Portland, Oregon. Home of writer Chuck Palahniuk, the incomparable All Girl Summer Fun Band.... and Magic Marker Records. Yet another small label whose website i've been scouring for mp3's.Unfortunately some of the mp3 links don't work, in particular the one I most wanted to listen to, the finnish band Heikki, which I remember reading about on some blog or another a while ago whose songs were very impressive. Too bad that mp3 seems nowhere to be found now.
Magic Marker also has the honor of having released a brilliant band called Lunchbox, and All Girl Summer Fun Band which later released their full length albums on K Records. Forthcoming is an album by The Faintest Ideas, formerly known as Javelins of swedish origin. And not last and not least, Magic Marker has given us two albums by a little band known as Tullycraft.
Check their site for an impressive array of mp3's, and until then here are a few highlights:
Lunchbox - Evolver
Lunchbox - Lotion
Boat - Last Cans of Paint
The Faintest Ideas - Nosebleeders on the Track
Tullycraft - Twee
"just because" by lunchbox is the best tune of magic of sound. pick that up if you can find it.