“Vinyl has been an essential part of my life since I started buying records when I was about 17 or 18. With vinyl you get an experience that is incomparable to downloaded material. You’re holding the lyrics in your hand and identifying with something tangible. Its physicality is more than a click, and you’re not staring at a screen or checking Facebook. There is something ritualistic in the process of putting on a record. You’re an active participant making a connection.”
“To be sure, I’m not writing off other musical formats such as CDs or MP3s. I like them too and enjoy listening to music in the car with my iPhone and on my Mac, but I think you’re missing out if a record player is absent in your life.
I think it’s funny hearing stories of people in the ’80s ditching their record collections for CDs, and now they’re ditching their CDs for no longer buying music at all. Interesting how that works out. The ultimate listening experience for me is still a record player and a pair of headphones.
Recently, I’ve been listening to The Who Sings My Generation LP on Decca, Cheval Sombre’s Mad Love LP and Dean Wareham’s debut LP. Probably my most played record is Pharaoh Sanders’ Black Unity LP.
A few others on heavy rotation at the moment are Albert Ayler’s My Name Is Albert Ayler, California Bleeding by Iggy & The Stooges, Aufheben by The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Saturn Strip by Alan Vega, It Is Finished by Nina Simone and Spectrum’s Songs For Owsley. The latter being one of the most intense collection of songs ever compiled together.”
—Jared Artaud
“I recently picked up a Wooden Shjips remix EP that I’ve been into.The disc itself has this great clear / black oilspill effect. It’s got a couple good mixes, Andy Weatherall does “Crossing” and Pete Kember does a totally chaotic “Red Krayola-ing” mix to “Wiking Stew.”
“For me, a big benefit to the vinyl medium is the artwork. I like to search for labels where I can find a coherent feel through all the releases, like with Elektra or Factory. Distinct because of the work of one creative director mastermind. Pop Aural from Scotland had a release from a group called Fire Engines that’s got a great look. The record’s called Lubricate Your Living Room.
The artwork kinda looks like some bizarre classroom collage with the colors slightly acid tinged, everything looking a bit thrown together, jerked off the workbench before the final touches. The music is great too. Really jangly almost no wave-y sounding guitars, driving beats, and howling vocals.
I found this Kenya Special comp recently that’s just packed with great stuff. All these East African Groups from the ’70s. The grooves all have this great limping “just behind the beat” feel.”
—Brian MacFadyen
The Vacant Lots/Alan Vega (Suicide) split vinyl lands in stores May 21 via Fuzz Club Records. The Vacant Lots’ debut album Departure arrives July 1 via Sonic Cathedral.
