VNYL is a monthly subscription for discovery and curation of your vinyl record collection. When you sign up for this service, you'll fill out a lengthy profile that includes your likes and dislikes. From there, you can also link your profiles on digital audio services like Spotify and Sound Cloud - this will help with curating your record selection each month.
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: $39 a month
The Products: Three BRAND NEW records chosen by a curator specifically for you, based on your profile, other digital audio service profiles, and selected vibe for that month
Ships to: U.S. (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!
Each month, you'll have to select a vibe. There are two types of vibes, curated vibes and non-curated vibes. With a non-curated vibe, you'll see the 3 records you'll receive in your shipment, with the curated vibe, it's a total mystery - the VNYL crew will choose the 3 records based on the vibe in conjunction with your musical taste.
There are Spotify playlists attached to each vibe - so you can get a good idea of what bands a specific hashtag might correlate to - I love this aspect of it!
The other thing to mention about vinyl albums these days - you typically get a digital download card with each album - so you're getting the best of both worlds, and I love that about modern vinyl.
This month, I've gone with the curated vibe - #wildfire!
It comes with a handwritten note from your personal curator. I've always found this to be a nice touch - and more than enough info to understand the picks!
It comes with an insert to show off some newly available vinyl.
And a little theme sticker!
Ok - on to the music!
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
This album was written around about the death of his parents - and it's one of Sufjan Stevens' best albums.
It has the real scene-setting artwork all over - getting you into the vibe of the album, which, of course, isn't extremely rosy.
Overall, it's absolutely beautiful music - that's almost a certainty with Sufjan Stevens - but this was also one of the best albums of 2015! The downside - I already own this record, so it'll be gifted.
The Waterfall - My Morning Jacket
The handwritten note mentions that the curator missed this album when it came out in 2015 - which works for me because I feel the same way! I've forgotten a bit about My Morning Jacket after It Still Moves and Z hit - so I was really excited to give this a spin.
It comes with a nice insert with more artwork and lyrics.
This is a really nice 180-gram record, too - you'll be able to notice immediately when you put it on the turntable.
Overall - it felt like a more mature version of their early work. it's not completely different, not even close, but it feels like they've taken what really defines their sound and refined it a bit. It was a great pick for me!
We Have No Friends? - Surf Rock Is Dead
The first thing to note about this pressing is that the bone white record is exclusive to VNYL - which is cool - I hope to see more of this in the future!
This one turned out to be my least favorite of the month - I think it did fit my taste profile a bit, but there was nothing that had me wanting to give this another spin. It happens when you're in it for music discovery!
Verdict: This is the second delivery in a row that I've received an album that I own - it's a definite risk you'll run if you have a decent collection. But, they're definitely hitting the right notes with my musical taste profile - I haven't received anything that I've felt was way in left field - and I've exclusively chosen vibes that are 100% curated. This is a fun subscription if you're just starting a collection or if you're looking for a bit of musical discover outside of any digital options.
What did you think of the #wildfire VNYL delivery? What vibes have you selected?
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.