New book celebrates Mint Records’ 20th anniversary

An unlikely anniversary for an improbable label

 

 

 

 

 

  
    
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
   
   
  
  
  
    
   
  
  
   
  
   
   
  
 

By Will Johnson — The Ubyssey
(University of British Columbia)

Fresh tracks the pair through their
university years, and introduces us
to the larger-than-life characters that
‘helped shape the local music scene.
One of those characters is Nardwuar
the Human Serviette, who wrote the
foreward to the book and still has a
regular radio show at CiTR.
“Mint Records never really should
have stood a chance. Both Satanists
and art legends alike would have
found the notion to base an indie

VANCOUVER (CUP) — In the late
1980s, Randy Iwata and Bill Baker
were a pair of UBC students working
at their university radio station.

They liked to party, they liked good
music and they had no idea they
were about to create one of the most
successful and enduring record labels
in Vancouver’s independent music

scene. record company out of Vancouver
But now their story has been frankly stupid,” Nardwuar wrote.
immortalized in Fresh at Twenty: “But Mint Records is still in the game

The Oral History of Mint Records.
The creative force behind such acts
as the New Pornographers, Neko
Case, the, Evaporators, Hot Panda, the
Smugglers, and The Pack A.D. finally
have a chance to tell their story, in
their own words.

The pair are humble about how far
they’ve come.

“We haven’t had a very exciting 20
years, I think it’s safe to say,” Iwata
said in the first interview of the book.
“Like, it’s not the Motley Criie book,
you know?” he added.

But their rabid fan base,

including Fresh’s author Kaitlin
Fontana, begs to differ. The nearly
400-page book details every step (and
misstep) Iwata and Baker took along
the way, and illustrates what a unique
and revolutionary musical force they
have become.

Starting with a punk riot at Expo ’86,

after 20 years and 160 releases.”

In their first ad for the label, which
appeared in Discorder magazine,
Mint advertised themselves this way:
“We love trash. We’re the unhappy
folks at Mint Records. Anything dirty
or dingy or dusty. Vancouver’s newest
label. Anything ragged or rotten or
rusty: We’re accepting demos. Yes we
love trash.”

But for the fans that have made

Mint the musical powerhouse it is,
their music is anything but trash.
Whether you’ ve followed Mint since
the early days or you’ve never heard
of them before, Fresh at Twenty is

a fast-paced look at a golden age of
Canadian popular music that still
thrives today.

And if that’s not enough to sell it, the
book also comes with a free playlist
sampling of Mint’s artists.

Party on.

 

Spinning the wheel Oh Fortune

Does Dan Mangan hit bankrupt on his latest album?

By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer

YOO

h Dan, what have you done? Mr.
@) Mangan’s latest offering was

released in late September and
is... not completely unpleasant, but it’s
certainly different. Right off the bat, the
warmth of his previous efforts is just not
there. Oh Fortune is a moody album,
and all one needs to do to recognize
this is to take a peek at the album list.
With songs such as “If I Am Dead” and
“Regarding Death and Dying,” there was
really little hope for the casual listener

-merely seeking a catchy tune.

The lyrics can be downright
depressing at times; perfect music for
those in-a cruddy mood. For those who
are seeking the latest robot love song
though, I am saddened to report that
there is no track on this album even
remotely resembling his previous hit.
Think The Beatles’ radical changes
from album to album—except not as
successfully done.

Stepping back from my equally
moody tone, it has to be said that the
new album is not a total failure. Mangan

    

has certainly tried to experiment with
his sound, and while they may not be to
the liking of everyone, the album has its
merits. After about the fifth run-through,
I began to like—or at least understand—
the music for what it is. As soon as you
stop comparing it to what he has done
in the past, it becomes quite a passable
collection of songs. The feeling takes
some getting used to, but at the end of
the day it’s still Dan Mangan and his
unique gravelly voice, and how can you
pass that up?

The album is fine, just not quite my
cup of tea; music is about appreciating
new things after all. I used to hate
classical music, but that doesn’t mean
it’s bad by any means. Give Dan a
chance and Oh Fortune a listen or two.
It’s quite possible that even then you
will still dislike it, but at least you may
see where he was coming from on this
one.

If you’re just looking for the best
song on the record, I would probably
have to recommend “Rows of Houses.”
Keep in mind though that this song is
unique and doesn’t sound much like
anything else he’s done.