“Being born in 1990 was a weird one. I remember vinyl, tapes, and CDs all being played in my house at all hours of the day, there was always something on—a multitude of formats all with their unique pros and cons.”
“Vinyl was nice to watch spin around and listen to, but you couldn’t take them anywhere. CDs were THE BIG THING, but drained personal player batteries like nothing else (post 2000 in my case). Because of this, I never tended to focus much on formats at a young age, I was just to happy mumbling along to obscure takes of Beatles songs that my Dad would play (and once, Seal. Yes, Seal).
By the time I was around 8/9 years old, I was attempting to make Mix Tapes for the walk to school/to have hanging off my ears during whatever free time I had when I was alone. I think it’s here where I started to see the side of music that is almost like a ritual, where things need to be set up and prepared before you can listen and enjoy it. There was something nice about that at the time, like I was earning it and I think that’s something that’s always stuck with me i.e. Making time for music, because it should be enjoyed.
I remember going to concerts as an early teen and picking up various records, mainly 7 inches, even though at the time I had no real way of playing them. I was just enamoured by this slab of wax and that these grooves, cased within usually cool artwork, contained songs. Everything else seemed so logical, tapes and CDs etc, but vinyl was a strange beast to me. Over time, it became apparent I was collecting more and more of these and that having my own personal player would be beneficial. I was gifted one for my birthday one year along with a copy of Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea and The Cure’s Disintegration, two of my favourite albums ever.
It’s here where I reapplied the relevance of the ritualistic approach that I had discovered all these years ago because yeah, technology has given us “1,000 songs in your pocket and beyond” but whilst I enjoyed fitting my entire music library on something the size of a credit card, it’s never really been about SONGS for me per se, it’s about the album.
I still very much believe in the album, a body of work, a collection bound in a singular format. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the advances in technology and whilst I’m the biggest believer in physical formats ever, I’ve embraced streaming too but I feel that’s a different musical experience for me, that’s strictly reserved for long drives or passing time in work/wherever.
Vinyl is all about the album and about sitting down and just enjoying the music. There is nothing I enjoy more than just coming in from a long day, plugging in my player, picking out a random record and just laying listening to it. Whilst I’d like to say that I love it because I’m an audiophile, I don’t even think it’s because of that, I like the ritual and the sounds that I get from my player, it feels nice just taking time out to enjoy it.
I’ve spent so much money in my life on music, especially in local record stores. I’d say my favourite shops are (my two locals in Glasgow) Love Music Glasgow and Monorail along with Rough Trade East (London) and Mr Death and Mrs Free (Berlin). Staff in every one of these shops are always lovely and take a genuine interest, that in itself is excellent.
I’d say my favourite things to listen to currently on vinyl are : The Antlers, Hospice, Mogwai, Mr. Beast, Fucked Up, David Comes To Life, Speedy Ortiz, Real Hair, and a really old, horribly scratched copy of the Clockwork Orange soundtrack which makes it sound even creepier.
Favourite things I’ve picked up recently (mostly RSD2014): New Pixies album, Built To Spill, Ultimate Alternative Wavers, Faux Real Comp, Ovlov – AM, Tera Melos, Patagonian Rats.
—Ross Stewart, So Many Animal Calls
So Many Animal Calls’ sophomore EP “Burden” arrives in stores on May 26 via Bloc+Music.
