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Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTransfiguration of Vincent\u003c\/i\u003e is the third solo album from \u003cstrong\u003eM. Ward\u003c\/strong\u003e. In composition and style, his music has been compared to such luminaries as Tom Waits, Grandaddy, Sparklehorse, and Howe Gelb. 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Remastered by Bob Weston and featuring new liner notes by Robert Christgau, \u003ci\u003eIcky Mettle\u003c\/i\u003e comes with bonus material (packaged as a second disc with CD, digitally with the LP) including the entire \u003ci\u003eArchers of Loaf vs. The Greatest of All Time\u003c\/i\u003e EP as well as singles and b-sides from the \u003ci\u003eIcky Mettle\u003c\/i\u003e era.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739165028663,"sku":"MRG415LP","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739165061431,"sku":"MRG415digital","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/45d6368bed3d3f210e81dac8d7ea76557f5f8325_d781ff0950e32a9b046f12740047251b3648b230_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380225"},{"product_id":"archers-of-loaf-vee-vee-remastered","title":"Archers of Loaf - Vee Vee (Remastered)","description":"\u003cp\u003eMerge re-issued \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/archers-of-loaf\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArchers of Loaf’s\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e sophomore release \u003ci\u003eVee Vee\u003c\/i\u003e in early 2012 on dbl-CD, limited LP, and digital download.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRe-mastered by Bob Weston and featuring new liner notes by Magnet Magazine editor Eric Miller, \u003ci\u003eVee Vee\u003c\/i\u003e includes sixteen bonus tracks and new cover art re-imagined by graphic artist Jay Ryan. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first full-length produced by Bob Weston, \u003ci\u003eVee Vee\u003c\/i\u003e was a slight diversion from the previous bombastic noisepop that characterized the band's previous work, and proved that the band were not just a flash in the pan. The album became the band's best selling album to date and placed the band on the covers of most fanzines and at the top of college radio charts across the country. \"Harnessed in Slums\" and \"Greatest of All Time\" became anthems of the underground, and led to successful tours with the Flaming Lips and Weezer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP (Black)","offer_id":52739179184439,"sku":"MRG425LP","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2-CD","offer_id":52739179151671,"sku":"MRG425CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739179118903,"sku":"MRG425DA","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/b3a1a961c53f781795a16f3e13bd1e0e5defa876_8d47d1c33dc5683bf62295e0b15853f8556701f1_medium_jpg_2160b58b-a4da-47c0-a5d5-9fcd05af8c3d.jpg?v=1789600156"},{"product_id":"archers-of-loaf-all-the-nations-airports-remastered","title":"Archers of Loaf - All the Nations Airports (Remastered)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith \u003cem\u003eAll the Nations Airports\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eArchers of Loaf\u003c\/strong\u003e did not compromise its efforts to push itself in new directions. The band delivered an album that included the straightforward indie-rock songs that had made them famous, interspersed with instrumental tracks, layered tape loops, and even a solo piano song. Although the songs’ structures became much more complex and provided a wide range of color and emotion, none of the tracks seemed out of place on the album.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn Stephen Thompson’s liner notes for the \u003cem\u003eAirports\u003c\/em\u003e reissue, he says, “It’s music that exists because it must, with all the bile, beauty, and bluster of youth and all the disaffected paranoia of a perpetually worried mind. The album might not have fulfilled Archers of Loaf’s commercial potential at the time, but that makes an awful lot of sense. The band tended to craft its greatest art when it saw fit to scribble in the margins.”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll the Nations Airports\u003c\/em\u003e is reissued on DBL-CD, Clear Vinyl LP, and digital download with new, re-imagined art by Ian Dingman.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP (Black)","offer_id":52739184034103,"sku":"MRG435LP","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739183968567,"sku":"MRG435DA","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/5f38adecf78ef27694f713dcb80e9f720ad7c5d3_09b5a4680be5d6df3c18ea15dce90ab1470cb54d_medium_jpg_54469f98-832f-477f-949b-be5df0f3b294.jpg?v=1789600153"},{"product_id":"archers-of-loaf-white-trash-heroes-remastered","title":"Archers of Loaf - White Trash Heroes (Remastered)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArchers of Loaf\u003c\/strong\u003e almost called it quits after \u003ca href=\"\/products\/archers-of-loaf-all-the-nations-airports-remastered\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAll the Nations Airports\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e due to the strain of touring and the rut of the album cycle (i.e., make record, make video, do interviews, tour, tour, tour; repeat) but decided they would make one more album and see how they felt after that process. They again enlisted the help of Brian Paulson to record the album that became \u003ci\u003eWhite Trash Heroes\u003c\/i\u003e. On this album, the band added keyboards to several songs, as well as vocoder, and debuted the lead vocals of Matt Gentling on \"I.N.S.\" The track \"Banging on a Dead Drum\" found all the members swapping instruments and some of the worst cowbell ever attempted.The band pulled out all the stops to keep its members engaged, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and the band decided to make the fall tour of 1998 its final outing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the liner notes for Merge’s reissue of the Archers’ final album, Josh Modell says, “In hindsight, it’s easy to read \u003ci\u003eWhite Trash Heroes \u003c\/i\u003eas both the stormy end to a legendary band and as the beginning of something else: Bachmann’s next project, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/crooked-fingers\"\u003eCrooked Fingers\u003c\/a\u003e. Hints of what came two years later abound here, particularly on the keyboard undercarriage and restrained energy of ‘Dead Red Eyes’ and the epic, sequencer-assisted title track. That eight-minute song feels like a transitional sigh, and an acknowledgement that a certain period—let’s call it ‘indie-rock’s golden age,’ because that might drive the Archers nuts—had passed. To paraphrase: They were out of luck, because nobody gave a fuck.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhite Trash Heroes \u003c\/i\u003eis available on 2-CD and white vinyl with new, re-imagined art by Casey Burns.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP (Black)","offer_id":52739184165175,"sku":"MRG445LP","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739184066871,"sku":"MRG445digital","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/add71d0d452112846bfc784f5eef566de4a669ad_00e0453594781ccb5a6cab07a0c2d29673136d16_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1789600150"},{"product_id":"redd-kross-hot-issue-reissue","title":"Redd Kross - Hot Issue (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eA dozen turn-of-the-century new digs and old finds recorded by \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/redd-kross\"\u003eRedd Kross\u003c\/a\u003e in Hollywood between 1980 and 2007. This collection of top-quality recordings features Redd Kross rarities and focuses on the band’s most explosively creative period from the early ’90s straight through to \u003ca href=\"\/products\/redd-kross-researching-the-blues\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eResearching the Blues\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, all mastered from the original source tapes for optimal audio fidelity by Bill Inglot and Dave Schultz at d2. An energetic compilation created to be a complete play experience with \u003cstrong\u003eunreleased and rare tracks \u003c\/strong\u003eunearthed from the Jeff McDonald archives, \u003ci\u003eHot Issue\u003c\/i\u003e is a total must for all Redd Kross fans around the world!