Independents Day
Today is Independence Day in the US, but in many more countries it is also Independents Day – celebrating independent record labels the world over. The true underdogs of the music industry, indie labels are responsible for funding and releasing some seriously classic records and songs. Traditionally, indies pick up bands who show potential before allowing them to fly the nest into one of a handful major labels. Though some indies hold onto artists well, and keep the independent flame alive.
To mark Independents Day, several countries are releasing an album featuring the best examples of indie music new and old. The UK’s album looks the best, with 2 CDs – the first features well-known indie artists covering even-better-known indie classics. The second disc features new and upcoming indie artists.
I was interested in how New Zealand would mark the day, and when I heard they were releasing a CD as well, I got all discombobulated daydreaming of a CD of classic NZ tracks being covered. Alas, their CD simply features a few recent NZ indie tracks, mixed with a few of the UK covers. More excitingly, they are running a poll asking for voters to choose the top ten best NZ indie albums since 2000.
Personally I have trouble with top tens – thinking them up, I mean. A list of ten is more achievable, but I have to hang my head low and say sorry, I haven’t had time to come up with one. There’s also the fiddly aspect of which artists and records are actually eligible… A few of my choices would be Flying Nun releases but Flying Nun records is actually fairly far away from being an indie label these days.
That being said, NZ does seem particularly healthy on the independent side – the prime examples would be Lil Chief Records and the unstoppable Blink with his A Low Hum machine. Perhaps it’s just my own perception though.
To cap this off, and to apologize once again for not having a beautiful top ten with long anecdotes and references under each entry, I will say what I feel is the best NZ indie album since 2000. Knowing me, this will no doubt change in a matter of hours, but for now, it is the recording itself, as much as the band, the live experience, and the personal memories attached to them, which make this such a pinnacle in my own NZ music sphere.
It’s got to be Die! Die! Die!’s self-titled album. The self-titled EP showed promise, but when the lads stepped into Steve Albini’s studio in Chicago, I knew that something special would come out, and it sure did. It truly is incendiary. At times a dull fuzz of static and dulcet vocals, others a squall of artillery fire directed straight at the microphones. It may be short, but good God is it ever sweet.
You simply must go and see Die! Die! Die! live.
