popwreckoning

In sunny North Carolina, Merge Records’ celebrated their twentieth birthday this year with 33 bands over four nights. Brian Vetter documented the festival, which we called XX Merge.

Though the actual party is over, the fun doesn’t have to stop. Babelgum.com has a special channel for Merge Records’ XX festival that you can see here and we’ve got some Merge records gear to give away as a part of it.

To our first place winner, we have a Merge t-shirt and tote bag. To second place, we have a t-shirt.

All you have to do to win is be one of the first to correctly comment with a valid email address and name 3 bands that played the birthday party.

Merge Records: website

Just in time for my 25th birthday (wow..weird to say), indie gods Spoon are releasing their first full length in nearly three years, Transference, on January 26, 2010 (wish me a happy 25th on the 24th) through Merge Records. Produced by the band, Transference is made up of 11 new gems that honor the Spoon tradition while pushing the envelope of the band’s sound ever further. “Before Destruction” opens proceedings with a transfixing air of foreboding before “Is Love Forever?” and “The Mystery Zone” kick in with hooks that grip the listener’s cortex with the tenacity of an aural tapeworm. “Who Makes Your Money” and first single “Written In Reverse” will be familiar to Spoon fans who witnessed the band playing prototypical live versions at select dates in 2008, as will “Got Nuffin,” title track of the EP released by the band earlier this year. View Transference‘s tracklisting below.

Earlier this year, the foursome — Britt Daniel, Jim Eno, Eric Harvey and Rob Pope — saw the worldwide digitally released their first four albums, Telephono, A Series Of Sneaks, Girls Can Tell and Kill The Moonlight, on their website.. The albums were formatted as MP3s and high quality FLAC audio, with digital liner notes provided for the first time. Spoon will end the year playing a New Years Eve extravaganza at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee with Jay Reatard supporting.

Tour dates supporting Transference will be announced as they are confirmed.

Tracklisting:
01. Before Destruction
02. Is Love Forever?
03. The Mystery Zone
04. Who Makes Your Money
05. Written In Reverse
06. I Saw The Light
07. Trouble Comes Running
08. Goodnight Laura
09. Out Go The Lights
10. Got Nuffin
11. Nobody Gets Me But You

Spoon: website | myspace

In celebration of their 20th anniversary, Merge Records has enlisted bands of the past and present for five days of live music starting July 22nd (ending July 26th) in the heat of the sunny North Carolina for XX Merge.

XX Merge features over 25 of clutch Merge artists including Superchunk, Spoon, Conor Oberst, Spent, M. Ward, The Rosebuds, Destroyer, Guv’ner, Polvo, Pipe and The Broken West. Many more bands both expected and unexpected still to-be-announced!

5-Day Passes are $150 and will get you in to all XX Merge festivities. Passes will go on sale on Wednesday, April 8th at 10 AM EST via catscradle.com and mergerecords.com. 5-day passes are nontransferable. A limited number of tickets for the four nights of individual Cradle shows and the Memorial Hall show will be made available at a later date.

Merge Records: website | tickets