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Signed Peak Vinyl (Neon Green)","offer_id":52739184329015,"sku":"MRG647lp-C1","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Peak Vinyl (Neon Green)","offer_id":52739184197943,"sku":"MRG647lp-C1","price":22.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP (Licorice Black)","offer_id":52739184230711,"sku":"MRG647lp","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739184296247,"sku":"MRG647digital","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/96ebd0424acffb837e2f52effe61bfd7f73fbafd_e0d49d8b85726eeeea3fcbeb3e760d6232dc4879_medium_jpg_2cf83316-4918-458f-ba62-b36587ebe20a.jpg?v=1789600329"},{"product_id":"redd-kross-teen-babes-from-monsanto-reissue","title":"Redd Kross - Teen Babes from Monsanto (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eA little drums… a little atmosphere… and it wails like this!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHotter than anything printed by a Hearst daily, this is the 12-song “Versión Especial” of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/redd-kross\"\u003eRedd Kross\u003c\/a\u003e’ \u003ci\u003eTeen Babes from Monsanto\u003c\/i\u003e—all art, no filler, direct from the source, pure from the tap! The album features specially designed packaging that allows you to choose between two different front covers with just a flip of the wrist! Experience vintage teenaged Redd Kross as presented by Monsanto: 100% genuine, chemically inspired brilliance fueled by processed junk food.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Signed LP (Black)","offer_id":52739184525623,"sku":"MRG646LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739184427319,"sku":"MRG646LP","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739184492855,"sku":"MRG646digital","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/d0a110ad0b95698bb150089ef1475ef3d77d035a_ecfbdbad59b3376fbd3417da3b7193b82a66bebd_medium_jpg_d378fbb1-834e-4021-83d1-0fb4dfd11e28.jpg?v=1789600332"},{"product_id":"lambchop-nixon-reissue","title":"Lambchop - Nixon (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNixon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e was released in early 2000. It was \u003cstrong\u003eLambchop\u003c\/strong\u003e’s fifth LP, and the first record of any kind that the band had released in over a year, after a half-decade in which scarcely three months went by without some kind of new Lambchop music. Starting with the swell of horns in the middle of album opener “The Old Gold Shoe,” \u003ci\u003eNixon\u003c\/i\u003e glides easily from one unexpected grace note to the next, peppering in funk, R\u0026amp;B, gospel, country, vintage folk—and integrating them all, not presenting them discretely. Lambchop has always taken its Nashville origins seriously, making use of the wide variety of talented musicians who live and work in Music City. \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe double-CD includes the original album plus a bonus disc containing \u003ci\u003eWhite Sessions 1998: How I Met Cat Power\u003c\/i\u003e, a remastered live solo session Kurt recorded in 1998. The LP is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and includes the CD of bonus material.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Kurt: \"This was a rare solo performance recorded at Radio France of (with the exception of one) as-yet unrecorded Lambchop songs with cassette tape loop accompaniment for a show they had called the White Sessions. It's called \"How I Met Cat Power,\" which actually is true; we were doing back-to-back promo sessions that day...\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP (Black)","offer_id":52739186622775,"sku":"MRG175LP","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739186590007,"sku":"MRG175CD","price":18.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739186655543,"sku":"MRG175digital-R","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/fbcf7858903c3dab103a8daebc0104902a27059e_b6bc3939e309ad806d687883a85a7a68d5ed1e10_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380915"},{"product_id":"richard-buckner-bloomed-reissue","title":"Richard Buckner - Bloomed (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe March entry in our 25th anniversary reissue series is \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBloomed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, the 1994 debut album from \u003cb\u003eRichard Buckner\u003c\/b\u003e. The album will be remastered and released on CD and 180-gram vinyl. Both formats will include a CD containing 11 bonus tracks of radio sessions, live performances, and original recordings of songs that appeared on future releases.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpin\u003c\/i\u003e magazine described Buckner as “equal parts Bay Area bohemian and dust bowl traditionalist” and named \u003ci\u003eBloomed\u003c\/i\u003e one of its best albums of 1994, while Pitchfork wrote, “It’s a traditional outsider-country record in the lineage of Townes Van Zandt. Buckner’s voice is all honey and oak, his guitar style elaborately twanging, his constant subject matter heartache.”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRichard Buckner provides some background on the album:\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eBloomed was originally (erroneously?) released on an unnamable German label in 1994. I was living in San Francisco at the time, having just moved out of a residential hotel and into the 1906 hilltop prefab that adorns the cover. At the time, I was heading a band called The Doubters. We were playing high profile events such as The Covered Wagon Saloon’s Musical Barstools, but weren’t making much headway. We had been turned down consistently every year by SXSW, but I was somehow finagled in as an unannounced guest onto an already unofficial SXSW showcase created by Butch Hancock at his gallery in downtown Austin. There, I met up again with Lloyd Maines, who agreed to produce my first record.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eMaines and I met in Lubbock, TX, a few months later, where we worked with Lubbock musicians in a small recording studio walled in wooden shingles Sharpied with bible passages from various church groups that also enjoyed working there. It was 112°F the morning I arrived under the suspicious (Californians are merely B-grade yankees) gaze of downtown’s Buddy Holly statue. That first night there, it hailed so hard that heaven’s angry pellets were storming in under my motel door. It only let up for a few moments that first night, allowing me to run across the street to get a butter burger and fries to go. We finished four days later and I flew back to San Francisco, dismembered the band, and embarked on a tour that would last about 20 years (or a few days, if you count what I actually remember).\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eNothing’s changed. I’m still dodging the sky and busking to strangers.