I (heart) Teenbeat

Teenbeat [teenbeat.net] / [myspace.com/teenbeat413] are a proper (and personal fave) indie record label based in and around Washington DC, run by Mark Robinson and his merry crew. The label was founded in 1985 by group of “young geeks and punks” looking for somewhere to exhibit their homegrown noisefests. My personal introduction to Teenbeat goes back to 1992 when 4AD [4ad.com] offshoot, Guernica [discogs.com], released an album called ‘Imperial f.f.r.r.’ by one of Mark Robinson’s many personal projects, Unrest [last.fm/unrest]. Since then I made sure to check in and see what’s cooking on a semi-regular basis.

Since Teenbeat’s dalliance with 4AD back in the mid 90s, the label has continued on it’s merry way, releasing it’s own distinct brand of idiosyncratic, often twisted, indie pop. The Teenbeat D.I.Y. aesthetic stretches to the various album artwork produced for the label which borrows then mashes up many influences from the world of 80s & 90s sleeve art.

Visit the Teenbeat website to download the Teenbeat Book of Numbers to your iPod. It’s a catalogue of everything the label has done eva. Here’s a couple to whet your appetite… Number 108: Unrest ‘Perfect Hairdo’ Comb / Number 295: US Olympic Commitee demands Teenbeat band, Olympic Death Squad, cease name use. I’ve also posted some Teenbeat Graphica for your perusal.