Music inspires. It awakens the spirit and binds moments together. It soothes, excites and supports—and it’s a fundamental for many, including us at COOL HUNTING. Whether sharing our favorite songs, looking for records, testing headphones and speakers, playing instruments or reading about a favorite band, there are no limits to the pleasure of being in love with music. Inside our Musicality Gift Guide, you will find everything from record box-sets to audio recording devices, label merch, biographies, prints and more—chosen for those who play or listen to music. For more gift ideas, check out our full BUY section, which is updated regularly.
Developed with vinyl enthusiasts, collectors and DJs, UK-based Near Mint’s vinyl cleaning solution effectively cleans records without leaving residue. The solution is a special blend for vinyl (though not suitable for acetates or shellacs)—and its success hinges on a meticulous purified chemical balance within. Price is in Pounds.
Tanner Goods’ pragmatically named Record Rack holds 40 12-inch records within its tangerine-colored stainless steel structure. This stand angles each record backward slightly so there’s enough room for users to flip through their collection easily. Plus, the rack’s outward wings make for easy carrying. The nifty, minimal storage solution comes coated in a chip-resistant semi-gloss powder coat finish and makes your record collection the visual focus.
The second LP of 2020 from enigmatic collective SAULT—believed to be Cleo Sol, Melissa Young and Dean “Inflo” Wynton Josiah—UNTITLED (Rise) exists as a perfect counterpart to UNTITLED (Black Is) with a more upbeat, exuberant sound while still exploring poignant topics including identity, race, resilience and rebellion. The rich 15-track album incorporates elements from hip-hop, R&B, disco, gospel, jazz, funk and house, sprinkled with spoken-word interludes. Available as a double-LP, the vinyl will ship on 16 November and each purchase includes unlimited, free streaming on Bandcamp. Price is in Pounds.
Music streaming platform SoundCloud partnered with clothing brand and design team GRVTY (aka Orlando Urbina and Marshall Tan) for a collaborative apparel collection called Pure & Wondrous Sounds. With nods to SoundCloud’s color scheme and a handful of GRVTY’s musical and visual influences, the collection drops today. The “SC-X700” long-sleeve shirt salutes Tom Wong and Coxsone Dodd, two influential figures in the Jamaican sound system circuit and the development of ska and reggae throughout the ’50s and ’60s. Specifically, Urbina and Tan call out Wong’s history as a hardware store-owner, which led him to build out his own systems with equipment from his shop. They say their shirt is an homage to “all those who built physical structures that brought sound to the streets and to the people.”
Róisín Murphy’s new album (her fifth solo release), Róisín Machine, comes on transparent blue vinyl in this limited edition set, which also includes a zine and signed photograph—and a T-shirt, should you opt in for that. Made with longtime collaborator DJ Parrot (aka Crooked Man, aka Richard Barratt), the album has been years in the making and explores dubbed-out disco, proto-house and various other dance sub-genres. Featuring the already-released “Incapable” and “Something More,” the album promises to be dark but danceable. Price is in Pounds.
For the first time, all Sade’s albums will be available as a complete set in the six-record collection This Far. Sade (Sade Adu, Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul Spencer Denman), producer Mike Pela and mixing engineer Miles Showell remastered the albums at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios, working meticulously to reproduce the band’s intended sound. Packaged in a case-bound box, the collection is available for pre-order now.
To celebrate their 20th anniversary, The Knife (aka Karin and Olof Dreijer) are releasing a series of remixes and reissues. Included in the collection is LIVE AT TERMINAL 5, recorded at the NYC venue 30 April and 1 May in 2014. Available as WAV, MP3, CD and vinyl (the latter two also with a DVD of the performance), the 13-track album includes dynamic versions of “Pass This On,” “Without You My Life Would Be Boring” and “Silent Shout.”
