A few years before they put out the early works of the Decemberists, and long before working with the likes of Jon Brion, Team Dresch, or John Cameron Mitchell, Jealous Butcher Records was just a Portland label I knew for making limited edition records with really great handcrafted covers. I learned about them the first time I saw Kind Of Like Spitting, who were on tour with Braid, and they had this comp with a folded cardboard wrap cover tied with a twist-tie in the upper right corner. I snagged this and a copy of "You Secretly Want Me Dead" that night, meeting Ben for the first time.
The uninitiated probably won't know a blessed soul here, apart from the aforementioned KoLS. Beltline, Rally Boy, and Captain vs. Crew all made singles and full-lengths for Jealous Butcher in the years around 2000, Jeff London is probably the most prolific artist here, having cut records for J.B.R. and fellow Rose City travelers HUSH over the years. Jeff did a pretty great digital-only album in 2020 that's right in that indie folk niche that I (and other NPR-contributors) love.
If I hadn't heard Poison Idea before, I would have assumed everything from Portland sounded like this until I moved out west, thanks to recordings like this.
PS: There's a good chance that I screwed up the artist naming on the download. Check the Discogs listing for the correct listing.
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