Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Why Vinyl is Still the best

Vinyl Fantasy II
The NyTimes has a great article on the increasing economic resurgence of Vinyls and turntables. I know for me, if I want to support a band I will probably buy their album on vinyl. There is something warm, familiar and nostalgic about the whole affair. Vinyls, compared to cds, are less immediately technological; there are not all the buttons, lcd displays, etc that can overwhelm in a way that removes you from the music. And yet it is still satisfyingly sensory in a way that mp3s cannot be. The whole process of taking a record out of its sleeve and carefully loading it onto the turntable, moving the needle over and gently dropping it onto the revolving disk; this connects you to the music that you choose to play in a way that demands attention. With Vinyl, it is impossible to download 50 songs at once, listen to the first 5 seconds and make some uninformed judgement that is probably more reflective of your mood at the time than anything else. The process of listening to records requires a certain effort on the part of the listener that ultimately allows for a more intimate connection with the music.