“Frightened Birds Head House” is a compilation. It is not a “sampler,” a term that implies the practical function of serving as a label’s calling card. (…) Toward the end of the 1970s, records and cassettes made by independent record shops and individuals rather than large corporations—ones that required little more than a name, a logo, and something they wanted to release—were also playing that role, whether or not their creators intended them to. In Manchester, there was Factory. In Brussels, Les Disques du Crépuscule. In Hamburg, Zickzack. In Osaka, Vanity.

The compilations released by these labels were inscrutable, characterized by a diversity and a transnational quality that emerged not as a stated objective, but as a result. At the same time, because they leaned so heavily toward aesthetics, they were short-lived as businesses. Some labels from the same era have continued to this day, but longevity comes with its own fate: although they may still be able to choose what they want to do, they can no longer pursue it while ignoring practical considerations.

In this way, many unfinished projects, born in an era when ideals came first, have been left behind. Their completion or continuation should not be imposed solely on those who were directly involved. We must find an explanation for the fact that encountering their work has influenced our lives, to a greater or lesser extent… This is why we have newly established a music division called Mu-Domo”