bjorn

Thanks, and I totally agree with you about the tactile difference between CD's and vinyl, there's absolutely no contest. I also think that in light of all the things that can go wrong with vinyl, there's something particularly satisfying when you get a beautifully produced copy where everything looks and sounds its best. To me, that's as good a reason as any to keep collecting. I can also add that as a guy in his forties who has been collecting music since his 10th birthday, I'm grateful I held on to as much as I did. I still have some tapes and CD's from my childhood, but there are a bunch I got rid of that I would really like to have back. And while these are ultimately just objects, they somehow add something irreplaceable to my life.

I've had similar thoughts from time to time, and the lousy quality (not to mention the soaring prices) of many pressings is definitely a factor. One thing I've done recently is to simply get rid of records that sound bad and just buy the CD instead. It's significantly cheaper, and while not quite as enjoyable as playing a record, it removes a lot of the annoyance with defective pressings. I adjusted my thinking a bit. Instead of viewing CD's as inherently inferior like I used to, I just accept them for what they are, a less charming format with nearly flawless sound reproduction on a smaller physical scale. True, I have a few records that, to me, sound better than CD's due to the different mastering, but let's be honest, people trashing the sound quality of CD's vs. vinyl have no clue what they're talking about. So when I get frustrated by the high prices or shoddy quality of a particular vinyl release, I just move on to the CD version and that helps me forget what I was annoyed about and just focus on the music. Ultimately, curating a physical library of all my favorite music is something that gives me a lot of joy, much more than streaming everything possibly could.

Here are some cool-looking Gorguts reissues. I guess Season of Mist will eventually put these up for the US. https://tentaclesindustries.bigcartel.com/product/tntcls-026-gorguts-obscura-limited-2xlp-vinyl-pre-order

New album "Nalepa" up for preorder soon. https://www.midirarecords.com/release/md-100-nadja-aidan-baker-nalepa/

Thanks for posting... very tempting.

It’s out of hand for sure. I’m glad I had the wherewithal to track all their older LP’s down about ten years ago.

Here's a chance to pick up a pressing of Super Deluxe by Morella's Forest. I don't think I quite got this album when I bought the CD twenty-four years ago, but listening to it today, I was surprised at how well it holds up. This is some really clever shoegaze with its own sense of quirkiness and a wider than usual palette of sounds. Highly recommended!

Me too, this is going to be a rager. I went with the 45. The price was relatively reasonable, and I didn't want to take the chance that the single LP version has too much crammed on to it.

Excited for this. The singles have been excellent.

I was able to snag a black copy at a record store. Pricey, but the packaging is nicely done, and the vinyl sounds stellar. It's much better than the older pressing I offloaded a few months ago, so I'm very happy with this reissue.

I remember this Machina version popping up on Amazon last year. I think it was scheduled for this Spring or something like that, so maybe it just got pushed forward? Either way, it looks pretty fishy.

I've been listening to my copy for the past week. The pressing is impeccable so that definitely helps. I like all of it, but I'm not sure if it's that strong as an album (it's a bit like ATGCLVLSSCAP in that regard). They're an odd band because they make a lot of missteps, but I think they do everything with a degree of integrity, which makes it easier to accept the less-than-stellar output as a vital part of the experience.

Not to be rude, but it does sound like there may be excessive dust floating around in your room. I used a vacuum RCM similar to the VPI model for a few years, but after moving to Europe I've had to go without, and I honestly don't notice a significant difference. I don't get much dirt built-up, if at all on my stylus, and I only brush it after every 5-10 sides I play. RCM's are definitely nice to have, but if there's a lot of extra dust floating around they can only do so much. An air purifier might actually help, and it would cost much less than a VPI.

SP is somehow still my favorite band, and I've invested a lot into collecting their records. But I just can't go there with these prices. It's disappointing that they've chosen to mark these up so much. I wouldn't mind paying a higher than average price for these releases, because I understand it has to be worth their while, but this kind of gouging is just gross.

Bumping this for their latest LP, FUYU, in case anyone cares. Genkaku is indeed amazing. https://en.spkr.media/en/Artists/Low-Flying-Hawks/Low-Flying-Hawks-FUYU-Vinyl-2-LP-Gatefold-Magenta-Transparent.html https://lowflyinghawks.bandcamp.com/album/fuyu