Rough Trade Club is an album of the month subscription that delivers a new LP (or CD) to your doorstep each month from Rough Trade Records, an independent record label based in London, England. Formed in 1978 it's home to acts such as The Strokes, Jarvis Cocker, Scritti Politti, Sufjan Stevens, Antony and The Johnsons and Arthur Russell. In addition to the label, they also have stores that carry a variety of music from other labels as well.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
This review is for the Rough Trade Club $24.99 LP subscription.
About Rough Trade Club
The Subscription Box: Rough Trade Club
The Cost: $24.99/ month for LP, $14.99/month for CD
The Products: Their Album of the Month (LP or CD), delivered straight to your door. Includes membership perks like priority pre-ordering to limited edition LPs, access to free members-only events and awesome giveaways!
Ships to: US and UK only (order through the separate UK site here)
Good to know: Rest assured, if the choice you receive isn't for you, you can swap it for another of their top 10 albums.
Rough Trade LP Club June 2018 Review
Each month you'll receive a pamphlet that folds out and contains info on the featured Album of the Month. This month I received the self-titled debut album from new band Lump, featuring Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay.
The other parts of the pamphlet get into membership perks as well as the other available albums of the month that you are able to trade this one in for if it's not your cup of tea.
The hype sticker on the front tips me off that the translucent orange vinyl is exclusive to Rough Trade.
Lump - Lump LP on Limited Edition Translucent Orange Vinyl - Retail Value $29.99
Another unique feature is the matching "obi strip" that comes on the spine of this LP that includes extra info at a glance. I have to admit, there is something unsettling about this cover art by Esteban Diácono. Even more troubling, there is a video for the single "Curse of the Contemporary" featuring this large hairy creature.
Even the back of the obi strip matches the back cover.
One side of the insert has our new furry friend on it.
The other side provides the lyrics for all of the songs.
Side A of the bright orange LP has four songs including the single "Curse of the Contemporary". Laura Marling has a soft yet commanding beautiful voice that she uses to express her lyrics over the deep warbly instruments arranged by Mike Lindsay. It starts dark and slow and continues to a slightly faster, and repetitive electronic sound with layers of minimal sounds and echoey vocals that takes you on a roller coaster ride of sounds and tempos.
Side B has three more songs that round out the album. I probably wouldn't have found this band on my own, so it was nice to be exposed to something new that I ended up really liking.
As is standard for most LP releases these days, it comes with a download coupon so that you can grab the MP3s to listen to when you're not near your turntable.
Like the other Rough Trade Club releases, there is an additional complimentary CD. This one has "2 brand new extra songs and a remix of the track, Hand Hold Hero by Wrangler (Stephen Malinder from Cabaret Voltaire)". There's also a fourth song- a remix of the single "Curse of the Contemporary" by JATA. This will join the other CDs in my car, which is the only place I can listen to it.
Verdict: Rough Trade Club hooked me up with another brand new band I had no idea of. Since this variation of orange vinyl is limited to 1,000, it can end up being valuable to collectors in the future.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? It doesn't look like it. Sign up today and you may be able to get the July Album of the Month which should be shipping soon.
Value Breakdown: At $24.99 for this subscription I received a limited edition record and bonus CD that is being sold for $5.00 more and has the potential to accrue value with collectors in the future.
Check all of our Rough Trade Club reviews and find more Vinyl Subscription Boxes in our directory.
Rate, review, and follow this subscription on the Rough Trade LP Club profile page.
What do you think of this month's Rough Trade Club album by duo Lump?
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