Almost rock 'n' roll

Over the past few years, vinyl has been making a huge comeback, and recently that comeback has come on full force. Something that we used to laugh at our parents about as they would pull their vinyl collection out and show it off to us now has now become a huge trend especially with millennials such as myself.

Music junkies are catching back onto the theory that vinyl does, in fact, sound better than digital music. Is there any truth to this notion? Yes.Yes absolutely. If you do your research on the great world wide web then you’ll find more than enough evidence that this thought process is most likely not idiotic. However, I will admit I use to be one of those people who thought that vinyl was just outrageously expensive and used as a gimmick to get people to spend more money.

Bad Carrie!

In fact, did you know that the artist makes more money from vinyl sales than they would from say, iTunes or regular CD sales? I read an article recently that suggested iTunes keep most of the profit from the artists, which is pretty frigged up if you ask me. Apparently, artists only make a whopping 94 cents per song. Yep. Per song. While that’s pretty factual, it’s also a well-known fact that vinyl is considerably more expensive than digital music. So, collecting vinyl may not be for you. But in this post, I’ll be discussing a little more in depth with you on some mistakes I’ve made, how I usually obtain my records and helping you figure out whether or not you want to begin the great voyage into the eargasms vinyl offers. I’ve even taken the liberty of capturing some photographs of my personal array of records. It’s nothing spectacular, but bear with me here, it’s growing!

I first began collecting vinyl a little over six months ago and at first, I was under the impression that in order to collect vinyl I had to have a lot of money to invest in my collection. That was pretty dumb of me to assume, but again, costs do play a somewhat substantial part in this “hobby” if that’s what you want to call it. The reason I say I was not so much on the bright side when it came to assuming that I had to have a lot of money to collect music in the form of vinyl, I mean that there are such things as dollar bins people. At the time, I wasn’t aware of what a dollar bin even was. Sounded like a Wendy’s menu to me when I first heard about it. But now? I hear it and I get a pretty great rush of excitement because ya girl is about to rack up on the records.

What’s a dollar bin? You may ask. Well, youngins, it is exactly what it sounds like. Heaps and heaps, loads and loads, mountains and mountains of….VINYL! Okay, that was probably a tad bit exaggerated but I get excited, okay? In most record stores there is usually a place in the shop that is sectioned off particularly for this dollar bin or dollar section if you will. I hail from Ohio, and there’s a local little shop I go to that’s dubbed as Used Kids Records. It’s a small shop and certainly could be considered a hole in the wall but it’s pretty rad if you’re looking for a straight-up nostalgia trip. Kinda smells like Fritos and concrete if I’m being honest though. Respectively cool, however.

Used Kids Records has a pretty extensive selection of vinyl that ranges anywhere from $1-$3. As most record stores do. Now, the only problem with this is that if you’re looking for something in particular, well, your chances of finding a specific album or a newer one for that matter, are exceptionally slim.  They are dollar bins for a reason. The records in these bins are usually damaged in one way or another, whether it be a surface scratch or a damaged cover. Or it could just be a bit dated. However, if you don’t care about those kinds of things and you are just looking to start racking up on the vinyl, then dollar bins are probably for you my friend. I personally love them, I think they’re fantastic and a majority of my records have come from bargain bins. If you’re super into classic rock like I am, then you’ll be thrilled to know that these majestic little cheap bins usually contain quite a few albums from that genre and then some.

How many records exactly do I own? Well, the last time I counted (which was some time ago) it was well over one-hundred. It’s taken me over six months to accumulate that many and let me tell ya, it happened pretty fast. At one point I was buying a few records a couple different times a week. So yeah, the collection process seems to speed up considerably once you get hooked on the great big world of vinyl.

Look! 45s are like CDs...only better.

Let’s talk systems. Ah, yes. When you hear record player you probably think of those cute little Crosley record players that Barnes and Nobles sell, right? Listen to me, my friend. Remove that thought from your mind right now and feast your imagination on something grander than any tiny little suitcase knock off you could ever fathom. They’re super cute, I know. Oh, and small. Sounds functional right? I had the same idea in mind when I bought my 1byone record player. Certainly not a Crosley but certainly not any less miserable sounding. I still have it, and I still play records on it. Why? Because good turntables cost money. The goal after awhile, way after an impulsive buy from Amazon, was to eventually invest in a turntable and speakers that would give me the full sound and quality that I knew vinyl could give. That I knew my scanty little 1Byone could not.

While it’s been a faithful little device, every time I play a record I die a little. Because I know, as I’m playing my brand new Lana Del Rey record or Halsey’s Hopeless Fountain Kingdom that slowly and surely it’s destroying the wee little vinyl village that lives inside the grooves. Exaggeration? Hardly. Cheap record players are notorious for applying too much pressure to your disk. This is a no-no friend. I once watched a video where a guy performed a test on a cheap record player. He played the same vinyl about one-hundred times before you could hear the obvious distortion that the needle/player caused. Oh yeah. I felt pretty bad for my records at that point and had officially decided I would be getting a decent turntable as soon as possible. Luckily, that’s just around the corner for me. I’m aiming for an Audio Technica. They are priced very fairly considering they don’t ruin your records. If you go looking for an Audio Technica, keep in mind you will also need a pair of active speakers because most legitimate turntables don’t have speakers built in. There’s a wide selection of Youtube videos on turntables and active speakers as well, in case you want to broaden your options.

I will say that most people, including myself as I stated, start off with a less than perfect record player. There’s nothing wrong with having a beginner record player I suppose, but if you’re serious about getting into vinyl then you should probably go ahead and save yourself some money in the long run and buy a more legitimate system now. In a way, I kind of feel sorry for my poor little 1Byone. He’ll be sitting alone in my closet most likely when I get my upgrade. All alone. A reject. Oh well.

