VNYL Subscription Box Review – October 2015

VYNL is a new-ish and pretty interesting subscription service for record collectors. When you are invited to sign up for this service, you fill out a lengthy profile that includes not only your likes and dislikes, but also links to all of your profiles on digital audio services such as Spotify and Sound Cloud. They then ask you to choose a “#VIBE,” which is an activity that you would like them to select the music for, such as studying or pool party. They then select 3 new albums and send to you based on all these criteria. My mind was kind of blown by this concept, and I decided to give it a try!

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: VNYL

The Cost: $32 per month

The Products: Three BRAND NEW records chosen by a curator specifically for you, based on your profile, other digital audio services profiles, and selected “#VIBE” for that month

Ships to: US (free), and UK, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Australia, France, Canada at an additional cost

I chose #PUMPKINCARVING as my “#VIBE” for this month. I also got a new curator, Caitlyn. She writes:

“Hey Anna – Happy Halloween! Have some goodies here for you this month 🙂 Hanni El Khatib’s Moonlight is hazy, bluesy garage rock – my personal favorite is track 2, especially the bridge! Next up, Black Sabbath’s Paranoid is a classic and perfect for spooky Octobers. Last up, you’re gonna love vvhile – my favorite band from Serbia! Nobody knows is right up your alley. Enjoy & let me know what you think! Have a fun Halloween – Caitlin @chigglypuff”

Moonlight by Hanni El Khatib ($19.98 on Amazon)

I actually just heard of Hanni El Khatib a couple of months ago and had just put this record on my wish list! I was so excited to receive it! It has a pretty dark sound, which was perfect for Halloween.

Paranoid by Black Sabbath ($17.65 on Amazon)

What kind of psych-rock loving audiophile would I be if I didn’t already have a copy of Paranoid? My copy is a really beat-up copy from 1970, though, whereas I believe this is a 2004 re-issue on heavy vinyl. This is some seriously hard rock, but it plays as smoothly as silk! This is the album that features the iconic “Iron Man.” Also perfect for Halloween!

Here’s the inside of the cover, featuring a young Ozzy Osbourne standing by the track listing. He was handsome back then!

More by Vvhile ($20.57 on Amazon)

I don’t know how Caitlin managed to look into my soul and predict exactly what I would love, but she hit the nail on the head three times in a row this month. This record isn’t particularly Halloween-ish, but discovering current, talented psych rock bands from other countries is one of my favorite things to do! Vvhile’s sound is happy and rocking and fuzzy, a perfect combination. They remind me a little of Band of Horses.

Getting a translucent orange record is like icing on the cake! I found a new international psych rock band I like, plus their record is beautiful!

The Verdict: This month I was completely blown away by my VNYL selections! I received a classic I already loved, something from my wish list, and an exotic new band I really like! Plus $58 worth of records for $32. What more could I ask for?

What do you think of VYNL?