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe CD packaged with LP contains bonus tracks only, and the download coupon contains a full download of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBloomed\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739187573047,"sku":"MRG355LP","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739187540279,"sku":"MRG355CD","price":16.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739187507511,"sku":"MRG355digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/93e07eb0fe5246687b3979c5d2e8f5d2f8c182aa_d38c6ec617931abfded47adde8df6b5904ed86f6_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380932"},{"product_id":"teenage-fanclub-man-made-reissue","title":"Teenage Fanclub - Man-Made (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn August 5, 2014 Merge reissued \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/merge.polyvinylrecords.com\/store\/teenage_fanclub\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTeenage Fanclub\u003c\/strong\u003e’s\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/teenage-fanclub-shadows-reissue\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShadows\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, two critically acclaimed albums never before available on LP in the US. These reissues were part of our year-long 25th anniversary series of re-releasing classic albums from our back catalog each month throughout 2014.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTeenage Fanclub released \u003ci\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/i\u003e, their Merge debut, in 2005. Recorded with John McEntire in Chicago, \u003ci\u003eMan-Made \u003c\/i\u003eis described by the band as “a medium-risk experiment—to cut ourselves off from what we knew, to be in a different type of city, on a different continent, to work with John, a different type of musician, an engineer with a particular sound, and to interact with whatever equipment he had at Soma: his drums, his amplifiers, his keyboards. The plan was to be somewhere truly new and deal with it, see how it worked out. We had never made a record this way before, and the prevailing circumstances at the time, the fact that we really had nothing to lose, made doing something slightly differently seem quite appealing.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/teenage-fanclub-shadows-reissue\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eShadows\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e followed five years later. The band reveals how the recording process differed from the previous album: “Compared with \u003ci\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/i\u003e, this is a softer isolation, surrounded by fields and emptiness, and the live room at the studio, a converted barn, is filled with our equipment all mic’d up and ready to go. This set-up is how we approached the three records leading up to \u003ci\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/i\u003e, and we feel it suits us: a residential country location, close enough to drive but with sufficient distance from home to concentrate our minds on the job at hand.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth albums illustrate what SPIN magazine wrote of Teenage Fanclub: “Proof that youth is a state of mind you need never outgrow.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eShadows\u003c\/i\u003e will be released on 180-gram vinyl, and each LP will include a download of the album plus two bonus tracks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/i\u003e bonus tracks: \u003cbr\u003e\"Please Stay\"\u003cbr\u003e\"Falling Leaf\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCD does not include bonus tracks.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739189145911,"sku":"MRG262lp","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739189211447,"sku":"MRG262cd","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739189178679,"sku":"MRG262digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/cf0242d97f98ee0e2ad1759d73f968c210a88ee1_ed08dd43d65ca832279932bac62050e7eeec5ded_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380976"},{"product_id":"teenage-fanclub-shadows-reissue","title":"Teenage Fanclub - Shadows (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn August 5, 2014 Merge reissued \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/merge.polyvinylrecords.com\/store\/teenage_fanclub\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTeenage Fanclub\u003c\/strong\u003e’s\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/merge.polyvinylrecords.com\/product\/man_made_reissue\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShadows\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, two critically acclaimed albums never before available on LP in the US. These reissues were part of our year-long 25th anniversary series of re-releasing classic albums from our back catalog each month throughout 2014.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTeenage Fanclub released \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/merge.polyvinylrecords.com\/product\/man_made_reissue\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, their Merge debut, in 2005. Recorded with John McEntire in Chicago, \u003ci\u003eMan-Made \u003c\/i\u003eis described by the band as “a medium-risk experiment—to cut ourselves off from what we knew, to be in a different type of city, on a different continent, to work with John, a different type of musician, an engineer with a particular sound, and to interact with whatever equipment he had at Soma: his drums, his amplifiers, his keyboards. The plan was to be somewhere truly new and deal with it, see how it worked out. We had never made a record this way before, and the prevailing circumstances at the time, the fact that we really had nothing to lose, made doing something slightly differently seem quite appealing.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eShadows\u003c\/i\u003e followed five years later. The band reveals how the recording process differed from the previous album: “Compared with \u003ci\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/i\u003e, this is a softer isolation, surrounded by fields and emptiness, and the live room at the studio, a converted barn, is filled with our equipment all mic’d up and ready to go. This set-up is how we approached the three records leading up to \u003ci\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/i\u003e, and we feel it suits us: a residential country location, close enough to drive but with sufficient distance from home to concentrate our minds on the job at hand.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth albums illustrate what SPIN magazine wrote of Teenage Fanclub: “Proof that youth is a state of mind you need never outgrow.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMan-Made\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eShadows\u003c\/i\u003e will be released on 180-gram vinyl, and each LP will include a download of the album plus two bonus tracks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eShadows\u003c\/i\u003e bonus tracks: \u003cbr\u003e\"Secret Heart\"\u003cbr\u003e\"Dark and Lonely\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCD does not include bonus tracks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739189309751,"sku":"MRG392lp","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739189342519,"sku":"MRG392cd","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739189276983,"sku":"MRG392digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/ed280c37d4dedf65691c0f9e95fbbc0bed19a122_f8914c8b6ead3cb9c20c7231fd2e0f63ddcced90_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785380980"},{"product_id":"portastatic-the-summer-of-the-shark-reissue","title":"Portastatic - The Summer of the Shark (Reissue)","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"column\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePortastatic’s \u003cem\u003eThe Summer of the Shark \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eis now available for the first time on vinyl as part of a monthly series of reissues to mark the 25th anniversary of Merge Records.