Beggars Group 2000-2010

Now housing four of the most recognisable independent record labels – 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade and XL Recordings – The Beggars Group in the last decade has gone from strength to strength, not only confirming their position as one of the largest independent groups of labels in the world, but also, by allowing their artists the time to develop, affording them freedom and support, releasing the best the decade had to offer.

New Talent

Seeking out talent and twinning it with a raw passion for music has long been at the heart of Beggars and the last decade shows an incredible list of artists signed to one of their labels who have achieved sales awards in one or more key markets; Adele, Antony & The Johnsons, Arcade Fire, The Avalanches, Badly Drawn Boy, Basement Jaxx, Beirut, Belle and Sebastian, Biffy Clyro, Bon Iver, British Sea Power, Cat Power, The Delays, Dizzee Rascal, Electric Six, Emiliana Torrini, Friendly Fires, Gotan Project, Interpol, Jack Penate, Jarvis Cocker, Lemon Jelly, M.I.A., The Libertines / Babyshambles, The Prodigy, The Raconteurs, Radiohead, The Strokes, Sufjan Stevens, Vampire Weekend, The White Stripes and The xx all fall in to this bracket.

The labels have also continued to nurture and encourage new and have radical talent and worked with some of the most established alternative acts around, all whom have seen their releases enjoy a decade of critical success; they include Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Beck, Blonde Redhead, The Breeders, Brightblack Morning Light, Broken Records, Camera Obscura, Cold Cave, Cornershop, Deerhunter / Atlas Sound, The Hold Steady, Holy F*ck, The Horrors, F*cked Up, Future of the Left, mclusky, Holly Miranda, Monsters of Folk, The Morning Benders, The Mountain Goats, The New Pornographers, Peaches, Sigur Ros, Scout Niblett, Sonic Youth, Super Furry Animals, St. Vincent, Tindersticks, TV On The Radio, M. Ward, Warpaint, Wiley – to name but a few!

2010 has already delivered much with Vampire Weekend’s sophomore album, Contra, becoming the Group’s first ever self-released US Number One album early on in the year, and high profile album releases from M.I.A. and The National also obtaining high chart positions around the globe, new talent signed to the Group has continued to arrive with the varied form of Giggs, Rox and Stornoway, being added to the ranks and high anticipation for new albums from Adele, Deerhunter and Interpol.

Legends

The decade has also seen a few legends coaxed out of varying states of hiatus by labels in the Group. In 2001, much-vaunted composer and producer David Axelrod released David Axelrod (Mo Wax / XL Recordings), an album that made the Guinness Book of World Records for being the album that took the longest to finish with the rhythm tracks having been recorded in 1968, some 33 years before it was mastered and delivered to a label. Scott Walker broke a decade-long silence with The Drift on 4AD, the eagerly awaited follow-up to the infamous Tilt, while Matador Records in 2008 helped Lou Reed release the soundtrack to his Berlin Live movie and also finally got their man with Sonic Youth signing up after their Geffen deal of nearly two decades expired, releasing their latest album, The Eternal in 2009.

Rough Trade worked with Jarvis Cocker, Scritti Pollitti and Eddie Reader, and at the tail end of the decade, released the first solo music from Elizabeth Fraser, an artist who had more or less retreated from music after her band Cocteau Twins dissolved in the mid-nineties.

XL Recordings made the headlines by signing Radiohead for the commercial release of their much discussed “pay what you want” In Rainbows album (2007), having already helped Thom Yorke to release his own debut solo album, The Eraser, worldwide in 2006. They also worked with Damon Albarn on releasing his Monkey opera, with Gorillaz collaborator, Jamie Hewlett, in 2008.

2010 saw another make a long-awaited return with XL Recordings label founder, Richard Russell, helping produce and release I’m New Here by Gil Scott-Heron, the iconic artist’s first new album for 16 years.

