1) Talib Kweli Prisoner Of Conscious (Blacksmith)

2) The Uncluded (Aesop Rock + Kimya Dawson) Hokey Fright (Rhymesayers)

3) Kendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d city (Aftermath)

4) Eve Lip Lock (FTR Music)

5) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis The Heist (Macklemore LLC)

After debuting as new releases on the Amoeba Berkeley Hip-Hop chart last week both the brand new, highly anticipated Talib Kweli album Prisoner Of Conscious on the Brooklyn artist's own Blacksmith label, as well as the new genre bending Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson collaboration Hokey Fright on Rhymesayers Entertainment - recorded under the project name The Uncluded  - are back for a second week in a row in the numbers one and two chart slots respectively.  Also back on this week's chart - and no surprise to see these two unstoppable albums each released back in 2012- are Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' The Heist. My bet is the ever popular respective major label and indie label releases will both be still charting over the next few months too. But what is surprising (to me at least) and worthy of a double take is the new chart entry from Eve. My first reaction was - huh, Eve the rapper from back in the day, Eve the female member of the Ruff Ryders crew fame?  The answer is yes, that Eve. Eve the female rapper who last released an album eleven long hip-hop years ago - 2002’s Eve-Olution on Interscope.

As you know May is National Bike Month and this week (May 13th to May 17th) is Bike To Work Week, with tomorrow (Friday May 17th) being Bike To Work Day - the one day out of the year everyone, not just the avid cyclists, are encouraged to abandon their gas guzzlers but instead take out their bikes and cycle to work. I encourage everyone to do this everyday, especially tomorrow - but if you simply cannot bike to work then I suggest after you get home from work you instead bike over to Amoeba and park you bike outside (as in the Amoeba Hollywood bike rack area pictured above) and go crate digging inside for records and CDs with songs about cycling/biking - including Queen's classic  "Bicycle Race" (with the refrain "I Want To Ride My Bicycle, I want to ride my bike"), "My White Bicycle" by Tomorrow, Kraftwerk's "Tour De France," and TV On The Radio's "Bicycles Are Red Hot." Oh and if you missed it when it was published last month here on the Amoeblog check out the excellent, in-depth psychedelic themed bicycle Amoeblog by Eric Brightwell's excellent, in-depth "Shifter and sugercubes -- Happy Bicycle Day" blog

Shannon and the Clams – “Into a Dream”

Shannon’s sweet snarl leads us through a tunnel-of-love melody and ’50s pop arrangement. The gloriously lo-fi production and Shannon and her Clams’ disorienting harmonies make the whole thing a fun, woozy ride. Dreams in the Rat House is due out May 21 on Hardly Art. Listen or download for free from Amoeba. Check ’em out at Amoeba San Francisco Thursday May 23 at 6 p.m.!

 

 

 

Honeymoon – “Sure Stuck”

Honeymoon is an Australian-born, L.A.-based production duo whose upcoming album is said to be an update of ’60s/’70s psychedelic pop. It sure sounds that way from “Sure Stuck,” the second song they’ve released from the upcoming album. Think a more electronic Tame Impala. Honeymoon’s one to keep an eye on.

Make Music Pasadena returns June 1, and Amoeba is proud to be a sponsor of the event. We’ll be on hand with music for sale, and we’ll be giving away swag at the Amoeba booth (near the Old Pasadena Indie Rock Stage, on Colorado Blvd. near Raymond Ave.) as well as at the LA Weekly booth on the other side of the event. Stop by to pick up a free fan — it’s hot in Pasadena.

Robert DeLong performing live at Amoeba Hollywood

Make Music Pasadena is hailed as the West Coast’s largest free music event. There will be more than 150 bands, including electro-pop bands Yacht and Tanlines; indie-EDM star Robert DeLong; L.A. indie pop band Hunter Hunted; indie rock stalwarts We Are Scientists; world-folk band Taken By Trees (which features Victoria Bergsman of Concretes/“Young Folks” fame); local dream-pop acts Superhumanoids and Haunted Summer; afro-Mexican folk band Las Cafeteras; KCRW’s DJ Valida; experimental pop duo High Places; and more.

