Slumberland Records
Slumberland's genesis came back in 1989 when members of Washington DC bands Velocity Girl and Big Jesus Trash Can founded it as a vehicle for disseminating their idiosyncratic pop vision. This was back in a time when there wasn't really any such thing as a "pop underground" in the U.S., especially in D.C., where punk ruled the roost. With Olympia's K Records, Slumberland took punk's DIY approach and applied it to pop music, inspiring a new generation of indie pop kids. In 1992, Michael Schulman took over full responsibility for Slumberland and moved it to Berkeley, California, where it has continued to quietly release some of the best underground pop music around.
14 Iced Bears
14 Iced Bears were a part of the late '80s English guitar-pop belle époque, penning some lovely gently psychedelic jangle-pop tunes while differentiating themselves from the rest of the pack with a sometimes noisy experimental edge.
In The Beginning
-
2001
The Aislers Set
The Aislers Set makes unpretentiously pretty music. They craft dreamy indie pop gems that have the timeless, classic quality of music that will be remembered for a long time. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step, or your money back.
Terrible Things Happen
-
1998
The Last Match
-
2000
Black Tambourine
Black Tambourine's soupy, idiosyncratic indie pop is full of dark lilac and purple hues and velvety textures. These fuzzy, enigmatic songs are full of scraps of dreams, little crushes, and sighs of resignation. Really personal stuff you'll feel was written just for you.
Complete Recordings
-
1999
Henry's Dress
Henry's Dress's fast, vivid pop songs get into your head and do strange, cheerful little jigs. Imagine the Ramones in the early days playing lo-fi pop instead of punk -- then you might have Henry's Dress.
Henry's Dress
Bust 'Em Green
-
1996
Hood
Just when you think you've figured Hood out, they go and change on you. Their music ranges from shimmering, noisy Brit pop to caterwauling guitars to thrumming electronic music. But whatever genre you want to put them in, the music shines.
Silent '88
-
1996
Jane Pow
Listen to one minute of Jane Pow and you'll be wondering how in the world this English band missed out on serious success. During their brief existence they made some incredibly infectious garage-pop full of cheerfully quirky arrangements and surprising twists.
Love It Be It/State
-
1993
Nord Express
Nord Express is all about delicate understatement and faded beauty. The band creates gentle songs that build slowly towards small intimate climaxes and quiet resolutions, marked throughout by a strangely elegant sparseness.
Nord Express
-
1996
Central
-
1997
The Saturday People
Featuring veterans of numerous excellent '90s indie-pop ensembles, Washington DC's The Saturday People offer gorgeous, jangly sounds in the vein of classic '60s folk-pop and seminal '80s Brit-pop.
The Saturday People
-
2001
Sleepyhead
Sweet and spunky indie pop from the good old days of 1993. Sleepyhead's mix of punk and pop sheen will remind you why you started to like indie rock in the first place.
Punk Rock City USA
-
1993
