Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records
by John Cook with Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Algonquin Books
It’s well reported that despite the major slump the music industry seems to be facing currently, a large portion of indie labels are doing just fine, if not better than ever before. Which is why Our Noise, the recent oral history of Merge Records compiled by John Cook and Merge founders Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance, feels more celebratory than historical. Focusing on a select few Merge artists, Our Noise is less concerned with combating industry hand wringing and just offering up the notion that being passionate and patient with the physical embodiment of your love of music does wonders to keep you afloat.
Rather than taking the cynical, acidic approach of pioneering classic Please Kill Me, Our Noise is endearingly vulnerable and basic in its exploration of the now two decades old indie stalwart. Superchunk receives the most attention for obvious reasons: McCaughan and Ballance’s band is the reason the label exists in the first place and until very recently, it was due to Superchunk’s status that it was able to stay afloat. There are several chapters on the flagship band, with segments on other groups from the label appearing in-between, offering either a view of the less successful but no less important groups on the roster, such as Lambchop, or the more recently triumphant bands that have taken Merge to unprecedented heights, in this case Spoon and the Arcade Fire.
Cook is gifted with a cast of Merge bands, friends, co-workers and patrons who are uncharacteristically upfront and frank about their experiences. Where many oral histories suffer from subjects who are unwilling to speak honestly, Our Noise is populated mainly by people who understand that the music business isn’t always a great place or even a decent one and that survival comes down to matters of luck and obstinacy more often than not. This doesn’t mean that the book is full of juicy gossiping or passionate rants, however- quite the opposite. There is nearly no one interviewed in the book who believes that Merge is anything less than an incredibly vital, well put together organization that has done more than most to keep the indie community afloat.
The most important illuminations in the history center around Merge’s business strategy, which was surprisingly organized even from the beginning. Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance appear to be the perfect business foils, with McCaughan’s ferocious intensity and creative energy explaining why Merge has always had such an incredible roster and Ballance’s devotion to structure and head for numbers making it clear why the label succeeded where so many other fell into destitution. Though their personal relationship didn’t survive, it’s no wonder the label was able to weather the storms that have plagued the industry since the advent of the CD.
The unfortunate side effect is that the rest of the book is thinner on explorations of the roster than it should be. While Cook, McCaughan and Ballance all have a clear handle on their explanations of why the label has made it so far, they and their cast are less capable of exploring band histories or offering insight into the creation of Merge’s numerous masterpieces. The Arcade Fire section in particular feels thinner than it ought to, with barely any content concerning the unique approach the band took towards the production of their sophomore effort Neon Bible. This thinness towards the development process for Merge acts is endemic to nearly every section of the book, with Cook and company instead focusing on vague emotional interpretations of why Merge was drawn to an act or how an artist came to the label’s attention. While this is often interesting, these moments outstay their welcome.
This isn’t to say, though, that Our Noise is anything less than a successful and fascinating insight into such an important indie organization. While the book could have offered much more content, it’s without a doubt worth the cost of entry, even for those who aren’t diehard Merge fanatics. Adding to the value are the lovingly crafted multimedia elements, packed as the book is with photos and posters from all throughout Merge’s history. Maybe 20 years later, the expanded edition will update the story and offer more detail- it seems reasonably certain Merge will have no problem making it that far.
by Morgan Davis
