NEW YORK CITY — In this day of instant musical gratification — with Spotify, digital downloads and declining CD sales — it's interesting to see vinyl records becoming more and more popular among young music fans and longtime collectors. Perhaps it's the feeling they're actually getting something tangible for their dollars. Compared to a CD or a download, the 12-inch square album's artwork seems lavish. And then there's the quality, which some experts say sounds better.
If you'd like to sample one of New York's great record fairs, head down to Smorgasburg on the Williamsburg waterfront this Saturday, October 6, for the Brooklyn Flea Record Fair. Surrounded by 100 food vendors, with special guest DJs all day, this fair features four top independent labels joining the lineup of 32 vendors: Ghostly International, Merge, Mexican Summer and Warp.
Start digging!
Wednesday, October 3
Featuring sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart emerged as a folk-tinged hard-rock hit band in the mid '70s (remember "Magic Man" and "Barracuda"?) before becoming a schmaltzy pop act by the mid '80s, when they enjoyed a string of consecutive top 10 singles ("What About Love," "Never," "These Dreams," "Nothin' at All," "Alone" and "Who Will You Run To.") A new album, "Fanatic," is due later this year. At the Beacon Theatre.
Also tonight: Multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, sideman for Elvis Costello and Marianne Faithfull among others, plays a solo gig at The Stone.
Thursday, October 4
Pioneering New York experimental electronic band Silver Apples released two influential albums in the late '60s, before disappearing until their mid-'90s reactivation and the 1998 album "Beacon." The band was founded and is led by Simeon Coxe III, who performs on a primitive synthesizer of his own creation (also named The Simeon). With Xeno & Oaklander, Man Forever and La Big Vic at Public Assembly.
Also tonight: The soulful and rootsy Alabama Shakes formed in Athens, Ala., in 2009, influenced by the funky swing of Muscle Shoals, Alabama's famous recording studio — where tracks like The Rolling Stone's "Brown Sugar" and Paul Simon's "Loves Me Like A Rock" were recorded. Alabama Shakes 2012 long-player debut "Boys & Girls" has been a trans-Atlantic top 10 release. With Fly Golden Eagle & Riley Downing at Terminal 5.
Friday, October 5
Animal Collective's anarchic, pop-tinged and sample-heavy sound is instantly recognizable and often imitated. Vocalist Avey Tare reportedly described the band's ninth studio album "Centipede Hz" as "more grounded in one location" and less ambient than the group's previous album, "Merriweather Post Pavilion." Also on the bill at the final Williamsburg Park concert for the season is Micachu & The Shapes.
Also tonight: Ian Anderson, front man and flautist for folk-rocking icons Jethro Tull, plays tonight at the Beacon Theatre.
Saturday, October 6
Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, former members of the band Luna and now the duo Dean and Britta, present a multimedia event featuring a selection of Andy Warhol's Screen Test films with live musical accompaniment. As 13 of Warhol's four-minute film portraits play, a quartet performs a composed score. The event is held in conjunction with the exhibition "Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years" at the Metropolitan Museum.
Also tonight: Since 2010, '80s pop idol Adam Ant has been working hard at resurrecting his music career, which had been on hiatus since 1995. Originally fronting the fashionable punk-pop band Adam and the Ants, (1977-'82) Adam went solo in 1982. His biggest hit was 1980s swaggering teen anthem "Antmusic." At the Best Buy Theater.
Sunday, October 7
Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison) has been respected as one of the best avant-garde hip-hop producers since his 2006 debut album "1983" was released on the Plug Research label. Since then, all his albums have appeared on the influential London-based Warp imprint. This month sees the release of a lavishly packaged album "Until The Quiet Comes." For this release, Ellison has drawn on African percussion and psychedelic influences, as well as human-subconscious and dream-world concepts. He worked from his home in Los Angeles and recorded with guest vocalists such as Erykah Badu and Thom Yorke of Radiohead. At Terminal 5.
Monday, October 8
How To Dress Well are quite deservedly attracting a buzz with the new album "Total Loss." It's a soulful, multi-layered offering, with vocalist Tom Krell's soaring falsetto a highlight. At Santos Party House.
Also tonight: Quirky Swedish singer songwriter Jens Lekman at Terminal 5.
Tuesday, October 9
Public Image Ltd are the band that John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten) formed when the Sex Pistols imploded in 1978. Featuring former Clash guitarist Keith Levine and bassist Jah Wobble, the band made an immediate splash in the UK with the 1978 hit "Public Image" (not released in the US), and released some big albums throughout the 1980s, hitting the charts with the tracks "This Is Not A Love Song" (1983) and "Rise" (1986). As the group matured, their sound became more dub-dance and rock and a little less punk — though the sneer has never left Lydon's face. "This Is PiL" the band's first studio album since 1992, was released in May. At the Music Hall of Williamsburg.
