The limited-edition Destroyer 12-inch “Archer on the Beach” is out-of-print in the Merge store, but you can now buy the songs via digital download!

Don’t miss out on Swim Remixes—Caribou’s answer to what happens when you put one of the year’s hottest dance records in the hands of some of the world’s best DJs! With reworks of some of Swim’s hottest cuts by Junior Boys, Fuck Buttons, Nite Jewel, DJ Koze, Walls, Gold Panda, Gavin Russom, and more, Swim Remixes contains over an hour-and-a-half of new, fresh takes on Caribou’s latest opus.

Let’s Wrestle bring us a tasty piece of next year’s sophomore record with the “Getting Rest”/“When I Was In Hospital” digital single. Be warned: these young Londoners are not to be missed.

Shout Out Louds’ Fall Hard EP expands upon Work’s catchy first single with non-album cuts “Fall Hard Pt. 2” and “Can’t Explain.”

Lou Barlow + the missingmen’s = Sentridoh III is Lou’s first recorded output with new backing band the missingmen. Described by the band as “an almost live representation of the Lou Barlow + the missingmen live show,” this mini-album breathes new, rocking life into Sebadoh and Sentridoh classics, Lou’s solo material, and even a haunting cover of the timeless Skip James song “I’m So Glad.”

Tracey Thorn followed up this year’s gorgeous Love and Its Opposite with a pair of digital EPs, Why Does the Wind? and Opposites, that offer up wildly creative remixes of some of the album’s most-loved songs. Why Does the Wind? pairs the album track of the same name with remixes by Morgan Geist, Michel Clies, and André Lodemann, along with a radio edit and dub version. As for the Opposites EP, Tracey herself probably says it best: “If the remixes for the last single ‘Why Does the Wind?’ were aimed at the dancefloor, these are perhaps aimed more at the head.” Visionquest (“Swimming”), Walls (“Kentish Town”), and Blue Daisy (“Late in the Afternoon”) provide penetrating new takes presented alongside the originals.

Let’s also revisit Lambchop’s magnetic Live at XX Merge performance; Portastatic’s Make It Sound In Tune EP; digital reissues of Richard Buckner’s landmark albums Impasse, The Hill, and Bloomed; and The Ladybug Transistor’s fantastic Here Comes the Rain covers EP.

Our Holiday Coupon applies to digital releases, too, so download away!



Wye Oak recently released My Neighbor / My Creator which is available via digital download and on limited-edition CD from the band and in select record stores only. Lou Barlow + the missingmen have a new digital EP, = Sentridoh III available now in the Merge store.

Wye Oak & Lou Barlow + the missingmen on tour:
Aug 17 Milford, CT – Daniel Street Club
Aug 18 Washington, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel
Aug 19 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Aug 20 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
Aug 21 Nashville, TN – The Basement
Aug 22 St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
Aug 23 Madison, WI – The Frequency
Aug 25 Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
Aug 26 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
Aug 27 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Aug 28 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
Aug 29 Montreal, QC – Il Motore
Aug 31 Northampton, MA – Iron Horse
Sep 01 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Sep 02 Cambridge, MA – Middle East
Sep 03 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Sep 04 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s

More Wye Oak dates:
% = w/ The Mountain Goats
# = w/ David Bazan
Oct 02 Urbana, IL – Canopy Club
Oct 04 Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck %
Oct 05 Columbia, MO – The Blue Note %
Oct 06 Oklahoma City, OK – ACM @ UCO Performance Lab %
Oct 08 San Antonio, TX – The Korova #
Oct 11 Lubbock, TX – The Foundation #
Oct 12 Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad #
Oct 13 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress #
Oct 15 Los Angeles, CA – Spaceland #
Oct 16 San Diego, CA – The Casbah #
Oct 17 San Luis Obispo, CA – Downtown Brewing Co. #
Oct 18 San Francisco, CA – The Independent #
Oct 21 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios w/ Fruit Bats
Oct 22 Seattle, WA – The Showbox w/ Blitzen Trapper

Lou Barlow + the missingmen have a new EP, = Sentridoh III, and are touring with Wye Oak beginning August 17 in Mitford, CT. Don’t miss them!

