Finds & reviews
Every entry gets a catalog number, like a proper label. Finds worth chasing, pressings worth knowing, and videos worth your time — no filler, no reposts.
VIMZ-010FindGrail watch: the Australian 'Hounds of Love' nobody talks about
Everyone chases the UK first press of Kate Bush's 1985 masterpiece. Meanwhile, the Australian EMI pressing sounds gorgeous and sells for a third of the price — if you know where to look.
Drop the needle →
VIMZ-009GuideWhy Japanese pressings sound better (and how to buy them from Texas)
Quieter vinyl, cleaner cuts, obi strips that survived four decades. A field guide to buying Japanese pressings without getting burned on shipping or grading.
Drop the needle →
VIMZ-008CuratedWatch this: how 'Thriller' was actually engineered
The best breakdown I've found of what Bruce Swedien did in the room in 1982 — and why your vinyl copy still sounds enormous on any system you play it on.
Drop the needle →
VIMZ-007Crate WatchDollar-bin diving in Austin: a strategy, not a gamble
The dollar bins at End of an Ear, Breakaway and Antone's Records are not trash — they're an unsorted archive. Here's my route, my rules, and last month's $14 haul.
Drop the needle →
VIMZ-006ReviewReview: 'Spirit of Eden' — the quietest loud record of the 80s
Talk Talk walked away from pop stardom and made a record their label couldn't sell and nobody has stopped listening to since. The 2026 shelves finally have copies worth owning.
Drop the needle →
VIMZ-005Austin SceneThe Continental Club: what 1955 sounds like in 2026
South Congress has been remodeled around it, but the Continental's back room still sounds like Austin used to. A short history, and why Monday residencies are the city's best-kept ritual.
Drop the needle →
VIMZ-004GuideDeadwax decoder: how to identify a first pressing in 60 seconds
The runout groove is a record's birth certificate. Matrix numbers, stamper codes, mastering engraver signatures — here's how to read them in the store aisle, before you pay.
Drop the needle →
VIMZ-003GearThe zen of cartridge setup (or: your records sound better than your table thinks)
Forty-five minutes with a protractor and a tracking-force gauge is the cheapest upgrade in all of audio. A calm, step-by-step walkthrough — no $400 tools required.
Drop the needle →
VIMZ-002CuratedThe art of the crate interview: who's doing it right
Somewhere between the record store and the interview couch, a new format was born: make an artist dig, and watch who they really are come out. My watchlist of the people doing it best.
Drop the needle →
VIMZ-001FindFirst post: the Austin Record Convention haul that started this site
Two days, 300 dealers, the biggest record show in the country happening twice a year in my backyard. What I pulled, what I left behind, and why I finally built this place.
Drop the needle →