New York City record stores are generally full of great collections of dusty old records. Then there are the shops that combine brand new releases with those dusty grooves…but then there are the shops like the New York City indie record store Other Music, which concentrates on a much more selective library of new titles on the cutting edge.
Other Music, at 15 E. 4th Street, doesn’t exclusively sell new releases–there is a small collection of used records and plenty of shrink-wrapped reissues to choose from-but this shop has both feet firmly planted in the now. Compare to a store like Bleecker Bob’s which is truly the Marty McFly of record stores–going back in time and no looking back.
Other Music is clean, friendly, and when I dropped in, packed with people. Always a good sign! This is one NYC record store I could spend a lot of time in. The vibe here is much like the one you’ll find in Chicago’s Dusty Groove, except Other Music is aimed at hip modern sounds rather than delicious retro tracks. Not a bad thing, to be sure.
Browsing the titles, I got the distinct feeling that I’ve let modern indie music get away from me in the past couple of years–something I aim to rectify soon. Other Music is, for a retro vinyl-phile like me, a reminder that great music is still being made and pressed on vinyl. You just need to make time to get some and have a listen.
Other Music actually has plenty of vinyl titles. The size of the shop is a bit deceiving though; at first glance it looks like you’ve walked squarely into CD-land, but there is a good portion of LPs and yes, that’s a Kim Fowley album you see in the photo above–one I really should have picked up while there. Regrets….I definitely think Other Music is well worth the stop when you’re in NYC. Take a break from inhaling decades-old used LP dust and have a look around here. I was very glad I did.