Made it to BMM Vinyl today. Been postponing this visit for months without good reason.
The shop turned out exactly right. Floor-to-ceiling shelves, that specific smell of old paper and pressed vinyl, lighting deliberately kept low. Owner acknowledged me with a nod and returned to whatever he was doing. No forced conversation, just the space and its records.
Came looking for something but couldn’t name what. Fingers moved through the rock section mechanically. Then Morrison Hotel appeared. The Doors’ fifth album, 1970. The Skid Row hotel on the cover, condition almost pristine.
Bought it without thinking twice.
Noticed the new arrivals whilst paying. Proper selection of recent releases mixed with the classics. Wet Leg’s debut album sitting there prominently. Strange seeing contemporary indie next to decades-old rock, but it worked somehow.
The owner noticed my surprise: “New stock arrives weekly. Everyone assumes vinyl means nostalgia only. It doesn’t.”
Spent time exploring other sections. Soviet-era pressings with Vysotsky caught my attention. History preserved in grooves. Picture discs rotating slowly under the shop lights, artwork catching reflections. Contemporary releases alongside classic rock, no artificial separation between eras.
Left with Morrison Hotel and a mental note to return soon. These spaces exist outside normal time somehow. You browse without agenda and find what you weren’t looking for.
Tonight the record goes on the turntable. Morrison and the band deserve proper listening.
— Indie pop artist, musician Anastasiia Ledovskaia