Customer Reviews

Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small

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An absolutely fascinating account of the life of independent label Merge Records and the band (Superchunk) that gave it life, over the past 20 years. What was started by Mac and Laura of Superchunk fame to put out 7" records of their bands and their friends' bands in Chapel Hill, NC, in the late '80s has become one of the most influential and successful independent labels in the music business. While other labels and major labels are imploding with massive sales declines in recent years, Merge soldiers on during its most successful era ever, with only one guiding principle - they put out the music of bands that they like, regardless of commercial viability, and will stay with the band as long as the band wants, regardless of sales. Profits are split 50-50 with the artist (major labels are more like 85-15) and there is never any thought of interference or suggestion of what the artist should do. As a result, some of the most successful albums in indie rock history have been released on Merge, including Neutral Milk Hotel's immortal "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea", The Magnetic Fields' 3-CD "69 Love Songs", Spoon's "Girls Can Tell" and The Arcade Fire's "Funeral".

The book consists largely of interviews with those involved over the last 20 years (the bands, the Superchunk members, friends, family, roadies, etc.), told in an impressive narrative form that reads as a fascinating story of a group of music outsiders who learned how to make the music they loved outside the corporate system, and make enough money to survive for 20 years and counting. The history of Superchunk is intertwined with the history of Merge (it's about a 50/50 split in the book), so for any even casual fan of this classic band, this is a must-read. But the story of Merge is equally fascinating, as are the in-depth chapter-long discussions of several Merge artists, including The Arcade Fire, Spoon, The Magnetic Fields, Matt Suggs, Lambchop, and Neutral Milk Hotel. I can't recommend this enough.

This book serves two distinct purposes. The first is that of a history of the Merge record label, the second is that of the history of the band Superchunk. More and more, the two sides seem less relevant, but seeing as how Superchunk just released yet another great record, it's clear that the two sides of this label are still connected and relevant.

This book is presented in the style of an oral history and the people involved in the label's evolution are duly represented. There are lot of bands who are responsible for Merge's success; Spoon, Superchunk, Arcade Fire, Lambchop, and the list goes on and on. This book presents not only the history of the label, but how many of the individual bands contribute to Merge's success. I thought this was a great book and an absolutely must-read for real music fans.

Preface: Superchunk is my favorite band. But this book -- told via a well-crafted string of dialogue from musicians, producers, A&R reps and friends -- is not just about Superchunk. It's about a community of musicians who got together with the sole purpose of creating and sharing music.("Come on, fellahs, let's get together and write a song!") I think of Merge as the big brother who lets you peek at his LPs when he's not looking and might let you make a mix tape to share with your peers. (That's how I learned about Iron Maiden as well as Anvil. Remember Tank: The Filth Hounds of Hades?) Through my interest in Superchunk (thanks to a mix tape from Todd -- forever grateful), I discovered a lot of other great bands on the label. Certainly it helps if you are a fan of any of the featured bands: Superchunk, Magnetic Fields, Spoon, Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, Lambchop, Butterglory; but it's a great story and gives insight into the changing music industry (the decline of corporate rock). I also like to think Our Noise might inspire you to get off your butt and make Your Own Noise heard -- whether it's home-brewing, writing songs, RPGing, gardening, knitting whatever. (The perfect graduation gift? Required reading for Harvard MBA?) Now, perhaps this book would be boring to many people. After all, I grew up with Merge discovering the bands, seeing the shows (Halloween at State College changed my life). But, I just love how the story is revealed with honesty, humor, thoughtfulness in their own words. Who is they? A lot of different people. In fact, there is very little narration. This book is really well constructed, much like a documentary film. The relationships are vivid and real. There's a lot of pride, but little pretension. Great photos, too. Mysteries still remain. Like why was that guy yelling hot dogs and hamburgers at Merge 10?

Okay, I just found out about this book. I read some of the good reviews and some of the bad and figured for 15 bucks it was worth a try. And I am very glad I bought it!
First of all, since Superchunk is such an integral part of the first two thirds of Merge's history, if you're interested in Superchunk you'll love this book. I was hoping it would go into that with a little depth and was very surprised to find out how much. There is also very honest appraisal of the band's fallen stock in the last decade.
As for "how to run an indie label", this book is great. There's a lot in there about their early business model, how they handled increasing demand, why they didn't have contracts at first, what forced them to start contracts, how big labels treated both Superchunk the band and Merge the label, and much more. For the people who said this book is basically an advertisement, I was surprised to find people readily admitting to guilt - Superchunk admitting to remixing "Hyper Enough" for radio, Merge themselves pushing their artists on the world through definite non-indie channels.
One of the coolest things about this book is if there's a Merge artist you like - from the obscure Butterglory to the ubiquitous Arcade Fire - there's good stuff in there, from both label and artist. Find out how Stephin Merritt annoyed Mac & Laura (it wasn't the major label jump) or Spoon's bass player suing Spoon for allegedly co-writing the first Spoon album (I have been a Spoon fan for over 10 years and never knew that; explains why they don't play songs from the first LP anymore!).
To conclude: GOOD BOOK. LOTS OF GOOD PICTURES. NEEDED MORE PICTURES OF LAURA!

This oral and visual history of the important indie label Merge Records paints the right picture, of that brief time in the 1990s when guitar-based indie rock was flourishing, and a single that resembled Pavement in even the slightest was a first-class ticket to a (guaranteed to fail) major-label deal. The text, interviews, and photos do a great job transporting me back to this time period (my favorite photo in this book shows an indie record store in the NYC metro area with some really nice, conspicuously-displayed sale prices on the latest as of 1995 Spent and Versus records) - which says a lot, since I grew up years after this "golden age" of indie rock.

