Merge Visual Discography Book Coming

Collector porn for the discriminating indie rock fan, yo.

By Blurt Staff

Get ready to feast your eyes, indie rock fans: The Merge Records Companion: A visual discography of the first twenty years is en route from, you guessed it, Merge Records on Nov. 3. It will cap a year-long celebration of Merge's storied 20-year tenure, that's included the sold-out festival, the sold-out subscription box set, and the behind-the-scenes book. (Full report on the latter in the new issue of BLURT, headed to a newsstand near you.)

This cd-sized volume contains photographs of every 7-inch, album, EP, and DVD (plus two cassettes!) put out by Merge in our first twenty years. For design fans, the three-hundred-plus photos chronicle the evolution of album cover design, from when cut-and-paste wasn't just an "aesthetic", but rather the only available production technique for bands (see early records from label founders' own band, Superchunk, and Raleigh punk-pop outfit Erectus Monotone) to the sophisticated design of the consistently amazing Lambchop covers or the intricate constructions for the Arcade Fire's ten releases on Merge. 

This limited-edition, 350-page paperback book also features essays by both founders of the label, Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance, reflecting on the days when they stuffed every sleeve themselves. The list of hand models in the back (Merge asked their bands and friends to hold their favorite records for the photographs) contains stars and interns side-by-side, a tribute to the collaborative ethic that has allowed one of indie rock's most likable labels to stay true to their simple mission: putting out music by bands they like. 

The Merge Records Companion is limited-edition and all proceeds will benefit the charities chosen by the fourteen SCORE! curators.