MICHAEL CUTHBERTSON
Arts Writer

For the last few years music has continued its seemingly inevitable march towards the digital medium. From recording to purchase to playback, music travels to listeners via a series of ones and zeros. Most people pirate music or buy online legally (although I’m convinced the latter group doesn’t really exist). 

With all your music just a click away, you wonder, “Why shouldn’t the whole music world go digital?” Well, dear friends, it is your humble narrator’s opinion that digital music sounds like shit. 

Digital preserves music the way formaldehyde preserves frogs: it kills it and makes it last forever. 

Fortunately, the rebirth of non-digital music is here, as music companies have started to increase the amount of records being pressed for all sorts of new artists.

Today vinyl only accounts for about two per cent of music sold in North America but, while CD sales have dropped dramatically in recent years, vinyl sales have increased. Last year, nearly three million new vinyls were sold in the United States. Closer to home, Canada’s sole vinyl pressing facility, RIP-V, is ramping up production with new releases like Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. 

RIP-V’s founder attributes vinyl’s growing popularity to “the absence of texture in the digital sound of CDs and iPods,” and I would have to agree. Now, maybe you’ve never tried playing records, in which case this probably sounds like a lot of “indie snobbery.”Â True enough, some collect records for the aesthetic. Hell, I admit it: I’m materialistic about having a record collection that comes complete with sweet artwork (such as the mesmerizing cover Dark Side of the Moon). Nevertheless, any audiophile knows vinyl is all about better sound.

A huge difference is the boomier sound of bass captured on vinyl, which is formally talked about as having more dynamic range.  In layman’s terms, the bass has a presence in the room. When you hear a record (instead of an mp3) on speakers (instead of headphones) the music just feels way more alive.  But I may be making vinyl sound like a magical enhancement for all music.

The truth is, almost all musicians record on digital formats today, which makes the transfer back to analog less effective or even downright counterproductive. For example, if you like the very crisp, fake sounds of Wired 96.3 tunes then I suggest you keep downloading it.  Vinyl will not resuscitate that kind of “music.” On the other hand, ’60s and ’70s records being re-released on vinyl are far superior to their digital versions. 

Furthermore, current and recent acts like Pavement, The White Stripes, Neil Young and countless independent musicians are still recording on some form of tape.

Since most music we enjoy is computer made, why are vinyl records marketable all of a sudden? I believe the resurgence of vinyl is part of a greater backlash against the hyper-reality of this digital age. It’s the difference between clicking a “download torrent” button or going to a store where you can look at real products surrounded by real, likeminded people. It’s the difference between the randomness of scrolling through menus on a screen and switching the song every minute or sitting down, lowering a needle and experiencing the transcendence of hearing a whole album. 

It escapes my understanding why people rarely meet to hear 30 minutes of music but will get together and watch a movie for two or three hours, but I digress. Now, I realize music has become a very portable thing today, and records cannot be listened to at the bus stop or on a bike. Fortunately, many new vinyls today come with a free download of the album, giving you the best of both worlds.

So, if you haven’t heard the wonder of vinyl but want to, I assure you it’s worthwhile. In Saskatoon, Vinyl Diner on Broadway and Vinyl Exchange on 2nd Avenue are the main dealers of first and second hand records. If you’re going to bring mom along (or anyone who would not appreciate displays of drug paraphernalia) then I recommend Vinyl Diner. Remember, you’ll also need a record player, a receiver and speakers. Vinyl Diner sells all this on the cheap and I’ve even found good equipment at garage sales. 

– –
image: Pete Yee