Deerhunter - Microcastle

Great stuff. If you dug the other albums, you'll love this one. I don't know why these guys aren't huge. (Check out Atlas Sound if you're craving more). Find this awesome record in rock.

Deadmau5 - Random Album Title

Abrasive, aggressive, repetitive, poppy dance music. Most people would find that statement pretty universal for all dance music, so I definitely would say this album is not for everyone. I can't explain it, but I loved it. Find it in electronica.

Alias - Resurgam

I've yet to decide what to label this album as... Trip-hop? Who cares? Its good. Find it in the Hip Hop section.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

The latest and probably most "casual listener" friendly album from Animal Collective. While I wouldn't call this my favorite Animal Collective release, I do thoroughly enjoy it. Poppy, but not without a touch of their old scream-ridden style. Find it in rock.

The Crooked Jades - Shining Darkness

One of the best country/folk albums I've ever heard. It contains a diverse series of haunting and upbeat instrumentals as well as beautifully written Appalachian ballads that cut you to the core. Find it in folk.

tip: Every genre of music has something to offer. Just dig deep.

The Cairo Gang - Twyxt Wyrd

Twyxt Wyrd is the 2nd album by the Cairo Gang. The Cairo Gang is the solo project of Emmett Kelly, whose name may sound familiar to some, as Kelly is an accomplished accompanist (he has toured as a guitarist for Baby Dee, recorded with Edith Frost, and is a guitar & vocal mainstay in the Bonnie "Prince" Billy band). The music on this album, however, is a whole new craft. Though Kelly's music brings many references (from jazz to folk to experimental) to mind, it is altogether forward looking; and for that reason features some of the finest songwriting I have heard in a long time. Indeed, Twyxt Wyrd seems more like a second debut rather than a successor to the Cairo Gang's first album. Released on his own label, Disneyland Reform Party, the eight tracks on Twyxt Wyrd were recorded live on all acoustic instruments - IN ONLY FOUR HOURS - on a winter day in Chicago. The result is a personal, soulful, and well-engineered snapshot of The Cairo Gang just as Kelly intended it to be. The recording (credited to drummer Noritaka Tanaka) is open and clear, allowing Kelly's delicate and nuanced vocals to soar over his deceptively simple finger-style guitar. Featuring heavy-hitter Joshua Abrams on upright bass and a handful of guest appearances by other exceptional Chicago musicians, this album is solid to its core. LIMITED TO 500 copies.

Lady Genius - Lady Genius

What we have here is the debut 10" EP from local musicians, Lady Genius, on the local label Gold Robot records. Contained therein are six memorable & almost-over-the-top intelligent pop songs. If you like the Magnetic Fields, the New Pornographers, or music from the Elephant 6 collective (e.g., Olivia Tremor Control & Neutral Milk Hotel) then you should definitely check this out and give it a careful listen. Keeping with the times, the record also comes with a free digital download of the album. LIMITED TO 500 COPIES.

Davy Graham - Folk, Blues and Beyond...

Before there was Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Richard Thompson, John Martyn, Nick Drake, Jimmy Page, and Ray Davies... there was Davy Graham. Arguably the most influential guitarist of the 1960's British folk revival - often cited as a major influence to all the artists listed above - Davy Graham pushed the envelope with his all-encompassing finger-style guitar mastery. This groundbreaking live album runs the gamut of musical styles, incorporating American blues and jazz, Moroccan and Indian influences, and even a Dylan cover seamlessly. Folk, Blues and Beyond was released within a year of his collaboration with Shirley Collins, Folk Roots, New Routes, in which his non-traditional playing scandalized uptight British folksters about as much as an electrified Dylan shook-up Pete Seeger's America. As a bonus, this LP includes the often-covered non-album track "Anji" (check out Simon and Garfunkel and Pentangle's excellent covers), for which he is most famous. Available on vinyl for the first time since its initial release, this issue is pressed on high-quality 180-gram vinyl. LIMITED TO 500 hand-numbered copies.

