Cantora Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 2005 |
Founder | Will Griggs, Jesse Israel, Nick Panama |
Genre | Indie rock, alternative rock, psychedelic pop |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | New York City |
Cantora Records is a Brooklyn-based independent record label, most notable for signing the psychedelic pop band MGMT and issuing the band's first commercial release, Time to Pretend .
Cantora Records was formed in 2005 by Jesse Israel and Will Griggs, then sophomores and roommates at NYU, and Nick Panama. Will Griggs is the son of former executive editor of The New York Times Jill Abramson. [1] Prior to the creation of the label, Jesse Israel and Will Griggs approached Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden and offered to manage their band, then known as The Management. Nick Panama, having heard The Management's music through a mutual friend of the band, contacted Jesse Israel and Will Griggs and shortly thereafter the three music enthusiasts formed Cantora Records, each contributing $800 in starting capital. [2] The Management changed their name to MGMT to avoid conflict with a U.K.-based band of the same name, and MGMT's Time to Pretend was issued under the Cantora Records name in order to coincide with their '05 tour with fellow psychedelic -pop band Of Montreal. [3]
Since 2005, Cantora Records has expanded their roster to include artists such as Francis and the Lights, Bear Hands and Savoir Adore. [4]
In 2015, Rostrum Records acquired Cantora's catalog with hopes to re-launch the label with new signings. That re-launch began in earnest in 2024 with the re-signing of Bear Hands. [5]
In 2010, Cantora Records launched Cantora Creative, a consulting division providing music-centric online video content and marketing strategies for various clients. [6]
Underground Operations was an independent punk rock record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1995, the label was originally based in Ajax, Ontario. Operated by Mark Spicoluk, former Closet Monster member and former bass player for Avril Lavigne, this label was one of the most successful independent labels in Canada. Spicoluk started the label when he was 16 years of age. Underground Operations shut down on December 2, 2016.
Blackpool Lights is an American indie rock band founded in Kansas City, Missouri, by The Get Up Kids guitarist Jim Suptic, bassist Brian Everard, and drummer Billy Brimblecom.
MGMT is an American rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by singers and multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser.
Oracular Spectacular is the debut studio album by the American band MGMT, released on October 2, 2007, by RED Ink and physically on January 22, 2008, by Columbia. It was produced by Dave Fridmann and is the band's first release of new content, being recorded from March to April 2007. Promotion for the album started as early as June 2007, when the song "Weekend Wars" was given away in summer issues of free monthly magazine Nöjesguiden in Stockholm, Sweden. Matching CDs could be picked up for free in all stores in three different shopping malls around Stockholm from June 26 to July 31. The album was also promoted with three singles: "Time to Pretend", "Electric Feel" and "Kids". Both "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" were re-recorded for the album; they were originally included on the band's previous release Time to Pretend (2005), with the opening track serving as a "mission statement" and the theme continuing through the album's subsequent tracks.
Time to Pretend is the second EP by the American rock band MGMT, released on August 30, 2005 by Cantora Records and made available on iTunes. New versions of the tracks "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" were later released on MGMT's debut album Oracular Spectacular (2007–2008). At the time this was recorded they were still known as "The Management".
"Time to Pretend" is a song by the American indie band MGMT, released as the lead single from their debut studio album Oracular Spectacular (2007) on March 3, 2008. An earlier version had been released on their Time to Pretend EP. The single was released as a 7" and CD single featuring the B-sides "Weekend Wars" and "Metanoia", respectively. In early 2009, the song was re-released in the UK. The song was ranked at number 493 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and its parent album, Oracular Spectacular, was ranked at number 494 on the publication's additional list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The song was also ranked at number 90 on NME's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The Blakes are an American indie rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band had several independent releases before signing to Seattle record label Light In The Attic, and then had two more studio releases: The Blakes LP and Streets EP. After that they had two more independent releases in 2009: Lights On EP and Souvenir LP.
Francis and the Lights is an American music project created by Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen. Francis Farewell Starlite is an American musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is primarily a vocalist and pianist and is often credited by the Francis and the Lights name for his solo work. He is a frequent collaborator of artists and producers such as Kanye West, Justin Vernon, Cashmere Cat, Chance the Rapper, Nico Segal, Frank Ocean, and Banks.
Andrew Wells VanWyngarden is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitar player and songwriter for the band MGMT, praised for "an uncanny knack for producing pop music that sounds as if it were filtered through a kaleidoscope." One of his songs, "Kids", received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, while the duo was nominated in the Best New Artist category.
Blue Giant was an American rock band from Portland, Oregon. An eclectic mix of country, indie rock, and psychedelic styles, Blue Giant have been called a Portland supergroup. The band was originally composed of the songwriters and musicians from Viva Voce, Kevin Leigh Robinson and Anita Lee Elliott, Chris Funk of The Decemberists, Evan Railton of Swords, and Seth Lorinczi of The Golden Bears, Circus Lupus & The Quails. Musically, Blue Giant could be characterized as rural psychedelic rock, with one music critic calling them a perfect country rock band.
The discography of indie rock band MGMT consists of five studio albums, one compilation album, one demo album, four extended plays, eleven singles and fourteen music videos. Originally known under the name The Management, the group was founded in 2002 by Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser during their freshman year as art students at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After graduating and changing the band's name to MGMT, they released an EP titled Time to Pretend in 2005 through the independent record label Cantora Records; music videos were recorded for two of the EP's songs, "Boogie Down" and "Destrokk". The critical success of the EP and extensive touring brought the group to the attention of Columbia Records, which signed them in 2006.
The Weeks are an American rock band originating from Florence, Mississippi, United States.
The Lights Out is a rock band that formed in 2005 in Boston, Massachusetts. A band not signed to a major record label, they have nevertheless been able to sustain themselves, self-releasing a string of EPs and full-length albums since 2007.
Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser is an American songwriter and musician in the psychedelic rock band MGMT, for which he primarily plays keyboards and sings. In 2009, his song "Electric Feel", remixed by Justice, won a Grammy Award in the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical category. In 2010, his band was nominated for a Grammy as Best New Artist and Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Congratulations Remixes is an EP which includes remixes of 3 tracks from the MGMT release Congratulations.
Bear Hands is an American post-punk and indie rock band, consisting of Dylan Rau, Val Loper (bass), and TJ Orscher (drums). Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, United States, and formed in 2006, with Ted Feldman (guitar) the band signed with Cantora Records in 2010 upon the release of its single "What a Drag".
Young Buffalo is an indie rock band from Oxford, Mississippi.
Savoir Adore is a pop-rock group duo from Brooklyn, New York City, United States initially consisting of Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro. In 2014, Deidre Muro left the band while Hammer worked with a guest vocalist. Hammer began collaborating with Lauren Zettler shortly after, and she became a permanent member. As of June 2020 the band has released five albums, several EPs, numerous singles and a number of remixes albums. They also have done an international tour.
PopGun Presents is an events production/promotion, music curation and venue management collective based in Brooklyn, NY. It was founded in 2008 by Rami Haykal and Jake Rosenthal.
Violens was an American synth-pop band. Jorge Elbrecht and Iddo Arad formed the band in 2007 while living in Brooklyn, New York, and Myles Matheny joined them in 2009. In 2008, the band released their self-titled extended play under the Deadly People record label. Their debut album Amoral was released in 2010, later followed by the second album True, released in 2012.