Mint Records

Last updated

Mint Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based independent record label founded in 1991, by friends and campus radio enthusiasts Randy Iwata and Bill Baker. Mint has put out over 150 releases, several of which have won Juno Awards.

Contents

History

Iwata and Baker started working together at CITR-FM, the University of British Columbia radio station. Three years after graduation, they left the station, and founded Mint Records in January, 1991 to release the music of up-and-coming bands in Vancouver. [1]

One of their earliest successes was a band called cub who, alongside Bunnygrunt and labelmates Maow, helped pioneer the vein of indie pop known as cuddlecore. [2] Neko Case, performed in both Cub and Maow, released her first solo album on Mint. [3]

In the late 1990s, the label was heavily affected by the financial crisis at and eventual bankruptcy of distribution company Cargo Records, [4] when Cargo's failure to pay the label for Gob's album Too Late... No Friends led to the band, then Mint's most lucrative act, defecting to rival label Nettwerk. [5]

In the year 1998, Mint Records album Get Outta Dodge by Huevos Rancheros was nominated for a Juno Award in the Best Alternative Album category, [6]

Mint achieved Billboard chart success in the early 2000s with Neko Case [7] and The New Pornographers. [8] In 2001, the band's album Mass Romantic won the Juno Award for Best Alternative Album. [9] [10] Mass Romantic was listed at #17 in the 2001 Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll, [11] and later ranked at #24 in Blender's 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums Ever list. [12]

By its tenth anniversary Mint had released 32 albums, 23 singles and five EPs. [13]

Electric Version by The New Pornographers was listed at #7 in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll of 2003. [14] In 2009, the album was ranked at #79 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums of the Decade list. [15] New Pornographers album Twin Cinema was voted the #9 album of 2005 in the Pazz & Jop poll of 2005, [16] and PopMatters ranked the album at #1 on their Best Music of 2005 list. [17] It was later shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize in 2006, [18] while Pitchfork Media placed Twin Cinema at number 150 on their list of the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s. [19]

In October 2006, in conjunction with Exclaim! magazine and CBC Radio 3, Mint Records mounted a cross-Canada tour called the "Exclaim! Mint Road Show!" with headliners The New Pornographers along with Immaculate Machine and Novillero (except the final show in Vancouver, which featured Young and Sexy and Bella). [20]

In 2010, Mint Records album Let's Just Stay Here by Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle was nominated for a Juno Award in the Roots & Traditional Album of the Year category. [21]

In 2011, a book about Mint Records by Kaitlin Fontana was published by ECW Press. It is titled Fresh at Twenty: The Oral History of Mint Records.

Current artists

Past artists [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neko Case</span> American singer-songwriter

Neko Richelle Case is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and critics as a "flamethrower", "a powerhouse [which] seems like it might level buildings," "a 120-mph fastball," and a "vocal tornado". Critics also note her idiosyncratic, "cryptic," "imagistic" lyrics, and credit her as a significant figure in the early 21st-century American revival of the tenor guitar. Case's body of work has spanned and drawn on a range of traditions including country, folk, art rock, indie rock, and pop and is frequently described as defying or avoiding easy generic classification.

<i>Exile in Guyville</i> 1993 studio album by Liz Phair

Exile in Guyville is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released on June 22, 1993, by Matador Records. It was recorded at Idful Music Corporation in Chicago between 1992 and 1993 and produced by Phair and Brad Wood. The album received critical acclaim and in 2020, it was ranked No. 56 by Rolling Stone in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. It was certified gold in 1998 and as of July 2010 it had sold 491,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Christgau</span> American music journalist (born 1942)

Robert Thomas Christgau is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop, riot grrrl, and the import of African popular music in the West. Christgau spent 37 years as the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice, during which time he created and oversaw the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. He has also covered popular music for Esquire, Creem, Newsday, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Blender, and MSN Music, and was a visiting arts teacher at New York University. CNN senior writer Jamie Allen has called Christgau "the E. F. Hutton of the music world – when he talks, people listen."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The New Pornographers</span> Canadian indie rock band

The New Pornographers are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1997 in Vancouver. Presented as a musical collective and supergroup of singer-songwriters and musicians from multiple projects, the band has released nine studio albums to date. The band have received critical acclaim for their use of multiple vocalists and songwriters, as well as for the elements of power pop incorporated into their music. Pitchfork has described the band's sound as "peppy, gleeful, headstrong guitar pop", while Stereogum has retrospectively praised the band's debut album Mass Romantic as "one of the greatest and most immediate power pop albums ever rendered".

<i>Either/Or</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Elliott Smith

Either/Or is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Either/Or was recorded in several locations, mostly in Portland, Oregon – while Smith was still a member of Heatmiser – and was produced by Smith, Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. Either/Or was released on February 25, 1997, on the Kill Rock Stars record label, following Heatmiser's dissolution. Book-ended by its two singles, "Speed Trials" and "Ballad of Big Nothing", Either/Or did not chart in the US, but was acclaimed by critics.

<i>Mass Romantic</i> 2000 studio album by The New Pornographers

Mass Romantic is the debut studio album by Canadian indie rock supergroup The New Pornographers. Produced by David Carswell and band bassist John Collins, it was released on Mint Records on November 28, 2000. The album was three years in the making, with musicians A.C. Newman and Dan Bejar writing songs as early as 1998. With encouragement from peers, they recorded an album with other Canadian musicians from groups including The Evaporators, Zumpano, and Destroyer.

