I never feel as though I have gotten a full taste of an album; of all the layers of instrumentation and production, until I have heard it on my record player. The worst part about being a music critic nowadays is that vinyl records don’t usually come out until months after the digital album is released. These days, it seems like all record label companies care about is shoving out music as quickly as possible, with little regard for the quality of how it is consumed.
This vinyl particularity of mine has gotten me into trouble before. When Tool put out their last album, Fear Inoculum, I was asked to write a review for it. However, I could not get my hands on a vinyl copy before my deadline and had to reluctantly resort to using Apple Music (and don’t even get me started on Spotify). It shames me now to look at my initial review, where I criticized the bass riffage in “7empest” for sounding recycled. After receiving the vinyl a few weeks later, I realized that couldn’t be further from the truth!
I refuse to talk about music without having listened to it on vinyl now. Canadian singer Mac DeMarco recently put out a nine hour long album, One Wayne G, which will unfortunately not be released on vinyl. So, I have ordered a mastered, custom made, 13-disc LP of the album. Nothing makes my mouth water more than the prospect of listening to nine hours of music from the “King of Indie” himself, but the vinyl won’t be arriving until next month.
Perhaps if more people took the time to listen to music on vinyl, artists would spend more time making their soundscapes as rich and vibrant as possible. Most artists, unlike Mac and his boundary pushing LPs, are just looking to make a quick buck for their five minutes of fame. Half the music out there these days is calling back to a better time — a time when sound quality was paramount, when you could hear the soothing cracking and popping sounds the needle makes on the record grooves. Out of curiosity the other day, I decided to listen to the radio instead of my usual podcast, The Pitchfork Review. Almost everything playing on the radio sampled older, better, classic songs. Everyone’s harkening back to a better time; when music was respected.
Sure, streaming services make listening to music easier and more accessible; but at what cost? I compared the experience of listening to the classic Beatles’ album Abbey Road on my record player against what Apple Music had to offer and the difference was astounding! Music was meant to be played on vinyl. And is it really that difficult? All you have to do is get a good turntable setup, which is about $450; buy the records, which go for around $25 each; and ensure you have the proper cleaning and storing equipment, which is an added $100. What a deal! If you can’t afford the setup, just go to a local live show. Even if the music isn’t great, at least they’ll have a proper speaker.
