Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records

Our Noise, with an introduction by Ryan Adams, chronicles the birth and growth of Merge, and tells the behind-the-scenes stories of the bands Arcade Fire, Spoon, the Magnetic Fields, Superchunk, Lampchop, and more. Illustrating these oral histories are hundreds of personal photos of the bands, along with album cover art, handwritten lyrics, playlists, concert posters and other memorbilia.



Merge Records defies everything you've ever heard about the music business! Started by two twenty-year old musicians in a bedroom of their rented house, Merge is a lesson in how to make and market great music on a human scale. The fact that the company - now with thirteen employees - is prospering in a failing industry is something of a miracle. Now, in celebration of their twentieth anniversary, author John Cook and Merge founds Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance offer first person accounts - with the help of their colleagues and Merge artists - of their work, their lives, and the culture of making music.