***For twenty years, North Carolina’s Merge Records has embodied the spirit of independent music. Started in 1989 by LAURA BALANCE and MAC MCCAUGHAN, Merge has followed a simple mission: to put out music from bands they like. From the early singles by the founders’ own SUPERCHUNK and fellow North Carolina bands, through ARCADE FIRE’s bestselling Funeral and beyond, this book chronicles twenty years of indie rock through the label’s visual incarnation: the album cover. Photographed in the hands of band members, Merge staffers, and friends. This collection is the second of only three commercially available pieces from the 17- disc SCORE! box set, and a great way for indie music fans to revisit the first 20 years of music from Merge Records.