Key Releases 2000-2010

2000
  • The Avalanches – Since I Left You (XL Recordings)
  • Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour Of Bewilderbeast (XL Recordings)
  • Cat Power – The Covers Record (Matador)
  • Lemon Jelly – Lemonjelly.ky (XL Recordings)
  • Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (Matador)
2001
  • Basement Jaxx – Rooty (XL Recordings)
  • David Axelrod – David Axelrod (Mo’ Wax / XL)
  • The Strokes – Is This It (Rough Trade)
  • The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (XL Recordings)
2002
  • Badly Drawn Boy – About A Boy OST / Have You Fed The Fish? (XL Recordings)
  • Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights (Matador)
  • Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons (XL Recordings)
  • The Libertines – Up The Bracket (Rough Trade)
2003
  • Cat Power – You Are Free (Matador)
  • Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner (XL Recordings)
  • Electric Six – Fire (XL Recordings)
  • The Strokes – Room On Fire (Rough Trade)
  • The White Stripes – Elephant (XL Recordings)
2004
  • Arcade Fire – Funeral (Rough Trade)
  • Biffy Clyro – Infinity Land (Beggars Banquet)
  • Dizzee Rascal – Showtime (XL Recordings)
  • Interpol – Antics (Matador)
  • The Libertines – The Libertines (Rough Trade)
  • The Prodigy – Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (XL Recordings)
2005
  • Anthony And The Johnsons – I Am A Bird Now (Rough Trade)
  • Babyshambles – Down In Albion (Rough Trade)
  • Basement Jaxx – The Singles (XL Recordings)
  • M.I.A. – Arular (XL Recordings)
  • The Prodigy – Their Law (XL Recordings)
  • The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan (XL Recordings)
2006
  • Beirut – Gulag Orkestar (4AD)
  • Cat Power – The Greatest (Matador)
  • Scott Walker – The Drift (4AD)
  • The Strokes – First Impressions Of Earth (Rough Trade)
  • Thom Yorke – The Eraser (XL Recordings)
2007
  • Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English (XL Recordings)
  • M.I.A. – Kala (XL Recordings)
  • The National – Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
  • Radiohead – In Rainbows (XL Recordings)
  • The White Stripes – Icky Thump (XL Recordings)
2008
  • Adele – 19 (XL Recordings)
  • Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (4AD)
  • British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? (Rough Trade)
  • Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires (XL Recordings)
  • Monkey – Monkey (XL Recordings)
  • TV On The Radio – Dear Science (4AD)
  • Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings)
2009
  • Anthony And The Johnsons – The Crying Light (Rough Trade)
  • The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love (4AD)
  • Emiliana Torrini – Me And Armini (Rough Trade)
  • The Horrors – Primary Colours (XL Recordings)
  • Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador)
  • Various Artists – Dark Was The Night (4AD)
  • The xx – XX (Young Turks / XL Recordings)
2010
  • Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here (XL Recordings)
  • The National – High Violet (4AD)
  • Vampire Weekend – Contra (XL Recordings)
  • Stornoway – Beachcomber’s Windowsill (4AD)
  • M.I.A. – /\/\ /\ Y /\ (XL Recordings)

Mercury Music Prize Winners

  • 2000 Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour Of Bewilderbeast (XL Recordings)
  • 2003 Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner (XL Recordings)
  • 2005 Anthony And The Johnsons – I Am A Bird Now (Rough Trade)
  • 2010 The xx – xx (Young Turks)

End Of Decade Polls (2000-2009)

The Times
  • 3. Radiohead – In Rainbows (XL, 2007)

  • 6. The Strokes – Is This It (Rough Trade, 2001)

  • 8. The White Stripes – Elephant (XL, 2003)

  • 18. M.I.A – Kala (XL, 2007)

  • 27. Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English (XL, 2007)

  • 28. Cat Power – The Greatest (Matador, 2006)

  • 31. The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (XL, 2001)

  • 35. Arcade Fire – Funeral (Rough Trade, 2006)

  • 49. The Libertines – Up The Bracket (Rough Trade, 2002)

  • 66. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (4AD, 2008)

  • 74. The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers (XL, 2006)

  • 77. The XX – The XX (Young Turks, 2009)

  • 81. The Horrors – Primary Colours (XL, 2009)

  • 82. Holy Fuck – Holy Fuck (Young Turks, 2008)

  • 83. Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires (XL, 2008)

  • 87. Gruff Rhys – Candylion (Rough Trade, 2008)

  • 88. Saint Etienne – Finisterre (Mantra, 2002)

  • 96. M. Ward – The Transfiguration of Vincent (Matador, 2003)

PITCHFORK BEST OF 00s TOP 50
  • 2. Arcade Fire – Funeral (Rough Trade, 2006)

  • 7. The Strokes – Is This It (Rough Trade, 2001)

  • 10. The Avalanches – Since I Left You (XL, 2001)

  • 12. The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (XL, 2001)

  • 16. Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise (Rough Trade, 2005)

  • 20. Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights (Matador, 2001)

  • 21. Radiohead – In Rainbows (XL, 2007)

  • 22. M.I.A – Kala (XL, 2007)

  • 29. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (4AD, 2008)

  • 31. TV On The Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain (4AD, 2006)

  • 33. Basement Jaxx – Rooty (XL, 2001)

  • 37. Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (Matador, 2000)

  • 40. The National – Alligator (Beggars Banquet, 2005)

  • 49. Antony & The Johnsons – I Am A Bird Now (Rough Trade, 2005)

  • 50. Deerhunter – Microcastle (4AD, 2008)

NME
  • 1. The Strokes – Is This It (Rough Trade, 2001)

  • 2. The Libertines – Up The Bracket (Rough Trade, 2002)

  • 7. Arcade Fire – Funeral (Rough Trade, 2006)

  • 8. Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights (Matador, 2001)

  • 10. Radiohead – In Rainbows (XL, 2007)

  • 17. Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise (Rough Trade, 2005)

  • 18. The White Stripes – Elephant (XL, 2003)

  • 19. The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (XL, 2001)

  • 24. The Libertines – The Libertines (Rough Trade, 2004)

  • 26. Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner (XL, 2003)

  • 29. Super Furry Animals – Rings Around The World (XL, 2001)

  • 35. Babyshambles – Down in Albion (Rough Trade, 2005)

  • 42. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (XL, 2008)

  • 45. The Avalanches – Since I Left You (XL, 2001)

  • 46. Delgados – The Great Eastern (Mantra, 2000)

  • 50. M.I.A – Arular (XL, 2005)