Lou Barlow + the missingmen with Wye Oak:
Aug 17 Milford, CT – Daniel Street Club
Aug 18 Washington, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel
Aug 19 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Aug 20 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
Aug 21 Nashville, TN – The Basement
Aug 23 Madison, WI – The Frequency
Aug 25 Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
Aug 26 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
Aug 27 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Aug 28 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
Aug 29 Montreal, QC – Il Motore
Aug 31 Northampton, MA – Iron Horse
Sep 01 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Sep 02 Cambridge, MA – Middle East
Sep 03 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Sep 04 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s

Lou Barlow + the missingmen are currently on tour in support of Lou’s Goodnight Unknown, and Lou Barlow + the missingmen = Sentridoh III.

06-21 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern
06-22 Vancouver, BC Media Club
06-23 Portland, OR Doug Fir
06-25 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord
06-26 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater
08-17 Milford, CT Daniel Street
08-18 Washington, DC Rock N Roll Hotel
08-19 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
08-20 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
08-21 Nashville, TN The Basement
08-22 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway
08-24 Madison, WI The Frequency
08-26 Chicago, IL Schuba’s Tavern
08-27 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
08-28 Toronto, ON The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
08-29 Montreal, QC Il Motore
08-31 Northampton, MA Iron Horse
09-01 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
09-02 Cambridge, MA Middle East
09-03 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s

08/17 through 09/03 with Wye Oak

Click here to view the embedded video.

“On the Face” from the new Lou Barlow + the missingmen digital ep = Sentridoh III available now in the Merge store!

Described by the band as “an almost live representation of the Lou Barlow + the missingmen live show,” =Sentridoh III is another step forward for Lou Barlow, and his first release with new backing band the missingmen (guitarist Tom Watson and drummer Raul Morales). With new cuts, rocking reworks of songs from Lou’s Merge debut Emoh and his latest solo record Goodnight Unknown, as well as a hauntingly beautiful cover of Skip James’s “I’m So Glad,” = Sentridoh III is a must-have testament to this remarkable partnership.

= Sentridoh III is available via digital download now in the Merge store, and you can watch a brand new video of “On the Face” at the Merge Vimeo page.

Track listing:
1. Apologize
2. Gravitate / One Machine
3. On the Face
4. Caterpillar Girl
5. Faith Defies the Night
6. Losercore (FREE MP3)
7. Praise
8. I’m So Glad

Lou Barlow + the missingmen on tour:
Jun 10 San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Jun 11 Tucson, AZ – Plush
Jun 12 Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Brewing Co.
Jun 14 Austin, TX – Mohawk
Jun 15 Dallas, TX – The Loft
Jun 16 Norman, OK – The Opolis
Jun 17 Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
Jun 18 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
Jun 19 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Jun 21 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
Jun 22 Vancouver, BC – Media Club
Jun 23 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Jun 25 San Francisco, CA – Café Du Nord
Jun 26 Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theater

All dates below with Wye Oak:
Aug 18 Washington, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel
Aug 19 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Aug 20 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
Aug 21 Nashville, TN – The Basement
Aug 23 Madison, WI – The Frequency
Aug 25 Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
Aug 26 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
Aug 27 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Aug 28 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
Aug 29 Montreal, QC – Il Motore
Aug 31 Northampton, MA – Iron Horse
Sep 01 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Sep 02 Cambridge, MA – Middle East
Sep 03 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s

Don’t miss Lou Barlow + the missingmen on tour this summer, and order your copy of Goodnight Unknown on CD or digital download in the Merge store.

Lou Barlow on Tour!
6/10 San Diego, CA The Casbah
6/11 Tucson, AZ Plush
6/12 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Brewing Co.
6/14 Austin, TX Mohawk
6/15 Dallas, TX The Loft
6/16 Norman, OK Opolis
6/17 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
6/18 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
6/19 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
6/21 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern
6/22 Vancouver, BC Media Club
6/23 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
6/25 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord
6/26 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater

As always, you can find new albums from all of these artists and more in our handy Merge store.

