Merge Records in 10 Albums

Those who like erudite, intricate songwriting (Mountain Goats) and offbeat ‘80s dream-pop (Destroyer) are in luck—as are fans of punkish power-pop (Redd Kross) and throttling indie (Archers of Loaf). However, as always, Merge Records is also constantly signing and championing newer bands, including post-punk act Gauche, Americana-leaning Hiss Golden Messenger and the insightful indie-pop act Waxahatchee.

Figuring out where to start with Merge can be somewhat daunting—their catalog is just that deep—so here are 10 seminal albums originally released by the label that illustrate their enduring resonance.

Superchunk, Here’s Where the Strings Come In (1995)

Although Superchunk released a few early albums on Matador Records, the bulk of the quartet’s catalog since the mid-1990s has been released via Merge. From a practicality standpoint, the association makes sense, since McCaughan and Ballance handle vocals/guitars and bass (respectively) in the band. But more than anything, Superchunk embodies Merge’s scrappy, DIY punk spirit—and the label’s commitment to quality songwriting.

That's evident on Here's Where the Strings Come In, which was recorded at Boston's Fort Apache Studios, a locale known for producing dozens of loud, noisy pop-rock albums during the '90s. The LP kicks off with the relentless, Cheap Trick-meets-Dinosaur Jr. rocker "Hyper Enough"—and, from there, winds its way through melodic fuzzpop (the quiet-loud-quiet "Silver Leaf and Snowy Tears"), wiry indie rock (the churning "Sunshine State"), and thrashing punk-pop with a thunderous edge ("Detroit Has a Skyline").

Here's Where the Strings Come In's hidden gem just might be its title track, however: Chiming, jawing guitars cushion one of McCaughan's finest keening vocal performances, as he describes a roller coaster of feelings—wounded pride, emotional devastation, righteous anger—thanks to a relationship on the brink of an explosion: "It's where everything comes together/Either that or it falls all apart/Yeah, here's where the strings come in."

Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)

There are beloved indie rock records—and then there’s In the Aeroplane Over The Sea, the second album from Neutral Milk Hotel. Released in 1998, the full-length album has inspired a cult following and much lyrical and musical analyses. Part of that mystique stems from main songwriter and vocalist Jeff Mangum, who is notoriously private and shies away from the spotlight and touring. But, musically, In the Aeroplane Over The Sea is the kind of album that merits such deep thought. Mangum and a band of supporting creatives craft heart-piercing folk songs with colorful textures—haunted singing saw, jaunty horns, and ragtag percussion—and unexpected detours: " Untitled, " for example, is a fuzzed-out rock rave-up with uilleann pipes.

Mangum’s songwriting inspiration also packs emotional heft. Prior to making the album, he read The Diary of Anne Frank and was deeply moved to write songs that reflected on her life and experiences. " I would go to bed every night and have dreams about having a time machine, having the ability to move through time and space freely, and save Anne Frank, " he told Puncture Magazine in 1998. This led to songs such as " Holland, 1945, " a wrenching rumination on the unjust nature of Frank’s untimely death.

The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs (1999)

During the 1990s, Stephen Merritt established himself as a prolific and versatile tunesmith. In addition to issuing multiple full-lengths full of laconic synth-pop with Magnetic Fields, he released albums under the monikers The 6ths, Future Bible Heroes, and the Gothic Archies. However, Merritt’s reputation as the ultimate sonic dilettante was cemented with the release of Magnetic Fields’ 1999 opus 69 Love Songs.

The title speaks for itself: The multi-album set features nearly 70 tunes, with the unifying theme that they're tangentially related to romance. In practice, that means Merritt and his collaborators dabble in baroque folk, Broadway exuberance, spaghetti westerns, surreal electronica, and twee rock, while singing about a variety of topics: sex, death, heartbreak, and passion.

Despite the heady subject matter, Merritt’s humor is never far from the surface. During one song, he affects a droll tone, singing " There’ll be time enough for talk in the nursing home, " since he’s going dancing instead. And on the Fleetwood Mac-aping soft-rock gem " No One Will Ever Love You, " Shirley Simms sounds resigned as she sings: " No one will ever love you honestly/No one will ever love you for your honesty. " In 2017, Merritt would (almost) exceed himself by releasing a 50-song album to commemorate his milestone 50th birthday—but the sheer scope and ambition of 69 Love Songs makes it a timeless, enchanting listen.