You may be asking yourself, “Who in the hell is Bishop Briggs?” Well, if you don’t know who she is then first of all -

You poor unfortunate soul.

Secondly, you are about to know exactly who she is in all of her ethereal glory by the end of this article. Bishop Briggs is, if being put in simple terms, a force to be reckoned with. Her vocals are out of this world and frankly some of the best I’ve heard in a very long time. I don’t brag on musician’s vocal abilities very often (go figure), but I will swear to every Game of Thrones God there is that she’s on the verge of becoming the epitome of a vocal legend. Her lyrics? As dark as my soul and as beautiful as Gal Gadot’s face.

Okay, let’s not make it weird.

Third of all, I just think you should know she has the most perfect side bun ponytail…thingies…you’ll ever see. Factual.

Bishop’s deep and raspy tones provide entrancing songs that lead you down a goth path that you may never wish to return from. Which by all means is totally fine. I would have to pretend to be upset if you told me I had to listen to her music forever. Soulful and soaring at the same time, something that most artists achieve with just one song. Bishop manages to do it with every track on her last album.

Hailing from London, England Bishop Briggs (Born Sarah Grace McLaughlin) took an interest in the art of music at a pretty early age, writing lyrics she would perform to her family at only seven years old. Talk about getting started early, huh? She makes those of us who were too busy watching Nickelodeon and Disney to do anything else look like buffoons. While she’s been around for a bit longer than you would expect, with her first single “River” being released last year - it’s safe to say that she’s respectively made her mark in the music industry already. Bishop Briggs is currently touring and has been for a good part of the year to my knowledge.

I had the privilege of seeing her perform live in Ohio back in the summer with Bleachers and Misterwives. She’s a ball of energy and it felt like spending the afternoon in church, given the fact that her music sounds like a fervent choir session. I even felt faint. That could have been the heat exhaustion though, but I’m crediting it to Bishop’s electric performance.

I was pretty close as well, as you can see in the photo I managed to snap below.

Am I doing a good job of talking you into listening to her music yet? I mean…if you aren’t already, I’m kind of judging you.

Guess what? You even have newer music from this artist to listen to. She just released a new song titled “Dream” last month. Just as phenomenal as the songs from her previous album and makes you weep inside possibly a little bit more.

Go! Go! Tell the others what you’ve seen! What you’ve heard! Grace everyone’s ears with this amazing artist. For the love of all that is good, go listen to Bishop Briggs.

And yes, before you come for me, I am aware that Post Malone is not your average rap artist. What I’ve noticed so far by listening to his music is that he has a few different genres floating around in his work, and I can tell you one thing right now, from someone who has listened to music their entire life, in modern music it is a pretty rare thing to find artists that are diverse in more than one form of artistry. Post Malone is all of that and more. He raps, sings, writes, and get this - plays guitar.

My brother is a huge rap/hip-hop fan so, obviously, he’s more knowledgeable when it comes to different artists, who they are, what they sing - the works. So I generally do hear most of the rap artists I listen to now from him first. Post Malone is no exception. My brother and I have a system where we kind of pass musicians back and forth to each other in secret through our own respective stereo systems. It’s a pattern. One week I’ll be listening to Melanie Martinez, and he’ll be creeping by my door noticeably so, and then the next week he’ll be listening to Melanie Martinez. It’s sort of an unspoken bonding mechanism we use in a way. Neither of us will really ever admit that we didn’t find the artists on our own, but we both know where the other heard them first. Meh, it works. That’s how I came across Post Malone.

I’m truly about to sound so basic, but the first song I heard from Post Malone was White Iverson. Truthfully, I wasn’t and still am not a huge fan of the song. It’s not a bad song. But there’s nothing spectacularly anomalous about it. “Congratulations” is what turned me on to his music. “Congratulations”, of course, went on to reach number eight and one on the Billboard Hot 100. It has an almost hypnotic sound to it that’s easy and smooth to vibe to. Which I live for with music in general. This song really stuck out to me, and it sounded different but current at the same time, which I find is hard to achieve in music at times. Hell, most of the time.

I’m not giving “Congratulations" all of the cake here, but what I’m saying is it gave me the initial hook on Post Malone’s work. I’ve certainly developed some favorites since then, those being “I Fall Apart”, “Rockstar” and “Leave”. Post does something interesting with his music. By mixing, as far as I can hear, at least three different genres in his music, he’s added an almost ambient state to his sound that takes you on a trip every time you listen. I think his overall chill disposition is definitely displayed in his music as well. Apparently, Post even performed in a heavy metal band at one point, which honestly blows my mind. Can you imagine? Chill Mister Post Malone headbanging? For some reason, I can totally see that and I dig it.

If you didn’t already know, obviously, Post Malone is not Post Malone’s real name. (That was a mouthful). His name is actually Austin Richard Post. Wondering where the hell ‘Malone’ came from? Well, apparently he got the idea from a rap name generator. That’s right. Your boy was probably rattling his brain, trying to figure out what his stage name would be, and took it to Google. As you do. Talk about the fates. Post Malone sounds right, so - more power to ya brother. You made it work.

The rapper/singer has a new album that is supposedly dropping next month, so I’m pretty stoked for that, as I’m sure people who appreciate his music are as well. I’ll most likely be doing a full album review on the upcoming record which is titled “Beerbongs and Bentleys”. Honestly, sounds like a real banger. Get it, Stoney.

Side note: I took it to Google and my rap name is Dizzy Carrie C Beat, and I feel robbed.