Additionally, it serves as an ode to the rise of independent labels; more particularly, it celebrates the fact that today, bands can make very comfortable livings in the indie-label system with minimal sacrifice of artistic control. Were it the Nineties all over again, Merge powerhouses like Destroyer, Spoon, and the Arcade Fire would have flown the coop to the majors after only one or two albums: and speaking of Spoon, they did once, into a disastrous deal with an Elektra records - whose new management was not thrilled about them. But if you want to know more about Spoon's story, I'd suggest delving into this book.

Unfortunately, at points, Our Noise comes off as propaganda for Merge Records, presenting the label and its stable in a self-serving manner. As a fan of Merge Records and of many Merge recording artists, I see and believe the hype; however, if you're less familiar with the label, it might be hard to peel the layers of praise for the label, its bands, and its philosophies, and see the book as what it is: an "underdog" story of the triumph of independent music and the labels that make it happen.

What a great history of music! This book has inspired me in so many ways. As a small business owner I've been inspired by Mac and Laura's wrestling to stick to their values, and doing what they love. Their quest to sell as many records as possible while not becoming a capitalistic machine. Their goal to treat their product with respect and love, and not just look at their bank account.

This also gives a good primer on corporate mainstream rock, why it was so awesome in the 60's and 70's and why it has sucked so bad since then.

But most of all I loved reading the stories and personal thought and feelings of the people involved with Merge.

Very inspirational, very encouraging, and makes me fall in love with records all over again.

For an essential part of the music industry, independent record labels have a short shelf life. Most either serve as clearing houses for great bands that jump to the majors once they start to generate buzz (IRS Records) while others pay for artistic freedom with a leaky business model (Factory). It's harder and harder to for indie labels to survive in the post-Napster era, but one humble label from a small North Carolina college town is doing just that.

"Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records" chronicles the labor of love that is Merge Records, founded in the dark days after R.E.M. signed to Warner Brothers but before Nirvana made alternative rock attractive to the majors. John Cook, the primary author, constructs the book as an oral history, with input from Merge's two founders Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance. As the book goes through the sometimes turbulent, sometimes transcendent, but always interesting history of Merge and some of its most prominent artists, it's clear that McCaughan and Ballance have learned the hard way how to stay viable as a business when major labels with more cash and attractive enticements come calling on your best-selling artists.

McCaughan and Ballance started Merge in 1989, as a way to get their records (as the band Superchunk and other side projects) out without having to make the compromises that major labels would force on them. In time, other groups with simpatico interests were drawn to the label, from the Magnetic Fields to Neutral Milk Hotel. Merge finally broke into the mainstream to a large degree with the success of Arcade Fire, whose two albums for the label ("Funeral" and "Neon Bible") rock harder than anything the Jonas Brothers could even dream of achieving.

Throughout the book, Cook interviews those closest to the Merge Records story, including the major-label executives who tried to lure away some of Merge's biggest acts once the alternative "boom" kicked in with Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Merge hasn't had all the resources of major labels (such as signing bonuses and, in the case of Arcade Fire during their tour for "Funeral," the means of replenishing albums to meet the demand once the initial pressing sold out), but they do have one up on the majors in this respect: they put out music that they love, by artists that they respect, and they put all their efforts into making sure that it gets heard.

In analyzing the go-for-broke (but financially savvy) approach of Merge, Cook contrasts it with the excesses of the post-"Nevermind" music world (when record labels combed Seattle and Merge's home base of Chapel Hill for any group that wore flannel and long hair). The ability of Merge to thrive in that era, and to survive the fall-off when record sales for the majors started to plummet, is testament to the founding ideal of McCaughan and Ballance. For all their success, however, they have occasionally run into the same issues as befall other indie labels in the past, from disgruntled former clients to predatory major label representatives, and they're honest in the interviews about when they've screwed up. But for a trial-and-error business like the music industry (where last year's hit band can be this year's costly flop), Merge has managed to survive and thrive.

In the interest of full disclosure, I wasn't aware of Merge Records before I read this book, and it caused me to go back and notice that some of my favorite records had the "Merge Records" label on them (most recently, "Chapter One" by She & Him). But I will say that, like Factory Records' mercurial head Tony Wilson, Mac and Laura put the artists above profits, and I'm glad for that. In an age where cynical major labels try to hook you in with the latest "It" band, it's refreshing to know that some people still give two cents about good music. Merge Records is one of the few good guys left, and "Our Noise" shows how they got big without losing their soul.

This books is amazing. Well written and great photos that shows Merge from the beginning til now. This books has alot of behind the scene info that alot of us record collectors crave which helps make it great. If you are a fan of Merge Records and/or Superchunk this is a must read.

"Raleigh was dark, angry and punk - more leather jackets and houses with spray paint on the walls. Chapel HIll was collegiate and hip"

Really? Having been part of the Raleigh scene in the mid-80s, I testify that we were far from dark and angry. I remember laughter, overflowing parties, bands in basements hoping to play the basement of the Fallout Shelter. The author seems intent on making Raleigh sound like a town of mines and soul crushing factories.

Chapel Hill was an over-priced smug little town. And those kids in Chapel Hill wore leather jackets while skate boarding in front of the courthouse. They went tattoo crazy before Raleigh (if you don't count Simon Bob Sinister)

Maybe a book will come out about Wifflefist Records to set the story straight

This is basically a promotional book about some bands on the label. Also, the book actually shows how Merge started using most of the same tactics that major labels have used for years including signing bands that are gimmicky for marketing purposes. By the end of the book, you will question whether Merge is really an indie label. Other than that unintended twist, it was boring.