Spoon, Kill the Moonlight (2002)

Spoon’s early career was marked by several ill-fated label stints. Part of this was because of musical differences: Although the Austin band nominally aligned with the noisy grunge-pop popular in the late ‘90s, they had enough other influences—including lo-fi indie, swaggering classic rock, and frayed post-punk—to make them difficult to pigeonhole. However, after Spoon landed on Merge for 2001′s Girls Can Tell, things fell into place: The band found their groove as dapper rockers fond of drawing on new wave power-pop, as well as late-’70s mod and pub-rock.

Kill The Moonlight, Spoon’s second full-length for Merge, brims with tension due to its precise arrangements. Taut, post-punk guitar barbs and jittery rhythms collide with looser piano riffing and synthesizer pulses. Highlights include " Small Stakes, " with its percolating-coffee beats and keyboards; the Elvis Costello-esque rocker " Jonathan Fisk; " and the swinging, barroom-piano twirl " The Way We Get By. "

While Daniel’s lyrics match his gravelly, world-weary voice—he describes chemically induced late nights, powerful ennui, and characters fumbling to find their way in life—Kill The Moonlight is also notorious for the clever quip, " I don’t dig the Stripes but I go for Har Mar. " Although the line was meant to embody the snobbish bent of the song’s protagonist, it ended up foreshadowing the decade’s coming indie explosion. Spoon certainly benefited from that—and it’s certainly thanks to Kill The Moonlight, which remains one of the band’s best albums.

Arcade Fire, Funeral (2004)

Arcade Fire’s Funeral put Merge on the national map in a big way: In the three years after its 2004 release, the album sold a whopping 750,000 copies. However, the record’s success wasn’t necessarily expected in advance—people gravitated toward Funeral because of how different, refreshing and mysterious Arcade Fire’s music sounded.

" Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) " opens the record with cascades of shimmering piano and ponderous drumming, as well as this mysterious declaration, which sounds like the start of a great novel: " And if the snow buries my, my neighborhood/And if my parents are crying/Then I’ll dig a tunnel from my window to yours. "

From there, Funeral blooms into an ornate, string-swept rock record with a sound that echoes bigger bands—namely, the soaring epics favored by U2 and Bruce Springsteen—but balanced with the intimacy of a parlor performance. Songs reference baroque rock, French pop, and orchestral compositions, along with hints of the dark ‘80s alternative rock favored by acts such as Echo & The Bunnymen. Arcade Fire ushered in a Canadian indie-rock boom that also helped Broken Social Scene, Stars and Metric become massively popular. However, Funeral remains as bewitching and gorgeous today as it was the day it was released.

Teenage Fanclub, Man-Made (2005)

If Teenage Fanclub’s eighth album sounds more buoyant, there’s a very good reason for that. The Scottish band—who first caught the ear of Americans in a big way on 1991′s shoegaze-grunge totem Bandwagonesque, but is more known for more delicate, introspective indie-pop—sought specifically to work with producer John McEntire after appreciating his work on Stereolab records.

As Teenage Fanclub suspected, the collaboration resulted in good things: The effervescent keyboards swirling through songs such as " Time Stops " and " Slow Fade " certainly do conjure the lush vibes heard on Stereolab albums. However, Man-Made is a diverse effort that augments Teenage Fanclub’s typically gorgeous melancholy, with plenty of delicate touches. " Slow Fade " boasts a spring-loaded tempo and a delightfully warped electric guitar solo, while « Cells » is a throwback to psychedelic folk gems of the 1970s. " Only With You, " meanwhile, is hushed indie-pop with a romantic worldview: " I traveled a straight line/While living without you " and " Beauty and truth fill my view/Only with you. " Merge Records has long provided a welcoming home for smart songwriters who aren’t afraid to take risks and stretch their sound in new directions—and Man-Made certainly fits that bill.

