hydra head records closing down

toots · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2012 3:16 pm

Quote:

Hydra Head Records has never been a smooth-running operation. We've spent the majority of our existence excitedly scrambling from one thing to the next, taking on more than we could ever possibly hope to achieve, and never quite finding solid footing in the midst of our self-induced whirlwind of chaos. Though not every second of doing this label has been enjoyable, it has been a very rewarding and meaningful project for me, and I hope for many of the other lives to which it has been directly connected. The fact that it has lasted close to two decades at this point is astonishing, and much has changed during that time - the lives of those directly involved with running the label, the bands and artists we've worked with, and the nature of the music industry itself. Though many of these changes have been positive, or at least illuminating, the impact of our history and current industry circumstances are culminating into a slow and somewhat painful death for the label. It certainly isn't an entirely unforeseen event, but we didn't think it would come quite so abruptly, or (perhaps naively) ever....

http://hydraheadlines.blogspot.com/2012 ... -head.html

the years of my college-age youth, slowly disintegrating

discostu · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:09 pm

was just about to post this. they had a good run

toots · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:57 pm

they did

cave in will always have a special place in my heart

Lrr · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2012 11:26 pm

damn, might have to go doublecheck my inbox.

not generally my thing, but i respect the label a fair shake

MontyTheMongoose · **Posted:** Wed Sep 12, 2012 10:02 am

toots Wrote:

they did

cave in will always have a special place in my heart

This is all according to plan. In another coupla years, Coachella (or Bonnaroo, or Pitchfork, but mostly, the first, since reunions are its thing more than the others) will double-down on Nostalgia & do a retiring/retired label showcase as the centerpiece. Coachydrahead 2016, anyone?

I mean, something to fill the space until R.E.M. plays Coachella in 2018. (That'll be a killer headlining bill: R.E.M., Wu-Tang Clan*, Sonic Youth.)

*Granted, I don't think Wu ever broke up, but they are not producing new Wu music, of late. Solo, sure, but not together.

toots · **Posted:** Wed Sep 12, 2012 10:31 am

breaking up for 10 years then getting back together seems to be a good career move for band these days

BREAKING: Brazil to release new record in 2017

Dick Meatwood · **Posted:** Wed Sep 12, 2012 11:31 am

So my first thought in seeing this thread was, "Will they have a sale?"

And yes, they do have a sale. I may get a grab bag of stuff.

I only have a handful of things from this label that I really like. They've always been in the kind-of-cool but not-exactly-my-wheelhouse territory. Lots of stuff that I wanted to like or felt like I should like such as Jesu, Isis, Pelican, that just never really clicked with me. Anyway, too bad they have to close up. Hope they can pay off their debts, etc.

toots · **Posted:** Wed Sep 12, 2012 11:53 am

i just always liked that they seemed to have the "art metal" thing cornered.

i guess southern lord fills the space now?

Dick Meatwood · **Posted:** Wed Sep 12, 2012 11:56 am

Yeah I definitely respected the niche that they carved out for themselves. I was just never that into it.

And yeah, Southern Lord is probably the closest thing I know of. Definitely some overlap.

MontyTheMongoose · **Posted:** Wed Sep 12, 2012 1:37 pm

toots Wrote:

i just always liked that they seemed to have the "art metal" thing cornered.

i guess southern lord fills the space now?

Art Metal shall be the name of Garfunkel's expectation-defying comeback.

hydra head records closing down

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