vinyl

Vinyl. Untethered music at it’s finest.

,

Vinyl records are totally redeeming the way I enjoy and listen to music. Yes, you heard that right- vinyl records. You know… the things that came around and were popular during the 1960’s. Yep, those. It’s pretty astonishing the way vinyl records are making a comeback.

So what’s up with records anyway? Well, for starters I should say that for the most part I have completely skipped the whole digital music phenomenon. I rarely purchase digital music. I don’t subscribe to any online music services. I’ve always been a bit of a music purist. And music purchased or streamed over the internet doesn’t have the same quality as, for example, a CD.

But besides quality, there are other reasons why I have avoided digital music. I guess you could call it stubbornness. The problem with digital music is that it’s tied to digital devices. You’re probably thinking, uh duh…. but for me this is a big factor when it comes to my ENJOYMENT. I don’t want to listen to music if it means I have to find my phone first… or make sure the battery is charged… or be within range of internet or cell service… or login to the site first… or locate my headphones… or, oh wait, I have to update this app first… You see? Music becomes part of a much larger more complicated and convoluted thing when it gets tied to a digital device. It gets mixed in with email, and news feeds, and Facebook. Ultimately, this detracts from my enjoyment of it in many ways.

I don’t want music tied to a complicated digital device or service. It should be free. I want to be able to hold it in my hand.

So, back to the question at hand. Why vinyl? Well, I’m discovering that vinyl actually sounds really good. It has a warm inviting quality to it. It feels like a friend. I’m used to listening to CD’s. I would say vinyl matches the quality of CD’s but with a nicer sound to it. I won’t get all technical but, to me, vinyl just sounds better.

The other nice thing about vinyl: It is dirt cheap! I went to an antique store and picked up two records for a dollar. There are three record stores where I live and they sell a lot of records for a dollar a piece. Granted, these records are old. But this is good music for super cheap!

Not everything is available on vinyl. But a lot is. And when it is, it has become the format I prefer.

/0 Comments/by

Three Favorite Songs, sort of.

Today I want to write about my three favorite songs. Well, of course I can’t name just three favorite songs, but for the sake of this exercise I’ll try to mention three and what they have meant to me. I’ve included the links to Spotify so you can listen if you want.

Here we go. Off the top of my head:

  • ‘Dreaming in Metaphors’ by Seal
  • ‘Liquid’ by Jars of Clay
  • ‘No More, No Less’ by Collective Soul

One of my favorite songs, off one of my favorite albums, is ‘Dreaming in Metaphors’ by Seal. I can’t say way I like this song so much. Maybe it’s because Seal’s voice is so hypnotizing. It puts me in such a relaxing mood, almost trance like. The album it’s off of is equally relaxing. I like this album so much because it seems to symbolize a certain time of my life. You hear a song once during a particularly emotional time and then it comes to represent that time and that emotion every time you hear it. That’s what Seal is to me. I purchased this album in high school and in a sense it became the soundtrack, the background, to that time of my life. Whenever I hear the song ‘Dreaming in Metaphors’ I think of old friends, of who I used to be, and of how far I’ve come since then. It’s certainly been a journey and this song has a fantastic way of transporting me back in time.

Another oldie but a goodie is ‘Liquid’ by Jars of Clay. I heard this song for the first time during college and the chorus has always been my favorite part of this song. “This is the one thing. . . the one thing that I know.” There’s such power in this repeating refrain, such strength and conviction. When I was really seeking out God during college I heard this song and it always seemed to creep into my head when I needed it most. Like a little reminder of my core convictions during those turbulent times. My thoughts and ideas and spirituality were swirling around me, but I could always come back to the basics. This song helped me do that. I found a ton of strength in knowing that God was in my life, He had a plan for me, and I wasn’t alone. He was with me, even if I wasn’t always with Him. This was the ‘one thing that I knew’. I still find strength and power in this simple reminder.

The last song I want to mention is ‘No More, No Less’ by Collective Soul. Again this song and album are old but fairly new to me. The album Dosage is just such a great album. Solid song writing, great rock sound, and fun lyrics. The song ‘No More, No Less’ is just such a fun song and pretty characteristic of the whole album. I first listened to this song while I was painting my house in Indonesia. I was jammin’ out with my headphones while balancing a paint pan and roller standing at the top of ladder. Yes, I got paint everywhere but I had fun doing it! Isn’t it uncanny how certain songs get stuck in your head and then seem to epitomize a time of your life, the time you first heard it? Well, that’s what this album and this song are to me. It will forever remind me of sweltering heat, our squat little house, and the love and attention we gave, not just to our house, but to the people we were with. Great song. Great album. Thanks for the memory.

So there ya go. My three favorite songs. Ask me again next week. I’m sure I’ll have more.

 

 

/0 Comments/by