Various Artists - Various Titles

Continuing in the vain of limited releases... here are two great labels that have been releasing amazing compilations of otherwise difficult-to-come-by music: Mississippi Records & Sublime Frequencies. The two labels are commonly thrown around in the same conversation and I have even heard people confuse releases between the two. I will not go into depth on the overall greatness of either of these labels - as there is much to say - however, here is a brief description of each.

Sublime Frequencies: Incredible recordings of amazing music from far-away lands. Their releases are diverse, obscure, and consistently interesting to say the least. Some excellent examples include: nomadic guitar virtuosos from the Sahara; field recordings of radio and short wave transmissions from Java; ethnic minority music from Vietnam; and the otherworldly sounds of dragonflies exploding from irrepressible lust and heartbreak. You will not find these sounds anywhere else.

Mississippi Records: Incredible compilations of hard to find music running the gamut between African palm wine music to American blues and Gospel. You may find some of these tracks in their original form on eBay, but you will not find them in such great company as on these carefully-curated and well-loved compilations. The label's motto is "Gold over money," so chances are you will be able to afford them too. Mississippi also has many non-compilation reissues under their belt and some new releases from local Portland artists - see: The Rats The Rats, Irma Thomas Irma Thomas Sings, and Philip Cohran The Malcolm X Memorial for some excellent examples.

Robert Wyatt - Comicopera

Do you ever wonder how much amazing-music-that-you-never-heard is sitting right under your nose? More specifically, do you ever wonder how many amazing critically acclaimed artists that were part of a highly influential and also critically acclaimed band are releasing critically acclaimed albums right under your nose? Well... here is where I make the shameful admission that I had never heard any of Robert Wyatt's solo records until a couple weeks ago, when a friend put Comicopera on. In short, this album is amazing, beautiful, and worth many careful listens. Comicopera is divided into three acts, each as varied, musically interesting, and profound as the next. Wyatt wrote this album deeply displeased with the direction in which western civilization was headed, and the acts touch somewhat anachronistically upon difficult topics (e.g., politics, religion, and war) without compromising his poeticism or its beautiful musical backdrop. Perhaps the most apt description of Wyatt I have read came from an Amazon review in which he was described as "synonymous with uncompromising poignancy." This album received excellent ratings across the board and Ranked #1 in The Wire's "Top Ten Records of the Year 2007." For the Radiohead fans out there...Comicppera comes highly recommended from Thom Yorke who admittedly could not bring himself to listen past the first track, as it was "so beautiful." Wyatt is joined on this album by long-time collaborators and close friends - Brian Eno, Paul Weller, and Phil Manzanera along with many other great musicians.

Barn Owl - The Conjurer

Since I am doing a little delving in the past here, I will also touch upon the future. Local droners Barn Owl will be releasing a new LP/CD this spring on the local label Root Strata. Self-described as their "most fully realized recording to date.", this album - featuring Chad Collins (Flying Canyon)on drums - will surely be one not to miss. It should come as no surprise if you haven't heard one of Bar Owl's previous recordings, as most of their releases to-date have been extremely limited and are now out of print. So, check out how much soul these guys put into their music at one of their highly recommended live shows. Notably, their last album From Our Mouths A Perpetual Light was selected by Julian Cope for vinyl of the month. If you are still not convinced... perhaps the list of artists these young droners have been asked to play with will stir some interest, including: Earth, Jesse Sykes, Sir Richard Bishop, & Illusion of Safety among many others. Note: if you are reading this, then the record is probably already on our shelves.

