According to music-nerd god Neil Young, if listening to a vinyl record is like taking a shower, listening to a compact disc is like getting a bucket of ice cubes dumped on your head. At best, CDs are a stopgap technology, rapidly outliving its usefulness, that never created the sort of art objects that vinyl records can be. As regular folks shift to iPods and MP3s, hardcore music fetishists are resurrecting the vinyl elpee--it's been a "trend" for the last 20 years or so--and artists such as Bob Mould are offering free downloads to anyone who buys the twelve-inch physical object. Origami Vinyl sells nothing but new analog reprint LPs. They're sealed, and compared to a copy of Whipped Cream and Other Delights as Goodwill, they're pricey. The selection is lovably erratic, ranging from the rock canon through the electronic underground. But OV also styles itself as something of a social center, hosting parties and live performances and getting damned crowded on weekends. Compared to the experience of using a file-sharing service, it's a pop-art gallery.

Photo:  Emerson Dameron