Paper Bag Records is a Canadian independent record label, founded in 2002 by Enrique Soissa and Trevor Larocque and based out of Toronto, Ontario.
Originally the label was created with the intention of focusing specifically on the Toronto-area indie rock music scene, including bands such as Broken Social Scene, Stars, controller.controller and Tokyo Police Club but they have recently ventured out into the European indie rock scene with the 2006 signing of Denmark's Under Byen and Figurines who were signed in April 2007. In July 2007, the label signed Swedish Italo disco singer Sally Shapiro and announced the North American release of her album Disco Romance.
The label was also responsible for releasing the See You on the Moon! compilation that featured indie rock artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Mark Kozelek, Great Lake Swimmers and Hot Chip performing songs for children.
In August 2007 issue of US publication XLR8R magazine, Paper Bag Records was voted #14 'Best Indie Label'. The list of 25 included larger indie labels such as XL Recordings, Astralwerks, Domino Records and ANTI-/Epitaph Records.
On June 6th, 2008 Paper Bag Records proudly announced the launch of Paper Bag Digital. Paper Bag Digital is scheduled to open its virtual doors later this month with the inaugural release of Sally Shapiro's Remix Romance Vol. 2 on June 17th, 2008. Digital-only releases are also in the works for Woodhands, rare live highlights of The Acorn’s Glory Hope Mountain, and You Say Party! We Say Die! among others.
Rock Plaza Central, Winter Gloves and Woodhands all played the Hillside Music Festival this past weekend and we all fantastic! We're trying to secure more footage, but hears some great video of Woodhands ripping it up on the tracks 'I Wasn't Made for Fighting' and 'Dancer' - be sure to watch the whole thing! Dan Werb crowd surfs and the audience was wild! Enjoy!
The Luis Vuitton Don himself - Kanye West - took to his blog this morning and posted the brand new music video for the Acorn's song 'Crooked Legs' saying that it was BEAUTIFUL.
Having first caught tastemakers' attention with his contest winning remix of Crystal Castles "Air War," CFCF has gone on to produce official remixes for talents such as Sally Shapiro, The Presets, HEALTH, The Teenagers and Hearts Revolution among many others. For the past couple of years he has honed his fluid, eclectic and always fun DJ sets at his weekly residency with Montreal's Saturday mainstay, Dance Dance Dance. This wide ranging taste is also reflected in his weekly radio show, "Do You Want New Wave Or Do You Want the Truth", on internet station Viva Radio.
On January 20th, 2009 – Paper Bag Digital will be releasing CFCF's first EP entitled "Panesian Nights" – which has already garnered some national attention with a 4 Star review in Toronto's Now Magazine, as well as being on Exclaim's "Top Artists to watch in 2009" list. This follows the limited edition You Hear Colours 7", released on the Vancouver based boutique label Acéphale Records at the end of 2008. Those quick on the draw might still be able to secure one of the few presale order spots left on CFCF's myspace page.
Panesian Nights will be release simultaneously world wide on Paper Bag Digital exclusively to your favorite digital music provider, and the Paper Bag Digital shop as 320 kbps MP3s’.
Two Fingers is the new project from legendary producer Amon Tobin and Joe “Doubleclick” Chapman. Their self-titled debut album will be released in Canada on April 14th and will be preceded by two singles. “What You Know” will be available on January 13th and will be followed by the release of “That Girl” on March 17th. Both singles and seven album tracks feature the vocals of acclaimed North London-based MC and MOBO winner Sway.
Amon Tobin and Joe “Doubleclick” Chapman met when Tobin lived in Brighton and bonded over an interest in music that ran way beyond the boundaries of “electronica”. Last year, while Tobin was living in Montreal, they began bouncing beats back and forth, trying to apply production techniques associated with UK styles like drum & bass to the template of hip hop. When they had a few tunes together they sent them to Sway. He was so taken with what they were doing; he flew straight out to Montreal and recorded seven tracks with them. The remaining rhythms were voiced by sometime Missy Elliot protégé Ms Jade and dancehall legend Cecile.
The result is a project unlike anything that any of the three main players has ever made before, a unique, utterly uncompromising, brutal and beautiful record that could only have grown out of the UK and the internationalism of those involved. Like all the best music it transcends genre to stand on its own. Two Fingers is set to be one of the records of the year.