Prizehog - Prizehog (Alive and Well)

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!! The debut CD-R from San Francisco's latest doom-drone-stoner-experimental-sludge metal trio. If you like Earth, Sunn 0))), Boris, Melvins, Buzzov*en, Weedeater... etc. then you will love this. Epic! Self-recorded, illustrated, packaged, and released... this record is LIMITED to however many they are willing to put together, so get it now!

tip: Watch excellent videos of touring and local Bay Area bands by The American Opry here: http://www.youtube.com/user/theamericanopry

Killing of a Chinese Bookie - Criterion Collection

This re-release of Cassavetes' unconventional character-driven crime drama from 1976 contains restored versions of the director's cut and the theatrical release. You can never get enough Cosmo Vitelli!!

A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All

Faux right wing pundit Stephen Colbert's excellent take on the Christmas specials of yesteryear, a la Andy Williams. Even Colbert's sweater is hilarious. Special appearances by Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, Jon Stewart, and a man-eating bear. If you don't celebrate Christmas, you may want to watch it on America's Christmas: the Fourth of July.

Casino Royale -- 40th Anniversary Edition

It comes with collector's cards fit for framing! Yeah, I'll get around to that.

Nip/Tuck - Season 5

Yes, it's trashy. So is LA. I love LA.

Gypsy Caravan: When the Road Bends

If you loved Latcho Drom and are a fan of Romani music and culture in general...watch this too.

tip: Potrzebie.

My Bloody Valentine (reissue)

Besides being in 3D (which was awesome) the remake was an atrocity, but it did give the original an excuse to be reissued. I'm a bit of a horrorhead but I'll admit that I initially only watched this one because one of my favorite bands is its namesake. I was, however, pleasantly surprised that there was a damn cool movie behind the name. A slasher before that genre was done to death (that wasn't a pun), cool gore and twists, and the real mine location makes Crystal Lake look like a pleasant meadow. Oh, and the reissue features a bunch more gore that was cut from the original.

Deerhunter - Microcastle

I'll admit I wasn't really a huge fan of their previous release, Cryptograms, despite their interesting sound and the fact that they had, at least, a delay pedal on every instrument. It just seemed like more went into the sound than went into the song on that release. But after one listen to this one you can tell that they nailed it this time around. Amazing pop songs that are both upbeat and somber at the same time and always full of atmosphere. And since Bradford Cox can't stop writing songs, so much so that he accidentally leaks upcoming full albums on the internet, this album includes a bonus full length!

Loop - Heaven's End / Fade Out (reissues)

Reissues of their 1987 and 1988 releases. These guys live in a weird grey area where shoegaze stops and psych rock starts...or vice versa, whatever. Lots of pedals, swirling guitars and cool hooks mixed with an interesting rhythm section and full on jam freakouts. If you like neo-psych bands like the Black Angels then you will love these guys. Like riding a gunboat down the Mekong River delta while popping codeine and sipping poppy pod tea. Well...maybe not that cool.

Teenage Filmstars - Star (reissue)

Kind of sounds like the lost tapes of 'Loveless.'

Aidan Baker / Tim Hecker - Fantasma Parastasie

If you are at all a fan of Tim Hecker or Aidan Baker (and/or his work in Nadja) you have a pretty good idea of what you're getting yourself into with this release. If you're not at all familiar with either of these guys then do yourself a favor and pick this up. Hecker processes guitars to the point that the instrument is unrecognizable and what is left are waves of white noise wrapped around beautiful melodies. Baker accentuates Hecker's melodic sensibilities with his low end doom and deep tones. At many points it's hard to see where one artist stops and the other begins...but you're not really thinking about that when you're being barraged by a lush wall of sound.

tip: If you're in town check your local listings for the follow bands: Prizehog, And If Your Hands Were Metal That Would Mean Something, Ozmadawn. They all make a splendid noise not heard since Sousa.

