In a gala ceremony held last night at Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre, Caribou was named the winner of the third annual Polaris Music Prize. The Polaris Music Prize is a not-for-profit organization that annually honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music as judged by a panel of selected music critics. Caribou's Dan Snaith will take home $20,000 for Andorra, the Canadian Album of the Year.

Snaith accepted the award in Toronto saying, “Wow, if I seem completely overwhelmed it's because I am. I feel so lucky and so proud to be included in such an incredible group of albums both in the shortlist and the long list. Thank you so much. The Polaris is such an amazing forum for music that might not otherwise get recognized to such an extent.”

Congratulations, Dan!

Spoon and Shout Out Louds made protest signs for participation in Under the Radar Magazine's summer protest issue. In addition to signs from Spoon and Shout Out Louds, Under the Radar will be auctioning protest signs from R.E.M., Modest Mouse, Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Jarvis Cocker, The Flaming Lips, Fleet Foxes and more. The auction begins September 30th and all proceeds will benefit War Child International, a nonprofit that helps children in areas of conflict across the globe.

View all the signs up for auction

See more of the The Protest Issue

Sign up now to receive exclusive announcements of new additions to the Score! box set and pre-sale opportunities for the 20th anniversary shows next summer. Be the first to know the line-up for next summer's "Merge Fest," get a discount on tickets, and more!

Subscribe to Score! Merge Records: The First 20 Years now at a discounted price available for a limited time.

Ahoy and avast, me lads and beauties! It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Lambchop's new record, OH (ohio), includes a song perfect for your personal pirate soundtrack and it is guaranteed to make you say "ARRRR!"

Listen to "National Talk Like a Pirate Day" and tell all the lubbers you know to pre-order OH (ohio) which will be available in stores on October 7.

In celebration of Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes, and the release of the long-awaited film, Major Organ and the Adding Machine, many members of the famed Elephant 6 collective will come together for a variety show tour in October. Julian Koster, William Cullen Hart, Scott Spillane, Laura Carter, Eric Harris, Nesey Gallons along with The Singing Saw, the 7 Foot Tall Metronome, Static the Television and many others will host what Julian Koster describes as "a big orchestra, variety show, silly happy thing." The large gathering of Elephant 6 members will be playing the music of The Music Tapes, The Circulatory System, Scott Spillane, Gerbils, Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control, Nana Grizol, Nesey Gallons and more.

10/09 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
10/11 NYC @ Knitting Factory
10/12 Boston, MA @ The Church
10/14 Portland, ME @ Space Gallery
10/15 Hamden, CT @ The Space
10/16 Purchase, NY @ SUNY Purchase
10/17 Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
10/18 Pittsburgh, PA @ Brillobox
10/19 Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center
10/20 Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room - Crofoot
10/21 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
10/22 Bloomington, IN @ Cinemat
10/23 Lexington, KY @ University of Kentucky
10/25 NYC @ Mercury Lounge - Merge CMJ Showcase - The Music Tapes Only

In addition, Orange Twin Records is excited to announce the imminent release of “Major Organ and the Adding Machine,” a short film by Joey Foreman and Eric Harris. Thanks to a vast assemblage effort spanning the past decade, the film is nearing completion and will premiere during the E-6 "Holiday Surprise" shows in October. The film is currently being submitted to film festivals and will be coming out as a CD/DVD set in the Fall of 2009. Accompanying the Orange Twin DVD Edition will be the expanded version of the film’s soundtrack, originally released in early 2000, that includes several unreleased bonus tracks and illuminating new liner notes by co-director Harris. The film and album stand as the consummate collaboration of the Elephant 6 collective, and feature musical and theatrical contributions from Jeff Mangum, Kevin Barnes, William Cullen Hart, Julian Koster, Andrew Rieger, Dixie Blood Moustache and all and sundry who participated in the hypercreative halcyon days of late-90’s Athens, Georgia.

Order Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes on CD, LP or digital download. Pre-orders for Julian Koster's The Singing Saw at Christmastime will be available soon.

The Broken West are hitting the road this fall in support of their new record, Now or Heaven. Now or Heaven is released on Tuesday, September 9th and that just happens to be the first date of the fall tour.

The Broken West will also bid a fond farewell to drummer, Rob McCorkindale. A new baby and other family commitments have made Rob's departure necessary, but everyone will miss him! Sean McDonald will take over the skins and join Dan, Brian, Ross and Jeff on the road this fall.

09/09/08 Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
09/10/08 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Jr.
09/11/08 Iowa City, IA @ The Picador
09/12/08 Madison, WI @ Orpheum Side Door
09/13/08 Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
09/15/08 Chicago, IL @ Schubas
09/16/08 Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room
09/17/08 Toronto @ Horseshoe Tavern
09/21/08 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
09/21/08 Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East
09/23/08 New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
09/24/08 Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
09/25/08 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
09/26/08 Mt. Pleasant, SC @ Village Tavern
09/27/08 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
09/29/08 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
09/30/08 Denton, TX @ Dan's Silverleaf
10/01/08 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
10/04/08 Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland

Preorders will begin September 8th for SCORE! Merge Records: The First 20 Years, a deluxe subscription-only box set with special artwork and packaging. Quantities will be limited to the number of subscribers who enroll between the September 8th start date and the end of 2008.

The first two volumes will kick off a series of 14 custom-curated compilations spanning our catalog, each featuring the curators' handpicked Merge selections as well as original artwork. These compilations and additional content will be delivered only to SCORE! subscribers throughout Merge's 20th anniversary year of 2009.

The curators of the first volumes will be Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Phil Morrison, director of Junebug, The Upright Citizens Brigade and numerous music videos. Curators for future volumes will include Amy Poehler, David Byrne, author Jonathan Lethem, artist Marcel Dzama, Momofuku chef David Chang and many more to be announced.

Additionally, the entire SCORE! project will benefit specific charitable causes handpicked by the curators.