Musicality
Music inspires, motivates, soothes and thrills us. It’s a an emissary of memories. 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 turntables, merch, biographies and more—chosen for those who play and listen to music.
Hero image courtesy of Symbol Audio
Era 300
Era 300
Sonos pioneered the world of premium wireless home audio systems over 20 years ago and has been iterating through their innovations ever since. Released earlier this year, the Era 300 is a huge leap forward as it renders truly immersive sound in even the most awkward spaces. Six amps power four tweeters and two woofers to send music up, forward, left and right and after using the Sonos app’s Trueplay feature the output of each driver is adjusted for the room it’s placed in. Our tests have been in a loft environment with high ceilings and hard surfaces that usually swallow the nuances of any type of music. The Era 300 has been extremely impressive with any streaming source, but the spatial audio experience when listening to tracks mastered in Dolby Atmos is unbelievable. Equipped with Bluetooth and Wifi and compatible with Apple’s AirPlay, Era 300 offers plenty of flexibility for playback beyond what’s available in the (extensive) Sonos app.
Added: August 2023
This product is sold by Sonos
TP-7 Field Recorder
TP-7 Field Recorder
Teenage Engineering brings a distinctive Scandinavian retro-futuristic design sensibility to their latest device, the TP-7 Field Recorder. A motorized “tape reel” is used to control elements of the UI and also rotates to indicate recording is active while a rocker bar on the side can be used to scrub through audio playback. The device has 128gb of storage, three audio ports that can be used for input or output, a built-in mic and seven hours of battery life. A companion app is available for real-time voice-to text transcription and makes it as useful as it is playful.
Added: May 2023
This product is sold by Teenage Engineering
Osmose Synthesizer
Osmose Synthesizer
Osmose is a standalone polyphonic synthesizer from Montreuil-based Expressive E, a French manufacturer that aims to make next-generation musical instruments that are both tech-forward and intuitive. Produced in collaboration with Haken Audio, the synth features 49 gesture-sensitive keys and over 500 presets with custom macros, equipping it to unlock new sound. Within, a technology designed by Expressive E, Augmented Keyboard Action (A.K.A), makes each gesture still feel instinctive and sensitive, likening itself to an acoustic instrument.
Added: April 2023
This product is sold by Expressive E
“The Record” Limited Edition Clear Vinyl
“The Record” Limited Edition Clear Vinyl
Indie supergroup boygenius (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus) harmonizes, rocks and croons on their debut album, The Record. The LP exceeds expectations, featuring intimate, pinpoint lyricism and an equilateral merging of the trio’s talents, proving their power as creative collaborators. It is available as a limited edition clear vinyl that includes gatefold packaging, a temporary tattoo and a 24-page zine.
Added: April 2023
This product is sold by Interscope
Limited Edition “V” Vinyl
Limited Edition “V” Vinyl
On limited edition gold-hued vinyl, V is Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s fifth studio album, and their first double album. Singer-songwriter and musician Ruban Nielson wrote the music for the record over four years and between Hawaii and California during a time of worldwide and personal tumult. The result is a diverse selection of songs but all possess Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s enduring tenderness.