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMac McCaughan, co-founder of Merge Records and frontman of the band \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/superchunk\"\u003eSuperchunk\u003c\/a\u003e, began recording solo albums under the name Portastatic in the early ’90’s. Beginning with this album, Portastatic evolved from a lo-fi side project to become McCaughan’s main focus throughout Superchunk’s long hiatus in the early ’00s.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMcCaughan wrote the songs on \u003cem\u003eThe Summer of the Shark \u003c\/em\u003ein 2001 while Superchunk was on tour in support of \u003ca href=\"\/product\/here_s_to_shutting_up\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHere’s to Shutting Up\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, which was released mere days after the September 11 attacks and would be the band’s last studio album for nine years. The resulting batch of songs was the last Portastatic album recorded almost entirely at home; it was also the most emotionally resonant and musically compact collection to date.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eUpon the album’s release, then Chicago Tribune reporter John Cook wrote of the album: “It is the most effective and moving musical answer yet to what has happened to us over the last two years. Faced with an enormous catastrophe, McCaughan elected to make a small record. There are no heroes rushing up stairwells and no dissections of good and evil—only scared, confused people and local heartbreaks.”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"column\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded at McCaughan’s home studio in Chapel Hill, \u003cem\u003eThe Summer of the Shark \u003c\/em\u003eincludes contributions from Janet Weiss (Wild Flag, Quasi, Sleater-Kinney), Tony Crow (Lambchop), Margaret White (Versus, Matt Pond PA), Matthew McCaughan (Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger), Aaron Oliva, and John Plymale. \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003eLP is pressed on white vinyl, and includes a coupon for a full download.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739189604663,"sku":"MRG225cd","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739189539127,"sku":"MRG225digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/7a8c4156156e3609d863970655f3bdd53c899d19_bc33efb5c448055a9b8db4349f3b199732af30cc_medium_jpg_54098b2d-73b1-4b24-9499-f9f5314eafd9.jpg?v=1789600347"},{"product_id":"m-ward-transistor-radio-reissue","title":"M. Ward - Transistor Radio (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eMerge's reissue of \u003cstrong\u003eM. Ward\u003c\/strong\u003e’s 2005 album \u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTransistor Radio.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e The LP pressing includes a CD containing four previously unreleased recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe asked music writer Jud Cost to revisit \u003ci\u003eTransistor Radio\u003c\/i\u003e for this reissue, and this is what he wrote:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin-left:40px;\"\u003eIf you totally lost it when you first heard the masterful CD version of the opening track, a lump-in-the-throat instrumental reworking of Brian Wilson’s \u003ci\u003ePet Sounds \u003c\/i\u003egem “You Still Believe in Me,” wait until you feel the sun scorch your face from the ultra-warm PVC treatment. Better keep some Coppertone handy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin-left:40px;\"\u003eOn the other hand, “Fuel for Fire” has enough country heartbreak it should have been covered by George Jones. And then there’s “Four Hours in Washington,” the insomniac’s nightmare, opening with a groan of \u003ci\u003eTwin Peaks\u003c\/i\u003e-like guitar chords before the tale unravels thusly: “Well, it’s one in the morning and I can’t sleep at night \/ I hear wolves around the doorstep, they’re circling outside \/ I count ’em jumping over fences and landing on the sheets \/ Now it’s two in the morning and I can’t fall asleep.” If you’ve been itching to drop your tonearm onto one of \u003ci\u003eTransistor Radio\u003c\/i\u003e’s 16 jackpot tracks, here’s your chance, hi-fi worshipper.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTracklist of bonus CD included with LP:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJust the Other Side of Nowhere (Kris Kristofferson cover)\u003cbr\u003e      featuring Jim James (vocal, guitar)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLullaby + Exile (live)\u003cbr\u003e      featuring Norah Jones  (vocal)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHere Comes the Sun Again (four-track)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePaul’s Song (instrumental)\u003cbr\u003e      featuring Paul Brainard (pedal steel)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Peak Vinyl (Brown \/ Gold Splatter)","offer_id":52739189866807,"sku":"MRG260LP-C1","price":27.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP (Black)","offer_id":52739189768503,"sku":"MRG260LP","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739189834039,"sku":"MRG260CD","price":15.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739189801271,"sku":"MRG260digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/a16acc2543ee3e4e4551c8a0dba7b69a76879c6b_cff50fd5f415ef33adeaa2d7399bdb4ab0fff79c_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381000"},{"product_id":"william-tyler-deseret-canyon-reissue","title":"William Tyler - Deseret Canyon (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/william-tyler\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWilliam Tyler\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e released \u003ci\u003eDeseret Canyon\u003c\/i\u003e on limited-edition double-LP available exclusively at your local record store in celebration of Record Store Day. The double-LP is available now in the Merge store.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDeseret Canyon\u003c\/i\u003e was the first collection of largely solo guitar-based composition by William Tyler. Originally released in 2008 by German imprint \u003ci\u003eApparent Extent\u003c\/i\u003e under the moniker The Paper Hats, it is now being reissued under Tyler’s own name. The album is imbued with immense meditative space in comparison to Tyler’s more recent work, such as 2013’s widely acclaimed \u003ca href=\"\/products\/william-tyler-impossible-truth\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eImpossible Truth\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eLargely played by Tyler himself, \u003ci\u003eDeseret Canyon\u003c\/i\u003e includes guest appearances from Lambchop’s Paul Niehaus and Ryan Norris as well as engineering work by Mark Nevers and Joe Pisapia, both of whom would later collaborate with Tyler on \u003ci\u003eImpossible Truth\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/william-tyler-lost-colony\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eLost Colony\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, respectively.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003eLP includes a coupon for a full download\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"2-LP","offer_id":52739190686007,"sku":"MRG535LP","price":29.