The Paradox of Choice says that too many options can demotivate people, so here’s a short guide to the options for getting your ears on “Oil, Love & Oxygen”.
Gigs
For the personal touch you can always get CDs at our shows. They come with a lush booklet of lyrics and credits, and the enchanting artwork of Frans Bisschops. Discounted digital download codes are also available for Bandcamp…
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is a one-stop online shop for your album consumption needs. You can get a digital download in your choice of format, including high-resolution formats for “audiophiles and nerds”. If you go for one of the “lossless” formats such as ALAC, then you are getting the highest sound quality possible (higher than CD). Downloads also come with a digital version of the aforementioned booklet.
Bandcamp is also where you can place a mail-order for the CD if you want to get physical. Another feature of Bandcamp is fans can pay more than the minimum price if they want to support the artist.
iTunes
The iTunes store is a great simple option for those in the Apple ecosystem, because it goes straight into the library on your device(s). You also get the same digital booklet as Bandcamp, and the audio for this release has been specially “Mastered for iTunes”. This means the sound quality is a bit better than most digital downloads (though not as good as the lossless formats available on Bandcamp).
This album was mastered by Ian Shepherd who has been a vigorous campaigner against the “loudness wars”. Did you ever notice that much, maybe most, music after the early 90s started to sound flat and bland? Well one reason was the use of “brick wall limiters” to increase average loudness, but this came at the expense of dynamics. I’m glad my release is not a causality of this pointless war, but I digress.
Other Digital Download Services
The album is on many other services, so just search for “Oil, Love & Oxygen” on your preferred platform. These services don’t provide you the booklet though and are not quite as high sound quality as the above two.
Streaming (Spotify etc.)
The album is also available across all the major streaming platforms. While streaming is certainly convenient, it is typically low sound quality and pays tiny royalties to artists.
Vinyl and Tape
Interestingly these formats are seeing a bit of a resurgence around the world. I would argue this is not because they are inherently better than digital, but because digital is so often abused (e.g. the aforementioned loudness wars and the use of “lossy” formats like mp3). If you seriously want vinyl or tape though, let me know and I will consider getting old school!
Share the Love
If you like the album, then please consider telling friends, rating or reviewing the album on iTunes etc., liking our page on the book of face…
Short enough?