If you haven't heard them before, Beat Happening were a pioneer of a jangling, easy-going style of Indie known as Twee. Their front man Calvin Johnson co-founded cult record label K Records, which had a great roster of bands demonstrating Olympia's Spin of the late 80s minimalist strain of Indie Rock. Built to Spill, The Crabs, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Mecca Normal and Tiger Trap are all classic examples of Olympia at its best. These bands managed to take the stripped back approach of punk's a-musicality but without the angst. They're also gems in a forgotten pocket of time before Sub-Pop and Nirvana broke, when it was cool to be carefree.
All these artist have releases still available from K-Records
