Best of Boston
Best Music
Photo by Jesse Burke
Cheapo Records
Cambridge
Some used-record stores are disorganized warehouses, while others have sparse offerings to match their small spaces. This circa-1954 Central Square icon manages its wide catalog [...] read more»
2013 Best Music
Somerville Grooves
Somerville
For music nerds, the neighborhood record store used to be a home away from home, and its disappearance in recent years has left us distraught. [...] read more»
2012 Best Music, Used
In Your Ear
Boston
Thirty years is a long time in the music business, particularly when you're still vending vinyl in the age of iTunes. But with hundreds of [...] read more»
2011 Best Music, New
Newbury Comics
Boston
The Newbury Street flagship of this legendary local chain is stocking less music (and more knickknacks and novelty books) these days, and the fact that [...] read more»
2011 Best Music, Used
Looney Tunes
Boston
This beloved store serves bargain hunters and obsessive collectors alike. What would be a rare find elsewhere is commonplace at Looney Tunes, especially when it [...] read more»
2011 Best Music, New Arist
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
With an unadulterated sound and a timeless, gamine look, Aly Spaltro, a.k.a. Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, upstages every testosterone-fueled act in Boston. Her voice is [...] read more»
2009 Best Music
Newbury Comics
Boston
With brick-and-mortar record stores boarding up left and right, this local chain—launched in 1978 by a pair of MIT students—has acquired fresh polish on its [...] read more»
2008 Best Music, Specialty
Twisted Village
Cambridge
Largely, and proudly, devoid of the latest by Miley Cyrus, Lil Wayne, and their mainstream compatriots, this Harvard Square basement shop is ideal for seekers [...] read more»
2007 Best Music, Specialty
In Your Ear
Boston
An old-school record store that drowns out the download age by cultivating loyal customers and an understated cool you can't buy on iTunes, In Your [...] read more»
2006 Best Music, New
Newbury Comics
Boston
For all its diversification into DVDs, action figures, and Napoleon Dynamite doodads, Newbury Comics maintains an unparalleled selection of obscure art rock, under-the-radar hip-hop, and [...] read more»
2006 Best Music, Used
Cheapo Records
Cambridge
In a world choking on Black Eyed Peas, this cluttered basement shop is a refuge for the lonely few who still cling to the classics. [...] read more»