Since the NY State of Mind Amoeblog #29, in which I previewed a bunch of the concerts and events (mostly outdoor and mostly free) over the coming months in New York City, was posted a couple of weeks ago, several more concerts and events have been announced for the fun summer season ahead. These include the lineup for the concerts in Prospect Park and the Rooftop Films series, which just kicked off last weekend and runs through August with a non-stop program of great movies screened on rooftops round the city. The mission statement of the oft-lauded non-profit who present the Rooftop Film series is "to engage diverse communities by showing independent movies in outdoor locations" and this they do each weekend to everyone's enjoyment. This weekend, for example, they'll screen the New York premiere of the Reuben Atlas-directed documentary Brothers Hypnotic about the collective lives of the eight members of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble who will perform a live set following the 9pm screening. This free event happens Friday night (May 17th) at Outdoors at MetroTech Commons, Bridge Street & Johnson Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The following night (also in Brooklyn but only two subway stops from Manhattan) will be New York Mayhem - a series of short underground films by local filmmakers about their city. Unlike the previous night however there is a charge for this one of $13 general admission. Saturday, May 18th between 8pm and 1am at The rooftops of Industry City, 220 36th Street at 3rd Avenue, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY 11232. For more information, visit the Rooftop Films website.

Meanwhile, the Prospect Park concerts will include such outdoor shows as Big Boi, Phony Ppl, and D-Nice on June 20th, The Tiger Lillies on July 18th, and The Waterboys on July 19th. Most are 7pm shows and free or charge a minimal (few bucks) entrance fee. More info here. In Prospect Park this weekend, but not part of the aforementioned concert series, is the music, food, and drink weekend festival known as the Great GoogaMooga. The outdoor weekend-long event includes performances from hometown funk/soul heroes Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, The Flaming Lips, De La Soul, The Darkness, Jovanotti, Matt & Kim, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and many more acts who will provide musical entertainment between all the food and drink (beer and wine primarily, but they have whiskey and some other hard liquor too) being served up from the likes of such participating restaurants as Brooklyn's Pork Slope and Manhattan's Pig and Khao. For full eatery information, concert schedules, and tickets click here.
  

Svengalisghost

Vicious Circle

L.I.E.S.

Twisted new entry from Chicago's Svengalisghost. "Hidden Cities" comes off like a tape-hiss Drexciya, also bearing similarities to the recent uncompromising output on Morphine Records (Container, Metasplice). The final track, "Judged By Machine", is the record's highlight, with what are presumably Svengali's vocals creating a kind of claustrophobic post-punk a la Ike Yard or Liasons Dangereuses. 

Buy Vicious Circle

 

Elizabeth Merrick-Jefferson

Urban Off Road

Argot

Amped-up debut from Elizabeth Merrick-Jefferson, a new Detroit producer whose only other credited track is "Bubo Blakistoni", used by Alex Israel in his LWE podcast. Fitting then, that Steve Mizek, who helms both Little White Earbuds and Argot is the one to introduce this talented new producer to the world. This is an extremely assured debut, drawing heavily on Detroit's overwhelming legacy, especially Kenny Larkin's propulsive ouput. The nuance applied to these tracks is stunning. "John Krunk" takes a memorable piano-riff that most producers would leave as is and takes in one further, dropping hypnotic, circular synth over the mix.

To celebrate this year’s Record Store Day, we held a contest to give away Denon Turntables to two first place winners and our grand prize of a turntable, choice vinyl (180 gram, limited-edition titles) and a $100 gift certificate to Amoeba.

We’re pleased to announce the winners. Laura G. won the grand prize after entering at Amoeba Hollywood during the recent performance by Julieta Venegas.

Our two first-place winners came from our San Francisco and Berkeley stores. In SF, Cooper K. was our big winner. In Berkeley, it was Sandy R.

