Merge Records was started in the summer of 1989, by Laura Ballance & Mac McCaughan, the same summer they formed the band Superchunk in Chapel Hill, NC. The first couple releases were cassettes (remember those?), by WWAX and Bricks, followed by the first Superchunk (then known only as "Chunk") 7" single. The vinyl 7" was the format of choice for the first 3 years of the label, with cash borrowed from friends to finance projects (including singles from Erectus Monotone, Angels of Epistemology, and more Superchunk) and bedrooms serving as Merge HQ until 1992, when the first Merge full-length release, Tossing Seeds by Superchunk, was released on CD, LP, and cassette. With this release Merge also forged a relationship with Touch and Go Records of Chicago, who have done an admirable job manufacturing and distributing the bulk of Merge's full-length releases since then. Since '92 Merge moved from one charming-yet-run-down office to another until 2001, when we finally made the move from Chapel Hill down the road to a fine old building all our own in historic Downtown Durham, NC. In 2004 Merge Records is celebrating its 15th birthday, and while our roster has changed, rotated, permutated and expanded over the last 15 years, the quality we look for in records as fans is still there in the music we put out on Merge. Thanks for listening!
Merge Records was started in the summer of 1989, by Laura Ballance & Mac McCaughan, the same summer they formed the band Superchunk in Chapel Hill, NC. The first couple releases were cassettes (remember those?), by WWAX and Bricks, followed by the first Superchunk (then known only as "Chunk") 7" single. The vinyl 7" was the format of choice for the first 3 years of the label, with cash borrowed from friends to finance projects (including singles from Erectus Monotone, Angels of Epistemology, and more Superchunk) and bedrooms serving as Merge HQ until 1992, when the first Merge full-length release, Tossing Seeds by Superchunk, was released on CD, LP, and cassette. With this release Merge also forged a relationship with Touch and Go Records of Chicago, who have done an admirable job manufacturing and distributing the bulk of Merge's full-length releases since then. Since '92 Merge moved from one charming-yet-run-down office to another until 2001, when we finally made the move from Chapel Hill down the road to a fine old building all our own in historic Downtown Durham, NC. In 2004 Merge Records is celebrating its 15th birthday, and while our roster has changed, rotated, permutated and expanded over the last 15 years, the quality we look for in records as fans is still there in the music we put out on Merge. Thanks for listening!
July 24 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The "Slay On Cue" series will see the reissue of the band's first eight records in original editions. Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years. Kicking off the reissue series are raucous debut album "Telephono" and the watershed "Soft Effects" EP, available individually on vinyl and CD for the first time since their original 1996-1997 small run on Matador. The opening salvo of major releases trace the fledgling rock heroes' mercurial evolution, from the raw sonics and jagged dynamics of "Telephono", to the sharp and sophisticated songwriting found on "Soft Effects", pointing towards the bright and adventurous future ahead with subsequent Spoon records.
July 24 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The "Slay On Cue" series will see the reissue of the band's first eight records in original editions. Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years. Kicking off the reissue series are raucous debut album "Telephono" and the watershed "Soft Effects" EP, available individually on vinyl and CD for the first time since their original 1996-1997 small run on Matador. The opening salvo of major releases trace the fledgling rock heroes' mercurial evolution, from the raw sonics and jagged dynamics of "Telephono", to the sharp and sophisticated songwriting found on "Soft Effects", pointing towards the bright and adventurous future ahead with subsequent Spoon records.
July 24 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The "Slay On Cue" series will see the reissue of the band's first eight records in original editions. Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years. Kicking off the reissue series are raucous debut album "Telephono" and the watershed "Soft Effects" EP, available individually on vinyl and CD for the first time since their original 1996-1997 small run on Matador. The opening salvo of major releases trace the fledgling rock heroes' mercurial evolution, from the raw sonics and jagged dynamics of "Telephono", to the sharp and sophisticated songwriting found on "Soft Effects", pointing towards the bright and adventurous future ahead with subsequent Spoon records.
