Way back in 1989, when DC was still more of an all-hardcore-all-the-time kind of place, Slumberland Records took a chance and pressed its first 7", What Kind of Heaven Do You Want, a compilation featuring DC-based indie-pop bands Velocity Girl, Black Tambourine, and Powder Burns. Since then the label has become one of the most beloved purveyors of twee and fuzzy music, releasing a slate of well-loved records by Stereolab, Rocketship, and, more recently, Crystal Stilts, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

The anniversary concert will feature performances by label artists both new (Crystal Stilts) and old (The Ropers, Nord Express). Lineup details after the jump.

Slumberland 20th Anniversary Concert

Friday, Nov .13
The Black Cat

Crystal Stilts
Brown Recluse
Pants Yell!
Frankie Rose and The Outs
The Ropers
Nord Express
Lorelei

Might as well post the details for the Brooklyn show, too:

Saturday, Nov. 14
Brooklyn, NY
The Bell House

Crystal Stilts
Brown Recluse
Pants Yell!
Frankie Rose and The Outs
The Ropers
Nord Express
Lorelei
Special Surprise Guest

In late February, Chunklet revisted D.C. indie pop's best band Unrest. It had been a while since I had spun Imperial ffrr or its underrated Perfect Teeth. I saw the Arlington band as often as I could, played the hell out of Imperial and wore out my copy of the band's cover of the Marine Girls' "Love To Know" single. I wish I could find that freshman-year mixtape that began with "Yes She Is My Skinhead Girl." Now the band is just a touchstone for my college friends (remember when conversations, that hyped band sounds just like Unrest, etc.) Unrest disbanded. Air Miami formed. Phil Krauth made a soulful string of solo LPs. Jesus, buy their records. Bridget Cross became Maybe It's Reno.

Anyway, I was stuck at work on a Saturday and I found this Chunklet blog post.

"Once I left for Georgia, Unrest really hit their stride. "Yes She Is My Skinhead Girl" was out in 1991 on K Records and is still one song I consider to be absolutely, 100% flawless. I'll fight anybody that disagrees. "Imperial FFRR" was released in '92 with the "Perfect Teeth" box set coming out later that same year. By this time, it was pretty hard not to admire Mark Robinson's obsession with Factory Records. Giving catalog numbers to visits to amusement parks, an unbreakable comb, a sticker or his station wagon!? I mean, come on! At least Factory had the, uh, Haçienda! Anyway, it was all brilliant. Yes, brilliant."

The post goes on to include MP3s and a video clip of the band in vintage form. Definitely worth checking out. Unrest singer Mark Robinson—and his Teenbeat Records—eventually moved to Cambridge, Mass. He has a new band called Cotton Candy. And Flin Flon just released a batch of new songs. I recently interviewed Robinson for our Best Of.

I think the D.C. indie scene misses Unrest!