Book Review

During a time of extreme uncertainty in the music industry it has been amazing to watch independent labels such as Merge, Matador, and Sub Pop having some of their best years ever. As major labels fold, cut budgets, and struggle to survive these indie underdogs are somehow prospering. Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records is a worthy document about the colorful history of the label, but it may be an even more useful tool when it comes to examining why indies like Merge are doing so well while the majors are reeling.

The book is divided into chapters that follow the evolution of Merge, alongside the career of their flagship band, Superchunk. For those not in the know, Merge was founded by Superchunk singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan and bassist Laura Ballance. Not surprisingly, the label began as a way for the band to put out their own albums, as well as releases by their friends’ bands. Superchunk’s first two records were released on Matador Records in the early 90’s, but by the time they decided to put out Foolish on their own label they had built a large, loyal fan base. They had enough money and credibility to go for it, so they left a large indie to strike out on their own.

The book moves in chronological order, stopping at points to dedicate entire chapters to various Merge bands from over the years. Most of the heavy hitters for the label are covered, such as Neutral Milk Hotel (who have sold an astonishing 254,000 copies of In the Aeroplane Over The Sea), The Magnetic Fields, and The Arcade Fire. The chapter on Spoon is especially enlightening. It serves not only as a blueprint for why Spoon was able to succeed on Merge, but also why they were basically a lost cause from the first day they signed with Elektra. Spoon mastermind Britt Daniel speaks candidly about having to work as an administrative assistant after A Series of Sneaks (their album on Elektra) tanked.

It’s worth noting here that the entire book is set up as an oral history (John Cook, McCaughan and Ballance are all credited as authors) – so it’s basically all facts and dish. There is a noticeable lack of great “sex, drugs and rock and roll” stories, though. This book is certainly more Our Band Could Be Your Life than The Dirt. At the same time, what this account brings to the table is a sea of information that never gets covered on a single page press release, or a 1,000 word weekly feature, namely, how many of these bands can actually make a living in music.

The chapter I found most fascinating in this respect was the one dedicated to Matt Suggs (solo artist and member of Butterglory and White Whale). None of Suggs’ releases on Merge ever moved a mountain of units. He always wished that his first band, Butterglory, could progress from selling 5,000 copies of their albums to 10,000 so he could quit his job as a food service worker at a college cafeteria. After Butterglory broke up he released two solo albums that only sold about 1,500 copies each.

His last stab at glory looked promising. Suggs teamed up with Robbie Pope (former bassist for The Get Up Kids) and members of Thee Higher Burning Fire as the heavy hitting White Whale. The result was an album that only sold 4,200 copies. Pope speaks in the book that he wanted more money put into promoting the album, but that Merge wouldn’t budge. Soon after he left the group to join Spoon as their bassist. Suggs, who is currently working at a record shop and taking classes, ends the chapter on a bit of a heartbreaking note, stating that he feels like he’s always starting over.

What this book really hammers down is that if Merge did stray from their frugal ways, and opened up their pocketbooks to their lesser selling bands more often, they wouldn’t have survived as a label. This perfectly illustrates why major labels are falling apart these days. A band signs to a major labels, gets a big advance, quits their day job, records an album and, nine times out of ten, watches it tank and proceed to get dropped. Both the artists and the label lose money on the deal. With Merge you get signed, get no advance, and take a month off your day job to tour. If you are lucky you end up in the same boat as Spoon, The Arcade Fire, or The Magnetic Fields. If you are unlucky you end up like Fred Cornog- the guy behind Merge mainstays East River Pipe. Cornog continues to release albums through Merge even though he has to work at Home Depot to make ends meet.

But shed no tears for Cornog. This kind of arrangement is what makes Merge Records so special. “The nobility and beauty in making art out of sound is found in the work, and in the records, not the imagined lifestyle that our pop-culture teaches us ought to accompany it.” Amen to that!

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