Free Merge 2010 digital sampler track listing:
1. Radar Brothers – Horses Warriors (from The Illustrated Garden)
2. Let’s Wrestle – I Won’t Lie to You (from In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s)
3. Destroyer – The Very Modern Dance (from Streethawk: A Seduction)
4. Shout Out Louds – Fall Hard (from Work)
5. Spoon – Written in Reverse (from Transference)
6. Lou Barlow – Don’t Apologize (from Goodnight Unknown)
7. She & Him – Thieves (from Volume Two)
8. Superchunk – Learned to Surf (from Leaves in the Gutter)
9. Alec Bathgate – Glide (from Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox)
10. The Clientele – I Wonder Who We Are (from Bonfires on the Heath)
11. Caribou – Odessa (from Swim)
12. The Clean – In the Dreamlife U Need a Rubber Soul (from Mister Pop)
13. Wye Oak – I Hope You Die (from My Neighbor / My Creator)
14. Lambchop – Give It (from Live at XX Merge)

Borrowing the live-band energy of Dinosaur Jr. and the stylistic reach of Sebadoh, Barlow has built on Emoh’s full production and written a set of immediate, melodic pop songs that Lou describes as, “a cross between my later work with Folk Implosion and my earlier work with Sebadoh…to my ears, anyway.”

Visit our special LooTube channel for a series of videos and a making-of documentary from Goodnight Unknown, and you can preview the full album and order your copy on CD or digital download now in the Merge store.

Lou Barlow on Tour!
6/10 San Diego, CA  The Casbah
6/11 Tucson, AZ Plush
6/12 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Brewing Co.
6/14 Austin, TX Mohawk
6/15 Dallas, TX The Loft
6/16 Norman, OK Opolis
6/17 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
6/18 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
6/19 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
6/21 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern
6/22 Vancouver, BC Media Club
6/23 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
6/25 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord
6/26 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater

“Barlow has released music under a number of names — Sebadoh, Sentridoh, The Folk Implosion, Lou’s Wasted Pieces — but regardless of the moniker, his songs have remained unmistakably his own.” ~NPR Music

Our helpful flyer is below – click to make it larger & to print it to take with you! Share the link on your twitter & Facebook, too!

Spoon are headlining the NPR show at Stubbs BBQ on Wednesday, March 17 (12:15 am) and She & Him are playing a free, open to the public show at Auditorium Shores on Saturday March 20 (8 pm).  Superchunk are playing a free Village Voice day party at La Zona Rosa on March 19 (3 pm).

Merge Showcase @ Cedar Street Courtyard
208 West 4th St b/t Colorado & Lavaca
Thursday, March 18th
7 PM
(from first to last)
Special Guest
Let’s Wrestle
Radar Brothers
She & Him
Wye Oak
Lou Barlow + the missingmen
The Love Language

Merge @ Homeslice Pizza’s “Music by the Slice” Party
1415 Congress Ave.
Free & Open to the public

Thursday, March 18:
1:30 pm The Love Language
2:15 pm Radar Brothers

Friday, March 19:
Noon Let’s Wrestle
3:45  Wye Oak
6:45  Lou Barlow

Also, book events!

Our Noise event @ Book People (603 N. Lamar Blvd)
Wednesday, March 17 at 6PM
Free & Open to the Public
Mac & Laura will read selections from their book, Our Noise, and will perform covers of songs from selected bands mentioned in the book. They’ll be available to sign books afterwards, too.

Our Noise panel @ SXSW Convention Center
Thursday, March 18 at 2PM
Open to convention registrants only
Michael Azerrad will moderate a Q&A-style event with Mac & Laura about Our Noise and 20 years of Merge Records.

Merge bands @ Music by the Slice!
Homeslice Pizza – 1415 S. Congress St. Austin, TX
Thursday:
1:30 The Love Language
2:15 Radar Brothers
Friday:
Noon Let’s Wrestle
3:45 Wye Oak
6:45 Lou Barlow

Full party line-up can be found here!

From Stereogum “Gummy Awards!”

Lou Barlow’s Goodnight Unknown available on CD, limited edition LP (with download coupon) and digital download in the Merge store. “Friends & Family” coupon still in effect through tomorrow!

Visit LooTube for a collection of music videos and a making-of video, and order your copy of Goodnight Unknown on CD, limited-edition LP (with download coupon), and digital download in the Merge store.

“Flipping from the new wave-ish pop stomp of the title track to the glorious melancholy of ‘Too Much Freedom,’ Goodnight Unknown is another understated treasure from the prince of the perpetually bruised heart.” ~NME

Click here to view the embedded video.

Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox is available for download now from the Merge store and our usual digital outlets. The 2-CD limited-edition release will be available in stores on February 23, but you can pre-order it today and receive the digital download via email after your order is complete!

