There are a few tweepop labels that really stick out as quality music producers. Shelflife Records being one, has always held a special place in my ears (and heart). Started in 1995 by Ed Mazzucco inspired by UK labels such as Factory and Sarah Records, Ed wanted to expose foreign indie pop groups to North American audiences. So from the basement of his Southern California home, he released the tweetastic compilation ‘Whirl-Wheels’ which included tracks by Club 8, Boyracer and La Buena Vida. Shelflife soon became recognized as one of the top indie pop labels and fan favorites with notable releases from bands like Acid House Kings, The Radio Dept. and Ed’s very own band, The Autocollants.

Fast forward to June 2007, Ed and his cohort Matthew Bice relaunched Shelflife where their primary focus has become blending music with design. Breathing new life into a dying medium by giving fans incentive to actually go out and purchase the physical album, each release under the Shelflife label includes exclusive tracks with collectable package designs created by various up-and-coming artists. Perhaps Ed and Matthew noticed how Peter Saville’s designs have become synonymous with Factory bands and wanted to carry on with his legacy.

October 2008 saw the relaunch of shelflife.com giving fans access to their vast catalog of music and design. Matt and Ed have even started a blog which I highly recommend you subscribe to. I lost count of how many pop acts, both new and old I’ve been introduced to over the last few months.

Shelflife Records is a perfect example of what a record label should be: Exposing new artists, caring about the fans and continually showing passion for the genre we love, ensuring their own shelf life will indeed, last well past it’s due date.

Instead of posting an MP3 of one of their artists, I’m going to direct you to a favtape they’ve created of some of their favorite tracks and post a track of a Manchester band called Snowblind I was introduced to on their blog.

 

 Snowblind - Easy Girl: Play Now