Ever saunter past that dive-y drag joint on 16th between Mission and Valencia and find yourself wondering just what is up, er, goes down all night and all day at Esta Noche? Devotees of local darlings the Sandwitches caught a peek of the ladies' very own savory stage show à la Noche in their new Ryan Brown directed video for "In the Garden" -- the lead off track for this year's stellar full-length LP Mrs. Jones' Cookies (brought to you by the fine folks at Empty Cellar Records) -- featuring more than a few fab familiar faces of Amoeba Music SF. Work it out, ladies, werrrrrrrk!

I have to say, it's comforting to see a well-established artist who has grappled with fumbles and triumphs alike throughout their career still making the sort of music and displaying their particular taste for showmanship with grace and aplomb. Shiina Ringo is a little bit like Prince in my mind, even if it's purely for the fact that her successful side project, Tokyo Jihen, is not only peopled by her hand-selected collection of uber-talented, male musicians but also once released a record packaged with it's very own original cologne for men. I mean, the recent music video for Dai-Hakken b-side --「ハンサム過ぎて」("Too Handsome") wherein Ringo "directs" her band of fellows to put on their most comely date-night behavior -- kinda says it all. Ringo is a dom-ballerina and all the world, well all of Japan and many locals otherwise anyway, are her stage.



(Like you've never licked your TV screen) Pretty! But I digress, this post is about the new full-length record, not the new-new single. To my delight this record is a great deal more satisfying at first listen than the last two Incidents' incidents but I'm sure the end payoff will be the same in that it stands alone as a great album in as much as it further gilds the worth of the greater part of Ringo's works, with or without her Incidents. It's always been all about her, you know, as the video for 「女は誰でも」(or "Any Girl" -- Ringo's own twisted English translation of said title being "Fly Me to Heaven" which I feel is really more indicative of the flutterings and spasms "any girl" might feel playing dress-up in an extensively sequined vintage  wardrobe as Ringo does waltzing through this self-indulgent vignette of a musical interlude) suggests, check it out:

It's official - today, November 11, 2011, or "eleven, eleven, eleven" if you're quoting Christopher Guest's Jeff Beck-inspired character from the cult, mock-rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, is Nigel Tufnel Day!

Not too long ago a movement started via a very dedicated Tumblr page and a now nearly 22,000 member strong facebook page to declare 11/11/11 officially Nigel Tufnel Day. Well, we the people of Amoeba Music will not be waiting around for any authority with the proper jurisdiction to take the necessary actions to declare this day, November 11, 2001 officially Nigel Tufnel Day when we have every right to do so by the power invested in us by St. Hubbins - the patron saint of quality footwear, jazz blues/blues jazz enthusiasts and big-bottoms everywhere. Happy Nigel Tufnel Day already!

And so accordingly we honor a man who is not only a master of the saddest of all keys but Spinal Tap's six-string juggernaut and herald of heavy metal innovation with his custom amplifiers set to the eleventh volume setting instead of the standard ten, i.e "one louder", by tapping into a list of 11 memorable Nigel Tufnel quotes from This Is Spinal Tap. And while we've got you hooked into the spirit of the holiday, why not stop by one of our stores in person or online at Amoeba.com and pick up a copy of Tap's Smell The Glove (a.k.a. the This Is Spinal Tap soundtrack), or Break Like The Wind featuring hits like "Bitch School" and their singular, seasonal single "Christmas With The Devil", or perhaps Tap's latest release Back From the Dead - a CD/DVD combo packaged with a fold-out diorama featuring nineteen tracks, including essential Tappage Jazz Odesseys I-III.