CMJ 2008: Day 5

Portastatic | Merge Records showcase

In the nebulous realm of indie rock, only a few labels rival the iconic status of North Carolina’s Merge Records. Since the early ‘90s, when Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance birthed it, the college radio hit factory has remained an indie stalwart. It’s recent breadwinner is the mighty Arcade Fire, but plenty of other well-loved, idiosyncratic artists call Merge home these days. We stopped by Mercury Lounge to hear some of them including The Music Tapes, Wye Oak, The Rosebuds, The Broken West, Portastatic and Oakley Hall.