Visit the fantastic Stroke website for updates on Chris Knox, information on all of the artists who contributed their versions of Knox’s songs, and for previews of many of the tracks—originals and covers.

Tracklisting:
*Tracks are arranged chronologically

Disc 1:
1. Jay Reatard – Pull Down The Shades
2. The Checks – Rebel
3. The Bleeding Allstars – Ain’t It Nice
4. Peter Gutteridge – Don’t Catch Fire
5. The Chills – Luck Or Loveliness
6. David Kilgour – Nothing’s Going To Happen
7. The Crying Wolfs – All My Hollowness To You
8. Stephin Merritt – Beauty
9. Portastatic – Nostalgia’s No Excuse
10. The Mint Chicks – Crush
11. Jay & Sam Clarkson – I’ve Left Memories Behind
12. Sky Green Leopards – Burning Blue
13. Shayne Carter – The Slide
14. Pumice – Grand Mal
15. Hamish Kilgour – Knoxed Out

Disc 2:
1. Boh Runga – Not Given Lightly
2. Red & Zeke (Feat. Bill Doss and Neil Cleary) – Bodies
3. Jeff Mangum – Sign The Dotted Line
4. Bill Callahan – Lapse
5. Genghis Smith – Growth Spurt
6. Yo La Tengo – Coloured
7. AC Newman – Dunno Much About Life But I Know How To Breathe
8. Alec Bathgate – Glide
9. Don McGlashan – Inside Story
10. Sean Donnelly – The Outer Skin
11. Lambchop – What Goes Up
12. The Mountain Goats – Brave
13. The Tokey Tones (and friends) – Round These Walls
14. The Bats – Just Do It
15. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – My Only Friend
16. The Finn Family – It’s Love
17. Jordan Luck – Becoming Something Other
18. The Verlaines – Driftwood
19. Lou Barlow – Song Of The Tall Poppy
20. The Nothing – Napping In Lapland
21. Tall Dwarfs – Sunday Son

Lou Barlow performed a set for The Current while he was in Minneapolis with Dinosaur Jr last week! You can now listen to the session online!

Tracks:
Sharing
Too Much Freedom
Take Advantage

Goodnight Unknown is available on LP & CD in the Merge Store.

Lou Barlow was recently interviewed on CFRU Guelph, ON! You can listen on Vish Kannah’s website.

Lou will also perform live tomorrow at 8:30am Central Time on KCMP The Current!

For even more Lou, check out LooTube and Goodnight Unknown in the Merge Store.

And check out a full stream of Lou Barlow’s new album, Goodnight Unknown, in the Merge store and a collection of videos at LooTube.

While in New York for the Goodnight Unknown CD release party earlier this month, Lou visited the Spin Magazine offices to play a few songs including a cover of La Roux’s “Bulletproof!” Watch live video of his performance at Spin.com.

Order your copy of the new Lou Barlow record, Goodnight Unknown, on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store and visit LooTube for lots of great videos!

Lou Barlow & The Missingmen continue their tour this week through Texas! Goodnight Unknown is in stores now!

10.22.2009 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
10.23.2009 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
10.24.2009 Austin, TX Stubb’s
10.25.2009 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
10.26.2009 Kansas City, MO The Beaumont Club
10.27.2009 Omaha, NE Slowdown
10.29.2009 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater
10.30.2009 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
11.03.2009 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
11.04.2009 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
11.05.2009 West Hollywood, CA House of Blues
11.06.2009 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
11.07.2009 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
11.08.2009 Seattle, WA The Showbox
11.10.2009 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom Lou Solo

Lou Barlow’s new album, Goodnight Unknown, was released on Tuesday and can now be streamed and purchased on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. Visit LooTube for a series of videos from the new album, and don’t miss Lou Barlow + the Missingmen currently out now on their US tour.

LooTube is now complete! You can watch all six videos and the 30-minute behind-the-scenes vignette. Stream Goodnight Unknown in its entirety in the Merge Store and order your copy on CD or LP! Lou Barlow + the Missingmen have just begun their US tour!

NPR.org will stream the entire Lou Barlow set from the 9:30 Club on Thursday, 10/8! Listen online!

The Lou Barlow video joins an ongoing series at Converse.com showcasing six Merge bands performing stripped-down sets somewhat spontaneously in various locations during the festival. Visit the XX Merge section of Converse.com for videos from Superchunk, The Clientele, Telekinesis, and now Lou Barlow.

