Tin Angel Records

Tin Angel Records is a British independent record label established in 2007. The label began with the release of Devon Sproule’s Keep Your Silver Shined, an album that attracted critical attention and helped introduce the label through Sproule’s subsequent appearance on the BBC music program Later... with Jools Holland. During its first year, Tin Angel also issued work by Paul Curreri and Adrian Crowley. Crowley’s Long Distance Swimmer received a nomination for the 2007 Choice Music Prize, giving the young label an early connection to Irish and wider international critical recognition. The label’s catalogue has developed across a broad area of independent music rather than a narrowly defined commercial genre. Its releases have included folk and singer-songwriter material, experimental pop, avant-garde music, jazz-influenced work, electronic projects, and alternative rock. In 2008, Tin Angel released Polar Bear’s self-titled album, following the group’s Mercury Music Prize-nominated album Held on the Tips of Fingers. Subsequent releases associated with the label have included records by Baby Dee, Charlie Parr, and Evening Hymns. Evening Hymns’ Spectral Dusk was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize, further connecting Tin Angel with major music criticism and award ecosystems in Canada. Tin Angel expanded beyond conventional recorded-music activity in 2012 by entering book publishing. Its first identified publishing project was You Can’t Sing The Blues While Drinking Milk, an autobiography by Little Annie. This move reflected an interest in the wider cultural and literary worlds surrounding independent musicians and performers, rather than treating the label solely as a vehicle for album distribution. The label has also maintained an international orientation. Its artist network has included performers from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, the United States, and other parts of the experimental and independent music community. In 2013, Tin Angel hosted a showcase at the North by Northeast festival in Toronto, presenting its catalogue and roster to an audience in one of Canada’s principal music markets. The documented roster includes established and emerging artists such as Ed Askew, Baby Dee, Batsch, Mich Cota/Kizis, Crack Cloud, Deliluh, Ryan Driver, Mabe Fratti, Ian Daniel Kehoe, Nicholas Krgovich, Marker Starling, Eliza Niemi, N0V3L, Opal Onyx, Pick A Piper, Sing Leaf, John Southworth, Devon Sproule, and Peter Zummo. Taken together, the roster indicates a curatorial position centered on artist-led, unconventional, and critically oriented music. Publicly available reference material does not identify a legal parent company, founder, headquarters, ownership structure, or financial results for the label.

Tin Angel Records was founded in the United Kingdom in 2007 as an independent label. Its first release identified in public reference material was Devon Sproule’s Keep Your Silver Shined. The album received favorable critical attention and helped raise the label’s visibility when Sproule later appeared on Later... with Jools Holland. The label’s early catalogue also included releases by Paul Curreri and Adrian Crowley. Crowley’s Long Distance Swimmer was nominated for the 2007 Choice Music Prize, giving Tin Angel an early association with award-recognized independent music. In 2008, Tin Angel released Polar Bear’s self-titled album. The release followed the band’s earlier album Held on the Tips of Fingers, which had been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. This association reinforced the label’s interest in artists operating outside mainstream pop while still receiving significant critical attention. Over time, the catalogue expanded across several overlapping independent-music fields. Tin Angel released or represented work by artists including Baby Dee, Charlie Parr, and Evening Hymns. Evening Hymns’ Spectral Dusk was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize, an important Canadian music award. The label’s broader roster has included folk performers, singer-songwriters, experimental musicians, alternative groups, and artists working in avant-garde or jazz-related forms. The company also moved into publishing in 2012, when it released Little Annie’s autobiography You Can’t Sing The Blues While Drinking Milk. This was a notable extension from recorded music into literary and artist-centered publishing. In 2013, Tin Angel hosted a showcase at North by Northeast in Toronto, demonstrating an effort to present its artists internationally and to build visibility through festival programming as well as through individual releases. The documented roster includes Ed Askew, Baby Dee, Batsch, Mich Cota/Kizis, Crack Cloud, Deliluh, Ryan Driver, Mabe Fratti, Ian Daniel Kehoe, Nicholas Krgovich, Marker Starling, Eliza Niemi, N0V3L, Opal Onyx, Pick A Piper, Sing Leaf, John Southworth, Devon Sproule, and Peter Zummo. Available reference material does not specify the label’s founder, headquarters, ownership, legal structure, financial performance, or executive leadership. Its public identity is that of a UK independent label with an international, critically oriented catalogue.

• 2013

  North by Northeast showcase

  [1]Tin Angel Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Tin Angel hosted a showcase at the North by Northeast festival in Toronto.

• 2012

  Entry into book publishing

  [1]Tin Angel Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label published Little Annie's autobiography You Can't Sing The Blues While Drinking Milk.

• 2008

  Polar Bear album released

  [1]Tin Angel Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Tin Angel released Polar Bear's self-titled album after the group's earlier Mercury Music Prize-nominated work.

• 2007

  Label founded and debut release issued

  [1]Tin Angel Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Tin Angel Records was established and released Devon Sproule's Keep Your Silver Shined.

• 2007

  Adrian Crowley receives Choice Music Prize nomination

  [1]Tin Angel Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Adrian Crowley's Long Distance Swimmer, released by the label, was nominated for the 2007 Choice Music Prize.

An internationally minded independent label for distinctive, artist-led music spanning folk, alternative, experimental, avant-garde, jazz-influenced, and electronic styles, with occasional activity in related publishing.

• Album · 2007

  Keep Your Silver Shined

  Devon Sproule's album was the label's inaugural release in 2007. Its critical reception and Sproule's later television appearance on Later... with Jools Holland gave Tin Angel an early public profile.

• Album · 2007

  Long Distance Swimmer

  Adrian Crowley's album formed part of Tin Angel's early catalogue. It was nominated for the 2007 Choice Music Prize, connecting the label with recognition in the Irish independent-music scene.

• Album · 2008

  Polar Bear

  Tin Angel's 2008 release by Polar Bear followed the group's Mercury Music Prize-nominated album Held on the Tips of Fingers and extended the label's relationship with critically recognized experimental music.

• Album

  Spectral Dusk

  Evening Hymns' Spectral Dusk was among the label's notable later releases. The album was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize in Canada.

• Book · 2012

  You Can't Sing The Blues While Drinking Milk

  Little Annie's autobiography marked Tin Angel's expansion into book publishing in 2012 and represented a move into literary work connected with independent performance and music culture.

• 2013North by Northeast Tin Angel showcase

  Canada · International

  Tin Angel hosted a showcase at North by Northeast in Toronto to present artists from its independent and experimental catalogue to festival audiences and industry participants.

  Outcome. The showcase provided an international presentation platform; specific attendance, commercial results, and artist-by-artist outcomes are not documented in the available material.

  Source

• 2012

  Expand from recorded music into publishingStrategy

  Background

  After several years of releasing independent music, Tin Angel broadened its cultural output beyond recordings.

  Action taken

  The label published Little Annie's autobiography You Can't Sing The Blues While Drinking Milk.

  Aftermath

  The publication established a documented book-publishing strand, although the scale and continuation of that activity are not specified.

  Source

1. 1Tin Angel Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tin Angel Records official websitetinangelrecords.co.uk