"HELP! I went totally digital... I don't actually 'listen' to music anymore... and I miss it!"
HELP!
I went totally digital ~ I don't actually 'listen' to music anymore ~ and I miss it!
At the moment, a lot of conversations we have with people revolve around music listening habits and music culture. What really stands out for us is that there are many people out there realising that they have actually stopped listening to music, and they are telling us that they really really miss it!
Working with computers has become the new norm in the 21st century... digital libraries are full to the brim with 1000s of 'collected' tracks. However people are regretfully saying to us that their digital music 'collections' are not necessarily connected to the 'art' of an album, the album artwork, or even the band/musicians that created the music. Many have commented that they feel overwhelmed with the amount of new music that is out there and that some kind of void has occurred, where they have stopped following bands, tracking the art of music albums and even stopped listening to music for fun.
Listening to music has become a background activity to all other acts of living. Music permeates our surroundings - it is everywhere, and can be heard most of the time, however, time invested into the experience of music for the music alone - has disappeared from the lives of many. It is these people that are telling us they want to embrace music like they used to... that is, listen to music in a physical format, so that they are actively engaged ~ listen to music for the sole purpose of listening.
So... first things first - record players do not come with $20 price-tags - but what good equipment does???
Put $ into the experience and the value and joy that will follow is priceless! There are reasonable sound systems out there for reasonable prices...
Feel stuck? hit us up, and we can help point you in the right direction!
Some things just feel better if they are done with full focus...
If you enjoy the experience of listening to music, there are solid reasons why you feel like something is missing with digital music...
- Listening to music via a device such as a computer will (more often than not) distract you into doing something else while you are listening. This is called passive listening.
- Selecting an album, putting the CD or LP into a device and pushing play takes action - a lot more action than selecting random play on a computer, iPod or iPad. Action will more likely result in active listening.
- The act of listening to music through a device with only one purpose, makes your music listening purposeful, and encourages you to engage with the music product.You engage with both the album & the artist, you can visually check out the album artwork and there is also the potential to be intrigued enough to want to learn more about the band because of the info in the CD or LP covers.
- Playing physical music is a tactile experience - you get to engage with the music using another sense, which can lead to an even more powerful experience of the music.
Lets not kid ourselves... passive listening will never be active listening!
In a nutshell, music enjoyment does not have to be over!! All you need is a little help from your friends to get back to enjoying music again...
Our NEW ARRIVAL Recommendations
So for those of you that are feeling overwhelmed and out of sync with the music that is out there at the moment...
Or if you're just keen to hear about the music we've been checking out...
Here are a few stand out CDs & LPs that have appeared in RELICS in the last month...
SOUTHERN ROCK – Rich Robinson: Ceaseless Sight
(Black Crowes guitarist)
NEW FOLK - First Aid Kit: Stay Gold
AMERICAN ROOTS – Mary Gauthier: Trouble & Love
(Like Eva Cassidy? Def check Mary's music out!)
NEO SOUL – Lee Fields: Emma Jean
BLUES – John Mayall: A Special Life
OLD SKOOL HIP HOP – Eric B & Rakim: Paid In Full
JAZZ – Ella Fitzgerald: Great American Songbook 5cd Boxset
CLASSICAL – Milos Karadaglic: Aranjuez
COUNTRY – Toby Keith: Bullets In The Gun
REGGAE – Lee Scratch Perry: Back On The Controls
METAL – Killer Be Killed: Killer Be Killed
(Max Cavalera from Sepultura, Troy Sanders from Mastodon...)
ALTERNATIVE – Swans: To Be Kind
NZ MUSIC
Check out our KIWI MADE NZ MUSIC blog and our NZ collection for reminders of NZ classics and to learn about new NZ bands…
There is heaps of info for you!
JACK WHITE & ALIEN TECHNOLOGY!
JACK WHITE & ALIEN TECHNOLOGY!
LAZARETTO - ULTRA LP
The ULTRA features of this album are unlike anything we've ever seen before...
Well worth a wee mention on here... check them out!
If you're a JACK WHITE fan this HAS to be more than a little bit exciting...
If you also love technology... this is just kind of crazy!!
- 180 gram vinyl
- 2 vinyl-only hidden tracks hidden beneath the center labels
- 1 hidden track plays at 78 RPM, one plays at 45 RPM, making this a 3-speed record
- Side A plays from the inside out
- Dual-groove technology: plays an electric or acoustic intro for “Just One Drink” depending on where needle is dropped. The grooves meet for the body of the song.
- Matte finish on Side B, giving the appearance of an un-played 78 RPM record
- Both sides end with locked grooves
- Vinyl pressed in seldom-used flat-edged format
- Dead wax area on Side A contains a hand-etched hologram by Tristan Duke of Infinity Light Science, the first of its kind on a vinyl record
- Absolutely zero compression used during recording, mixing and mastering
- Different running order from the CD/digital version
- LP utilizes some mixes different from those used on CD and digital version
Here's Jack talking about the new album....
