VYNL is a new-ish and pretty interesting subscription service for record collectors. When you 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 Subscription Addiction one pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: VYNL
The Cost: $36 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
Check out all our VNYL reviews and make sure to add VNYL to your subscription list or wishlist!
I chose #SNOWDAY as my "#VIBE" for this month. This has been a weak winter for weather down here, so no snow days for us. Of course, my shipment from VNYL was late this month, so there's not much chance of snow happening in Georgia mid-March anyway! My curator for this month was Sam. He writes:
"Hey Anna, Thanks for chiming in on our member Slack channel - it's great to get feedback! Okay, I'd bet money that this Violent Soho record is gonna become a new favorite of yours (okay, not really, but I'm pretty confident about it!) They're an Aussie band who pull influence from the Pixies, have toured with Dinosaur Jr, and have just enough production help on this record to get their message across without overdoing it... HAVE FUN! -SAM"
VNYL included this sale paper for new releases in their member store. Another great perk of membership is discounts on additional vinyl in the member store!
Birds of Belize by Old Monk ($15 on Discogs)
This is the second record VNYL has sent me from Old Monk, which is okay because I like them. I don't love them, but I like them. I do, however, love that yellow vinyl! I think this must be a rare-ish release because I had trouble finding it for sale new. Their music is pretty straightforward rock, but with a nice punk edge.
Ours is Chrome by Superheaven ($19.98 on Amazon)
In addition to this gorgeous plum colored vinyl (which Amazon calls "Grimace purple"!), this record came with a giant poster of the album cover. All three albums came with MP3 download codes this month, too! Score! This is an artist I'm completely unfamiliar with, but they actually sound a lot like Nirvana.
Hungry Ghost by Violent Soho ($19.48 on Amazon)
OK, it's true, they do sound a bit like the Pixies, but they're missing some of the key elements that make the Pixies sound the way they sound. The Pixies have an intentional sparseness throughout their music that these guys don't, plus the voices of Frank Black and Kim Deal are pretty essential. I'm sorry Sam! This is my least favorite of the three you sent me!
Verdict: I've been saying for months that the day I get my VYNL in the mail is one of my favorite mail days all month. That's still true, but none of these three albums blew me away this month. I need at least one that I love! They are all pretty good albums, though. The value this month was outstanding at $55! I also really appreciated all the colors and the MP3 downloads!
What do you think of VYNL?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.