5rc

Oozing an oddness that's far less hit-or-miss than that of parent-label Kill Rock Stars, 5RC offers noisy, unrefined acts that skirt the edges of the avant-garde. From electro-mopers Xiu Xiu to the drum-heavy Hella and the always peculiar No-Neck Blues Band, 5RC expertly culls acts from both the outrageous and accessible ends of experimental rock. -Andrew Phillips

Soul Jazz

Though rooted in reissues, Soul Jazz manages to expand its catalog to lead cultural shifts of appreciation. In '05, it brilliantly documented acid house, Brazilian post-punk, deep jazz, and essential Studio One reggae, and produced groundbreaking work from Mark Stewart and Travis Biggs — all while keeping up on the fickle world of contemporary electronic music. -Jake Lancaster

DFA

DFA continues to defy the flash-in-the-pan curse that haunts many new labels after initial media adoration. This year, it had strong debuts from the Juan Maclean and Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom, as well as a slew of in-demand 12-inches — most notably from Black Leotard Front and LCD Soundsystem. -Colin J. Nagy

Jagjaguwar

Perusing Jagjaguwar's all-over-the-map '05 releases — including the psych-folk haze of the Skygreen Leopards, emo-country from Okkervil River, the stoner-y bluster of Black Mountain, NYC noise pop from Oneida, and white-knuckled post-rock from Wilderness — it becomes clear there's not one "Jagjaguwar sound" per se, just a refreshing dedication to fine experimental pop. -Todd Goldstein

Bpitch Control

It's not just about Thomas Andersson's "Washing Up" — possibly the most frequently caned cut of the year — with killer, anthemic singles from Sascha Funke and Paul Kalkbrenner, and indispensable albums from Modeselektor and label head Ellen Allien, Berlin's Bpitch Control set the tone for smart, compelling dance music in 2005. -Philip Sherburne