Crocodiles Stream New Song ‘Teardrop Guitar’

Shoegaze guitar fans, rejoice — San Diego’s Crocodiles have a new album coming out. Following last year’s fine Endless Flowers comes Crimes of Passion, due Aug. 20 on Frenchkiss. They’re already premiered “Crimes of Passion,” and now comes the melodic rush of “Teardrop Guitar,” a perfectly named slab of classic shoegaze, vibing early Verve and Ride while maintaining their own sense of scrappy rock ‘n’ roll grandeur. It’s streaming now at NPR.

Deerhoof Releases ‘Breaking Songs’ Video

S.F.’s Deerhoof has released a video for its track “Breakup Songs” from the album of the same name. It at first seems like a huge bummer — I worry that “Breakup Songs” is code for the band breaking up, though they’ve had an incredible run — and the video features a crow man seeming to bring death to plague-invested peasants. How this leads to a dance party? You’ll just have to watch.

Classixx Releases ‘All You’re Waiting For,’ Featuring LCD Soundsystem's Nancy Whang

Classixx’s recent singles in advance of Hanging Gardens, the L.A. act’s upcoming debut LP due May 14 on Innovative Leisure, have gotten their fair share of press, but now they’ve gone and dropped their best jam yet, featuring cool as F vocals from LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang. Here’s your early summer jam.

IO Echo Unveil Interactive Video

I’m already a fan of L.A. group IO Echo and their recently released shoegazey electro-pop album, Ministry of Love. Now they’ve released a cool interactive video for the title track that just makes them that much cooler. Wow. Why don’t more bands do stuff like this? And more importantly, do I win something if I rearrange singer Ioanna Gika correctly in the beginning? Check it out on VICE’s Noisey blog.

This Friday, April 5, Amoeba will be on hand at First Fridays at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. We’ll be selling $20-for-$15 gift certificates (limit four per person) and giving away other goodies. The first 30 people who come to our table and say “boogaloo” get a free Amoeba T-shirt!

The show this Friday features electronic composer Dan Deacon and art-rockers Japanther, as well as talks on the periodic table, with hands-on activities and discussions as to how the periodic table relates to the arts, history and mythology. The discussions start at 5 p.m. and run until 7 p.m., while the performances go from 8-10 p.m. Meanwhile the DJ lounge will feature KCRW’s Anthony Valadez and a DJ set from L.A.-based indie pop duo Kisses from 5:30-10 p.m.

Pre-sale tickets for this event are sold out, but a limited number of  tickets will be available at the Museum’s South Entrance the day of the event starting at 5:00pm.

Jeremih & Shlohmo – “Bo Peep (Do U Right)”

Shlohmo DJing live at Amoeba Hollywood

Producer Shlohmo and R&B singer Jeremih have collaborated on a song that melds the styles of both artists, with Shlohmo’s dreamy beatscapes becoming harder-edged and Jeremih singing lushly, breathily while still singing those come-ons acrobatically (“I’m gon’ do you” he repeats, just slightly tamer than his track “Fuck U All the Time,” which Shlohmo has also remixed). It was recorded for Adidas’ “Songs from Scratch” series. Amoeba Presents Shlohmo with Jeremih at the Henry Fonda Theatre April 6; tickets are $20 (plus a $2 service fee), purchasable in-store. Read more here.

Young & Sick – “Continuum”

Example of Young & Sick's artwork

Young & Sick’s “House of Spirits” was a sad little piece of electronic R&B in which the L.A. based music, fashion and art project lived up to its name, with lyrics about drowning in a car with the one you love. “Continuum” is no less obsessed with drowning, but it is less directly influenced by R&B, instead spinning out ethereal soul somewhere between likeminded acts How to Dress Well and Rhye. As much as I like the song, the story of how they released it sort of takes precedence — they released it via the Tor underweb, a sort of black market of the Internet that makes Craigslist seem like the Pennysaver, with killers for hire and all sorts of unspeakable porn. That and apparently they turned down six figures to do it their way and remain anonymous. They sure have their values in check! Read all about it in Forbes — Forbes, for crying out loud.

Young Prisms – “Runner” video

S.F.’s Young Prisms have released a video for the song “Runner,” from 2012’s In Between. For the uninitiated, Young Prisms combine hushed, reverbed out vocals with pop melody, lush synthesizers and crisp, Sonic Youth-esque guitar lines They share some elements in common with S.F.’s Tamaryn, with whom they recently toured, like the pop counterpart to Tamaryn’s oceanic soundwaves. If you haven’t yet checked them out, here’s a great place to start. They’re at the Echo in L.A. March 15 and the Chapel in S.F. March 16.

The Cyclist – “Visions” video

Though he hails from Northern Ireland, producer The Cyclist has joined the fold of L.A.-based Stones Throw and Leaving Records, who recently signed a distribution deal for Stones Throw to distribute Leaving Records titles. The mind-expanding “Visions” appeared on Dual Form, a cassette release celebrating the deal and Leaving Records’ catalog. It will also appear on The Cyclist’s upcoming debut LP, Bones in Motion, releasing March 26 via Stones Throw/Leaving. The song is accompanied by a dizzying array of colors and images that makes up its great video, directed by Miko Revereza.