They're Just Records

Autumn is here. 60s in the day, 40s at night and time for comfort food. And what is more nourishing and warming than a reliable record? Mark and Jason talk about a few favorites that, while they may not always fall at the top of their essentials lists, never fail to provide the comfort and coziness of that favorite hoodie. Music is good food.

Mark's solo on this one and talking micro-collections from a band with near 200 releases to their name. Make that names: Future Sound of London and nearly 30 other aliases. Mark talks on essential early releases and covers one of their many sub-series, Environments, for vinyl collectors. This is essential electronica spanning over 30 years - here's where to dive in.

Photos from this episode here.

Three cool things. It's that simple. Mark and Kristi each discuss three albums they're been enjoying this summer. They don't have to be new releases, they don't have to be special editions, they don't have to be anything aside from cool. And they are. You heard these? What do you think? What records have you been enjoying this summer?

Say it ain't so... Don't worry, it ain't. We're still all about the records but in this episode Mark and Kristi discuss the (latest) CD renaissance, how a "vinyl-only" shop is evolving in response and their own journeys through multiple physical music formats.

Six degrees of Ginger Baker? Kind of. Mark And Jason discuss how one album, one player, one sound can lead to another and how, in just a few short steps, a listener can find themselves in an entirely different genre while maintaining a clear through line of influences. From primitive, explosive punk to the rhythmic dialogue of Afrobeat to Aquemini to Björk and back, they trace some of their own musical journeys.

Jason's back and he and Mark are discussing Jack White, specifically his impact on physical media as his career and the vinyl format both skyrocketed in parallel. Jack White didn't invent colored vinyl, collectible records or deluxe packaging but he has been one of the most important artists of the 21st century in re-establishing vinyl itself as an artistic medium. Through Third Man Records, he treated the record not merely as a carrier of music, but as an object of design, engineering and craftsmanship.

Mark is talking "micro collections" again; specifically, Chet Baker's seven albums on Steeplechase released between 1979 and 1986. Once dismissed as inessential fodder of an artist "over the hill," these records have been rediscovered, reassessed and embraced in recent years and present some of the finest recordings in Baker's career.

Check out photos here.

Mark is back from the dead and talking about "micro collections;" specifically, his Samhain collection. It's All Murder, All Guts, All Fun as he covers the transition from the Misfits to Danzig and various pressings in his collection on vinyl and CD.

Check out photos here 

In this episode Mark is all alone again (well, Stromboli the cat tries to make himself heard), ranting and raving about the current state of vinyl pricing and sales with lots of insider numbers and opinions specific to his little shop. On the bright side, he also runs down a list of his favorite releases so far in 2026.

Finally, the podcast will take a brief hiatus following this episode and should be back with new content mid- to late-June. Take some time to catch up on old episodes or, even better, that stack of records you haven't cracked open yet.

Jason's back and he's having a party. He and Mark discuss the best albums for social gatherings, especially when music isn't the main focus but instead a key element of an evening. From low-key jazz instrumentals to massive trance compilations, they've got your next gathering covered.