I'm not going to lie, folks -- I've pirated my share of music in my time. Probably more than my share. Napster, Kazaa, The Pirate Bay -- you name a service, I've probably used it to download an album before. BUT! I also try to be pretty good about supporting artists and small labels by actually purchasing those tunes as well, and when I do, vinyl is my format of choice. And as of this morning, Amazon is doing me a big fat solid and extending their popular AutoRip program -- which offers folks who have bought CDs through Amazon a free digital copy of the album -- to vinyl records.

Read More

In the world of iOS games, disposable thrills are the norm. Games like Tiny Wings and Angry Birds are fun, but beyond killing some time, they don't really stick with you. The creative group Superbrothers sought to change that with their Sword & Sworcery EP, creating a game built upon haunting imagery and a strange, otherworldly soundtrack. Now, that soundtrack can be yours on handsome, sturdy 180 gram vinyl or on a far more portable cassette tape. Oh, and digital download as well -- but who still uses MP3s anymore.

Read More

Wake Island Air Force base is located some 2,000 miles east of Japan and 2,000 miles west of Hawaii, putting it smack dab in the middle of the Pacific. During some recent renovations on the base, someone opened a door marked with a restricted area sign and made a startling discovery: A cache of over 9,000 carefully organized and cataloged vinyl records. Amazingly, the extensive collection has been valued at between $90,000 and $250,000.

Read More

Auteur of the weird J. J. Abrams has an established penchant for the music in his projects. Simply uttering the words, "you all everybody" to a LOST fan will lead to untold minutes of Drive Shaft impersonations. And in 2009, he arranged for the release of a song on iTunes by the ultimate LOST MacGuffin, Geronimo Jackson. However, TVLine is reporting that Abrams has upped the ante with Fringe, going so far as to produce an entire album by faux 70's rock icons Violet Sedan Chair, having it pressed to vinyl, and secreting into indie record shops across America. Even more teasing is the fact that the albums have allegedly been sitting there for "months." The album, called Seven Suns, is more than just a fun tie-in. Each individual pressing is said to contain unique hints, puzzles, and spoilers for new developments on the show. It may even include a cameo by Back to the Future co-star Christopher Lloyd, who will be portraying Violet Sedan Chair's keyboard player Roscoe Joyce, Walter's musical idol, in an upcoming episode. This rabbit hole seems to go fairly deep, with a passing mention made by Wired (April of 2009), and dozens of forum posts trying to decode the mysterious track names. At this stage, there hardly seems to be any consensus on what it all means. But Fringe fans seem to have taken up the cause with gusto, and will hopefully end up supporting their local record shops in the process! (TVLine via io9, image from Wikipedia)

Read More

From a vintage Starlog magazine. Who knew that Wookiees' lower bodies looked like Paddington Bear?

(via It's Clobbering Time)

Read More