“Being born in the late ’80s, I initially missed out on much of the enchantment of listening to records on vinyl. Growing up, I lived with my dad and my grandparents—all of whom seemed to treat records as a sort of relic of the past. They did, however, have a great phono sound system from the late ’70s that sat gathering dust in the basement where I also happened to live.”
“This is where you’d likely expect me to detail how I uncovered that old system and sat enthralled, listening to records until I wore them out. Not the case. My grandparents only had one Johnny Cash record and a bunch of other ’70s country artists that I couldn’t appreciate at the time. Truthfully, my dad and I mostly listened to cassettes of Michael Jackson.
The sound system and records all sat there unused until I was in college and my grandparents started thinking about giving things away—that natural feeling when you get older, I guess. I had started playing drums in high school so they knew I was into music, and they made sure I got the sound system.
From there, I started collecting the kind of music that just feels meant for vinyl—Motown records, The Beatles discography, and gems from the era I grew up in like Paul Simon’s Graceland or anything from Prince. I have over 200 records now from Bowie and Marvin Gaye to Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, and Lou Reed. I have found that I’m always willing to take a chance on something new, too. Occasionally I’ll see a random record in a bin and just know I have to get it. That’s how I ended up with this DC church gospel record from the ’70s that’s just incredible. I can’t explain this “skill” I have—I’ve certainly had a couple of misfires and brought home something truly unlistenable, but surprisingly it usually works out pretty well.
Intimacy and warmth are two qualities that people always seem to attribute to vinyl, and they are really key for me when deciding to listen on the medium. Of course, you can always pull up an album on Spotify or wherever, but having a physical, self-curated collection of records is special and those collections often include heirlooms that have memories and nostalgia attached.
The act of selecting a record and actually sitting and listening is a great way to connect with the music and the artist. But it’s not just the intentionality of putting that record on, there is also something about the way a voice comes through on a record that can be really captivating. It draws you in. I get this a lot with Nat King Cole, Sinatra, Radiohead (In Rainbows especially), and Carole King.
This intimacy and physicality is what led us to release our upcoming album, Golden Age Thinking, on vinyl. The songs feel tailor-made for the medium–lyrical and intricate indie-folk with a heavy focus on arrangement. This album really is the best representation of the songs we’ve crafted, and we hope our fans feel the same and add it to their collection to listen for years to come.”
—Mike Pingley, drums
Wylder’s sophomore release, Golden Age Thinking arrives in stores on Friday, July 12, 2019—on vinyl—with an album release show the very same night at The Hamilton Live in Washington, DC. Tickets are available here.
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PHOTO: MARK STORY