July 24 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The "Slay On Cue" series will see the reissue of the band's first eight records in original editions. Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years. Kicking off the reissue series are raucous debut album "Telephono" and the watershed "Soft Effects" EP, available individually on vinyl and CD for the first time since their original 1996-1997 small run on Matador. The opening salvo of major releases trace the fledgling rock heroes' mercurial evolution, from the raw sonics and jagged dynamics of "Telephono", to the sharp and sophisticated songwriting found on "Soft Effects", pointing towards the bright and adventurous future ahead with subsequent Spoon records.
August 14 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The Slay On Cue series will see the reissue of the band's early records in original editions, encompassing classic albums Telephono (1996), Soft Effects EP (1996), A Series Of Sneaks (1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002) and Transference (2010). "Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out", says frontman Britt Daniel.
August 14 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The Slay On Cue series will see the reissue of the band's early records in original editions, encompassing classic albums Telephono (1996), Soft Effects EP (1996), A Series Of Sneaks (1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002) and Transference (2010). "Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out", says frontman Britt Daniel.
August 14 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The Slay On Cue series will see the reissue of the band's early records in original editions, encompassing classic albums Telephono (1996), Soft Effects EP (1996), A Series Of Sneaks (1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002) and Transference (2010). "Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out", says frontman Britt Daniel.
August 14 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The Slay On Cue series will see the reissue of the band's early records in original editions, encompassing classic albums Telephono (1996), Soft Effects EP (1996), A Series Of Sneaks (1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002) and Transference (2010). "Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out", says frontman Britt Daniel.
August 14 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The Slay On Cue series will see the reissue of the band's early records in original editions, encompassing classic albums Telephono (1996), Soft Effects EP (1996), A Series Of Sneaks (1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002) and Transference (2010). "Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out", says frontman Britt Daniel.
August 14 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The Slay On Cue series will see the reissue of the band's early records in original editions, encompassing classic albums Telephono (1996), Soft Effects EP (1996), A Series Of Sneaks (1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002) and Transference (2010). "Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out", says frontman Britt Daniel.
September 9 street date. This year Spoon's bona-fide classic, "Kill the Moonlight", celebrates its 20th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, Matador are releasing the record in a limited-edition white vinyl pressing. Now widely recognized as a "masterpiece" (PopMatters), "their magnum opus" (Pitchfork), the album features the band's much-loved tracks "The Way We Get By" and "Small Stakes". "Kill the Moonlight" receives the reissue treatment alongside titles by Pavement, Yo La Tengo, and Interpol as part of this year's Matador’s Revisionist History catalogue series.
September 11 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The Slay On Cue series will see the reissue of the band's early records in original editions, encompassing classic albums Telephono (1996), Soft Effects EP (1996), A Series Of Sneaks (1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002) and Transference (2010). "Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out", says frontman Britt Daniel.
September 11 street date. Spoon have confirmed their celebrated back catalog will be returning fully to print and become widely available worldwide for the first time on vinyl and CD in 2020 on Matador Records. The Slay On Cue series will see the reissue of the band's early records in original editions, encompassing classic albums Telephono (1996), Soft Effects EP (1996), A Series Of Sneaks (1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002) and Transference (2010). "Some of these albums haven't been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out", says frontman Britt Daniel.
Please note new street date: August 29 - RECORD STORE DAY DROP. All the Weird Kids Up Front (More Best of Spoon) is a fan-selected companion piece to Everything Hits At Once: The Best of Spoon. With a tracklist submitted by and voted on by fans, it features deep cuts from the Austin, TX band's 25-year history. Recent features and performances include PBS Newshour, The Howard Stern Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Pitchfork Live and more. Package includes obi strip and is limited to a run of 3,000 copies worldwide. “Spoon have long been one of the most reliably great rock bands to emerge from the early Aughts indie boom. Their secret weapon has always been their restraint — riffs that simmer but don’t boil, lyrics about cautious hope, air-tight production that plays up their musical economy. It’s what makes you want to hear more of them. It has led them to masterpieces like “The Way We Get By,” a piano-driven declaration of desperation, and the dusky title track of this compilation here, “Everything Hits at Once.” - Rolling Stone
March 26 street date. Spoon's classic "Gimme Fiction" pressed onto limited red and white vinyl. Recorded throughout 2004 at Jim Eno's Public Hifi studio in Austin with the production help of Mike McCarthy (...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead), "Gimme Fiction", Spoon's fifth full-length, is the sound of a band who, having long since found their own voice, were making the catchiest, most confident rock'n'roll of any group on the planet. Though there are still echoes of some of Britt Daniel's influences, "Gimme Fiction" is a sprawling, exhilarating, filler-free album of keenly focused artistic vision and ambition. Features the hit single "I Turn My Camera On," as well as other tracks included on the recent greatest hits "Everything Hits At Once: The Best of Spoon". Nothing short of a dizzying, soulful masterpiece, easily the most expansive work in their career.