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739190718775,"sku":"MRG535digital","price":6.93,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/2f9f5b74ff6fc763b36753cb1007acb3dc122408_b828db6cf4de34d5cc4fd96c326bc4bc020f8e79_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381024"},{"product_id":"richard-buckner-the-hill-reissue","title":"Richard Buckner - The Hill (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn the 100th anniversary of Edgar Lee Masters’ \u003ci\u003eSpoon River Anthology\u003c\/i\u003e, Merge is reissuing the epic it inspired: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/richard-buckner\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard Buckner\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e’s \u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Hill\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Hill\u003c\/i\u003e started in 1996 in an old garage that had been converted to The Ranch Olancha Motel, a dusty place near the mouth of Death Valley, between Lone Pine and Dunmovin, California. Buckner, who was en route to Tucson, Arizona, to record what would become \u003ci\u003eDevotion \u0026amp; Doubt\u003c\/i\u003e, stayed a week in a room with no phone, no television, carrying his guitar, a four-track recorder, and a copy of Masters’ \u003ci\u003eSpoon River Anthology\u003c\/i\u003e. He tinkered with a few of the book’s poems, put them on a cassette, and forgot about it until an acquaintance discovered it in his truck four years later. Beset with writer’s block and looking for a distraction, Buckner would find in the tape the spur he needed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecorded in Edmonton, Alberta, and Tucson, \u003ci\u003eThe Hill\u003c\/i\u003e converts \u003ci\u003eSpoon River\u003c\/i\u003e poems to music. You’d wonder why a poet in his own right would feel the need to sample another’s work. But Masters’ book of poetry tells much the same story Buckner is accustomed to, the kind of story that makes him distinct among storytellers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach page of \u003ci\u003eSpoon River Anthology\u003c\/i\u003e reads as a final, postmortem dictum of a different deceased resident—more than 250 of them now passed—in the fictional Midwestern town of Spoon River. The epitaphs are important for Buckner because, in death, these people strip the breathing city of its dishonesty. Each one, from Reuben Pantier to Elizabeth Childers to Oscar Hummel, is no longer concerned with whispers and pointed fingers that are often the consequence of a life laid bare for all to see. They’re unleashing themselves, without fallacy or attachment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuckner chooses 18 of these confessions, each given a unique rendering. Backed by Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino and surveyed with Buckner’s unflagging vocal desperation, Spoon River’s residents come back to life. Like so much of his career, Buckner disappeared into Spoon River and returns to us with its story.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739193209143,"sku":"MRG356cd","price":13.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739193176375,"sku":"MRG356digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/3d72c0675207a436d61f60a2e2f72cd5ecf49b69_a9e6856d30a9503a3c7efb0cf80edaad886344dc_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381040"},{"product_id":"crooked-fingers-crooked-fingers-reissue","title":"Crooked Fingers - Crooked Fingers (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eMerge has reissued the self-titled debut album by \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/crooked-fingers\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrooked Fingers\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, the solo project of Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann. 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What you’re holding represents the first step, a big, quiet leap into the unknown—which ended up being a beautiful place.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCrooked Fingers\u003c\/i\u003e bonus tracks:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Our New Favorite (1998 4­-Track Cassette Demo)\u003cbr\u003e2. Crowned in Chrome (1998 4-­Track Cassette Demo)\u003cbr\u003e3. New Drink for the Old Drunk (1998 4­-Track Cassette Demo)\u003cbr\u003e4. Pigeon Kicker (1998 4-­Track Cassette Demo)\u003cbr\u003e5. Broken Man (1998 4­-Track Cassette Demo)\u003cbr\u003e6. Black Black Ocean (1998 4­-Track Cassette Demo) \u003cbr\u003e7. A Little Bleeding (1998 4­-Track Cassette Demo)\u003cbr\u003e8. Atchafalayan Death Waltz (from the Sub Pop single)\u003cbr\u003e9. 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On vinyl for the first time, the LP features an essay by The National’s Matt Berninger. Also included is a download of the full album plus bonus demos of each track.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn his liner notes, Berninger writes:\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI had been a fan of Eric Bachmann’s songs since the first Archers of Loaf record, \u003c\/i\u003eIcky Mettle\u003ci\u003e, but here I felt he was after something different, something intimate and important. His writing was inspired. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt sounded to me like Byron, drunk at a party, talking to some girl about a different girl that he was in love with. I remember thinking, This guy reads a lot more than I do. The vocal and guitar melodies were unbelievably lovely, and his lyrics careened from crushingly sad to self-lacerating to hilarious. 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The 3-LP package showcases Superchunk bassist Laura Ballance’s paintings from the CD art and features commentary by her, Jim, Jon, and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/mac-mccaughan\"\u003eMac\u003c\/a\u003e about every track on the album (the ones they remember recording, anyway). The original song notes have been expanded to include the three songs from out-of-print compilations that were added to this remastered vinyl edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSuperchunk drummer Jon shares his clear memories on the occasion of the reissue:\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI’ll be honest: this compilation came out 14 years ago, and I still don’t recognize the titles of 60% of these songs, despite drumming on all but one of them. You think Alan Alda remembers every M*A*S*H episode? I’m sure he can give a scene-by-scene breakdown of the show’s now-legendary final installment (“So Long, Farewell, Goodbye”) and yet have no memory whatsoever of the episode where they help an injured cow give birth (“The Birthday Girls”). It doesn’t mean that one episode is better than the other… ok… this argument doesn’t hold water, and I can see that now. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe songs on \u003c\/i\u003eCup of Sand\u003ci\u003e may not have found homes on our studio albums, but that doesn’t mean they are unworthy of your time. Sure, a few didn’t make the grade, but most of these songs were recorded specifically for compilations, one-off 7”s, EPs, and soundtracks. “With Bells On”—a song I wrote the bulk of—was left off 1997’s \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/superchunk-indoor-living\"\u003eIndoor Living\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e in an effort by the others to keep me from buying a new motocross bike with the publishing money I’d have received. I cover this in much greater detail in my upcoming memoir, \u003c\/i\u003eWrongs I’ve Endured\u003ci\u003e (PenguinLite).