Congratulations to all of the winners! And thanks to everyone who entered. We received more than 10,000 entries, making it one of our top three contests ever.

Our turntables come courtesy of Needle Doctor, in partnership with Filter magazine.

Didn't make it to Record Store Day? We still have RSD releases for sale in-store and online.

Our next contest is for two pairs of tickets to see Icelandic songstress Bjork at either the Craneway Pavillion in Richmond, Calif., or the Hollywood Palladium. Enter here now.

 

 

Heavy electro rock pioneers Trans Am have been bringing the heat since the early 90s. Music fans and critics alike hail the group as the originators of  "post-rock."  Their sound lies comfortably between the synth driven sonics of Kraftwerk and the robotic vocal production of  Daft Punk. With 9 studio albums to date, Trans Am has enjoyed a lengthy career with all their albums being released by  Thrill Jockey Records.

Trans Am continue to push the envelope both live and in the studio. Their live show consists of all three members taking on double duty alternating between synth, bass, guitar, vocals and drums. The group does a great job at replicating their electronic tsunami of sound on stage. Be sure and catch them live if you get the chance!

                                                               Trans Am came by Amoeba Hollywood to do a little digging. From the iconic hip hop record illmatic by Nas, to Wooden Shjips' psychedelic offshoot Moon Duo, Trans Am dig up some great pieces. 

Starting a new feature to highlight some recent tracks available to download on the Amoeba site. Take a listen and if you like them, add them to your Amoeba shopping cart (you won’t be charged until you check out). All downloads are in the $.98 MP3 format; visit the album page to pick up higher-res M4A or WAV files.

 

Mikal Cronin – “Weight”

Starting with a stately piano and acoustic jangle, “Weight” opens Mikal Cronin’s excellent MCII on a classy note. Those Rubber Soul-style harmonies and crunching guitars at the chorus don’t hurt, either. This one’s a free download. (From the album MCII)

Listen

Download (free)

 

 

 

 

Ancient Animals – “Teen Wolf”

Talk about a viral video! When I first viewed the above YouTube video of astronaut Chris Hatfield's outer space version of David Bowie's classic "Space Oddity" on Sunday, the day it was first uploaded, it had something like 200,000 views which was pretty impressive. But now, only two days later, it is almost at seven million YouTube views! That is almost the same number that David Bowie's original 1969 video version of his song  has racked up since it was uploaded to YouTube seven years ago. But the reason no doubt for the viral success of the new revised version of "Space Oddity" is understandable.

Not only is it a genuine spaceman the perfect person to cover this Bowie song but wow, what an amazing spectacle that Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station can share from his unique vantage point in outer space. Just as important is that Hadfield is a pretty darn good singer and truly does the song justice, regardless of who and/or where he is. For proof compare his version above with Bowie's version below. Meanwhile you can buy Bowie's rendition of his own song (both live and studio versions) directly from Amoeba available on various releses including the 2009 release Space Oddity (40th Anniversary) LP version.

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City

CD $12.98

LP $18.98

Limited Edition LP $19.98

Download $9.98

Every time the world turns against Vampire Weekend, they have a way of turning around and shattering expectations. From the get-go, the band was dogged with Strokes comparisons and scoffs of Ivy League grads pilfering African music while singing about rich people. But none of those things could stop people from enjoying their immensely enjoyable first album, their underrated second one and now their third pop opus, Modern Vampires of the City. It’s low-key like Contra, but Modern Vampires’ hooks are silkier and more ingratiating. “Step” waltzes with a gorgeous collegiate melody, featuring some of the finest singing to date by Ezra Koenig, who’s finally mastered that Paul Simon trill. He also extends his voice beyond its comfort zone, taking on Buddy Holly-style hiccupping and extending his range up and down (aided by digital skewing) while the band rocks a solid shuffle on the cleverly titled “Diane Young.” It’s one of their best singles yet. Koenig’s lyrics, too, retain their wittiness and specificity, though they are open enough to make your own implications — “though we live on the U.S. dollar, you and me we got our own sense of time,” he sings memorably in “Hannah Hunt,” which ends with a beautiful, well-earned climax in which Koenig tears his lungs out belting. The band mostly stays supportive, only going full-tilt on a few songs, like the galloping “Worship You,” which allows Koenig to spit verse at lightning speed, or pulling out grand pop moments in “Unbelievers” and the uber-strange “Ya Hey,” which pairs its intricate melodies with hyper-warped vocal tricks. Modern Vampires doesn’t go for obvious, occasionally obscuring itself in too much oddity and not ripping loose often enough. But few bands at this level are still taking these many chances, and pulling it off more often than not. Vampire Weekend’s freewheeling Modern Vampires of the City firmly perches the band back in the top echelon of bands making music today.

