How to Encounter Albums — Record Digging That Starts with "Exploring New Discoveries"
Table of Contents
In Front of That Wooden Crate
In my twenties, there was a used record store I frequented.
Upon entering the store, LP records packed tightly in wooden crates lined the shelves. I'd flip through each record one by one with my fingertips in crates divided by genre. Artist names and album titles written on the spines. I'd pass by the ones I knew and stop at the unfamiliar ones.
I'd pull one out and look at the cover. Photos, illustrations, typography. Flip it over to the back and browse the track listings. Unknown musician names lined the credits. "Who is this?" "What does it sound like?" I absolutely loved that time of imagination.
The Moment Your Fingers Stop
In the age of subscriptions, access to music has become surprisingly easy. Type in the name of your favorite artist and you can listen immediately. Algorithms line up "recommendations for you."
It's convenient. Really convenient. But sometimes I think about it.
That "moment when your fingers stop at an unknown cover" has somehow disappeared. What algorithms select are ultimately extensions of your own preferences. Those completely unexpected discoveries found in wooden crates — that type of encounter has become difficult to experience in the digital world.
"Exploring New Discoveries"
Album Sweet has that wooden crate.
The "Explore New Discoveries" button at the bottom of the top page. Or you can reach the same place from the menu. True to its name, it's a place to go searching for encounters with albums you don't know yet.
Digging Through the Crate
Record spines line the entire screen.
Colorful spines with only titles visible. It's that scene of looking down into a wooden crate at a used record store. Tap on an interesting record and the cover pops out. Press "Dig More" and the entire contents of the crate get replaced. You never know what will come up. That's what makes it good.
Picking Up One Record
When you tap an interesting spine, the cover appears in a popup. Artist name, album title, release year. Here you have three choices.
"Keep" — Set aside albums that interest you. You can review them all together later.
"Listen" — Start listening right away. Apple Music audio begins playing immediately.
"Put Back" — Return it to the crate and move on to the next one.
It's close to that feeling of asking the store owner "Could you play this for me?" at a record store. The difference is that you can try as many records as you want, for as long as you want, without any hesitation.
The Treasures I Kept
As you continue digging, the number of records you've kept appears at the bottom of the screen. Tap it and your set-aside albums appear in a list.
That small pile you'd pull out to a separate spot at the record store thinking "I might buy this." It's here. You can put them back if you change your mind. If you like one, "View Details" lets you dive into that album's world.
Savoring the Album Cover
You can also view your kept albums one by one in fullscreen. Just the cover floating against a dark background. Flip through left and right while slowly savoring today's harvest.
If there's one you particularly like, tap "Go to Album Details." Track listings, credits, related artists — the journey of exploration that begins there is another story altogether.
In Closing
Encountering music is like meeting people. If you don't go looking, you won't find it. But what you encounter when you do go looking carries a different weight than what algorithms select.
Album Sweet's "Explore New Discoveries" is a digital recreation of that wooden crate from the used record store. You never know what will come up. But that's exactly what makes it interesting.
The feeling of flipping through spines with your fingertips, once more.
Come explore new discoveries at Album Sweet.