Comments on: John Cook, Mac McCaughan, Laura Ballance: Our Noise – the Story of Merge Records http://www.needsmoredemonsornot.com/content/alphabetical-author/b-author/john-cook-mac-mccaughan-laura-ballance-our-noise-the-story-of-merge-records/ irreverent opinions on books Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:46:55 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Lew http://www.needsmoredemonsornot.com/content/alphabetical-author/b-author/john-cook-mac-mccaughan-laura-ballance-our-noise-the-story-of-merge-records/comment-page-1/#comment-4798 Lew Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:21:27 +0000 http://www.needsmoredemonsornot.com/content/alphabetical-author/b-author/john-cook-mac-mccaughan-laura-ballance-our-noise-the-story-of-merge-records/#comment-4798 It' a good book and Merge has put out some great music. I thought the book was put together quite well, a good read. And I loved Ryan Adams' intro, didn't think it was incoherent at all. It’ a good book and Merge has put out some great music. I thought the book was put together quite well, a good read. And I loved Ryan Adams’ intro, didn’t think it was incoherent at all.

]]> By: random http://www.needsmoredemonsornot.com/content/alphabetical-author/b-author/john-cook-mac-mccaughan-laura-ballance-our-noise-the-story-of-merge-records/comment-page-1/#comment-4790 random Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:14:45 +0000 http://www.needsmoredemonsornot.com/content/alphabetical-author/b-author/john-cook-mac-mccaughan-laura-ballance-our-noise-the-story-of-merge-records/#comment-4790 I keep thinking of things I forgot to mention. Like: many of the individual band's stories are funny (Stephin Merritt's wit is a dangerous weapon) and/or poignant, and there are a few journalistic coups: Spoon re-started their career with the newsworthy vilification of their former A&R man on the "The Agony of Laffitte" single; Our Noise has a little bit of Ron Lafitte's take on the debacle. Also the book makes a compelling case that despite some records with big sales numbers (especially The Arcade Fire), Merge is much closer kin to DIY/shoestring-budget labels than major-distributed labels like Sub-Pop and Matador. The parallels to DisChord are particularly striking, with Mac playing Ian (enthusiastic, expansive) and Laura as Jeff Nelson (a little more pragmatic and cautious about releases that might not meet expectations of the label). I keep thinking of things I forgot to mention. Like: many of the individual band’s stories are funny (Stephin Merritt’s wit is a dangerous weapon) and/or poignant, and there are a few journalistic coups: Spoon re-started their career with the newsworthy vilification of their former A&R man on the “The Agony of Laffitte” single; Our Noise has a little bit of Ron Lafitte’s take on the debacle.

Also the book makes a compelling case that despite some records with big sales numbers (especially The Arcade Fire), Merge is much closer kin to DIY/shoestring-budget labels than major-distributed labels like Sub-Pop and Matador. The parallels to DisChord are particularly striking, with Mac playing Ian (enthusiastic, expansive) and Laura as Jeff Nelson (a little more pragmatic and cautious about releases that might not meet expectations of the label).

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