“Paper Bag is psyched to be able to support the always-expanding musical landscape of Amon Tobin in his latest project as part of production duo, Two Fingers” says Paper Bag President Trevor Larocque. “Just as Paper Bag is known for our commitment to maintaining a diverse and unpredictable roster, Amon holds a similar appreciation for experimentation that began with pushing the boundaries of electronic music. The combination of pairing the distinct production style of Two Fingers with top International MCs is exactly the sort of exciting projects that we are proud to partner with.”
Well 2008 is winding down and what a year it was! Everyone at Paper Bag wanted to share some of their picks from the past year so here's a few lists from some of the PBR artists and staff! Thanks for another great year!!
You Say Party! We Say Die!
Records that yspwsd spent time with in 2008: (no order whatsoever)
Portishead - Third
Black Mountain - Into The Future
Love Is All - Hundred Different Things Keep Me Up At Night
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Glass Candy - Deep Gems
TV On the Radio - Dear Science
Lioness – Lioness
Slim Twig
“Haven't had much time to mull this one over (it takes a couple months). but off the top of my head my albums list might resemble something like this...
1. Portishead - Third
2. Metronomy - Nights Out
3. Nick Cave - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
4. Eric Copeland - Alien In A Garbage Dump
5. Clinic - Do It!
6. Actual Water - Double Negatives
7. The Rebel - Northern Rocks Bear Weird Vegetable
8. $100 - Forest Of Tears
9. Jay Reatard - In The Red & Matador Singles comps
10. Guilty Simpson - Ode To The Ghetto
my favourite song of the year is without a doubt A Milli by Lil Wayne.
favourite concert was Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ Kool Haus with my sister.
sorry no fleet foxes or kanye.
lookout for my much expanded and possibly revised list(s) coming soon on my myspace.
peace!”
st.
Woodhands
Woodhands' Top 5 New Year's Resolutions (with matching soundtracks)!
1. Get fit! Soundtrack: Just Dance - Lady Gaga
2. Start a relationship! Soundtrack: Single Ladies - Beyonce
3. Read more books! Soundtrack: Wood Between Worlds - Laura Barrett
4. Get a better job! Soundtrack: A Millie - Lil' Wayne
5. Get hip! Soundtrack: Cappuccino - The Knux
Charles F. (Winter Gloves)
For me the best album of the year is "soft airplane" by Chad VanGaalen.
Josh Reichmann Oracle Band
Josh Liked-
Ariel Pink-His new videos and his attempt and a "normal Band", DearHunter-Despite the hype-I enjoy that fasiony youth and music lovers or both are digging the new psychy vibes with heart, My friend James says the band Woman have a couple really great songs, I continue to love world music that is erupting from various vaults around the world most notably Black Israeli messianic funk, also I love my friend Andres Ethier's commitment to real songs about being a man in todays funny world, Sebatiens Graingers Rock wonderland, and I am excited about James Sayce and Jacob Fairly's musical Project-which is probably great 'couse they know whats up- as with most people I Liked Batman Forever, because!
