivers emotional indie rock with divinely fluid musical structures and an endearing streak of pop sweetness running throughout their songs.

CD Single
So, You Think it's Hot Here?
Brazilliant


Pele
These guys create strikingly beautiful and moody epics that gush forth in dynamic fountains of sound. Sometimes the music is as jagged as broken glass and other times it flows like warm honey.

People Living With Animals. Animals Kill People
The Nudes
Elephant - 1999
Enemies - 2002


Radio Flyer
Heavyweight veteran indie punk legends have a week long musical liason and give birth to Radio Flyer - emo-style songcraft with sophistication and evocative utterances.

In Their Strange White Armor


Rainer Maria
Wisconsin trio Rainer Maria took the established Midwest emo sound of the mid-'90s and made it arty, subtle, and intelligent. They're a thoughtful, elegant indie rock trio whose song craft is almost invariably excellent.

Look Now, Look Again
Past Worn Searching
Rainer Maria
A Better Version Of Me


Sunday's Best
Sensitive L.A. boys Sunday's Best are relative newcomers to the underground rock circuit, but their satisfying style of jangly, honest emotional indie rock leads one to believe they'll be around for awhile.

Slightest Indication of Change
Where You Are Now - 1999
Poised To Break - 2000
Holiday Matinee, Volume 2 - 2000
The Californian - 2002