Happy Music Monday! 4AD is one of the most legendary record labels, covering so many different genres and artists. Even today they're still around, and still doing really cool stuff. But when they started, alternative wasn't a thing, and pop songs like this weren't as widely accepted as they are now. 4AD was important to many of us for that reason, the "Crayons to perfume" of our teenage years. And the music they made still holds up.
This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren
It was a super hard decision to make, deciding how to start this post. I chose Song To The Siren because it's so famous, and it represents a magical moment in the label's history. But I could also have easily picked this song or this song or even this song instead. There's just so much to love in 4AD's catalog, both old and new. It's just that this cover of a Tim Buckley song is really the moment the whole world noticed 4AD was something special. So I started here.
More to come! ENROBE YOURSELF IN DARKNESS AND ADVANCE
Bauhaus didn't start on 4AD but they made some of their best music there. Also, they helped give 4AD the reputation as a sort of gothy label for music with leather and lace. It wasn't always true, but it wasn't always far off. Especially in the early years.
Modern English - I Melt With You
4AD was known for a lot of really weird music, but every so often they had a colossal hit. This song was everywhere all over the planet for a few months in the early 1980s. The money it made probably kept the doors open for the longest time. And for many of us in America, this was the first time we noticed anything that had to do with 4AD, although it wasn't released on that label in the US.
M|A|R|R|S - Pump Up The Volume
This one also had a different distributor in America, but this juggernaut of a dance track started at 4AD. For people who thought 4AD was just a rock label, it was a huge surprise. Who could have expected a company known for moody darkness would make a track like THIS?
I was around when Nirvana first appeared. I even passed up a chance to see them live at a tiny club near my college. Why? Because I didn't care! I and most of the people that I knew were far more into Pixies, and years later I learned about all the band drama and got even MORE into Pixies. Without the 4AD label, who knows what the world might be?
Post your favorite 4AD songs, or just type WHAT IS THIS THING I DON'T UNDERSTAND in the forums below. And hey, if you like the Cocteau Twins, maybe head over to our Facebook page where we'll be giving away one of their classic albums in honor of today's Music Monday post! 4AD would be nothing without the Cocteau Twins, after all. Also let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. See you next week.