JACK WHITE - LAZARETTO available at RELICS
JACK WHITE music available at RELICS
LED ZEPPELIN REMASTERED RELEASES!
LED ZEPPELIN REMASTERED RELEASES!
We have just had a bundle of new releases come into the shop in the last week! The SUPER DELUXE BOX SETS have already waltzed in and out the door, but if you want your name down on one of these super deluxe boxsets, send us an email info@relicsmusic.co.nz or give us a call +64 3 474 9394 - more are on the way...
A number of remastered versions on both CD & LP are also in store or online for you to check out!
Led Zeppelin Super Deluxe Box Sets ~ I, II and III
REMASTERED VERSIONS OF LED ZEPPELIN I, II and III
Been dying to know what the insides of these box sets look like? We sure have... This lucky person shared his LED ZEP opening experience with us this afternoon!
It is beyond beautiful!! We've listened to the bonus companion discs and some great music there too!
BELLA HRISTOVA ~ TECWYN EVANS ~ SOUTHERN SINFONIA ~ ANTHONY RITCHIE VIOLIN CONCERTO PREMIERE ~ SIBELIUS!
This SATURDAY 31 MAY ~ 8pm DUNEDIN TOWN HALL !!
BELLA HRISTOVA & SOUTHERN SINFONIA
Bella will be signing CDs following this performance!
RELICS will be there with CDs available for purchase...
BELLA HRISTOVA CDs
ANTHONY RITCHIE CDs
SIBELIUS Symphonies
LA BELLE ALLIANCE
HELEEN DU PLESSIS
JOHN VAN BUSKIRK
BACH CDs
See you there !!!
NZ MUSIC JOY... THE CHILLS ~ SOUTHERN SINFONIA ~ TINY RUINS
THE CHILLS
Just arrived in the door... autographed CHILLS 'Somewhere Beautiful' LPs (limited copies)
BEAUTIFULLY PACKAGED TRIPLE ALBUM AND AUTOGRAPHED BY THE CURRENT LINE-UP. INCLUDES 2 SHANE COTTON PRINTS.
REMEMBER WE ALSO HAVE 14% OFF NZ MUSIC FOR THE MONTH OF MAY...
SO GET THEM WHILE THEY'RE HOT!
THE CHILLS ON TOUR
DUNEDIN Fri 6 June @ Re:Fuel
WE HAVE TICKETS for this gig: $21
cash or eftpos only
Other shows around NZ:
AUCKLAND Sat 31 May @ Juice Bar Parnell
CHRISTCHURCH Sun 1 June @ Churchills Tavern
SOUTHERN SINFONIA
SATURDAY 31 MAY @ DUNEDIN TOWN HALL 8PM
YOU ARE IN FOR A SPECIAL TREAT!
BELLA HRISTOVA
AND THE PREMIERE OF (our very own) ANTHONY RITCHIE'S VIOLIN CONCERTO
To help you commemorate this fantastic event
RELICS will be at this show with CDs available for purchase...
BELLA HRISTOVA CDs
A SELECTION OF ANTHONY'S CDs
SIBELIUS SYMPHONIES (Including NZSO recording of SYMPHONY No. 1)
& SOUTHERN SINFONIA ARTIST RECORDINGS!
TINY RUINS ON TOUR
For more info on TINY RUINS see our post in our KIWI MADE - NZ MUSIC blog
Love FLYING NUN? This-is-a-must-read-article !!! Graeme Downes and Jeff Harford....
Love FLYING NUN?
Ever wondered what this scene was really like in 80s Dunedin?
We so enjoyed this candid interview and thought you might too ... Check out the link below!
Graeme Downes (Verlaines) and Jeff Harford (Bored Games) share some insight into the Flying Nun scene and life in Dunedin bands during this iconic time...
For those of you that haven't heard, in April 2014 Flying Nun re-released two great Dunedin Sound albums - the Dunedin Double EP (The Verlaines, The Sneaky Feelings, The Chills and The Stones) and Bored Games - Who Killed Colonel Mustard...
and yes if you would like a copy of either ... we still have a few copies left ...
ENJOY!
Graeme Downes by Jeff Harford
The Verlaines frontman on the groundbreakingDunedin Double EP and the early days of Flying Nun Records.
http://bombmagazine.org/article/1000123/graeme-downes-dunedin-double
FILM FOOTAGE RSD 2014 ~ DUNEDIN MUSIC COMMUNITY COMMUNES
RSD 2014
DUNEDIN MUSIC COMMUNITY COMMUNES
Many thanks John Bollen & Independent Records NZ... and ALL OF YOU that visited and celebrated with us!
We will definitely be doing this again!
Relics x Independent Records NZ | Record Store Day 2014 from Independent Records NZ on Vimeo.
On April 19th 2014, two independently owned & run music businesses came together to celebrate Record Store Day. Relics invited the Independent Records NZ crew down to their store to host two live performances in-store as well as the exclusive release of Independent's 'Ir 77' compilation CD.
Video & Editing | John Bollen
Music | Greenslade & Paul Cathro
