Up at the futurists HQ, we recently had a debate about nostalgia and how it pertains to the resurgence of vinyl audio recordings in our modern society. Just so happens that we have quite the formidable record collection up here, which we add to whenever we have some spare bucks. But why are we amassing this army of vinyl? A friend of the futurists was contesting that vinyl recordings are a harbinger of “cool” that elevates the status of the owner through some warped idea of nostalgic preference. He defined nostalgia as a false aspiration that is blind to the truth of whatever time-frame it harkens back to. His argument hinged on the simple fact that nostalgia seems to evoke only the best and most memorable parts of a certain era, rather than the experienced reality. I can’t disagree with this statement but I must contest that although nostalgia represents an amalgamation of “the fondest memories”, it never claims to be anything but; simply put, the very definition of the word invites wistful remembrance and sentimentality. (more…)
