Best of 2023 so far: The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week
Welcome back to Far Out’s weekly vinyl corner feature, where we look to bring you a tempting selection of records from some of our favourite artists, bargain vinyl deals to look out for, and unmissable limited-edition releases. Today, we look back on the first half of 2023, selecting the ten best albums to date.
Vinyl sales grew for the 15th consecutive year in 2022, rising to 5.5million units, the highest level since 1990, when …But Seriously by Phil Collins was the year’s biggest-selling studio album. The return to plastic has steadily climbed since the invasion of streaming services in the late 2000s. While the weightless, highly accessible and practical format is great for discovering and consuming swathes of new music while you’re out and about, there’s nothing like coming home to a bit of vinyl.
Fellow collectors will agree that if there’s an artist or album you love, there’s always a good reason to have the turntable at the ready and a 12″ slot reserved on the shelf for inevitable expansion. The sound quality of vinyl brings something more hearty and vibrant with its analogue warmth and crisp definition that there really isn’t a substitute for.
So if, like me, you have a soft spot for these groovy discs of plastic, allow me to walk you through ten hot picks for this week. Today’s haul includes alt-rock beauties from Yo La Tengo and bdrmm, as well as a brilliant comeback album from Everything But The Girl.
The following selections have been handpicked by Far Out Magazine, and as a result, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week:
This Stupid World – Yo La Tengo
New Jersey’s alt-rock heroes Yo La Tengo have maintained a steady hand on the rudder of innovation over the past four decades. The trio, consisting of Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew, released their 17th studio album back in February, and it’s certainly a contender for album of the year as it stands.
In a glowing five-star review, Far Out wrote: “The album isn’t far from perfect. It combines an array of familiar styles into a nuanced platter of immersive ear candy with textural depth demanding eternal relistens. Wielding the instrumental and compositional virtuosity fans have grown to expect, this talented trio have expertly marshalled epoch-spanning influences into a well-balanced diet plan essential for those who like their music melancholic and transportive.”
Available for purchase here for £27.49.
Memento Mori [Exclusive Crystal Colour Vinyl] – Depeche Mode
Towards the end of March, gothic synth legends Depeche Mode released their 15th studio album, the aptly titled Memento Mori. The album was preceded by the dark and danceable’ Ghosts Again’ but boasts much to be explored in its entirety.
In a four-star review, Far Out said: “The gatekeepers of gothic synth haven’t reinvented the wheel in Memento Mori, but they’ve given nuanced and considered treatment to their distinctive sound. In this chapter, Depeche Mode have introduced new depth to their morbid allusions, exhuming light from darkness and finding comfort in reality. The album is a triumphant return to the studio, undoubtedly boasting some of their finest work since 1993’s Songs of Faith and Devotion.”
Available for purchase here for £41.01.
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Every Loser – Iggy Pop
The so-called Godfather of Punk is 76 years old and still going strong. Despite decades of self-abuse, the iconic rockstar has proven that he can put his foot to the floor both on stage and in the studio over the past year. At the very beginning of the year, Iggy Pop re-energised us with Every Loser.
“As it turns out, Pop isn’t that good at trying to square up his image,” Far Out said in a four-star review of the album. “He’s better at letting it all hang out, singing about drugs and punks and pure energy while a cast of top-shelf musicians help bring his songs to life. That’s exactly what Pop gives us on Every Loser. Through that path, he can be as self-aware and shit-kicking as he pleases. Really, isn’t that what we all want from Jim Osterberg?”
Available for purchase here for £22.37.
The Record – Boygenius
Following much hype in the press, Boygenius, the US supergroup comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, released their debut record, aptly titled The Record. The album delivered the most applauded material any of the trio have released to date, and, for now, they look set to conquer the indie-pop world.
In a glowing five-star review, Far Out said of the album: “Living up to hype is one thing. Succeeding it is another. But The Record somehow goes beyond those metrics – it could very well be the best album that all three singers have made to date, and there’s a chance that it could be the best album that they ever make. With no egos and more talent than some small countries, The Record is what happens when three people at the height of their collective powers come together and create something bigger than the sum of its parts.”
