Given the sheer number of coffee shops and art galleries in our fair city of New London, the lack of a record store seems pretty absurd. Luckily, this problem has been rectified by The Telegraph.
Located at 19 Golden St. (between the bank and the thrift store), The Telegraph is devoid of signage, save for the posters and album covers that adorn the front window. Step inside and you’ll find yourself in what initially seems to be a disappointingly small space. There are a few shelves of used and new books, some very scantily filled racks of CDs and a decent amount of vinyl.
You’ll quickly discover, however, that the joy of The Telegraph is in exploring. While the selection is currently pretty small, it is extremely well-curated, and seems to have found its niche targeting people who still actually buy music. This sort of setup lends itself to an experience akin to raiding the shelves of that one friend who has better taste than you do.
Local music is well represented, a bunch of ‘zines lined the bookshelves, and albums from many of the I AM Fest headliners are on display. New vinyl is on the pricey side, but the used offerings that make up most of the stock run the gamut between pleasingly cheap (albums that are a bit beaten up, and/or fairly common) and a week’s paycheck (amazing rare John Coltrane records). There are reasonably priced gems all over the place, from albums necessary for every collection to interesting ephemera like 7” Prince singles from Japan or Sesame Street’s Born To Add (feat. Bruce Stringbean and the S Street Band).
The small staff is both friendly and knowledgeable, evidenced not only by what is in stock but also by their familiarity with it. They will most likely be able to comment on at least one of your purchases, even offering suggestions as to other things you might like. Amazon or iTunes can attempt to do this, but engaging in conversation with a real human being who knows his or her stuff is always preferable. This is one of the biggest selling points of The Telegraph, separating it even from other independent record stores.
With so much music made accessible, sorting through all of the crap can be a daunting task. The Telegraph has the potential to establish itself as a great venue for a community of music lovers to discover new things and share them with others.
As it continues to establish itself, The Telegraph will continue to add stock and has quite a bit of room to expand further into the store. At the time of my visit, there were several stacks of books about to be shelved as well as lots of vinyl in the back waiting to be priced. New releases seem to be stocked selectively with several copies of the new Arcade Fire, Interpol and Ra Ra Riot albums on both CD and vinyl.
Is this the best place to go if you’re looking for something specific? Probably not. If you want to spend an afternoon stumbling upon books and music you didn’t know you needed, the Telegraph is the place to go.
The Telegraph is located at 19 Golden St., New London CT, 06320. (860).701.0506
Open Tues. 4:00-8:00PM, Wed-Sat 12:00-8:00PM, and Sun 12:00-4:00PM