The Mountain Goats, Goths (2017)

As a songwriter, The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle excels at writing lyrics around both broad themes (wrestling, religion, West Texas) and niche subcultures (Dungeons & Dragons, goth music). Perhaps even more important, Darnielle uses these topics to illuminate universal truths about the complexity of modern life. Take 2017′s Goths, which uses a very specific timeframe and scene—the melancholy music spawned in the UK and US during the late 1970s and early 1980s—as a way to examine career legacy, confront aging and mortality, and ruminate on what it means to find a space where you belong. " Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back to Leeds, " for example, imagines what it might be like for the Sisters of Mercy frontman to head back to the place where he started ( " They don’t throw him a parade/ He just comes in on a train/ One suitcase in his hand " ) after decades away. Musically, Goths also incorporates subtle nods to the era’s darkness into the Mountain Goats’ usual indie-folk-grounded music: " Rain in Soho " boasts a propulsive marching tempo and gothic-caliber backing harmonies, while " Shelved " is a loving homage to the bass-first synth-pop of New Order. The resulting album is irreverent but full of reverence—a tough balance to pull off, but one that’s quite rewarding.

Wye Oak, Civilian (2011)

The Baltimore duo Wye Oak—vocalist/guitarist Jenn Wasner and multi-instrumentalist Andy Stack—is one of the most productive bands going. Since debuting on Merge Records in 2008 with a reissue of their debut album, If Children, the act has released five additional albums and a handful of singles. Perhaps more important, Wye Oak is one of the most inventive bands around: Although nominally considered indie rock, that tag only begins to describe the duo’s expansive sound.

That eclectic approach is evident on Wye Oak’s third album, Civilian. Loud guitars surge over drums and keyboards, like waves crashing onto a deserted beach on the Sonic Youth-esque " Holy Holy " and dynamic " Dogs Eyes. " " The Alter " is more pensive, as it tones down the volume and features prominent, spacey keyboards and staticky digital effects. The title track, meanwhile, is a riff on pastoral ‘70s folk driven by sparser guitars and plush organ that crests into raucous, fuzz rock.

Appropriately, the title track also boasts a rather surreal vibe: Wasner sings, " You still sleep in the bed with me, my jewelry and my baby teeth " as part of lyrical ruminations on what it means to merge lives with someone else when you are flawed. Wye Oak has no such problems, however: Civilian is a perfect record whose gifts reveal themselves gradually—and deepen with time.

Bob Mould, Beauty & Ruin (2014)

Over the past 40-plus years, Bob Mould has enjoyed massive popularity with two bands—beloved ‘80s melodic punk-pop act Hüsker Dü and ‘90s alternative rock darlings Sugar—and carved out a solo career that’s encompassed everything from folk-punk to club-ready electro. At the start of the 2010s, Mould signed to Merge and has subsequently released some of the best, most satisfying music of his career, highlighted by 2014′s Beauty & Ruin.

Recorded with his ace touring band—bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster—the album is an exuberant blast of energy driven by electric guitar riffs, ferocious tempos and Mould’s trademark copper-coated vocals. The blistering hardcore song " Kid With Crooked Face " and piledriving " Tomorrow Morning " both explode with the kind of thrashing energy and power for which Hüsker Dü is known, although the biting acoustic guitars on " Let the Beauty Be " and the moody, sludgier " Nemeses Are Laughing " offer sonic catharsis that’s a respite from the intensity. Yet Beauty & Ruin’s true gift is Mould’s hard-fought lyrical wisdom. " Tomorrow Morning " in particular offers comforting, if pragmatic, insights: " So many times I had to say farewell/I know it turns out fine, following the exit sign/At least that’s what I tell myself. "

Ex Hex, It’s Real (2019)

Mary Timony and Merge Records have a long history together. The label released the 2011 debut full-length from her punk supergroup Wild Flag (which also featured Sleater-Kinney vocalist/guitarist Carrie Brownstein and the band’s then-drummer Janet Weiss), and has also issued both albums she’s made with her current band Ex Hex. For anyone who’s only familiar with Timony via her work with ‘90s indie rock band Helium, Ex Hex is a revelation. With its shredding guitars and burnt-sugar melodies, the band makes the kind of rock ‘n’ roll you want to blast with the windows down during warm weather months.

Of the band’s two full-lengths, 2019 It’s Real is the one to spin—loudly. The album boasts glittering, skinny-tie power pop (“Radiate”), melodic ‘80s hard rock (“Rainbow Shiner”), and the throwback radio rock (“No Reflection”). Lyrically, It’s Real gets, well, real about connecting in an age when things seem out of sync. “Good Times” is about trying to deal with someone who’s bad news (“Left me alone with the good times/While you brushed your rock and roll hair”), while “Another Dimension” is a cosmic heavy gem about being on different wavelengths: “You and me in another dimension/Between worlds like we could transcend them.”