\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis marks the first time \u003c\/i\u003eCup of Sand\u003ci\u003e has been released on vinyl. We’ve even added three extra songs that weren’t on the original album. This was done to give fans something special, but also to help us realize our dream of one day releasing a three-LP set that somehow has eight fewer songs than \u003c\/i\u003eSandinista!\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eYours in haste,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eJon Wurster\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e12\/2\/16\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003eLP includes a coupon for a full download.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"3-LP","offer_id":52739210510647,"sku":"MRG221LP","price":35.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739210543415,"sku":"MRG221digital-R","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/5d770a82b86ac651585927cdebbc80893c532f29_4afcc7cd1e5c058d2ec09ec09834bc53321d3dd1_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1789600375"},{"product_id":"lambchop-is-a-woman-reissue","title":"Lambchop - Is a Woman (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor its 15th anniversary, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/lambchop\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLambchop\u003c\/strong\u003e’s\u003c\/a\u003e 2002 album \u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs a Woman\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e was made available on vinyl in North America for the first time on March 3, 2017. The 2-LP set in a gatefold sleeve allows Lambchop fans to fully appreciate the lovely album art. As a bonus, the vinyl reissue includes eight digital bonus tracks recorded during the \u003ci\u003eIs a Woman\u003c\/i\u003e sessions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo those who embraced its predecessor, 2000’s \u003ca href=\"\/products\/lambchop-nixon-reissue\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNixon\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e—whose luscious country soul grooves provided the sprawling Nashville collective with a significant breakthrough—the deceptively gentle \u003ci\u003eIs a Woman\u003c\/i\u003e administered a quiet but compelling shock. The album’s remarkable “My Blue Wave,” where Kurt Wagner depicts a world of helpless tragedy in which comfort can nonetheless be found in the smallest of gestures, exemplifies the true spirit of this record.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLambchop continue to confound and astound in equal measure. With their sound consistently shifting and surprising, the band’s line-up has morphed and adapted repeatedly since then, but the extraordinary, idiosyncratic \u003ci\u003eIs a Woman\u003c\/i\u003e is considered to be one of the band’s finest. As Wagner himself asks on “Bugs”: “Think of things and how they got this way\/ Way above the rest\/ Isn’t this the fucking best?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIs a Woman\u003c\/i\u003e bonus digital tracks:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1.  The Gettysburg Address\u003cbr\u003e2.  Backstreet Girl\u003cbr\u003e3.  The Fadeaway Jumper\u003cbr\u003e4.  Flub\u003cbr\u003e5.  The Gusher\u003cbr\u003e6.  The Puppy and the Leaf\u003cbr\u003e7.  This Corrosion\u003cbr\u003e8.  Uti\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"2-LP (Black)","offer_id":52739210641719,"sku":"MRG204lp","price":29.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD Original Pressing)","offer_id":52739210608951,"sku":"MRG204cd","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739210674487,"sku":"MRG204digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/5c770f3635e44b422194e69ed642c52716a59842_264571df30dfd157471856eb4382294709fa3f6e_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381218"},{"product_id":"richard-buckner-impasse-reissue","title":"Richard Buckner - Impasse (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease highlights:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cul\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePressed on vinyl for the first time to commemorate the album's 15th anniversary \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLP includes full download of the album plus 4 rare bonus tracks\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLP features full-color heavyweight inner sleeve with printed lyrics\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAudio newly remastered by Jon Marshall Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFree shipping on all U.S. orders! \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e* * *\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eTo commemorate the 15th anniversary of its release, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/richard-buckner\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichard Buckner\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e’s 2002 album \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eImpasse\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e has been reissued on CD and LP—its first-ever appearance on vinyl. Newly remastered by Jon Marshall Smith, the vinyl reissue also includes a download of four rare bonus tracks.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the gestation of \u003ci\u003eImpasse, \u003c\/i\u003eRichard Buckner was stuck. But, with perseverance, what began as one of his most troubled recording attempts ended as one of his best and most pivotal—a capstone for his wayfaring early period before he planted roots with Merge. The words are entrancingly cryptic, as if their simplicity conceals unfathomable depths. The music is sparse, almost whispered at times, like a secret. The title gives everything away, though.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eImpasse\u003c\/i\u003e was conceived as a faceted whole. Its lyrics are like scattered snapshots and torn-up letters. The song titles form a poem that structures a story of heartache and dreamt redemption cloistered at the music’s core. Impressions, pledges, and slivered vantages swirl in Buckner’s voice and, while his frustrations at the time of Impasse were only part of the twist, its transmission is so open-ended that the aura of quiet desperation and hard-won grace is yours to use as you please.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e“You don’t really know what you’re writing at the time,” Buckner says. “Writing seems to be kind of prophetic and it makes much more sense looking back on it. But I think mystery is good. If you ever think you know what you’re doing, then you’re probably in bad shape.”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003eLP includes a coupon for a full download.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739211002167,"sku":"MRG357LP","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739210969399,"sku":"MRG357CD","price":13.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739211034935,"sku":"MRG357digital","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/4e75a4636a2a7feb832db306875905e3600b11d4_7dc1dd8527df553f58eaacd8458524272ba97d6d_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381229"},{"product_id":"destroyer-city-of-daughters-reissue","title":"Destroyer - City of Daughters (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis special 20th anniversary reissue, pressed on red vinyl in a limited one-time run, marks the album’s first-ever appearance on LP in the US. 