Added: March 2023
This product is sold by Jagjaguwar
Glamour Dolly T-Shirt
Glamour Dolly T-Shirt
With a kitsch design that features a glamorous portrait of Dolly Parton, this 100% cotton, relaxed-fit T-shirt is made for fans of the beloved star. Available in sizes small to 3XL, it features a twill-taped neck and shoulders and a top-stitched collar.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Dolly Parton
“Aiir” Vinyl
“Aiir” Vinyl
The eighth album from SAULT—a collective led by Inflo (aka Dean Josiah Cover)—Aiir features the rich, layered and poetic music the prolific band is known for. Replete with beautiful orchestral soundscapes, the five-track album includes the shape-shifting song “God’s Will” and the lyrical “5AM,” making for a transcendent and shimmering listen.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Forever Living Originals
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Son Lux’s emotive original score for the stunning 2022 film Everything Everywhere All At Once is now available on black and white vinyl. The NYC-based trio (Ryan Lott, Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang) tapped artists including Mitski, David Byrne, André 3000, Moses Sumney and others for the soundtrack. Sampling paigu, gongs, foil violin, Mayan flutes and more, the band meticulously crafted a collection of soaring and stirring songs.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by A24
London T-Shirt
London T-Shirt
London-based online music broadcaster and promotion company Boiler Room teamed up with Melbourne, Australia-born brand Perks and Mini (aka PAM) for a capsule collection of apparel celebrating club culture. The limited edition London T-Shirt comes in black (while the Melbourne iteration is brown), and features a bold graphic incorporating both logos on the back. Price is in Pounds.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Boiler Room + PAM
“DESIRE, I WANT TO TURN INTO YOU” Vinyl
“DESIRE, I WANT TO TURN INTO YOU” Vinyl
The cult-followed singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek’s second album, DESIRE, I WANT TO TURN INTO YOU, continues the artist’s synth-inflected, techno-take on pop with more wailing, sunny instrumentation and attitude. Pressed onto a metallic copper vinyl, the LP includes the tracks “Bunny Is A Rider,” “Welcome To My Island” and “Billions,” and features collaborations with Grimes and Dido.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Caroline Polachek
3 Feet High and Rising
3 Feet High and Rising
Pioneering hip-hop group De La Soul finally has control of the masters for all six of their albums (3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate, Stakes Is High, Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump, and AOI: Bionix) and will be able to share their music on streaming services this March. The first release will occur on 3 March, which happens to be the 34th anniversary of their hippie-tinged, psychedelic and silly-skit-filled debut, 3 Feet High and Rising. To celebrate, the trio is re-releasing the album—with more to come—on vinyl. Buyers can select between black, magenta or yellow vinyl, all colors that appear in the spirited cover art.
Added: January 2023
This product is sold by Chrysalis Records
Chore Coat
Chore Coat
Music and art platform Ghostly International has teamed up with Knickerbocker on a capsule collection of minimal, workwear-leaning apparel. From the range, the Chore Coat (available in small to 2XL) boasts a classic boxy silhouette and has been crafted from durable 19-ounce Italian cotton twill from heritage textile-makers Duca Visconti. Subtly branded, there’s custom Ghostly hardware as well as an embroidered logo.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Ghostly + Knickerbocker
Limited Edition Dog T-Shirt
Limited Edition Dog T-Shirt
Represent pioneering riot grrrl band Bikini Kill with this limited edition T-shirt designed by Steve Dore. Available in black or white and in XS to 3XL, the garment features a pooch flipping its middle finger—an apt gesture when celebrating the girls-to-the-front punk rock of Bikini Kill.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Kung Fu Merch
CREEM #001
CREEM #001
Iconic rock’n’roll magazine CREEM published its first issue in 1969 before going on to cover punk and then-nascent bands like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple until 1989, when the publication folded. Now, 33 years later CREEM is back with its renewed first issue which traces generations of artists and genres, from the making of The Osmonds’ “Crazy Horses” to new punk bands like Special Interest.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by CREEM
Conclave Slipmat
Conclave Slipmat
Featuring the same psychedelic artwork by Lisa Rampilli that adorns the cover of Conclave’s self-titled album, the Conclave Slipmat is a mushroom-themed way to keep turntables dust-free. Made with polyester felt and printed with dye sublimation, the entrancing mat nods to the vibrant music it’s named after.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Love Injection
The Cricket: Black Music in Evolution, 1968-69
The Cricket: Black Music in Evolution, 1968-69