All around the world large, multicultural cities often contain recognized, small, distinct ethnic enclaves. Los Angeles, by some measures the most diverse city in the universe, is no exception. These neighborhoods are often more ephemeral than others -- coming and going in a reflection of changing patterns of immigration, marginalization, assimilation and development. In the past, for example, Los Angeles had areas widely known as Greek Town, Little Italy, Little Mexico, Old Chinatown, Furasato, and Sonoratown -- to name a few. All are now gone with few physical reminders of their ever having existed.


In the Southland, where Asian-Americans are currently both the largest and fastest growing racial minority, most of the existing enclaves are predictably Asian. There’s Cambodia Town, Chinatown, Koreatown, Historic Filipinotown, Little Bangladesh, Little India, Little Osaka, Little Saigon, Little Seoul, Little Tokyo, and Thai Town. Officially-recognized non-Asian enclaves include only Little Armenia and Little Ethiopia. Unofficial but widely-recognized non-Asian enclaves include Little Central America and Tehrangeles. Are there others? 

Wonderful things are happening at Amoeba San Francisco, especially if you love books, collectables, soundtracks, vinyl, bargains of all kinds, or just like to chill out in a groovy environment. You must fall into one of those categories, right? I thought so! Then come on down and experience our newly doubled Books & Magazines section. We have more than doubled the space dedicated for music, film, and pop culture publications and are filling it with new stock daily! We now feature back issues of your favorite music and film zines, and are breaking out our backlog of used books.

You’ll also enjoy our new reading lounge, made possible by Amoeba SF’s heritage as a bowling alley! Yes, we have repurposed a few of the benches from back in the day when this building housed a bowling alley. Sit, relax, and flip through some of our fascinating used books in style.

Additionally, we’ve added a collectables case for rare and out-of-print books, toys, and other memorabilia such as lunch boxes, cookie jars, and other surprises.

In other news, all Music DVDs (except classical) have been moved from the Main Floor to the DVD Room for easy browsing. You’ll also find a greatly expanded Bargain DVD section full of amazingly priced finds. By popular demand, the Soundtrack section has been moved to the Main Floor by Spoken Word and features an expanded Soundtrack Vinyl selection. Additionally, a brand new Audiophile CD section has been added to the main floor too!

To read more Behind The Grooves, go to http://behindthegrooves.tumblr.com.

Born on this day: May 13, 1950 - Singer,songwriter, producer, and musician Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, MI). Happy 63rd Birthday, Stevie! We love you!

On this day in music history: May 13, 1977 - “I Remember Yesterday,” the fifth studio album by Donna Summer is released. Produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Belotte, it is recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany in early 1977. It is a concept album comprised of popular music throughout the decades (from the 1940s to the 1970s) with Moroder and Belotte’s electronic dance rhythms intermingling with music from the past, present, and future. The initial single from the album is the ballad “Can’t We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over?),” but club DJ’s will discover the track “I Feel Love” on the B-side. The last track on the LP, “I Feel Love” conceptually represents the “future” of music. The groundbreaking song will quickly become a smash in discos around the world, crossing over to radio and hitting #1 in the UK, #6 on the Hot 100 and spend three weeks at #1 the Billboard Club Play chart. “I Remember Yesterday” will peak at #18 on the Billboard Top 200, #11 on the R&B album chart, #3 on the UK album chart, and is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
 

Amoeba has entered into a partnership with L.A.’s Moheak Radio to provide the Amoeba Song of the Week every week for a recorded segment to air on Moheak’s online radio station.