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They create a patchwork of influences that range from post-Sandy Denny Fairport Convention on “By the Sea” to the spirited and catchy bounce of “The Late Great Cassiopia.” One almost hears a direct link between Flying Nun and K Records pop sensibilities. The hypnotic “Our Lady in Havana” summons the spirit of Judee Sill, and “Julia” rings like a Jimmy Webb \/ Emitt Rhodes collaboration at some roadside cafe. “Chartiers” would’ve been a hit on Scotland’s Postcard Records, with its stunning sound that either Lloyd Cole or Prefab Sprout longed to perfect. Take the essence of all these influences, wrap them up in sweetened Cowsill harmonies, add that passionate longing of Kevin Ayers and a dose of “Dandy”-era Kinks and you get close to what The Essex Green are capable of. \u003ci\u003eThe Long Goodbye\u003c\/i\u003e is timeless work and warrants another introduction to the world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Peak Vinyl","offer_id":52739214377271,"sku":"MRG228lp-C1","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739214344503,"sku":"MRG228digital","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/536366c407a5f9727bb8b64c294163171a0a9fad_02a07f52b3ec560e7b6c0e16e49cf9864e199431_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381337"},{"product_id":"the-essex-green-cannibal-sea-reissue","title":"The Essex Green - Cannibal Sea (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis reissue marks the first appearance of \u003ci\u003eCannibal Sea \u003c\/i\u003eon vinyl!\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eOur limited-edition opaque blue Peak Vinyl pressing comes with a full album download plus three rare digital bonus tracks (“Pack Up Your Sorrows,” “San Bernardino,” and “Victor”).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote: The CD available here is the original 2006 CD pressing. This CD version does not include bonus tracks.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align:center;\"\u003e+++\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“We’re not breaking any records yet” is the opening line from “This Isn’t Farmlife,” the first track from \u003cstrong\u003eThe Essex Green\u003c\/strong\u003e’s fourth outing, \u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCannibal Sea\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e. The introductory words are rather passive aggressive. Perhaps The Essex Green were feeling like they had nothing to lose with this album, so why not raise the flag with a shrug? Ironically, the nucleus of EG—Jeff Baron, Sasha Bell, and Chris Ziter—came out firing on all cylinders with renewed focus and musical precision. While previous releases tended towards the Brian Wilson approach of utilizing the full studio and all the attendant aural tricks, on \u003ci\u003eCannibal Sea\u003c\/i\u003e, the band sounds like a cohesive live unit. And the “hits” are numerous: “This Isn’t Farmlife” wears a mod stomp skinny tie; raise-the-voice and make-joyful-noise abound on the harmonic “Don’t Know Why (You Stay)”; pop supreme “Penny \u0026amp; Jack” summons the Rickenbacker guitar army era of classic IRS records; hints of Stereolab circulate on the starry-eyed “Cardinal Points”; and the spirit of Lee Hazlewood is alive and well on “Rabbit.” Through it all, The Essex Green stay rooted in honor of all those cool \u003ci\u003eNuggets\u003c\/i\u003e compilations, with nods to early Soft Machine, Arthur Lee, The Left Banke, The New Pornographers, and all the dusty $1 record finds in some desolate resale shop just off a two-lane blacktop on Route 66. Ambitious, passionate, and brimming with grace, \u003ci\u003eCannibal Sea\u003c\/i\u003e may be rife with metaphorical description, but justice is served after one listen.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Peak Vinyl","offer_id":52739214442807,"sku":"MRG278lp-C1","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739214475575,"sku":"MRG278cd","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739214410039,"sku":"MRG278digital-R","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/69de1d23e8d35d1a1a9d4c57280354f3d1b5ec7c_43e8e4a52becae4e5b95e3f8cf6cc07b3705448d_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381341"},{"product_id":"hiss-golden-messenger-bad-debt-remastered","title":"Hiss Golden Messenger - Bad Debt (Remastered)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe remastered reissue of the classic Hiss Golden Messenger album features brand-new artwork designed in close collaboration between bandleader M.C. Taylor and artist Sam Smith, along with newly penned liner notes by Amanda Petrusich (\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis release is part of the limited-edition deluxe Hiss box set titled\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/hiss-golden-messenger-devotion-songs-about-rivers-and-spirits-and-children\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eDevotion: Songs About Rivers and Spirits and Children\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e which also includes remastered reissues of \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hiss-golden-messenger-poor-moon-remastered\"\u003e\u003ci\u003ePoor Moon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hiss-golden-messenger-haw-remastered\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eHaw\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e as well as \u003ci\u003eVirgo Fool\u003c\/i\u003e, a bonus album of Hiss rarities physically available only with the box set.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739220275511,"sku":"MRG623LP","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52996577394999,"sku":"MRG623CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739220341047,"sku":"MRG623digital-R","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/3151d105dbcbaa1dc92a0ef8219217655313d578_0b90915951473cd8ba3ad44dcfda976ddb1409c7_medium_jpg_b8213a58-6530-4340-a037-e050741c8e55.jpg?v=1789587566"},{"product_id":"hiss-golden-messenger-poor-moon-remastered","title":"Hiss Golden Messenger - Poor Moon (Remastered)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe remastered reissue of the classic Hiss Golden Messenger album features brand-new artwork designed in close collaboration between M.C. Taylor and artist Sam Smith, along with newly penned liner notes by Amanda Petrusich (The New Yorker).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis release is part of the limited-edition deluxe Hiss box set titled\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/hiss-golden-messenger-devotion-songs-about-rivers-and-spirits-and-children\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eDevotion: Songs About Rivers and Spirits and Children\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e which also includes remastered reissues of \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hiss-golden-messenger-bad-debt-remastered\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eBad Debt\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hiss-golden-messenger-haw-remastered\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eHaw\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e as well as \u003ci\u003eVirgo Fool\u003c\/i\u003e, a bonus album of Hiss rarities physically available only with the box set.