Check back next week for the next clip in this series of unique sessions courtesy of Converse.com. And don’t forget to check out the Merge channel at Babelgum for live footage from the XX Merge shows held July 22-26th at the Cat’s Cradle and Memorial Hall.

Lou Barlow and Imaad Wasif visited Pancake Mountain’s Rufus Leaking for a live performance of “The Ballad of the Daykitty.” Visit the Pancake Mountain website for more information on the show and where you can find it on your TV.

For more Lou Barlow videos, visit LooTube. Goodnight Unknown is available for pre-order on CD and LP in the Merge store.

from NoiseAddict.net:

here is the new Noise Addict album “it was never about the audience”. its the first Noise Addict album in about 14 years. it felt like time for a new one.

the line up on this recording is me [ben lee], lou barlow and lara meyerratken. that’s a new line-up for the band, but the principle is the same: everything recorded quickly, in my bedroom, with lots of stupid arbitrary rules like no mic-stands.

the songs were all written by me except “lasagna” which i wrote with my step-daughter kate.

Lou Barlow has a new album, Goodnight Unknown, in stores October 6. Listen to songs and video from Goodnight Unknown at LooTube! Lara Meyerratken’s contributions to Crooked Fingers can be heard in the Merge store, and you can hear her solo work at her El May website.

New videos from Lou Barlow’s Goodnight Unknown unveiled weekly at LooTube!

Watch the Lou Barlow documentary-style video about the process of making Goodnight Unknown. This behind-the-scenes vignette is the first in a series of videos from Goodnight Unknown that will be unveiled weekly leading up to its October 6 release date. Download “Gravitate” from Goodnight Unknown, too, and be sure to see Lou Barlow + The Missingmen on tour this fall!

Wye Oak‘s “Take It In” from their new record The Knot was featured on NPR Music as the “Song of the Day” yesterday. Listen and read the review here and order your copy of The Knot on CD and digital download in the Merge store. Go see Wye Oak on tour this fall, too!

All photos by Brian Vetter

Lou Barlow has released a free MP3 download of “Gravitate” from the forthcoming new album, Goodnight Unknown in stores October 6! Enjoy!

Stereogum caught up with Lou to get details on the recording of Goodnight Unknown for their Progress Report feature.

In the four years since his career-redefining, mostly acoustic record Emoh, Lou Barlow has reunited with Dinosaur Jr. and reissued three of Sebadoh’s classic albums. But as the brilliant new Goodnight Unknown illustrates, he’s hardly living in the past. Borrowing the live-band energy of Dinosaur Jr. and the stylistic reach of Sebadoh, Barlow has built on Emoh’s full production and written a set of immediate, melodic pop songs that Lou describes as, “a cross between my later work with Folk Implosion and my earlier work with Sebadoh…to my ears, anyway.”

From the surging opening track “Sharing” to the surprisingly soulful performances on “The Right,” Goodnight Unknown benefits from Barlow’s tunefulness and his decision to record the record relatively quickly, with old friends and new. The Melvins’ Dale Crover adds inspired drum work throughout, and Goodnight Unknown’s urgent sound owes just as much to frequent Barlow collaborator Imaad Wasif (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, alaska!). The record’s considerable power also stems from the new talents on board, including producer Andrew Murdock and Lisa Germano.

Lou Barlow + The Missingmen will be on tour throughout the fall opening for Dinosaur Jr. The Missingmen are guitarist Tom Watson and drummer Raul Morales. Lou “stole” them from Mike Watt for this tour, and is excited to be bringing you the full band experience of Goodnight Unknown.

Join us in following @loubarlow on Twitter!

Lou Barlow + the Missingmen:
09-30 Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
10-01 Montreal, QUE – Pop Montreal Festival
10-02 Cambridge, MA – Middle East
10-03 Cambridge, MA – Middle East
10-04 Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights
10-07 New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
10-08-09 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
10-09 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of the Living Arts
10-10 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
10-11 Pontiac, MI – The Crofoot
10-13 Madison, WI – The Majestic Theatre
10-14 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
10-15 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
10-16 Louisville, KY – Headliner’s Music Hall
10-17 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
10-26 Kansas City, MO – The Beaumont Club
10-27 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
10-29 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
10-30 Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre
11-03 Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
11-04 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
11-06 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
11-07 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom