Dead Oceans is an American
independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
formed in 2007 and based in
Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Dead Oceans is part of
Secretly Group, which also includes labels
Secretly Canadian and
Jagjaguwar
Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Jagjaguwar is a label included in Secretly Group, which also includes ...
and a
music publisher, Secretly Publishing, that publishes artists, writers, filmmakers, producers, and comedians.
History
Phil Waldorf
Phil may refer to:
* Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names
* Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil"
* Phil, Kentucky, United States
* ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film
* -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root term ...
, a Virginia native with a teenage love of skateboarding and punk rock seven-inch records, attended college in
Athens, Georgia, where he was music director for the college radio station,
WUOG. In Athens, Waldorf came to know future indie bands
Neutral Milk Hotel and
Olivia Tremor Control in their formative years, going to early house shows before both bands rose to underground fame.
In 1998, Waldorf moved to
New York City when he was hired by
Other Music, a record store. He also began managing an indie label,
Misra Records.
Waldorf became friends with
Chris Swanson
Chris Swanson is the co-founder of Secretly Group, which includes independent record labels Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, The Numero Group and Secretly Canadian, as well as music publisher Secretly Publishing. These labels are home to such acts as Bon ...
and they decided to start a label together. Swanson suggested the name Dead Oceans, from the lyrics of
Bob Dylan's “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” (1962):
“''I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans''
''I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard''
''And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard''
''And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.”''
In 2007, Waldorf started Dead Oceans with Chris Swanson, his brother Ben Swanson,
Darius Van Arman, and Jonathan Cargill of
Secretly Canadian and
Jagjaguwar
Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Jagjaguwar is a label included in Secretly Group, which also includes ...
.
[Dave Maher]
"Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar Birth Dead Oceans"
''Pitchfork Media'', February 19, 2007. The addition of Dead Oceans to Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar's partnership led to the formation of
Secretly Group.
Some of the label's earliest releases include
Phosphorescent's ''Pride'',
Dirty Projectors' ''
Rise Above'', and
Akron/Family's ''
Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free,'' ranging from folk to art punk to groove-y rock. Dead Oceans has published
Julianna Barwick,
Mitski,
Phoebe Bridgers,
Japanese Breakfast,
Ryley Walker,
The Tallest Man on Earth,
Kevin Morby,
Marlon Williams, and many others.
In 2015, Secretly Group began a partnership with
The Numero Group as well.
In 2017, the label released
shoegaze
Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...
band
Slowdive’s first album in 22 years.
In 2018, Dead Oceans was listed as #7 on
''Paste'' magazine's top-10 record labels of 2018. Jagjaguwar was listed as #4 and Secretly Canadian was listed as #8.
Artists
*
A Place to Bury Strangers
*
Akron/Family
Akron/Family were an American folk-influenced experimental rock band active from 2002 to 2013. Former members have lived in Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; and Joshua Tree, California.
Music and history
Though each member of the band ...
*
Alex Lahey
Alexandra Lahey ( ) (born 30 July 1992) is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her debut album, ''I Love You Like a Brother'' was released on 6 October 2017 and peaked at No. 15 on the ARIA Albums Cha ...
*
Bear in Heaven
*
Better Oblivion Community Center
*
Bill Fay
*
Bishop Allen
* Blackout Beach
*
Bleached
Bleached is an American pop band consisting of sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin, formerly of Mika Miko. The band plays a style of rock, pop, rock and roll, and indie rock. Bleached was established in Los Angeles in 2011. The group has releas ...
*
Bowerbirds
*
Brazos
*
Bright Eyes
*
Califone
*
Citay
*
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
*
Dirty Projectors
*
Dub Thompson
Dub Thompson is an American indie rock music duo consisting of Matt Pulos and Evan Laffer, originating from Agoura Hills, California. The duo plays a style of post-punk, post-rock, punk rock, alternative rock style experimental rock music. Dub T ...
*
Durand Jones & The Indications
*
Evangelicals
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
*
Frog Eyes
*
Gauntlet Hair
Gauntlet Hair was an American indie rock band from Denver, Colorado, United States. The members consisted of Craig Nice and Andy Rauworth. After releasing two extended plays, they signed to record label Dead Oceans and have released their self-ti ...
* Greylag
*
Japanese Breakfast
*
John Vanderslice
*
Julianna Barwick
*
Kane Strang
Kane Strang is a New Zealand musician from Dunedin. He has released a demo album, ''A Pebble and a Paper Crane'' (2013), and three commercial albums: ''Blue Cheese'' (Ba Da Bing Records, 2016) ''Two Hearts and No Brain'' (Dead Oceans
Dead Oc ...
*
Kevin Morby
*
Khruangbin
* Lump
*
Mark McGuire
*
Marlon Williams
*
Mitski
*
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band is a band from Seattle, United States, that features Benjamin Verdoes as lead vocalist and guitarist, Peter Verdoes on second guitar, Marshall Verdoes as the drummer, and Jared Price on bass. They were signed with Dead ...
* Night Beds
*
Nurses
*
On Fillmore
On Fillmore is an American music duo consisting of Darin Gray and Glenn Kotche. The duo plays a style of jazz, alternative rock, post-rock, instrumental rock, and indie rock music. On Fillmore was established in Chicago, Illinois in 2000. The duo ...
