Calm down, calm down. I know what you’re thinking: triple LP re-mastered re-issue complete with new songs, rare live performances and a Magnum bedroom demo’s that not even Will Cullen Hart has heard. Sorry to burst your bubble kid, but it’s not. Rather, Merge is set to re-release Neutral Milk Hotel’s magnum opus In the Aeroplane Over the Sea on 180-gram vinyl. Good news, right, especially since I know you’ve been using the lousy 120-gram you made your parents buy you for Christmas. True to form, Merge will also re-issue NMH’s debut record On Avery Island, which, despite being completely overshadowed by Aeroplane, is a mighty fine record. Seriously, you should check it out. The 180-gram reissues are due November 4th, which means you can probably sucker one out of your Grandma as a Thanksgiving present. She’s totally senile enough that she gives presents on Turkey Day, right? If not, we apologize.

To kick off Merge Records‘ XX Merge festival, the label is releasing “Gravitate,” a single off of the forthcoming Lou Barlow album, Goodnight Unknown, out October 6. Get it here.

After Merge’s 20th anniversary celebrations, Lou and the Missingmen head out on tour. Dates are as follows:

09.30.2009 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
10.02.2009 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
10.04.2009 Clifton Park , NY @ Northern Lights
10.07.2009 New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
10.08.2009 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10.09.2009 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
10.10.2009 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
10.11.2009 Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
10.13.2009 Madison, WI @ The Majestic Theatre
10.14.2009 St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10.15.2009 Chicago , IL @ Vic Theatre
10.16.2009 Louisville , KY @ Headliner’s Music Hall
10.17.2009 Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
10.26.2009 Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont Club
10.27.2009 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
10.29.2009 Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
10.30.2009 Fort Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre
11.03.2009 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
11.04.2009 Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
11.05.2009 West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
11.07.2009 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom

The good people at Merge Records have been gearing up recently for their big 20th anniversary celebration, an event that, like Sub Pop’s last summer, will celebrate the label’s entire discography. To kick the festivities off, The Triangle Youth Ballet will be performing Merge In Motion, a choreographed contemporary dance performance set to the music of the Arcade Fire, Spoon, Destroyer, Caribou, Polvo, The Magnetic Fields and a host of other roster standouts. The show’s going down at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC on July 18th with a special performance by the Rosebuds. Valuable ticket information can be found riiiiight here.