Sure, summer is the season of going out all the time, braving the sun, and occasionally running yourself ragged. But summer is also the season of days when it’s sometimes way too hot out to do anything but sit in front of a fan sipping something on the rocks and listening to a great record. They’re not exactly the hottest digital gadget on the market, but I’m a big advocate of record players as an investment, a piece of interior design and, well, a calmer way to listen to music. With so many artists now releasing their albums on old school LPs (She & Him, Zooey Deschanel’s collaboration with M. Ward, recently committed their bluesy second album to vinyl), record players have moved beyond their former status as a throwback and are now a necessary part of your entertaining arsenal.
This, of course, raises a key question: do you buy vintage or go for a newer model? Personally, I’ve found that while vintage turntables sound like a great idea (and look really cool) they break just as quickly. But you don’t have to choose between form and function here, because Crosley makes an entire line of spanking new record players that look like they belong in a World War II-era living room but include features like radios and CD players alongside the standard turntable.
I’m a particularly big fan of this model in an oak casing – it looks great as a piece of furniture, and also doesn’t take up much space in a cramped apartment. So go ahead: take a night off, have a couple people over, and soak in some vinyl and maybe a Rob Roy.
