Three Jagjaguwars

I don’t know much about the Jagjaguwar label; and, to be honest, before this year, I didn’t know much about any of the bands on the label. But this has been a very good year for them.

Minus Story

First, consider Minus Story. Their 2004 album The Captain is Dead, Let the Drum Corpse Dance was only OK. In fact, it shows a surplus of experimentalism and a lack of creativity that made it worse than their debut, Moebius Syndrome. But in the ‘05, they released their Heaven and Hell EP, which easily eclipses either of their longer players.

Okkervil River

Minus Story’s, um, story wouldn’t be sufficient evidence for me to say that something special has happened at Jagjaguwar. But add in Okkervil River, who released the pretty excellent Black Sheep Boy album a few weeks ago. I’m not going to go as far as this PopMatters writer and say that it’s going to be the best album this year (and, as a matter of fact, I don’t think it’s really anywhere close to that), but it’s good; and, compared to their relatively mediocre past albums (I tried hard here to make up a word like “Uncle Tupe-shit” but failed), it’s quite good.

Black Mountain

And then there’s Black Mountain. Relatively new to the scene (although only in name; the musicians have been around for a while as part of a greater collective), their self-titled album from last January is one of the better albums of the year. Their story isn’t quite the same as OR or MS (both medical terms), but they are, indeed, a group of musicians who have chilled together for a while and who have just this year made a solid and accessible album — arguably, for the first time.

So, congratulations, Jagjaguwar! You have attained the status of “label that doesn’t always have to lie on one-sheets when you say your bands’ releases are good.” Calvin Johnson-dom, here you come!

(Speaking of Calvin, my review of his show will be coming to PM sometime in the next week. I think.)