As you might have noticed in the latest Out This Week Amoeblog, published here yesterday by Brad Schelden, among the list of new music releases for this week is Leonard Cohen's new album Old Ideas.  Available at Amoeba Music in both CD and LP formats it is the legendary Canadian singer-songwriter's twelfth studio album and his first album of new material in almost a decade. Amoeba.com reviewers accurately wrote of the new release that, "Cohen returns to form in a manner that is musically reminiscent of his early classics, full of somber details sung in his trademark nearly spoken-word style over deep, atmospheric blues."

As fans of Cohen's already well know Old Ideas is Cohen's first album with new material since his well publicized 2005 declaration of bankruptcy following his ex-manager's embezzlement in which he allegedly cleared out all of the musician's bank accounts - essentially leaving him broke. Consequently some cynics, before even hearing the new album, dismissed it - along with his recent era active touring schedule - as just another stab by the financially strapped star to get his accounts back in the black. But the reality is that Old Ideas is anything but halfhearted. Rather it's an amazing album; one that finds Cohen, who is now in his late 70's, in top form delivering songs such as "Going Home" and "The Darkness" in that trademark baritone flow of his that fans love so well. Already Old Ideas has won extremely positive feedback from longtime Cohen fans and critics alike - many comparing it to his last highly acclaimed album: 1988's I'm Your Man.

These next couple of months are crazy full of new albums. My top 50 for this year is seriously getting full already. Out last week we got fantastic new albums from Chairlift, Cloud Nothings and First Aid Kit. And we also had debut albums from Porcelain Raft, Big Deal and The Holiday Crowd. Did you know First Aid Kit is from Sweden!  I had no idea. I didn't even know they were sisters. Their first album from 2010 just passed me by. But I am now an official fan. Even if you think you hate folk and country music. You will become a fan of First Aid Kit. I really hope this album gets as big as the Civil Wars album from last year. It really is that good. And they are from Sweden! This album from Big Deal is also one of my recent obsessions. I just can't get enough of it even though it is a heartbreaking album. Big Deal reminds me of Carissa's Weird. They write some amazing little songs. All of them heartbreaking ballads. And I love that Mute put out this album. It really is not like anything you have ever heard on Mute. But I feel like Mute does best when they put out stuff you would not expect from them. They did release the amazing folky albums by Jose Gonzalez. And those albums were great. You have to do me a favor and check out Big Deal. A perfect album for falling in love or breaking up to.

Listen to "Homework" from the album Lights Out by Big Deal...




The Holiday Crowd just put out their debut album out last week called Over the Bluffs. This band will obviously get compared to The Smiths. But I really have no problem with that. I actually love it. I wish more bands sounded like The Smiths! They are doing the same sort of thing that The Drums did with their first album. But more jangly and without the electronics. I think people will either hate this album or fall in love with it. I have already fallen in love. But it will probably not get heard by most people unfortunately. So give it a listen. I can't stop.

We recently posted a new What's In My Bag? video with director Ti West and actress Sara Paxton from the new indie horror film The Innkeepers and we're excited to announce that our video will be shown in the theater before screenings of The Innkeepers at LA's Downtown Independent!

The Innkeepers, the latest film from The House of the Devil director, is about employees from a soon-to-be-closed inn who set out to prove that the inn is actually haunted. The film was inspired by West's real life experience staying at The Yankee Pedlar Inn in Connecticut (the same one featured in The Innkeepers) where he and the crew stayed during the shooting on The House of the Devil. In fact, the cast and crew of The Innkeepers - staying and shooting at The Yankee Pedlar Inn - had unusual dreams and paranormal sensations during their time at the Inn, just as the cast and crew of The House of the Devil had a few years earlier. Spooky...


The film opens on Friday, February 3 and is screening in Los Angeles at the Downtown Independent through Thursday February 9. Ti West will be at the Monday 2/6 7pm screening for a Q&A about the film. Go check it out and see our What's In My Bag? video on the big screen! 

In more tragic news following this morning's announcement of the passing of Soul Train creator Don Cornelius, renowned artist and musician Mike Kelley has died at age 58 from an apparent suicide. (Update: Kelley was 57 when he died.)

Originally from Detroit, Kelley had been living in Los Angeles for many years. Kelley was a diverse artist known for his textiles, doll objects, performance videos, drawings, and multimedia installations. He has had one-artist exhibitions all over the world including the Gagosian Galleries in New York City and London, the musée du Louvre in Paris, and galleries in Japan, Germany, Italy, and Austria. He had public collections featured in the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York City, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, among many others. His work is scheduled to appear in the upcoming Whitney biennial.

Kelley was also a musician. Though those two audiences didn't often co-mingle, music fans will recognize his art from the album cover for Sonic Youth's 1992 album, Dirty. Kelley was a founder of Destroy All Monsters, a noise/punk/experimental band from Detroit which began in 1973 and broke up in 1985. Although they never found mainstream success, they garnered new attention in 1977 with the addition of former members of The Stooges (Ron Asheton) and MC5 (Michael Davis). In 1994, Kelley and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore compiled a 3-CD box set called Destroy All Monsters: 1974-1976 on Moore's record label, Ecstatic Peace!. The band reunited in 1995 and re-released past editions of the Destroy All Monsters magazine, recorded 5 new albums, exhibited their art, and performed at festivals around the world.