The Sharp Notes

12/18/2025

You know that feeling when you’re talking to a statue, and then the statue comes to life and starts attacking you with its sword? Look, we’ve all been there. Out on the floor soon is this terrific, tough to find, prog/art rock release from 1971 (UK pressing).

12/17/2025

Lionmilk's "When the Flowers Bloom: is a record shaped by change, but it never feels heavy-handed. Evan Toth spoke with Moki Kawaguchi about process, influence, and the role honesty plays in his work, tracing subtle lines from jazz tradition to the melodic clarity of Vince Guaraldi and the softer, inward moments of the Beach Boys. It’s a thoughtful conversation about craft, community, and making music as a positive act. The pressing is excellent, too!

Lionmilk’s When the Flowers Bloom reflects a period of transition for Moki Kawaguchi, shaped by loss, isolation, and renewal without leaning into excess drama. Drawing subtle lines to the melodic clarity of Vince Guaraldi and the softer, inward moments of the Beach Boys, the album balances jazz tr...

12/16/2025

It's always nice to see thoughtful work travel.

A quote written by Evan Toth for Tracking Angle has appeared as a pull quote in Billboard, tied to a recent Grammy consideration feature for "Nothing But Time", the debut album by the STEVE BARDWIL BAND. The quote originated in Evan’s in-depth interview with producer Joe Chiccarelli, conducted for Michael Fremer’s Tracking Angle.

It’s a small moment, but a meaningful one: a reminder that careful listening and long-form conversation still have a place in the wider music dialogue.

Grateful, as always, to Michael Fremer for his continued support over the years, and proud of Evan’s work finding a broader audience. Thanks, also to Leo Lavoro for making the connection(s).

We’re happy to share a small but meaningful piece of news from the wider music world.A quote written by Evan Toth for Tracking Angle has appeared as a pull quote in Billboard, included in a recent Grammy consideration feature connected to Nothing But Time, the debut album by the Steve Bardwil Band...

12/06/2025

Interscope Records’s Definitive Sound Series is doing real work, giving long-neglected albums the kind of audiophile attention they’ve deserved for years. I sat down with Tom Grover Biery, the steady hand guiding the series, to unpack why this imprint approaches the catalog world with a different philosophy than the usual reissue shop. We spent time on Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song and the careful audio archaeology behind crafting what may be the most faithful, best-sounding version of the album you’ve ever heard. Tom’s history runs deep, including his years as GM and EVP at Warner Brothers Records, and the conversation opens into all kinds of terrain worth exploring.

Read and watch it TrackingAngle.com!

The Definitive Sound Series Brings Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" Into the 21st Century

12/01/2025

Thanks to the one and only Todd-O-Phonic Todd from WFMU for visiting to check out TSN headquarters. We love this Sunny and the Sunliners album and are sorry to see it go, but we’re sure Todd will find a place for it on the airwaves for everyone in NJ and NYC (and globally) to hear in the comfort of their homes (or cars…or whatever).

11/30/2025

Get to your local newsstand before the night is through.

11/30/2025

It feels right that the best way to take in this article about Evan Toth and The Sharp Notes is by holding an actual newspaper and letting the ink rub off on your fingertips. A real thank-you to Stephanie Noda and the Bergen Record/Herald News for spending the time to see the story behind this experiment in vinyl culture and for sharing it with the world. And to our family and friends, your support has carried us further than you know.

Our hope is simple. We want to be a home for the lifers who have been crate-digging since forever and also for anyone catching that first spark of the vinyl bug. Settling into the mall has added something unexpectedly human to the mix. People cross paths here who might never meet anywhere else, and that steady flow of neighbors, browsers, wanderers, and curious listeners turns out to be its own kind of community. The music helps, but the people make it work.

This article reminds us why we’re doing it in the first place.

11/27/2025

Black Friday first: 10% off EVERYTHING and every record priced $5.99 and under is ONE DOLLAR. That’s the headline. That’s the hook. Consider it our little spell to pull you through the doors.

Now the scene: Thanksgiving night at The Sharp Notes. The mall is settling in, lights warming the corridors, and every bin in the shop is stocked like we’re expecting a vinyl emergency (we are). We’re not in the Record Store Day club yet — you need a full year on the books — but the place still feels charged, like someone flipped the switch to holiday mode.

They’re saying 150,000 shoppers might roll through the Garden State Plaza tomorrow. Parking will be a minor sport. But the energy? The strange, kinetic, only-in-November buzz? It’s worth being part of.

We’ll be here from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Records, audio gear, surprises tucked around the corners.

Cheap heat, served fresh.

11/26/2025

It’s not Thanksgiving yet, but the store is already tilting toward Christmas. And nothing ushers in the season quite like Bing… especially when he shows up with an OBI strip. That’s our lane today.

We’re deep in Black Friday prep. Sales, limited titles, and a few surprises like this one will be on the floor Friday morning. The holiday rush is about to kick in. We’re ready (almost), are you?

11/22/2025

Several posthumous Hendrix releases are in the shop: all in NM condition. If you’re a fan - of you know one - they’re ready for you. It’s Saturday at the mall: stop in for the final pre-Black Friday weekend.

11/15/2025

Plenty of fresh restocks this morning: Michael Jackson and - oh, well - just watch the video! That’s why there’s a whole video! See ya at the mall! Right across from Baby Gap. 😉

11/12/2025

I know—it’s not even Thanksgiving yet. But it’s hard not to get pulled straight into the early holiday madness here at the mall. So, we’re giving in a little and dusting off the Christmas bins. And what better way to start than with a holiday story told by none other than Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman…sporting a full Santa beard. Yes, Batman in a beard.

Our Westfield Garden State Plaza Santa is just down the hall—bring the kids for photos, then swing by for records, books, and maybe a turntable to slide under the tree.

Did I mention Batman in a Santa beard?