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739220406583,"sku":"MRG625LP","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52996577427767,"sku":"MRG625CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739220439351,"sku":"MRG625digital-R","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/23469956d1ac78afb158eb17c4db6099ef1e44fd_14697b6a4c9d6930eebf6c00ca7dfbd8c871e524_medium_jpg_d744c990-8739-443c-af45-b228ca8b5278.jpg?v=1789587569"},{"product_id":"hiss-golden-messenger-haw-remastered","title":"Hiss Golden Messenger - Haw (Remastered)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe remastered reissue of the classic Hiss Golden Messenger album features brand-new artwork designed in close collaboration between M.C. Taylor and artist Sam Smith, along with newly penned liner notes by Amanda Petrusich (\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis release is part of the limited-edition deluxe Hiss box set titled\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/hiss-golden-messenger-devotion-songs-about-rivers-and-spirits-and-children\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eDevotion: Songs About Rivers and Spirits and Children\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e which also includes remastered reissues of \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hiss-golden-messenger-bad-debt-remastered\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eBad Debt\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hiss-golden-messenger-poor-moon-remastered\"\u003e\u003ci\u003ePoor Moon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e as well as \u003ci\u003eVirgo Fool\u003c\/i\u003e, a bonus album of Hiss rarities physically available only with the box set.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739220504887,"sku":"MRG656LP","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52996577460535,"sku":"MRG656CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739220472119,"sku":"MRG656digital","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/dd9e47f83cc82c6b138c09b05f3cd421caba213b_f8d7ed9421b0ad6b3d6a766596710b3ccbe5e8cf_medium_jpg_952f81fc-614c-4f77-bebc-ec11de36a88b.jpg?v=1789587572"},{"product_id":"the-spinanes-manos-reissue","title":"The Spinanes - Manos (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe seminal full-length debut from legendary Pacific Northwest duo \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/the-spinanes\"\u003eThe Spinanes\u003c\/a\u003e was released 25 years ago, and we are celebrating that milestone by reissuing it with redesigned artwork and vinyl-edition extras. Produced by Brian Paulson, \u003ci\u003eManos\u003c\/i\u003e holds the distinction of being the first album released on an independent label to top the American college charts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom Gail O’Hara, editor-in-chief of \u003ci\u003echickfactor\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin-left:40px;\"\u003eA college radio hit, \u003ci\u003eManos \u003c\/i\u003ewas characterized as indiepop or indie rock or “alternative,” but also had a touch of art rock, folk, emo, math rock, postrock, even jazz, nearing the same spiritual space as ’90s bands like Unrest, Sebadoh, and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/versus\"\u003eVersus\u003c\/a\u003e. [Rebecca] Gates told our zine in 1993 what kind of record she wanted to make: She wanted it to be “really magical—the way the first Verlaines record is or a Replacements record—things that you can put on when you feel horrible.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin-left:40px;\"\u003eNamed after a misheard Jesus Lizard lyric, \u003ci\u003eManos \u003c\/i\u003eis just that: It sounds like smoky venues and dance parties at punk houses: woozy, tight, fraught, wrought, tense, intense, swoony, breathy, fast, worldly\/weary—sophisticated and primitive, stressful and soothing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP (Black)","offer_id":52739220635959,"sku":"MRG649LP","price":19.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739220668727,"sku":"MRG649CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739220603191,"sku":"MRG649digital","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/c91aee995b11522886b132ff88821a609ae7e9b7_4d9690fc03c9ecba01ce89bc0853fc62f6355994_medium_jpg_6d37be94-eb4a-4075-ab9e-d0b9fe1faba6.jpg?v=1789600425"},{"product_id":"reigning-sound-abdication-for-your-love-reissue","title":"Reigning Sound - Abdication… For Your Love (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eProduced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/reigning-sound\"\u003eReigning Sound\u003c\/a\u003e frontman Greg Cartwright, \u003ci\u003eAbdication… For Your Love\u003c\/i\u003e was originally available solely as a promotional giveaway. This 2019 reissue marks the first wide release of the record.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a 2011 review of the album, the A.V. Club wrote, “Reigning Sound’s allegiance is to producing great songs that move feet and rip out hearts, not to any particular scene or fashionable pose.” Paste also described it as a collection of “nicely recorded songs that sometimes rock, sometimes don’t, but are always well put together.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter the original release of \u003ci\u003eAbdication…\u003c\/i\u003e, Reigning Sound put out the much-loved \u003ca href=\"\/products\/reigning-sound-shattered\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eShattered\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e LP in 2014.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Signed LP (Black)","offer_id":52739222733111,"sku":"MRG640LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP (Black)","offer_id":52739222700343,"sku":"MRG640LP","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739222602039,"sku":"MRG640CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739222634807,"sku":"MRG640digital","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/7dbd5cf703348485e283e0204481021ea246c7fe_17985dbb776bb533007c71725d306ac0ed2288cd_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1789600447"},{"product_id":"the-love-language-the-love-language-reissue","title":"The Love Language - The Love Language (Reissue)","description":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn The Love Language’s most recent tour opening for \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/teenage-fanclub\"\u003eTeenage Fanclub\u003c\/a\u003e, we played for lots of fresh ears, many of whom came to the merch table after the show and asked, “If you had to pick one, which of your albums is your favorite?” That’s a very tough question, like trying to pick a favorite child. While it’s hard to call it “best,” it’s impossible to deny that our self-titled record is and will always be the most sentimental to me. It’s where it all started. A collection of “demos” posted every couple months on Myspace between 2007 and 2008 until we were signed to our first label, Portland, Oregon’s Bladen County Records, who compiled them all as a full LP in 2009. The songs came effortlessly, and each one was recorded by a mobile multitrack recorder in various rooms (storage spaces, the back office of a record store, living rooms) throughout North Carolina literal hours after it was conceived. There’s a freshness and vitality to these songs that I hope, but don’t expect, to recapture again. It’s the sound of a songwriter discovering their voice in real time. 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Sabrina Ellis and Andrew Cashen add another baker’s dozen tunes to the band’s repertoire just a year following their debut, with songs like “All I Wanted,” “Dammit Pomegranate,” and “Another World” cementing them as a conspicuous songwriting duo.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Peak Vinyl (Pink)","offer_id":52739324248375,"sku":"MRG794lp-C1","price":22.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739324281143,"sku":"MRG794digital","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/c694a4f62e88cbebddadf9e7855171bc0709b71f_c7a3ffb6d81021d834f99ad4d38103026eac7371_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785382282"},{"product_id":"m-h-aol-attachment-styles-reissue","title":"M(h)aol - Attachment Styles (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eM(h)aol\u003c\/strong\u003e’s acclaimed 2023 full-length debut \u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAttachment Styles \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ecomes to North America! 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