During the 1960s Black Arts Movement, Amiri Baraka, AB Spellman and Larry Neal’s experimental music magazine, The Cricket, covered poetry, reviews and politics across four issues, canonizing and empowering Black artists while also embarking on their own radical approach to music journalism. This anthology collates all four editions, alongside contextualization by author David Grundy, for a compelling and rare dive into the publication. Price is in Pounds.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Blank Forms
Excel Mini DC Tour
Excel Mini DC Tour
From D’Angelico’s Excel Series Tour Collection comes the Mini DC, a powerful, compact and vintage-inspired guitar, thoughtfully designed for the traveling musician. It’s a 14-inch-wide, semi-hollow instrument with deep cutaways and a lightweight centerblock, all of which makes it easily wieldable. Featuring Supro’s Bolt Buckers, the DC is fitted with custom, versatile pickups, from warm and snappy sounds to growling tones. Finished with 1930s-inspired diamond f-holes and other retro aesthetics, the guitar looks and plays with panache.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by D'Angelico Guitars
Ghostly Products Nalgene Bottle
Ghostly Products Nalgene Bottle
Music and art platform Ghostly International releases their own take on Nalgene’s signature narrow cap bottle. With a transparent gray color, Ghostly’s logo and the phrase “Everywhere Nowhere,” the reusable bottle pays tribute to the label’s genre-defiant, expansive work.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Ghostly International
Dovetail
Dovetail
Named after the joinery technique that it employs, the Dovetail from Symbol Audio uses a file cabinet grid system to organize vinyl records while displaying album art. Crafted with FSC-certified wood, vegetable-tanned leather handles and solid-brass hardware, the storage system (available in a range of wood finishes and sizes with various rows and columns) blends functionality with sophisticated style.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Symbol Audio
Sun Ra Bumper Sticker
Sun Ra Bumper Sticker
A humorous ode to pioneering Afrofuturists and avant-jazz band Sun Ra Arkestra, this bumper sticker by thatscoolthankyou features the words, “My other ride is the extra-terrestrial energy generated by the cosmic transmissions of the SUN RA ARKESTRA.” With a hot pink background and large black font, the sticker is aptly bold and esoteric.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by thatscoolthankyou
Music For Psychedelic Therapy
Music For Psychedelic Therapy
Timed to match the length of a ketamine high, Music for Psychedelic Therapy, Jon Hopkins’ sixth studio album, was crafted to enhance and guide trips. It unfurls and floats between synths and field recordings of birds, waterfalls and other forest sounds, creating a delicate spatial soundtrack. Whether embarking on a hallucinogenic journey or in pursuit of mindful moments, this vinyl LP (which also comes with a digital download) cultivates a conscious, comforting ambiance.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by Domino Records
Madvillainy
Madvillainy
Madvillainy, the latest book in the 33 1/3 series published by Bloomsbury, is a celebration of Madvillain—the legendary hip-hop duo consisting of Madlib and the late MF Doom. Written by Will Hagle, the book centers on the 2004 album Madvillainy (the duo’s only LP) and features interviews with individuals who worked on or were involved in the record—but it’s told from the perspective of three fake journalist superheroes.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by 33 1/3
For The Birds: 20LP Box Set
For The Birds: 20LP Box Set
Music supervisor Randall Poster’s labor of love in support of bird conservations efforts by the National Audubon Society, The Birdsong Project is comprised of 242 original music tracks and bird-related poetry recordings by many of the world’s most beloved artists. Available to enjoy on all streaming platforms, the entire compilation has also been assembled into a limited edition, 20-LP box set that comes with Warby Parker “birdoculars.” 100% of the proceeds from sales of the box set—and everything else from The Birdsong Project—will go directly to the Audubon Society.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by The Birdsong Project
Wimbledon 2022 hearO 3.0 Bluetooth Speaker
Wimbledon 2022 hearO 3.0 Bluetooth Speaker
Housed inside a Wimbledon 2022 championship tennis ball (with US Open and Roland-Garros options, as well), audio company hearO’s third-generation portable speaker features Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity technology (that also allows two hearOs to pair for stereo sound). hearO’s speakers are designed and assembled in London. Further, the brand offsets its CO2 emissions through involvement with ClimatePartner and The European Nature Trust.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by hearO
“The Low End Theory” Seven-inch Collection Boxset
“The Low End Theory” Seven-inch Collection Boxset
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their iconic 1991 album, The Low End Theory, hip-hop trio A Tribe Called Quest has released a limited edition boxset. The entire album, along with two bonus songs, features across eight brightly colored and boldly patterned seven-inch records. It’s all housed in a fabric-wrapped carrying case. Limited to 2000 units, it’s available for pre-order now, but will ship in April 2023.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by Get on Down
