You know The Great 2013 U.S. East Coast Cicada Invasion is in full effect when local restaurants begin to tout cicada-centric menu items with hearty "if you can't beat 'em, eat 'em" gusto. For those unfamilar with the phenomenon, the Cicadageddon that emerges from the ground every seventeen years, North Carolina to New England, is a fleeting affair that has everything to do with sound and vision -- the pulsating reverberations of their billions-stong buzzworthy mating calls drowning out the din of daily life, outdoor concerts and all. But you don't have to live inside the E.C.C.S.Z. (East Coast Cicada Sex Zone) to get in on the sonic action as this sort of thing happens in other parts of the world and the well-traveled field recording gurus down at Sublime Frequencies want you to indulge your senses with their oh-so-timely vinyl release of Brokenhearted Dragonflies: Insect Electronica from Southeast Asia.


This limited edition LP pressing of the long out-of-print CD from 2004 presents for your listening pleasure the sounds of swarms of male dragonflies gathered together to join in choruses of high-pitched tones for one purpose: they're looking for sex. The ones that don't succeed in wooing and winning their mates eventually scream so loud that their chests explode and they drop dead to the ground, or so the legend goes. These recordings are a tribute to this legend.

Droning cicadas, dragonflies, and other insects display their charm as masters of the high frequency airwaves, recorded live and unprocessed by Tucker Martine in the lush settings of Laos, Thailand, and Burma -- the occasional thunderstorm included. Enter the supernatural world where entomology and electronica converge in a tropical hallucination of alien sound. Anyone who has ever wondered if these strange symphonies could be recorded or preserved as precisely as they sound in the field need look no further. Martine has done it and you will be transported to the exact experience one would encounter in these mysterious lowlands.

This Sunday (May 26th) Trannyshack, San Francisco's biggest drag club night, celebrates Memorial Day Weekend at the DNA Lounge with the biggest tribute night of all!

Yes, it will all be about the Material Girl with Madonna-inspired performances from Heklina, Exhibit Q., Raya Light, Cookie Dough, Becky Motorlodge, Lindsay Slowhands, Miss Rahni, and more!

Doors open at 9:30pm and the show starts at 11pm. Get advance tickets HERE!

 

Amoeba Music has an array of collectibles available, from rare LPs lining the walls of all three stores to Amoeba Hollywood's display cases by the stairs, by the registers and at the back of the store, and Amoeba SF's brand new display cases, located by the books section.

Our collectibles range from discontinued toys and hard-to-find promo items to signed books and merchandise. At Amoeba Hollywood you'll find rarities such as an Elvis trivia game ($15); Beach Boys paraphernalia, including a Brian Wilson promo pennant ($25) and Beach Boys Mojo magazine ($20); a book of Led Zeppelin guitar tablature ($60); a Smiths Tapes limited edition box set ($280); Ravi Shankar’s autobiography Raga Mala, signed by Shankar ($200); and Beatles goods galore.

If you can’t make it into the store, there’s always our online Merchandise section, with Amoeba swag, rare posters and books, and more. See our currently featured items here. And if you need extra cash or credit for those rare items, don't forget we're always looking for your used CDs and LPs, and you'll get 30% more value if you trade in for credit.

Laura Marling visited Amoeba Hollywood May 20, on the eve of releasing her latest album, Once I Was an Eagle. Appearing solo, she demonstrated the range and power of her deep, droning strum and her voice, which she wields magnificently, going from a high, quavering coo to deeply intoned phrases that land like a dull arrow to the heart. "Damn all those people who don't lose control" she sang in passionate monotone on her extended opening track, "You Know," immediately drawing in the sizable crowd gathered to see her. She pulled out bluesy riffs for "Master Hunter," which spurns a would-be lover by turning around a key Dylan phrase — "if you want a woman who can call your name, it ain’t me, babe."

Her next song belied its sweet melody and charming country arrangement with dark lyrics about depression and loneliness ("I couldn't get out of bed, I was all in my head" she sings before warning her paramour, "just don't go bleedin' me dry"). Marling expressed her excitement about playing Amoeba, saying it even surpassed playing L.A. for the first time, at acoustic music haven Hotel Cafe, and said she'd bought a psychobilly comp at the store. Her next song, a languid, prairie ballad saw her calling to mind Emmylou Harris-style heartbreak. On her closing track, Marling took listeners on a more serene journey, chanting "pray for me" over a steady jangle, channeling quiet pain into exquisitely lovely music.