This week it’s Atoms For Peace’s “Ingenue,” from the band’s debut album, AMOK. Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, drummer Joey Waronker and bassist Mauro Refosco create a dark, throbbing jam built on looping minor-key synthesizers, a programmed polyrhytmic beat and eerie, scratching sounds in the background. Yorke’s inimitable voice makes the proceedings feel more human, singing cryptically romantic lyrics over the band’s robotic head trip.

A bit about Amoeba’s Song of the Week: Every week we’ll provide a song hand-selected by our own staff to Moheak Radio for a recorded segment that will run four times a day (at around 8 a.m., 1 p.m., 5:45 p.m. and once overnight). Besides hearing what our expert staff is into, you’ll get the chance to win prizes from Amoeba Music. The giveaways will happen once a week with announcements at least once every four hours leading up to the giveaway, which will take place on Moheak’s Facebook page. Check it out, support local/online radio and win some prizes along the way.

I didn't know much about Richard Kuklinski before seeing Ariel Vromen's The Iceman (named after the former's sobriquet as a contract killer for the mob). It's a solid enough movie: an interesting story competently executed though solid performances and an unintrusive camera. It's watchable, probably more so than most of what's currently out there, but what bugged came up after the film during a Q&A with the director. Someone asked him why he left out the spousal abuse. As an example, I found this interview with Kuklinski's family from a 2006 episode of Larry King Live where guest host John Roberts asks Kuklinski's wife of 25 years, Barbara, about that very topic:

JR: Barbara, you have said of Richard "There were two Richards. I never knew who would be walking in the door. He could be generous to a fault or the meanest man on earth." Tell us more about that.

BK: That's true. He was kind, considerate. You know he would have done anything for all of us, very generous gifts and flowers and the best dinners and nice wine. But when whatever twisted him, whatever happened, it didn't matter how good those times were because the bad was so bad then.

JR: And he abused you physically?

BK: He certainly did.

JR: What did he do?

BK: Stabbed me, broke my nose, lost consciousness many times, strangled me, would wake up, you know, at two o'clock in the morning with a pillow over my face and he would tell me that he decided that was the day I die.

Some pretty intense shit, right?, which says a lot about who this guy was and what it was like to live under his domination. Vromen's answer to why he left all of this out was that it would make half the audience walk out -- that is, inhibit our ability to identify with Kuklinksi. But the man was a casebook example of the sociopath, a person who can't identify, or can't empathize, with the feelings of another. So understanding through identification is a pretty stupid reason for making this film. How Vromen creates identification is by manufacturing a pressure-cooker setup for Kuklinski's behavior. When his mob boss (Ray Liotta) suspends him, Kuklinksi becomes increasingly agitated at home, blowing up at his wife, though never striking her. He soon apologizes, saying that she and their daughters (their son was left out of the film) are all that's important to him. It's okay in this fantasy land to slaughter a hundred men, but punching your wife in the nose or traumatizing your children is just going too far, despite his family's being around to tell the tale. Furthermore, by using the pressure cooking theory and mostly just showing the "generous side" of Kuklinski at home, the slaughter of all those men becomes perversely justified in the film as a quid pro quo for his distaff half. He kills for his love and the protection of his wife and daughters. You'd have to go back to the classic days of Hollywood crime flicks to see this level of mythologizing towards murderous psychopathic gangsters (or at least to Penn's Bonnie & Clyde). Ironically, it makes Kuklinksi's family accomplices to his crimes, rather than victims. His wife didn't care what he did as long as he brought home the bacon and made her feel like a princess. But as a fantasy, it's entertaining enough, I guess.