Paper Bag Records

Initially known for launching Stars and Broken Social Scene to prominence, Toronto's Paper Bag Records has cemented its position as one of Canada's most dynamic and diverse indie labels despite parting company with those early stable standouts. A cursory scan of these Basics will confirm that there's plenty of room under the Paper Bag umbrella, which covers Tokyo Police Club ("Cheer It On"), signed in the mid-'00s after playing the Pop Montreal festival, You Say Party (formerly You Say Party! We Say Die!), here cranking up "Lonely's Lunch" from 2009's excellent XXXX, and 2011 Polaris Music Prize long list nominees Austra ("Lose It").

FemBots are joined by Mathemagic in Paper Bag's Next Steps.

From the outset, Paper Bag's philosophy found little use for pigeonholes, preferring an eclectic approach to roster formation — here in Next Steps, we start to explore the label's various tangents and diversions, forging a connection between Toronto art-pop group FemBots ("Count Down Our Days"), signed early on the Paper Bag timeline, the multifaceted Slim Twig, confounding expectations with "Gate Hearing" from the 2008 EP Vernacular Violence, and Mathemagic (brothers Evan and Dylan Euteneier), one of the most inventive and creative bands operating within the orbit of chillwave: check out "Always Will Be."

Paper Bag's Scandinavian signings come into focus, in Deep Cuts.

Although Paper Bag has set its roots firmly in Toronto, reaping its first fruits by tapping into the city's lively indie scene, label scouts have sourced acts from distant shores, as part of an ongoing commitment to diversity. Denmark's Under Byen (pronounced "Oh-nah Boon") have taken indie instrumentation in countless fresh and captivating directions since forming in the mid-'90s, and with 2010's Alt Er Tabt (featuring "Konstant") they picked up a bunch of new fans, while fellow country-folk artists Figurines conjure a wistful kind of melancholic rock with "The Air We Breathe" from 2007's When the Deer Wore Blue.

Founded in 2002, Toronto's Paper Bag Records hit the ground running with Broken Social Scene before expanding its influential local roster to take in global artists, and bridging the gap between limited-edition vinyl and cyberspace (with Paper Bag Digital). No matter how wide you like to cast your sonic net, you're sure to find something on Paper Bag that not only tickles your fancy, but also swings your pants and, more often than not, rocks your world. Our Essentials playlist offers the full gamut of the Paper Bag experience, from Swedish Italo-disco artist Sally Shapiro ("Love in July") to Ottowan indie-folkies the Acorn ("Cobbled from Dust") and Montreal's electronic groundbreaker CFCF ("Crystal Mines").