Available for purchase here for £31.66.
Strange Dance – Philip Selway
In January, Radiohead’s drummer Philip Selway caused a stir among the Oxford band’s devoted fans when he confirmed the band would reunite in the coming months and years. In late February, Selway left us with a brilliant platter of solo tracks to stick on the turntable in the meantime.
In a four-star review, Far Out said: “Strange Dance carries powerful DNA that tells of despair, anxiety and, ultimately, new hope. Though the songs have come together over several years, Selway and his dream team have delivered an inspired and tessellating collection of tracks. It’s a pensive, orchestral marvel and Selway’s greatest solo achievement to date.”
Available for purchase here for £23.81.
Chaos For The Fly – Grian Chatten
Chaos For The Fly, the debut solo album from Fontaines D.C. frontman, Grian Chatten, arrived at the very end of June. With a more stripped-back acoustic approach, Chatten decided to release his latest poetry without the backing of his post-punk group. It certainly hasn’t disappointed.
“It’s a distinctive body of work that’s in some parts reminiscent of the most supreme 1960s pop and, in others, more cinematic sounds, with trip-hop and electronic elements also present,” Far Out wrote in a four-star review. “It’s representative of the quality of this record that it’s hard to comprehensively quantify, a triumph in itself. There’s much high quality, whether it be musical aspects or excellent lyrical flourishes.”
Available for purchase here for £22.99.
I Don’t Know – bdrmm
At the end of June, Hull-based shoegaze-revival group bdrmm released their second album, I Don’t Know. Sticking to their creative guns, the band sought to build upon the sound introduced in their debut, admirably shirking the prospect of stagnant waters. Welcoming samples and synth to their sound, the album boasts a more dreamy and kaleidoscopic texture.
In a 3.5-star review, Far Out said: “Despite their increasing success since the release of their debut album Bedroom, an ever-changing environment and the increased influence of outsiders, the modern shoegazers refused to relinquish creative control for their second record.”
Available for purchase here for £24.99.
Mercy – John Cale
In January 2023, John Cale released his seventeenth studio album as a solo artist. At age 80, the legendary multi-instrumentalist and avant-garde extraordinaire shows no signs of slowing down. Mercy features collaborations with Tony Allen, Laurel Halo, Weyes Blood, Tei Shi, Animal Collective’s Avey Tare and Panda Bear, Dev Hynes, Sylvan Esso, Actress and Fat White Family.
In a 4.5-star review, Far Out described the album as “an impressive mixture of young, old, popular, experimental, day and night. It contains an eclectic spread of familiar styles, all seamlessly arranged under one roof. In this long-awaited release, Cale shows an undying thirst for musical exploration, a sentimental connection to the past, and, perhaps least surprisingly, his virtuosic production and instrumental talents.”
Available for purchase here for £24.83.
Milk For Flowers – H. Hawkline
In March, Welsh solo artist H. Hawkline released his fifth studio album, Milk for Flowers. The album was a welcomed and worthy return for the artist following I Romanticize, his previous studio record of 2017. We hope he doesn’t leave it another six years before recording a sixth album.
In a 4.5-star review, Far Out said: “It’s not very often that an album profoundly impacts you. In an era of rampant and usually hollow irony, albums of natural substance are an increasingly rare prospect, leaving it up to those unafraid to turn their back on the zeitgeist to deliver something of consequence: Enter H. Hawkline.”
Available for purchase here for £25.15.
The Last Rotation of Earth [Clear Vinyl] – BC Camplight
In May, Brian Christinzio returned under his BC Camplight alias for a sixth studio album, The Last Rotation of Earth. This Bella Union release is in keeping with its patently apocalyptic title, as Christinzio takes the listener on yet another tour of his internal idiosyncrasies to focus on the darker side of life.
In a four-star review, Far Out said: “The Last Rotation Of Earth shows BC Camplight at a new peak, both conceptually and compositionally. Though the album returns to dark humour in a new sonic setting, the themes and even the tone of his voice tell of newfound comfort in a kingdom of darkness and a deeper understanding of the human condition.”
Available for purchase here for £25.15.
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