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There’s no better way to celebrate the holiday season than with music. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect gift for your loved ones, look no further than Culture Clash Records. The independent record store located in downtown Toledo has gifts for all types of music lovers, from your rock and roll dad who will never stop listening to The Beatles to your pop girlie best friend who insists on playing Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” on repeat.
“When you can gift someone an album that you know that they love, it shows that you listen to them. They get to hold that record and remember that YOU gave it to them every time they listen to it,” said Tim Friedman, owner of Culture Clash Records.
If buyers don’t know where to start, Store Manager Torch champions the stocking stuffer route: vinyl cleaning kit with a gift card. Vinyl care products are the perfect way to show your rock and roll dad or jazz enthusiast grandpa that you appreciate their dedication to great sound.
2025 in Music at Culture Clash
- 2025 was the year of the alt-pop girlies (Hayley Williams, Ethel Cain, Charli XCX).
- Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” still sells — but so do Chappell Roan, Doechii, Laufey.
- Best-selling album: Twenty One Pilots’ “Breach.”
- Sleeper hit: Olivia Dean.
Culture Clash always stocks music from local musicians, which make wonderful stocking stuffers as well. Toledo native Ben Stalets’ “Lucky Dog” album is a solid choice; you can’t go wrong with anything from Toledo band Citizen; and, of course, gifting music by local legend Art Tatum is a no-brainer.
No matter who you’re buying for, the staff at Culture Clash is there to help you pick the right gift. Shopping local matters during the holidays. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, Culture Clash can special order in albums and help you get them in time for the holidays.
“Supporting local shops not only keeps businesses open and food on the table, but it keeps your money in your community. Local business owners are also paying taxes and voting in your community and they want to see it thrive as much as you do,” said Torch.
Records hold a meaningful place in Torch’s holiday family traditions. They recall sharing records with their siblings in their early years, but one year, Torch received TLC’s “FanMail” in their Easter basket. It was special because it was the first album that was theirs. Torch’s family has been listening to NSYNC’s “Home for Christmas” while decorating their tree since 1998.
You never know what you’ll find when wandering the many record bins at Culture Clash. Tim recalls a past holiday season when a customer discovered her high school choir’s Christmas album.
“She was so moved to unearth that memory,” said Tim.
Torch especially loves helping customers branch out into new genres of music. When shopping for records this holiday season, they don’t want customers to get hung up on color variants or feel any shame in their music selections.
“Records, above all, are for listening to. Whether it is black vinyl, colored vinyl, or picture discs — I just want people to enjoy listening to music and spreading love,” said Torch. “Whether you pick up “KPop Demon Hunters” or “Californication,” we don’t care. It is in our store for a reason, and today you are the reason.”
Give the magic of music this holiday season
Rock and roll dad
- Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours”
- Vinyl record care system
- Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon”
- The Beatles’ “Abbey Road”
- Queen’s “A Night at the Opera”
Jazz enthusiast
- Vinyl record care system
- Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue”
- John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”
- Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage”
- Ornette Coleman’s “The Shape of Jazz to Come”
Pop girl
- Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”
- Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl”
- MUNA’s “MUNA”
- Charli XCX’s “BRAT”
- Florence & The Machine’s “Everybody Scream”
- Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem”
- Various Artists’ “KPop Demon Hunters OST”
Alt-rock best friend
- Paramore’s “Riot”
- Arctic Monkeys’ “AM”
- Phoebe Bridgers’ “Punisher”
- Mac DeMarco’s “Salad Days”
- Nirvana’s “Nevermind”
Metalhead
- Metallica’s “Ride The Lightning”
- Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”
- Rob Zombie’s “Hellbilly Deluxe”
- System of a Down’s “Toxicity”
- Melvins’ “Houdini”
Hip hop curator
- De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising”
- MF DOOM & Madlib’s “Madvillainy”
- Mac Miller’s “Swimming”
- Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX”
- BJ Dilla’s “Donuts”
Stoner
- Childish Gambino’s “Awaken My Love”
- Animal Collective’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion”
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s “Nonagon Infinity”
- Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band’s “Trout Mask Replica”
- Yves Tumor’s “Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)”
- Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain”
Kino connoisseur
- “True Stories (BD)”
- “Do The Right Thing”
- “The Princess Bride”
- “Mulholland Drive”
- “Dr Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”
- Various Artists’ “Wicked OST”
Mohawk punk
- Green Day’s “Dookie”
- Title Fight’s “Shed”
- IDLES’ “Joy as an Act of Resistance”
- The Offspring’s “Smash”
- The Clash’s “London Calling”
- Descendents’ “Milo Goes to College”
Tia with soul
- Prince & The Revolutions’s “Purple Rain”
- Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly”
- Sky & The Family Stone’s “Fresh”
- The Meters’ “The Meters”
- BSZA’s “CTRL”
- Various Artists’ “Colemine Records presents: Soul Slabs Vol 1”
