The second of the 'indie shops that are dead good and well worth your time and money' series (catchy, eh?) is one you can't even go to. Over the last couple of years I've become increasingly aware of the demise of the bricks and mortar musical havens and in particular the plight of my favoured store. Naturally, mail order is the thought that springs to mind, but do I really want to be giving Play, HMV or even, ahem, Amazon my money?
I chanced upon the quite splendid folk at Norman Records when looking for a copy of the out-of-print Magnolia Electric Co live album, 'Trials and Errors'. After trawling through umpteen webpages with no joy, I happened upon this beacon of splendour in a sea of porn and badly informed twerps ranting on bulletin boards. I've been increasing my spending with this particular shop in recent months due to their excellent customer service, competitive prices and wide range of stock. The lines of communication are second to none, and tweaks to orders or discussions about pre-releases are dealt with quickly and successfully.
In addition, the site features extensive reviews sourced from weekly updates that can be accessed from the main page, where all of the staff chip in to review the new releases. What I particularly enjoy about this aspect of the site is that they've not afraid to say something's shit. They work on the theory that everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and as it's their site it'll be their opinions that will be posted. You can add your reviews if you want, but nothing's ever as amusing as reading some of Phil's rants about tired, bed-wetting indie music. There's a rather charming attempt at a caveat on their reviews page, that in itself can't help being opinionated - "Please note: if the review isn't positive or offends, please remember it's only someone's opinion - so get a grip!"
So, to summarise, the staff are shit-hot, music-loving types, like me and thou who spend silly money on vinyl and can't get enough noise in their ears. Prices are ace and items are packaged really well. Lines of communication are frequently monitored and the stock range is a delight. If you can find a problem with them, let me know, 'cos I can't. I think Norman Records is an outstanding little indie store and you'd be a fool to not click here.
In addition, the site features extensive reviews sourced from weekly updates that can be accessed from the main page, where all of the staff chip in to review the new releases. What I particularly enjoy about this aspect of the site is that they've not afraid to say something's shit. They work on the theory that everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and as it's their site it'll be their opinions that will be posted. You can add your reviews if you want, but nothing's ever as amusing as reading some of Phil's rants about tired, bed-wetting indie music. There's a rather charming attempt at a caveat on their reviews page, that in itself can't help being opinionated - "Please note: if the review isn't positive or offends, please remember it's only someone's opinion - so get a grip!"
So, to summarise, the staff are shit-hot, music-loving types, like me and thou who spend silly money on vinyl and can't get enough noise in their ears. Prices are ace and items are packaged really well. Lines of communication are frequently monitored and the stock range is a delight. If you can find a problem with them, let me know, 'cos I can't. I think Norman Records is an outstanding little indie store and you'd be a fool to not click here.
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