The countdown continues! With the sixth annual Record Store Day just around the corner, all three Amoeba locations are gearing up for the biggest and best one yet! If you are reading this Amoeblog post, then you probably have already celebrated a few of these and know that this is our Xmas. It's the one day of the year that hundreds of independently owned music stores across the world simultaneously unite with the purpose of celebrating their culture and the unique place that they occupy in both their local communities and the world. THINK GLOBAL, PEOPLE. 

Special vinyl, DVD, and CD releases are made exclusively for this holy day! This stuff is LIMITED and is destined to go up in value (for people who value limited, exclusive, and amazing stuff). Find out just what sort of exclusive stuff I'm talking about by viewing or downloading this RSD EXCLUSIVE RELEASES PDF. You'll also want to know what's happening at the Amoeba closest to YOU, so check out what we have planned for you record fans and fiends...

• Hundreds of limited-edition Record Store Day titles.

• Record Store Day Gift Bags (with purchase, while supplies last)

Sacramento avant-rockers Tera Melos will play Amoeba San Francisco April 14 at 2 p.m. Their latest record, X’ed Out (due April 16 on Sargent House), is a blast of tightly coiled riffs unraveling in all directions while sweet melodies keep the whole thing grounded in the eye of the storm. “Weird Circles” chugs along on math-rock riffery, while “New Chlorine” starts like some demonic cover of “Chopsticks” before unveiling a big, acidic rocker. “Bite” balances nasty, nauseous riffs with big, dreamy choruses, while “Sunburn” is the band’s clearest entry point, with non-stop riffs tapping underneath the band’s bright melodies. They chill out for ballads like “Snake Lake” and “No Phase,” as concerned with heavenly harmony as the guitar trickery beneath the surface, and they ease the tension with the sunshine pop of “Tropic Lame.” It’s been a while since we’ve heard a band as unabashedly guitar-centric as Tera Melos that can also write a decent pop song, recalling their Northern California brethren like Deerhoof and Hella, and while X’ed Out has its share of heady noodling, Tera Melos never sound self-indulgent. It’s a feast for guitar geeks and a reminder that indie rock need not be a laid-back, tepid affair. They make indie-prog that’s as fun to listen to as it is impressive, and that’s no easy feat.

What started out as a chance gig singing backup for an old friend quickly blossomed into a bona fide career as a leading lady. On the cusp of  pop startdom, Jessie Ware delivers the highly anticipated Devotion album. Already a hit in the UK, the single "Wildest Moments" has given Ware major buzz and promises to help make Devotion a hit with her growing US fanbase. Taking musical cues from the likes of  SADE and  Annie Lennox, Ware creates polished electro/neo-soul influenced songs that translate well in her live performance. Catch Jesse Ware live at Amoeba in San Francisco, Thursday April 11th as she performs songs from her new album, Devotion (out 4/16). Performance starts at 6:30pm. Free, all-ages show.

English singer/songwriter Ellie Goulding performed at Amoeba Hollywood back in October, just a few days after her sophomore album, Halcyon (Interscope Records), was released. It was one of only a handful of performances she did during release week, and her fans turned out in full force. The line to get into her in-store performance followed the side of Amoeba along Ivar Blvd, wrapping around the block. For those unable to attend the show, it was also webcast live on Amoeba.com.

We just posted a video of Ellie Goulding's stunning, stripped down version of her single, "Anything Could Happen," from the in-store:

This in-store performance was Ms. Goulding's second at Amoeba. She performed at Amoeba San Francisco back in April 2011. At that point, she was just beginning her US promotion for her debut album, Lights (Interscope Records), which was released in March 2010 in the UK and had already reached number one there. That SF in-store was truly special and she decided to release it as an EP, Live at Amoeba San Francisco (Interscope Records).

On January 27th, Amoeba San Francisco celebrated the yearly rite of rock -- Amoebapalooza -- at Cafe Du Nord. It was raucous night filled with top notch entertainment and everything from country to electronic to sea shanties was represented.