one of my friends gave me one of these bad boys for my birthday and it is perhaps one of the best gifts I’ve received. they knew my struggle with wanting to listen to music on my morning walks while resisting the urge to use my phone first thing. they burned a few of my playlists and theirs onto tapes and it feels so much more nostalgic, personal, and conversational. listening to a tape all the way through without skipping is a lost treasure trove for mindfulness imo. pretty affordable and easy to rig burning cassettes or buying from the thrift :)
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I was skeptical at first thinking it was solely a nostalgia-chasing trend, but I found out quickly that tape cassettes can sound really great! I think the lo-fi bias comes from our collective memory of car decks that were never cleaned and tapes that baked on Toyota Corolla dashboards for years. I was able to find a decent used Sony player, and then I realized the real benefits:
1. A lot of bands still release cassettes. It's cheaper for them to make, which means you don't have to drop $25 just to support a band you like
2. Used cassettes are SO CHEAP. It's a bit of a gamble on the quality, but when we're talking a couple dollars for a decent copy of your favorite album, it's a no-brainer. I have a local shop where I'm able to get them to check out whether they look ok or not.
3. It's the perfect middle ground between the frictionless aspect of streaming (where we fall into that "analysis paralysis"), and the slow, purposeful ritual of listening to a vinyl record from front to back. When you pop a tape in, you still get to bring it wherever, but you'll likely commit to it all the way through.
I can say so much more about the technical aspects, but maybe I'll save it unless people have questions.
Feb 29, 2024
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It works! for some reason, cassettes are having a resurgence. haven’t yet bought a new cassette, but s/o to goodwill for some good ones.
Feb 20, 2025
a cassette will cost you a third of what an LP will, while offering you that same sense of physical ownership. but it puts everyone – major label, indie label, local band, bedroom improviser, mixtape compiler, bootlegger – on the same level. cheap to make, easy to do in very tiny limited runs, easy to make into beautiful objects.
the affordability and the small form factor make them easy to keep picking up - at any merch stand, bandcamp page, overseas record store or charity shop. even if I do most of my listening digitally these days, it's a lovely treat to bring the walkman out if I'm walking into town.
Dec 4, 2024
Top Recs from @care
truly any homemade berry lemonade—extra sour and refreshing served in a two hands width jar
Dec 21, 2024
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*INS*:
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• computer time
• failure as the learning process
• being earnest to the point of annoyance
• savoring
• BCS (best case scenario)
• listening to an album start to finish
• “putting an idea down”
• photo albums
• long form
• mobility & flexibility
• aquamarine
• phone calls
• soups all year
• glasses
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*OUTS*:
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• dms
• being an island
• ”healthy” sodas
• makeup
• repetition
• posting stories
• hiding what I want
• pinterest
• “craft” cocktails
• online dating discourse
• unfinished projects
• political infotainment
• getting in my own way
Dec 22, 2024
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if you ask for both politely they never say no. why choose between pretzels and a cookie when you could have both?
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the world is your oyster.
Dec 26, 2024