Kurt Cobain had the K Records logo tattooed on his arm. The documentary The Shield Around the K paid long-form cinematic tribute to the label's legacy. And, for a generation of underground listeners, K has held that same kind of luster; essentially synonymous with American indie-pop at its most independent.
In the summer of 1982, Calvin Johnson founded K Records and formed Beat Happening. The two went hand-in-hand for the next decade: Beat Happening's infamous reputation for musical amateurism and punk-baiting lyricism defining the nascent label's aesthetic.
Over the next three decades, K would cultivate a community of oddballs, renegades, and individuals, hitting a creative peak in the early-'00s with a new era of artists like The Microphones, Mirah, Little Wings (pictured!), and The Blow.
Whether you want to wear the K shield on your forearm for eternity or not, be you a devotee or a dabbler, let's take this walk down memory lane. It's the Top 10 K Records Albums...
Comments