Palomar’s ingenious handheld radio lets users tap into local stations around the world. With 18 keys that can correspond to any number of global cities—from Athens and Barcelona to Istanbul and Jakarta—tuning in is as easy as tapping your selection. To play it, though, one must connect the radio to the CityRadio app, which is available to download on the iOS or Android store, in advance. In total, there are over 60,000 stations available on CityRadio. The device is available in a red and tan or black and blue colorway. Price is in Euros.
Featuring the fervent “Viril” and soaring “Cut Me,” Moses Sumney’s græ is a dazzling two-LP record that bends countless genres—from soul to rock, ambient, classical, jazz, R&B and beyond. At times tender, vulnerable, and ferocious, the 20-track album (Sumney’s second) explores intimacy and identity, resulting in a listening experience that’s unique and entirely exquisite.
Written by respected English music journalist Jon Savage, This searing light, the sun and everything else: Joy Division: The Oral History is essential reading for music fans. Detailing the pioneering band’s existence (from 1976 to 1980), Savage draws from interviews with surviving band members—Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner—and contemporaries including their manager Rob Gretton, Factory Records co-founder Tony Wilson, art designer Peter Saville and others. This comprehensive and chronological account of the wildly influential post-punk band offers insights and stories never heard before.
Embroidered with their Arran Gregory-designed yin yang logo, Ghostly’s newest piece of merchandise subtly nods to the record label’s spooky mascot. The boxy hoodie (available in small to extra large) suits all shapes and genders, and is crafted from 100% cotton. Made in the USA, this garment offers an understated way to represent the indie label.
A compilation record of songs recorded by legendary trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis, at NYC’s Columbia Studios between 1970 and 1974, Get Up with It is a foray into jazz fusion, with elements of rock, soul, psych, funk, calypso and more woven throughout. At the time, many jazz purists were surprised by Davis’ oddball and adventurous choices, but the record has proven itself as a significant game-changer. Dedicated to the then-recently deceased Duke Ellington, the album features cameos from an impressive line-up of musicians including Herbie Hancock, Cedric Lawson, John McLaughlin, James Mtume and others.
The first in a triptych of albums (collectively entitled The Perfect Vision), The Peyote Dance sees Patti Smith join experimental musical outfit Soundwalk Collective in a work of tribute to French poet Antonin Artaud. Soundwalk Collective’s founder Stéphan Crasneanscki traveled to the Norogachi municipality of Mexico’s Sierra Tarahumara, where Artaud himself visited in 1936, curious to know whether a peyote shaman from the Rarámuri people could free him of an opioid addiction. Soundwalk Collective recorded in both the village and cave where Artaud lived, capturing sounds earthly and human, delicate and divine. Smith then joined them in studio, back in New York to weave together each track.
Written by music critic Will Hermes, Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever explores the years in the mid-1970s when NYC was failing as a city, but punk, hip-hop, disco, salsa and jazz were thriving from block to block, borough to borough. Beginning with New Year’s Day in 1973 and ending with New Year’s Eve in 1977, the book is encyclopedic and detailed, and tells the fairytale of various music scenes and the fascinating ways they oftentimes converged in a city that was, in many ways, divided.
Released after Leonard Cohen’s death, the nine-song album Thanks for the Dance finds the artist’s son Adam fleshing out some of his father’s incomplete sonic sketches with the help of several extraordinary collaborators—Bryce Dessner of The National, Damien Rice, Javier Mas, Patrick Watson and Beck included. A startlingly beautiful addition to Cohen’s lengthy portfolio and a labor of love, the album offers finality. This 180g white vinyl pressing is a Barnes & Noble exclusive edition.
Featuring her dramatic delights “Adore You” and “Spotlight,” Jessie Ware’s upcoming fourth studio album What’s Your Pleasure is available for pre-order. With production and writing credits from Kindness, Metronomy’s Joseph Mount, Danny Parker, Benji B and others—along with singer/songwriter Ware herself, of course—the record will officially release on 5 June. If the sultry, hypnotic and infectious singles are teasers, this new album promises to be a lush dose of nu disco.
