Elodie A. Roy's book, Media, Materiality and Memory: Grounding the Groove, is described by its publisher as an examination of ‘the entwinement of material music objects, technology and memory in relation to a range of independent record labels, including Sarah Records, Ghost Box and Finders Keepers'. The author's combination of theoretical discourse with qualitative research and cultural observations for each of the selected labels, followed by a chapter on new digital materials, successfully illuminates aspects of the dynamic relationship between tangible objects and memory practices in the material story of music. Roy brings fascinating insights about the transmission of music, often seen as an immaterial concept, using apt metaphors and examples while contextualising the key themes of materiality, collection, dissemination and transmission.

The book is divided into the following chapters: 1, Introduction: music, material culture and archaeologies; 2, Sarah Records (1987–1995) and the everyday; 3, Ghost Box Records (2004–): materiality, technological mediation and the birth of ghosts; 4, From collecting to curating and reissuing the recorded past: Finders Keepers (2004–) and reissue record labels; 5, YouTube archivists, e-collectors and digital flâneurs: the internet and the future of phonography; and 6, Conclusion: the afterlife of music objects.

Keeping with the notion of ‘entwinement’, the heavily theoretical approach used in the examination provides enough proverbial twine without hanging itself. Highly theoretical lines of thinking are casually referenced throughout but Roy maintains control of the narrative by keeping her analyses close to the case studies and stated themes. The book is a rewriting of the author's doctoral thesis and that is apparent. Roy is discerning as an author, and as a researcher she is cognisant of her limitations and counterarguments as they arise. She addresses concerns and clarifies terms as she builds narrative for each chapter's arguments (e.g. distinguishing between the use of ‘artefact’ and ‘object’ in relation to Sarah Records). Citations are abundant, which open entry points to other lines of thinking along with the bibliography. The chapter on Ghost Box Records, for instance, incorporates a range of cultural theorists into and around her discussions of ephemerality, haunting and inheriting as a shared, dynamic and cultural process (p. 78). Roy also raises interesting points about the subjectivity and implications of reissue liner notes acting as evidence to records, changing the narrative of the origins of the object yet allowing them to become more familiar (p. 136). Those uninitiated in the literature may struggle with navigating the material, which at best inspires the unfamiliar to add new books to their collections and at worst frustrates with abstruse passages that must be reread several times.

It is surprising that Roy, who provides some discussion of the ‘modern archive’ and online transposition of museums as a form of nostalgia for the traditional archive, does not dwell more on the implications given the questions surrounding the nature, and fate, of the physical archive. Scrutinising institutional archives as instruments of memory is of less interest to the author than understanding the online reconstructions and re-archiving of the past in present. In-depth discussion of these issues might have risked slowing down the pace of the text, but could have made it more rewarding for readers already familiar with archival topics. This minor criticism does not detract from the overall enjoyment of reading the book, however. If you like postmodern writings on the cultural phenomenon of memory you will find many fascinating sections in this book to mull over, especially Roy's situating of recorded sound in memorialisation and cultural transmission. The book will appeal to a range of users who already love diving into theory, deconstruction and challenges of dematerialisation in material culture and music studies. Roy's perspective will enliven their insights on the world and propel them to dig deeper. For those who do not enjoy theory, maintaining interest may be more difficult.