Name that Rune

As we near the end of the first decade of the Twenty-first Century, I'm going through all the music I have listened to and purchased in the past ten years. I think in the past decade I have expanded my vinyl and cd collections more than ever and I have for sure expanded the musical genres that I listen to and appreciate. Growing up in the 80s, listening to heavy metal, rock, new wave, goth and punk music, I never pictured myself enjoying jazz, classical, or folk but in the past ten years these styles of music along with electronic and experimental have become the main types of music I've been listening to. So, it is no surprise to me that a huge portion of the music I have acquired over this decade has been released by one label, Rune Grammofon.

Begun in 1998 by Rune Kristoffersen (formerly of the Norwegian duo Fra Lippo Lippi) the label to date, has nearly 100 releases in its catalog. Primarily focusing on Norwegian artists the labels range of musical genres is very diverse; from the first release 1-3 by jazz quartet Supersilent, to drummer Thomas Strønen, eclectic female quartet Spunk, guitarist Jono El Grande, and composers such as Arne Nordheim and Fartein Valen to rock bands Bushman's Revenge and Motorpsycho and the folksy leanings of Susanna and the Magical Orchestra. The most recent release, Bandwidth, is a three disc set by the improv ensemble Circulasione Totale Orchestra, which was recorded live at various jazz festivals.

As the music industry and corporate record labels struggle to maintain the sales figures of there past, I feel that Rune Grammofon along with labels like Raster Noton, Mille Plateaux, Southern Lord, Constellation and others are doing something unique to smaller labels and that is to actually care about what they are releasing. This care goes into everything from the bands chosen to the design and packaging of the albums. There is a diversity and freshness on these labels that may challenge some listeners at first but with an open mind I think most music lovers will find new favorite songs, albums and musicians among them.

Bushman's Revenge

Food

Scorch Trio

In The Country

Spunk

For those of you that are interested in hearing a selection of what is available from Rune Grammofon there are a few great options. The first is the new sampler cd, Runeology 4, available free through website along with any purchase over 100 NOK, or there is the beautifully packaged Money Will Ruin Everything 2 double cd and book, which givings some insight into the music and man behind the label, as well as highlighting the talents of Kim Hiorthøy, who has provided all the graphic design for the label since its inception. There are also sites such as Thrill Jockey and Music Online where audio samples and digital downloads are availble, but for the full experience and pleasure of this music I highly recommend buying the music in physical form, which can be done through the Rune website or in the US through Forced Exposure. Something worth mentioning as well is that a few of the releases are available in compact disc or vinyl formats. In most cases the vinyl releases also come with a code to download a complimentary digital version of the release. All the vinyl released through the label is super high quality and many of the releases are limited to 500 copies, not to mention that the larger format really allows you to appreciate Hiorthøy's art. Finally, Rune Grammofon started a new vinyl only label, The Last Record Company in 2009 which has gone to even greater lengths to produce limited, super-high quality and beautiful records.

Money Will Ruin Everything 2