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 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 for Trio subscription, $22 per month for Solo subscription
The Products: Trio: 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. Solo: one BRAND NEW record chosen for you.
Ships to: US (free), and UK, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Australia, France, Canada at an additional cost
Check out all our VNYL reviews and the Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of your subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
VNYL often sends a flyer advertising their new releases. One of the perks of membership is access to the member store, where they have a variety of albums for sale at a discount. Records purchased in the member store are shipped free with your next month's regular shipment.
I chose #SUNDAYFUNDAY as my "#VIBE" for this month (which I now realize is kind of meaningless). My curator for this month was Teal (pictured above). She writes:
"Hey Anna, Welcome back for another month of records! First I think you will love Zodiac Death Valley who have their own brand of dirty blues-goth-psych-rock n roll. The band is from San Francisco and has kept the tradition of psych in their music channeling the Doors. Enjoy, Teal"
Desert Boheme by Zodiac Death Valley - $25 on CDBaby
I do like this album, but probably not as much as Teal anticipated. It just sounds like some gritty, straightforward rock to me. I like that sound, but I'm not hearing any psych, whereas I am hearing some punk vibes. I am totally loving the clear vinyl, though!
The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower by Of Montreal - $15.24 on Amazon
I am not a huge fan of Of Montreal, but this is one of their better albums (in my opinion). I really love the artwork throughout the album packaging, too! I need to make a note in my VNYL profile that I would prefer to not get albums from artists who are popular. Odds are high that if I like them, I've already got it!
Cosy Moments by Kinski - $18.19 on Amazon
The third album actually wound up being my favorite of the three. I like the vocalist's sound and the guitar work reminds me a bit of J. Mascis. It makes it a little hard to classify, but it definitely has some good fuzzy soundscapes.
Verdict: The day I get my VYNL in the mail is one of my favorite mail days all month! That being said, this wasn't my favorite month ever. Everything was fine, nothing was super exciting. The value this month was outstanding about $58, which is awesome for a $36 subscription! Here's hoping I get better luck with new tunes next month!
What do you think of VYNL? What did you get this month?
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