I sort of consider this to be the satellite location to the Allston one, but it might just be because I go to the Allston one more often. More psych, punk, classic rock, soul and just about anything else one might expect to find in vinyl form.

This is the kind of record store that you wish was on the corner where you grew up. Run by older guys who probably know more about music than you do about everything else put together, they’re not afraid to price stuff a little below what it’s worth. I get the impression that a lot of Harvard types sell their records to this place just because a keen eye can often net you something completely left field. An excellent spot for classic rock and jazz.

Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth claims Twisted Village as one of his favorite record stores in the world, so that might give you an idea of both this place’s quality and its stylistic emphasis. Noise, psych and general weirdness abound, but even the most traditional listeners can probably find something to like in their collection of ragtime and soul compilations. Much of Twisted Village’s collection consists of reissues and rarities, so it may not be the best option for a tight budget, but if you’re willing to spend more than a couple of measly dollars you’ll more or less always go home happy.

The other major Newbury Comics location. You get the idea.

Cheapo recently moved into the location of the dearly departed Skippy White’s, and while it doesn’t cater to the same soul and R&B-loving clientele, it’s a good store in its own right. More classic rock standards and the occasional punk or indie rock gem. Truth be told, I haven’t been in here in awhile. My mistake, probably.

Probably my favorite record store in town and one of the only ones with a consistent flow of used records being bought and sold. Not the kind of place one might go to look for a specific record, but the admirably large CD and cassette collections in addition to the enormous stock of vinyl make it easy to find something good.

Like it or not, Newbury Comics pretty much has a monopoly on new vinyl in the greater Boston area. Expect to pay more than you might over the internet, but with an ever-increasing spotlight on local music and a selection that seems to be getting better over time, Newbury’s vinyl selection isn’t too bad. It’s a place where you can walk in, spend between five and infinity dollars, and walk out happy which, it could be argued, isn’t merely a hallmark of a decent record store, but a hallmark of decent late-capitalist life in general.

I recently read an essay by Haruki Murakami where he talks about browsing in a Boston-area record store that I’m pretty sure was the Boston Looney Tunes. If you’re at all familiar with B-Line celebrity DJ Nite Train, he clerks here sometimes. I’ve never found anything out of this world at this store, which primarily stocks classic rock and jazz, but endorsements from Murakami and Nite Train are pretty much all I need to keep going back and checking, just to make sure.