A Different Record Store Day

Happy Record Store Day!

A few of my measly vinyl collection

Hello! Today is the third Saturday of April which means it's Record Store Day (or RSD)! So happy Record Store Day everyone....! Okay I didn't go to any record store today. I'm feeling quite bumped that I couldn't make it for RSD in Jakarta this year, again! Well last year it fell on the Saturday that I was going to Tibet. This year? Life happened and I couldn't make it haha. Oh well no worries, I'm currently writing this with Kings of Convenience's Declaration of Dependence spinning.

To be honest this year's RSD felt a bit different for me. I'm not sure how to explain it but okay it has something to do with the minimalist lifestyle I'm trying to incorporate haha. Don't get me wrong though, I will still buy physical formats. In fact I have 4 more vinyls coming in heh. Just that I have decided not to buy more vinyls/albums, unless it's something that I really want to get.

No more buying things on impulse, no more buying vinyls for the sake of owning them! Heh. I've become really selective I suppose. Okay I still buy CDs that's for sure. This year I've already purchased 6 releases mwahaha. I've pre-ordered some upcoming LPs as well (Oh Wonder's and Asgeir's). And bought another vinyl. I am still looking forward to building my "music library" which I always dreamed of since a young boy. Just that back then, I didn't expect to be collecting vinyls!

I only buy vinyls of albums that I really love, have a special connection with, or albums that mean something to me. I'm not trying to say that I don't love the other albums or that they are meaningless, but well just something really really special to me. I'm sure you get what I mean hahaha.

Compared to the other vinyl experts and lovers out there, I only have a measly collection! Let me share with you my collection, in no particular order alright:

My Vinyl Collection:

1. Every Open Eye by Chvrches (my birthday present from Brenda! :D)

2. Tigersapp by Szymon (first vinyl that I bought)

3. EP and II double EP by Yumi Zouma

4, Yoncalla by Yumi Zouma

5. Declaration of Dependence by Kings of Convenience

6. Riot On An Empty Street by Kings of Convenience

7. A Rush of Blood To The Head by Coldplay (my first Coldplay album)

8. Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay

9. A Head Full of Dreams by Coldplay

10. Touch Single and remixes by Shura (2016 RSD release!)

11. Nothing's Real by Shura

12. Agaetis Byrjun by Sigur Ros

13. Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust by Sigur Ros

14. Take Five by John Coltrane

15. Blue Rondo a la Turk by Dave Brubeck Quartet 

16. Born To Die by Lana Del Rey

17. Headcase / Hard To Read Double EP by Daywave

18. Walking On A Dream by Empire of The Sun

19. Time/Space double EP by Charlie Lim

20. Futures EP by PREP

21. Breakthrough by Nidji (Special 10 year anniversary edition)

22. Clarinet Concerto in A Major / Oboe Concerto in C by Bucarest Orchestra

Yup that is all! Just 22 vinyls in total. I haven't even reached 50 haha. All of these albums hold a special significance in my life. Be it because I really really love them, or they remind me of great memories. I can take days to talk to you about every of these albums. But yes I love them all.

And I do have some vinyls that I still want to get. For example Takk by Sigur Ros, Enya albums, White Shoes and The Couples Company Vakansi and Skenario Masa Muda, and many more. I found out the news that Warner Music is releasing some of Enya's albums on vinyl this year! I have pre-ordered the Best of Enya album which will be released next month and A Day Without Rain in June. Amarantine will be out in July too. Okay I'm so going broke haha, and not forgetting this year's albums!

But anyway, I will always buy physical formats. It is something that I've been doing since a young boy and I will continue to do it. Both as a hobby and also as a way to support my favourite artists. We live in a digital world now and not many people still buy CDs. Vinyls is getting more popular though so that's good. In fact I still have "the look" when people find out that I still buy CDs. But nah who cares.

There's something awesome about collecting physical formats that I really enjoy. It brings me back to when I was young, when my friends would ask me to lend them some albums. And I would ask them too. We would do CD exchanges and rip them off (oops). Sometimes we borrow CDs to try if the album is worth buying or not. Nowadays, people no longer do this because albums are readily available in iTunes and Spotify, which is great in my opinion, I'm a user too.

But well it's a bit weird to realise that we now live in a world where the answer to "Have you listened to XXX new album yet?" is "Yeah! I listened to them in Spotify, it's so good" or "Yeah I've downloaded the album on iTunes". Okay I'm not a hypocrite, I download lots of albums on iTunes too. But I just feel like when you own a physical copy of the album, that album feels more special I suppose? Rather than just digital files on your computer. Of course, we'll import the songs inside our computer too.

I'd like to quote Jarrett from Vinyl Eyezz (check out his channel on YouTube!), when collecting physical formats, there's that physical element that we can experience rather than mere digital files. Like the album cover, the media itself (vinyl/CD/cassette etc), the art work, and so on. True eh?

Well yeah these are just my thoughts. I won't stop collecting physical formats until one day, every musician decided to release their materials digitally only. Which I hope is not going to happen! Alright once again wishing everyone a happy record store day! Here's to the people who still believe that music needs a physical manifestation. And as always: Keep Spinning! :D