CFCF
My year end list:
1. earth - the bees made honey in the lion's skull
2. quiet village - silent movie
3. arthur russell - love is overtaking me
4. hercules & love affair - s/t
5. dungen - 4
6. bonnie 'prince' billy - lie down in the light
7. cut copy - in ghost colours
8. kanye west - 808s & heartbreak
9. sebastien tellier - sexuality
10. air france - no way down
11. lil wayne - tha carter iii
12. constantines - kensington heights
13. young jeezy - the recession
14. studio - yearbook 2
15. lindstrom - where you go i go too
16. enslaved - vertebrae
17. morgan geist - double night time
18. luomo - convivial
Rolf Klausner (The Acorn)
1. Snailhouse - Lies On The Prize (Unfamiliar)
2. Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane (Flemish Eye)
3. Katie Stelmanis - Join Us (Blocks)
4. Flecton Big Sky - The Bright Side Of Dying (Kelp Records)
5. Bruce Peninsula - A Mouth Is A Mountain (Independent)
6. Lake - Oh, The Places We'll Go (K Recs)
7. Calexico - Carried To Dust (1/4Stick)
8. Hayden - In Town And Field (Hardwood)
9. Constantines - Kensington Heights (Arts & Crafts)
10. Plants & Animals - Park Ave. (Secret City)
Howie Tsui (The Acorn)
here's mine, top albums:
James Blackshaw - Litany of Echoes
Chad Vangaalen - Soft Airplane
Fleet Foxes - st
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ag
Marnie Stern - In Advance of the Broken Arm
James Trauzzi (Paper Bag Records)
Favorite Songs (in no particular order):
Cut Copy – Unforgettable Season (from In Ghost Colours)
MGMT – Time to Pretend (from Oracular Spectacular)
Deerhunter – Nothing Ever Happened (from Microcastle)
The Jealous Girlfriends – The Pink Wig To My Salieri (from The Jealous Girlfriends)
Why? – The Vowels Pt. 2 (from Alopecia)
Kanye West – Paranoid (from 808s & Heartbreak)
Phantom Planet – Do The Panic (from Raise The Dead)
Wolf Parade - Language City (from At Mount Zoomer)
TV on the Radio – Golden Age (from Dear Science)
Los Campesinos! - This Is How You Spell, "HAHAHA, We Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics" (from Hold On Now, Youngster)
Hot Chip – Ready for the Floor (from Made In The Dark)
Killers – I Can’t Stay (from Day & Age)
The Walkmen – In the New Year (from You & Me)
Coldplay – Chinese Sleep Chant (from Viva La Vida)
M83 – Kim & Jessie (from Saturdays = Youth)
Stars – A Thread Cut With A Carving Knife (from Sad Robots EP)
Trevor Larocque (Paper Bag Records)
FAVOURITE ALBUMS FOR 2008 [in order]
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
M83 - Saturday = Youth
Why? - Alopecia
Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Pt.1
Walkmen - You & Me
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
Spiritualized - Songs in A&E
Some of My Favourite Tunes of 2008
Bloc Party - Ion Square (from Intimacy)
Sigur Ros - Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur (from Með Suð I eyrum við spilum end)
Stars - A Thread Cut With A Craving Knife (from Sad Robots EP)
Radiohead - Videotape (from In Rainbows)
Lil Wayne - Got Money (from Tha Carter III)
Fuck Buttons - Sweet Love for Planet Earth (from Sweet Horrrsing)
Kleerup - Tower of Trellick (from Kleerup)
And Some of My Favourite Retro Songs of 2008
Mr Mister - Kyrie
Londonbeat - I've Been Thinking About You
Toto - Africa
Boston - More Than A Feeling
Timmy T - One More Try
the PBR RCRDLBL Blog and Camp America keep spreading the holiday cheer with 2 new remixes from Camp America free for download EXCLUSIVLY here! Check out remixes of two great bands Helicopters and The Framework!
I first heard of Camp America when his kick ass remix of Athlete's song Hurricane was profiled on Stereogum. Over the past year Camp America (aka Steven Cowley) released his debute EP and was comissioned by some awesome bands - both big and small - to do somemore great remixes - including our very own You Say Party! We Say Die!
All next week the Paper Bag Records Blog will be feauturing some of Camp America's remixes - free for download! So be sure to keep coming back to check them out!
Here's a song from the EP called 'Any Kind Of Pulse' which features Joel Pott from Athlete on Vocals - AND free for download - Camp America's remix of You Say Party! We Say Die!'s song Teenage Hit Wonder from the Remik's Cube album!! Enjoy!
The latest video by the Acorn for the song 'Crooked Legs' dropped earlier this week on Pitchfork TV
'Crooked Legs' was directed by Christopher Mills and goes hand in hand with his previous music video for the Acorn's song 'Flood Pt.1'. Check it out below! and thanks Pitchfork, Stereogum and everyone else for the love!
Woodhands have been tearing it up over the past year! They recently played the Canadian Duo Exchange festival in Tokyo, Japan - and I really don't think Japan was expecting the crazy awesomness that ensued. Literally a week after Japan, Woodhands crashed the M for Montreal festival. Christen from RCRDLBL was there and will have a round up of the events shortly, but for the time being check out this video of an almost 10min performance of Woodhands song Dancer from Japan. AND don't forget to download the song Under Attack (Woodhands Live Remix)!
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