*
Phoebe Bridgers
*
Phosphorescent
*
Ryley Walker
*
Shame
*
Sloppy Jane
Sloppy Jane is an American chamber pop / rock music band fronted by Haley Dahl based in Brooklyn, New York. The band released their breakthrough second studio album ''Madison'' in 2021, through Saddest Factory Records, an imprint owned by their ...
*
Slowdive
*
Strand of Oaks
*
Sun Airway
Sun Airway is an American music duo consisting of Jon Barthmus and Patrick Marsceill, formerly of The A-Sides. The duo plays a style of alternative dance, indietronica, dream pop, alternative rock, indie pop, indie rock, and pop rock music. Sun A ...
*
The Donkeys
*
The Explorers Club
* The Good Ones
*
The Luyas
*
The Tallest Man on Earth
*
These Are Powers
These Are Powers was an American experimental music group from Brooklyn, New York and Chicago, Illinois, United States. The band mixes polyrhythm with Sampler (musical instrument), samples and other electronic sounds and noise rock.
History
Thes ...
*
Tom Rogerson
Tom Rogerson is a British musician. He is the founder of Three Trapped Tigers and has also made music with others, such as ''Finding Shore'' (2017) with Brian Eno.
Career
Rogerson is from Suffolk. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Lo ...
*
Toro y Moi
*
White Hinterland
Casey Dienel (born March 10, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She released her debut album, ''Wind-Up Canary'', in 2006 on Hush Records. Dienel has also performed and recorded as White Hinterland, whose first album, titled ' ...
Notable honors and awards
GRAMMY AWARDS (US/GLOBAL)
*2022, Japanese Breakfast, 'Jubilee' - Best Alternative Music Album (nominated)
*2021, Phoebe Bridgers - Best New Artist (nominated)
*2021, Phoebe Bridgers, ‘Punisher’ - Best Alternative Music Album (nominated)
*2021, Phoebe Bridgers, ‘Kyoto’ - Best Rock Performance (nominated)
*2021, Phoebe Bridgers, ‘Kyoto’ - Best Rock Song (nominated)
*2019, Mitski, ‘Be The Cowboy’ - Best Recording Package (nominated)
A2IM LIBERA AWARDS
*2019, Dead Oceans – Label of the Year (finalist)
*2019, Phosphorescent, ‘C’est La Vie’ - Best Country/Americana Album (finalist)
*2019, Khruangbin, ‘Con Todo El Mundo’’ - Best Outlier Album (WON)
*2019, Mitski, ‘Be The Cowboy’ - Album of the Year (finalist)
*2019, Mitski – Best Live Act (finalist)
*2019, Mitski, ‘Be The Cowboy’ - Best Rock Album (finalist)
*2019, Shame, ‘Songs of Praise - Best Rock Album (finalist)
*2019, Durand Jones & The Indications, ‘Durand Jones & The Indications’ - Best R&B Album (finalist)
*2019, Mitski, ‘Be The Cowboy’ - Creative Packaging (finalist)
*2019, Khruangbin, ‘Con Todo El Mundo’ - Marketing Genius (finalist)
*2019, Mitski, ‘Nobody’ - Video of the Year (WON)
*2018, Dead Oceans – Label of the Year (WON)
*2018, Slowdive, ‘Slowdive’ - Album of the Year (WON)
*2018, Phoebe Bridgers, ‘Stranger in the Alps’ - Best American Roots & Folk Album (finalist)
*2018, Kevin Morby, ‘City Music’ - Best American Roots & Folk Album (finalist)
*2018, Slowdive – Marketing Genius (finalist)
*2017, Mitski, ‘Your Best American Girl’ - Video of the Year (finalist)
*2017, Ryley Walker, ‘Golden Sings That Have Been Sung’ - Best Country/Americana/Folk Album (finalist)
*2014, Phosphorescent, ‘Muchacho’ - Album of the Year (finalist)
*2013, Bear In Heaven, ‘I Love You, It’s Cool’ - Light Bulb Marketing Award (finalist)
AIM INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS (UK)
*2019, Better Oblivion Community Center, ‘s/t’ - Best Independent Album (nominated)
*2018, Dead Oceans – Independent Label of the Year (nominated)
*2018, Shame, ‘Songs of Praise’ - Album of the Year (nominated)
*2018, Phoebe Bridgers, ‘Stranger in the Alps’ - Album of the Year (nominated)
*2018, Shame, ‘One Rizia’ - Track of the Year (nominated)
*2018, Phoebe Bridgers, ‘Motion Sickness’ - Track of the Year (nominated)
*2018, Phoebe Bridgers – International Breakthrough (WON)
*2014, Secretly Group – Independent Label of the Year (nominated)
NME AWARDS (UK)
*2018, Shame – Best New Artist (nominated)
GRAMMIS AWARDS (SWEDEN)
*2011, Tallest Man on Earth – Male Artist of the Year (nominated)
VUT VIA AWARDS (GERMANY)
*2018, Slowdive – Best Album (nominated)
See also
*
List of record labels
*
Secretly Canadian
*
Jagjaguwar
Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Jagjaguwar is a label included in Secretly Group, which also includes ...
References
External links
Dead Oceans official website
{{Authority control
American independent record labels
Indie rock record labels
Alternative rock record labels
Record labels established in 2007
Indie pop record labels