Gold Winner Taz Records, Halifax
Silver Winner HMV, Spring Garden Road
Bronze Winner Obsolete Records
There’s a special thrill you get walking into a really good record store---the feeling that you could stumble across something great at any moment. It’s even better when the workers have the High Fidelity-level passion that fuels Taz Records. “We have a fantastic staff with decades of collective experience,” says manager Jimmy Donnelly. “We all have our own unique musical tastes and that has allowed Taz to build one of the most eclectic vinyl collections you’ll ever come across.” The vinyl revival has been good to Taz, with more customers purchasing turntables this year than they have in a long time. “For music lovers who enjoy the aesthetics of album artwork, vinyl is the way to go!” says Donnelly. So now you’re convinced, but where do you start your record collection? With Donnelly’s top five albums to pick up this year, of course: Ariel Pink’s Mature Themes, Ty Segall’s Twins, Bob Dylan’s Tempest, Purity Ring’s Shrines and Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx re-issue should get you started---the rest is up to you.