Prizehog - Prizehog

This much anticipated release by SF trio reinstates that we in the Bay Area have just about the most diverse music scene in the world. Just when things are getting a bit "stale" (for lack of a better word), along comes Prizehog, which mixes a bit of noise, a smidge of metal and even a touch of prog in their debut opus. Unrelenting in its approach, by the time you make it to the album's beefy closer, "Husky," one feels as if he's been locked in the Tower of London; only with electricity and cocktails! Simply excellent! And rarely does a band capture the exuberance of their live act on disc, but it happens here...Get this now!

Judy Garland - Love Songs

Taken from "The Judy Garland Show," these rare recordings have been assembled for the first time on this fantabulous collection...And, as always, Judy shows complete control of her enormous vocal talents. Her rendition of Johnny Mercer's "Come Rain or Come Shine" is worth the price of admission alone. Hands down one of the best compilations ever to be released in memory of Ms. Garland!

Madonna - Sticky & Sweet Tour

This cd/dvd combo encapsulates M's extremely successful '08 outing, which was a Tron looking laser-tag spiritual dance party! Truly one of the most prolific performers of our time-love her or not, and by the end of her shows, we the audience are exhausted-but to Madonna the "Beat Goes On"...

Vertigo-Special Edition

Psycho-Special Edition

Star Wars-The Clone Wars

tip: Do yourself a favor and check out the multitude of local talent in our beautiful city, literally something for everybody!

John Doe & the Sadies - Country Club

Department of Eagles - In Ear Park

Land of Talk - Some Are Lakes

The Week That Was - The Week That Was

Cotton Jones - Paranoid Cocoon

Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones

Blitzen Trapper - Furr

tip: All the fine rekkids listed above are in Amoeba SF's listening stations...bring up a copy, scan the barcode, and check 'em out!

Kriegshög - Hardcore Hell

The noisy, unrelenting, desperate hardcore sound of this new-ish Japanese punk band is the perfect doom-time soundtrack to compliment the headlines.

Lebenden Toten - Near Dark

On their second LP Portland's Lebenden Toten treats us to more of their ultra noisy, hiss'n'squeak filled hardcore punk. The stomping-ly bleak title track has been on constant repeat lately.

Sacred Shock - Sacred Shock

Austin, Texas has the best tacos and Sacred Shock...

XYX - Sistema de Terminacion Sexual

My friend Randy says XYX sounds like a riot grrrl slumber party. He's right. This Mexican three-piece has written some fun, chaotic and catchy minimalist punk songs that are ideal palate cleansers to all the dark and ugly music on my list.

Invasión - La Caza

Dark, dense, and atmospheric hardcore punk from Barcelona, Spain on the La Vida Es Un Mus label. Some parts of the record lurch along, slowly burning and building up into some sort of madness, while at other times the songs blast away, barely allowing for a bit of itching room.

Kanye West - 808s & Heatbreak

I wish that I didn't feel this album, but I do. I hear people say that it's sad and depressing, and yeah, I can see that, but it's sooo much more than that to me. I'm not going to sit here and try to do an academic-styled critique of Mr. West's latest album 808s & Heartbreak, because there are many smart people out there who have done so already, and frankly better than I can. I will say, that whenever I talk to people about this album (or any by him), I get the old, "I don't like Kanye, he's an asshole." OK, point taken. But what does that have to do with the music? Get over yourself! Does anybody ever say, "Monet was a good painter, but he sure was an ass?" NO, because that would be dumb. So please stop saying how much you don't like Kanye West. Nobody with a brain cares...you shouldn't care either. The art stands alone and this album is good. Maybe it's not for you, but I personally feel every single song on this album (with the exception of that live track. I can't get down with that... It's too much for me). My standouts include: "Robocop," "Paranoid," "Coldest Winter," "See You In My Nightmares"... Hell, the whole album. Just listen to it, sheesh. P.S. Kanye West is an ass (or so I've heard).

tip: Listen to only good music from now on. Don't waste your time talking bad about stuff that you don't like, just ignore it and focus on what you do enjoy. Keep an open mind, and live life and love completely! Also, shop at Amoeba Music and bring a friend along!