Pop Playground
Top 10 Labels of 2005

By: Stylus Staff
2005-12-28



Log In to Post Comments
Posted 12/28/2005 - 08:57:20 AM by KlausFraktal:
 My personal favorite this year was Young God: Gira, Akron/Family, Mi and L'au Only four releases, but all of them top knotch.
 
Posted 12/28/2005 - 10:05:47 AM by jhitting:
 DFA, for LCD and Juan. Plus, Black Dice isn't all that annoying after repeat listens. Oh, and isn't Dungen on Jagjaguwar or are they are something else?
 
Posted 12/28/2005 - 01:47:42 PM by MEKsLP:
 Glad to see that Matador was left off the list after their horrible year. Stephen's album was great, Laura's album was good, and the rest was just passable. The worst offense being the shameless re-issue of Antics with a couple throw away tracks. 06 looks to be better starting out with Cat Power's new album and new material from Mission of Burma.
 
Posted 12/28/2005 - 03:43:42 PM by ckramer:
 i think Load and Social Registry both had great years, I would've like to see them on here.
 
Posted 12/28/2005 - 04:09:31 PM by darinfic:
 how about merge? releases by m ward, spoon, the clientele, portastatic, the rosebuds, tenement halls, annie hayden, etc.... that's a pretty solid year. honorable mention?
 
Posted 12/29/2005 - 08:45:03 AM by J_R_K_:
 GOOOM. i just like their name.
 
Posted 12/29/2005 - 10:38:45 AM by Zarklephaser:
 I know that Antony is the hype of Secretly Canadian as he very well should be, but my favorite release on the label was probably Jen Lekman's Oh You're So Silent Jens.
 
Posted 12/29/2005 - 03:19:21 PM by whiteboysushi:
 ever since 2002 or so, Domino has quietly become one of the most consistently excellent labels around. I didn't realize it until earlier this year, when it suddenly hit me that everyone in my family has a Domino artist somewhere among their favorites (my mom and sister like Franz Ferdinand, my dad likes Four Tet, everyone likes The Notwist, and I like all of those and then some).
 
Posted 12/29/2005 - 10:09:17 PM by Nick_S:
 perhaps these are too canadian-centric to ever get included, but i honestly think people should take a look at toronto-based labels rat drifting and blocks recording club home of some of my current favourites: lenin i shumov, deep dark dark united, final fantasy, the silt, rob clutton, and drumheller. this stuff isn't that well known outside of toronto, but it's gotta start somewhere... both were strong in 2005 (blocks: lenin i shumov's ep, "ancient" by deep dark united, abd final fantasy getting delayed attentio and rat drifting was slow, but good, releasing the solid josh thorpe and drumheller discs). together those labels really represent "the toronto sound" (of experimental music) well to these ears.
 
Posted 12/30/2005 - 02:59:58 PM by bassman08:
 You forgot to mention Sons and Daughters on the Domino page, yo.
 
Posted 12/30/2005 - 04:12:01 PM by Nick_S:
 This just in... I'm not crazy... The Wire did a feature on the Rat-Drifting Label in Global Ear. Ok... the end!
 
Posted 12/31/2005 - 06:36:40 PM by bassman08:
 Uhh...MEKsLP? Dead Meadow? Ring any bells? Best dose of heavy-assed psych rock since Pink fuckin' Floyd? Why were they not on the Stylus year-end list? Who knows? Do you think, maybe, they got snubbed? Or is it all a conspiracy? Who knows...OK, these question marks are beginning to piss me off.
 
Posted 01/03/2006 - 11:14:40 AM by shoeshine:
 What, no Victory Records? I thought Fonal was a bit high and I would have liked to see merge on the list.