Durham-based Merge Records, purveyors of music both exceedingly cool and exceedingly weird, will turn 20 years old in 2009. To mark the occasion, the label is releasing a massive box set that will be available by subscription only. "Score! Merge Records: The First 20 Years" will be a series of 14 "custom-curated compilations" drawn from the Merge catalog, picked by the likes of Peter Buck, film director Phil Morrison and David Byrne.

Pre-orders begin Sept. 8. Only enough discs will be manufactured to fill orders made through the end of this year, so this should be quite a collector's item.

(Via Pitchfork.)