By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer
Over the holidays, I finally got a gift I’ve wanted for years: a record player! I was so pleased with this funky little trinkit, but I needed actual vinyls to play on it. They’re not something you can have at the touch of your fingertips through a streaming service like Spotify or Soundcloud; vinyls are a more grounded way to listen to music. I needed a record player to hear my favourite songs and sounds, but it was more than worth it. Though streaming services are convenient and practical, the charm of physical media remains undeniable. Despite its perceived outdatedness, vinyl offers tactile engagement, superior sound quality, and a deeper appreciation for album artistry — experiences that digital formats simply cannot replicate.
From removing the record from its sleeve to placing it on the turntable, each step of handling a vinyl becomes part of a ritual that draws you into the music. While many often listen to music on the bus, while walking, or driving, playing music from a stationary device like a record player means you’re only listening in one place, purposefully immersing yourself in the music and space. Unlike the instant gratification of skipping through a digital playlist or just having headphones on for background noise, vinyl invites you to slow down and truly engage with your chosen album by literally being present with it.
“That fuzzy crackle and pop that you hear when listening to a vinyl adds a layer of texture in the audio that hones nostalgia.”
Vinyl records are also known for their incomparable sound quality. That fuzzy crackle and pop you hear when listening to a vinyl adds a layer of texture to the audio that hones nostalgia. The analog quality from groove to needle captures nuances in the music that digital formats often miss, resulting in a warmer, richer sound. When media is digitized, it’s compressed to minimize file size so you can fit more songs onto your device. However, high quantity doesn’t mean high quality, and compressing those audio files means the songs often lose fine tonal details, ultimately leading “to fatiguing, hyper-compressed songs that squish out the dynamics and textures that give recordings their depth and vitality.”
We can’t forget the intricate and intentional designs of vinyls themselves. Each record is a work of art, from the cover design to the liner notes, to the vinyl itself, often uniquely designed or coloured. I recently bought De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising album, and with the two sided vinyls came a special comic strip with unique illustrations about the story described through the songs. Collecting vinyl encourages listeners to explore entire albums, fostering a deeper connection to the artist’s vision; a complete album as a cohesive piece of art.
While collecting vinyl records may seem like a backward practice in the digital age, it offers something unique and valuable. If you get a chance to take a step back from all the hubbub of the world around you, I highly recommend accompanying yourself with a good vinyl record to unwind and enjoy the music at your own pace.
