Ralph’s Records’ Vinyl Flip Friday Is Your Weekly Moment of Zen

This may seem ridiculous, but I religiously watch Vinyl Flip Friday every Friday on Ralph's Records Facebook and Instagram pages. Whether it's Bauhaus or The Beatles, Pantera or Public Enemy, I take this 5-ish minute ritual seriously.

Of course, part of the appeal is seeing what new vinyl Ralph's has in stock, but it's way more than that. It's almost a meditation to take the 3 to 4 minutes to just attentively focus on the records. Album art is such a beautiful and sentimental medium for me, and I make a mental game out of guessing what could be next. (Hint: it's in approximate alphabetical order.)

It's also fun to see what my fellow Lubbockites are interested in. If the same record makes an appearance for multiple weeks, then you know it's popular, like Mac Miller or Queen. You can also catch new releases, like this week's Mr. Bungle The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo, which is a fascinating release, to say the least. It's a re-recording/ re-imagining of Mr. Bungle's first album, but this time with Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo along for the ride.

When I watch our darling Doug, owner of Ralph's, thumb through the records, I can imagine the weight and the feel of the records myself. Flipping through records is a joyous tactile experience for me. If you don't believe me, you should set aside 30 minutes or an hour to do it yourself. If you're not relaxed at the end of it, I don't know, maybe you should advance to yoga.

If you do decide to flip your own records, you can do it at Ralph's Records (82nd & Indiana), Lubbock's only independent record store, seven days a week.