Maow was a Canadian indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A pop punk combo, the band was part of the "cuddlecore" scene led by cub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolyn Mark</span> Musical artist

Carolyn Natasha Mark is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. She has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the duo The Corn Sisters with American colleague Neko Case, as well as with the bands the Vinaigrettes, Jr. Gone Wild, Showbusiness Giants, the Fixin's and the Metronome Cowboys. She has also provided backing vocals on recordings by The Buttless Chaps, Greenfield Main, Neko Case, Frog Eyes, NQ Arbuckle, Rhubarb Whiskey, Secret Emchy Society, and Blackout Beach.

<i>The Virginian</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Neko Case and her Boyfriends

The Virginian is the 1997 debut studio album by American vocalist Neko Case, whose backing band at that time consisted of a rotating group of musicians referred to as "Her Boyfriends". It was Case's first solo record after previously being a member of Vancouver pop punk bands Maow and Cub.

<i>Electric Version</i> 2003 studio album by The New Pornographers

Electric Version is the second studio album by Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. It was released on Matador Records and Mint Records on May 6, 2003.

<i>More Adventurous</i> 2004 studio album by Rilo Kiley

More Adventurous is the third studio album by American indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Released on August 17, 2004 by Brute/Beaute Records, a self-made imprint distributed by Warner Records, it was the band's major label debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pazz & Jop</span> Annual poll of top musical releases

Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper The Village Voice and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year absence from the Voice, each year from 1974 onward. The polls are tabulated from the submitted year-end top 10 lists of hundreds of music critics. It was named in acknowledgement of the defunct magazine Jazz & Pop, and adopted the ratings system used in that publication's annual critics poll.

<i>Featuring "Birds"</i> 1998 studio album by Quasi

Featuring "Birds" is the third studio album by American indie rock band Quasi. It was released in 1998 by record label Up in the US and Domino in the UK.

<i>The Mekons Rock n Roll</i> 1989 studio album by The Mekons

The Mekons Rock 'n Roll is the eighth studio album by English rock band The Mekons, released in 1989.

<i>Electr-O-Pura</i> 1995 studio album by Yo La Tengo

Electr-O-Pura is the seventh studio album by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo, released on May 2, 1995, by record label Matador. The album received very positive reviews from music critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Dahle</span> Canadian musician

Kurt Colin Dahle is a Juno Award winning, Grammy nominated Canadian musician. Dahle is best known for his work as a drummer and vocalist with the rock bands Age of Electric, Limblifter, and The New Pornographers. Dahle's known for a heavy swing on his kick pedal and an ear for memorable fills. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays drums, keyboard, organ, guitar, saxophone and bass.

<i>Mint Records Presents the CBC Radio 3 Sessions</i> 2006 compilation album by Various Artists

Mint Records Presents the CBC Radio 3 Sessions is a compilation album featuring live sessions from Canada's CBC Radio 3 network, as well as some from the 1990s CBC Radio 2 programs Night Lines and RadioSonic.

Huevos Rancheros were a Canadian surf rock band from Calgary, Alberta, active from 1990 to 2000. Huevos Rancheros performed an instrumental blend of rockabilly, surf, garage and punk music.

<i>Brighter Than Creations Dark</i> 2008 studio album by Drive-By Truckers

Brighter Than Creation's Dark is the seventh studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers. It was released on January 22, 2008 in the United States.

<i>Stuff Like That There</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Yo La Tengo

Stuff Like That There is the fourteenth full-length album by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo, released in August 2015 by record label Matador.

References

  1. ↑ "Greetings from Vancouver!". SPIN 2 March 2006.
  2. ↑ Hogan, Marc (2007-05-10), Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Cub: Betti-Cola / Come Out Come Out, Pitchfork Media, retrieved 2010-05-17
  3. ↑ "Neko Case and her enduring bond to Canada". The Buffalo News, By Michael Farrell Feb 26, 2016
  4. ↑ "Still in Mint condition: A small Vancouver record label has quietly carved out an enviable 'killer brand' reputation in the indie market". The Globe and Mail , August 30, 2001.
  5. ↑ Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995 . ECW Press. ISBN   978-1-55022-992-9.
  6. ↑ "Yearly Summary | The JUNO Awards" Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine .
  7. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/neko-case/chart-history/
  8. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-new-pornographers/chart-history/
  9. ↑ "Artist Summary | The JUNO Awards" Archived 2010-06-02 at the Wayback Machine .
  10. ↑ "The New Pornographers: The Last Picture Show". Magnet,
  11. ↑ "Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 2001: Critics Poll" Archived 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine .
  12. ↑ "100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums Ever" Archived 2010-05-29 at the Wayback Machine . Blender.
  13. ↑ Larry LeBlanc (1 September 2001). "Mint Records Still Fresh after Ten Years". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 49–. ISSN   0006-2510.
  14. ↑ "Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 2003: Critics Poll".
  15. ↑ "Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Albums, Songs Of The ’00s". Stereogum, 10 December 2009.
  16. ↑ "Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 2005: Critics Poll".
  17. ↑ "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos | PopMatters". 2005
  18. ↑ 2006 Polaris Music Prize
  19. ↑ Pitchfork staff (September 28, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200-151". Pitchfork Media . Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  20. ↑ "Mint to release Radio 3 sessions collection for 15th Anniversary Roadshow". Punk News
  21. ↑ "Artist Summary | The JUNO Awards" [ permanent dead link ].
  22. ↑ "Artist | Mint Records".
  23. ↑ "Get the lowdown on Vancouver's music scene". Georgia Strait, 28 February 2007.
  24. ↑ "The Buttless Chaps Calling it Quits". CBC News.[ permanent dead link ]
  25. ↑ "Neko Case leaves Mint to sign with Anti- Records". Georgia Strait, 25 June 2008.
  26. ↑ "The Organ Calls It Quits". Georgia Strait
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.