March 26 street date. Spoon's classic "Gimme Fiction" pressed onto limited red and white vinyl. Recorded throughout 2004 at Jim Eno's Public Hifi studio in Austin with the production help of Mike McCarthy (...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead), "Gimme Fiction", Spoon's fifth full-length, is the sound of a band who, having long since found their own voice, were making the catchiest, most confident rock'n'roll of any group on the planet. Though there are still echoes of some of Britt Daniel's influences, "Gimme Fiction" is a sprawling, exhilarating, filler-free album of keenly focused artistic vision and ambition. Features the hit single "I Turn My Camera On," as well as other tracks included on the recent greatest hits "Everything Hits At Once: The Best of Spoon". Nothing short of a dizzying, soulful masterpiece, easily the most expansive work in their career.
Please note new street date: December 10. BLACK FRIDAY release. "Wild" is drawn from Spoon's forthcoming full-length, "Lucifer on the Sofa". The song captures the band at its most visceral and vivid, with rough edges intact and a guitar solo perfectly slotted into the middle eight. This 7" single version comes backed with an alternate mix by British reggae innovator Dennis Bovell and is limited to 3000 copies worldwide.
February 11 street date. Spoon's tenth album, "Lucifer on the Sofa", is alive, vital and inarguably the band's heaviest work to date. It's a rock 'n' roll record. Texas- made. The first set of songs that the quintet has put to tape in its hometown, Austin, in more than a decade. Written and recorded over the last two years - both in and out of shutdown - these songs feel like a culmination of Spoon's career while marking a shift toward something louder, wilder, and more vivid. From the detuned guitars anchoring "The Hardest Cut" to the sax-laden surrealism of the introspective title track, "Lucifer on the Sofa" bottles the physical thrill of a band tearing up a packed room.
February 11 street date. Spoon's tenth album, "Lucifer on the Sofa", is alive, vital and inarguably the band's heaviest work to date. It's a rock 'n' roll record. Texas- made. The first set of songs that the quintet has put to tape in its hometown, Austin, in more than a decade. Written and recorded over the last two years - both in and out of shutdown - these songs feel like a culmination of Spoon's career while marking a shift toward something louder, wilder, and more vivid. From the detuned guitars anchoring "The Hardest Cut" to the sax-laden surrealism of the introspective title track, "Lucifer on the Sofa" bottles the physical thrill of a band tearing up a packed room.
February 11 street date. *IN STOCK NOW* Spoon's tenth album, "Lucifer on the Sofa", is alive, vital and inarguably the band's heaviest work to date. It's a rock 'n' roll record. Texas- made. The first set of songs that the quintet has put to tape in its hometown, Austin, in more than a decade. Written and recorded over the last two years - both in and out of shutdown - these songs feel like a culmination of Spoon's career while marking a shift toward something louder, wilder, and more vivid. From the detuned guitars anchoring "The Hardest Cut" to the sax-laden surrealism of the introspective title track, "Lucifer on the Sofa" bottles the physical thrill of a band tearing up a packed room.
November 4 street date. "Lucifer On The Moon" is the anti-gravity companion to Spoon's "Lucifer On The Sofa". This top-to-bottom rework of the Austin band's tenth album was created by On-U Sound founder and UK dub icon, Adrian Sherwood. Digging deep into the album's multi-tracks, Sherwood surfaced details and elements not present in the final album mixes, then flipped the rhythm tracks inside-out to rebuild them with additional instrumentation. The result airlifts Spoon's trademark melodies into lush alien terrain, replete with vibrant echo and rumbling low-end. "It wasn't just a thing where you pick apart this and that. He added so much more instrumentation to the tracks that they became completely different versions of the songs. Not just remixes, but companion pieces. A Part II" says Spoon frontman Britt Daniels.
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2007/07/10
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