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Rest In Peace Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul has died at age 76. Amoeblogger Billyjam plays tribute to the legendary singer.

New Releases

New releases this week include Death Cab, Siouxsie & The Banshees reissues & Ariana Grande.

Sidewalk Sale at Amoeba Hollywood

Amazing deals on music, movies, books & more at Amoeba Hollywood 8/18 from 12pm – 4pm.

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Noise Pop 20th Street Block Party in San Francisco

Amoeba SF will be part of Noise Pop's annual 20th Street Block Party, selling used vinyl, enamel pins & more. In San Francisco's Mission District, Sat. 8/18... View

New Music We Like Books Out Now

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Ryan Porter Live at Amoeba

Watch a smokin' hot set of modern LA jazz from Ryan Porter, Kamasi Washington, and The West Coast Get Down jazz collective.

ROTATIONS: Erin D. Garcia DJ Set

Tonight 8pm - Hollywood

dublab: Sundays On Sunset w/ BOSS HARMONY

August 19th 2pm - Hollywood

Halestorm Signing

August 23rd 2:30pm - San Francisco

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Music We Like

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NYC art punk band Bodega traffics in throwback post-punk meets jangle pop meets riot grrrl jams with a sometimes satirical edge. Co-fronted by Ben Hozie and Nikki Belfiglio, their latest, Endless Scroll , is rife with serious riffs, punchy vocals, and smart, silly lyrics. The band sings about the character of Jack in the movie Titanic (yes, on the track “Jack in Titanic”) and out-of-date left-wing slogans (“This machine you know it don’t kill fascists/This machine you know is just a guitar” on “How Did This Happen?!”) One moment the focus is on the rollicking vocals and entertaining lyrics; the next it’s on the super tight, angular melodies. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Scout (CD)

Calpurnia

Calpurnia’s Scout LP is jam-packed with classic California garage rock tunes, six tightly-crafted songs bathed in nostalgia and coastal sunshine. The band also happens to feature Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard as frontman. Wolfhard may be young, but he certainly knows his stuff, creating smart, catchy indie tracks that would fit in well amongst the Diiv, Real Estate, and Mac DeMarco on your record shelf. Produced by Cadien Lake James of indie fellow travelers Twin Peaks, standout tracks include the melancholy “Greyhound,” instant ear worm “City Boy,” and dreamy “Louie.”

From A White Hotel (CD)

Hawks & Doves

Formed by musician Kasey Anderson, Hawks and Doves play heartfelt, melodic Americana in the vein of Tom Petty and John Mellencamp. “Bulletproof Hearts (For Laura Jane)” even references Petty's “American Girl.” It's a comeback for Anderson, who quit the music scene for six years, but a debut for the whole band, which includes Jesse Moffat, Ben Landsverk, and Jordan Richter. Anderson has the perfect grainy voice for singing these well-written stories of self-redemption and love. Highlights include the anthemic opening track, “The Dangerous Ones,” and the joyful “Chasing The Sky.”

Wild Alee (CD)

Talos

Irish architect Eoin French applies the form, balance and structure taught by his trade to the soaring emotional hooks of his indie pop project Talos. His striking new album Wild Alee , recorded in Dublin, Cork and Iceland with co-producer Ross Dowling, builds on the series of catchy, powerful singles Talos released over the past three years. These slow-building anthems evoke melancholy and inner fire, carefully crafting spare northern soundscapes from guitar, drums and electronics, all guided by French’s skilled, yearning falsetto. Songs like "Tethered Bones," "In Time" and "Your Love is an Island" express deep struggle and the tenuous but all-consuming connections that link separate souls, in the vein of James Blake or Jon Hopkins. Powerful meditations that move between autumnal warmth and glacial isolation.

Mulberry Violence (CD)

Trevor Powers

After disbanding Youth Lagoon in order to change direction musically, Trevor Powers has returned with a solo release, Mulberry Violence . His familiar falsetto flits over scratchy electronics contrasted with softer synths or piano. Trip-hop beats, filters, and vocal effects lend the songs a chilly, anxious feel. “Clad In Skin” stands apart for a more straightforward groove and lightweight atmosphere, while “Squelch” is both sludgy and ethereal à la Portishead. Altogether the album is intense and introspective with many elegant components.

Errorzone (CD)

Vein

Little can prepare you for the ferocity of Vein’s debut record. The Boston metalcore band has been touring and self-releasing material for years now, and their first full-length sounds appropriately sharpened for battle. “virus://vibrance” unleashes a tornado of swirling metal chords played for maximum velocity, reminiscent of At the Drive-In at their nastiest. “Doomtech” offers a more straightforward entry point, its detuned anchor point and shrieked vocals giving way to a melodic vocal counterpoint, recalling post-hardcore heroes like Converge and Deftones. But, like aforementioned acts, Vein aren’t merely interested in pulverizing noise — though they do that pretty well — lacing its songs with dynamics and experimentation. On “Demise Automation,” the band sounds like it’s simultaneously playing and destroying its guitars, its shredded vocals going toe-to-toe with bludgeoning riffs and squealing feedback. Brainy yet accessible enough for the average metal fan, Vein’s debut LP is a stiff gut punch of barely controlled chaos.

Out Of The Blues (CD)

Boz Scaggs

Boz Scaggs is back with funky-struttin' blues-rockers, slinky R&B crawls, and darkly romantic slow dances. With sharp and dreamy rhythm guitars, smooth and worn vocals, and Chicago blues harmonica hooks, Scaggs is in top form, bringing cool atmosphere back to blues rock. Check out his cover of Neil Young's "On The Beach."

Sundays (CD)

Tanukichan

Oakland-based Tanukichan makes a hazy, blissed-out debut on her first full-length, Sundays . It’s an evocative listen — dreamy and slightly melancholy, the perfect soundtrack to those strange in-between days, the end of summer, and yes, lazy Sunday afternoons. Steeped in nostalgia with a timeless sound and contemporary vibe, Sundays is a welcome addition to the modern dream pop scene. This is the type of album ideal for whiling away the day, for enjoying the small pleasures in life and absorbing all the beauty in the world.

The Make It All Show (CD)

Skating Polly

Skating Polly makes riot grrrl-influenced lo-fi punk with a mastery that belies their age (stepsisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse launched the band when they were nine and fourteen) and a youthful urgency that gives the genre a timely update. On The Make It All Show , they alternate between playful and sweet, aggressive and formidable. The band has cited luminaries like Kat Bjelland, Kim Deal, and Exene Cervenka among their idols, and their impact is clear in both the stylized, raw vocals and the heavy guitar riffs. (Cervenka even makes an appearance on “Queen for the Day.”) A much-needed jolt of electricity that’ll have punks young and old alike stand up and take notice.

No Sounds Are Out Of Bounds (CD)

The Orb

Pioneering English outfit The Orb return with the eclectic, exciting No Sounds Are Out Of Bounds , a fitting title for this joyfully genre-bending album. “Rush Hill Road” is an instant classic, featuring the vocal talents of Hollie Cook while “Wolfbane" is soulful and sultry. Also along for the ride: Jah Wobble, Youth, Guy Pratt, Gaudi, and Roger Eno. These tracks were meant to be turned up loud and it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see these songs in their proper context: at a summer music festival somewhere in the British countryside, the audience with their hands in the air, singing along to every word, loving life.

Noble Ape (CD)

Jim Gaffigan

After releasing several self-deprecating comedy specials, Jim Gaffigan finds himself treading new territory with Noble Ape . When his wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year, Gaffigan was forced to contemplate major life changes including possible retirement to take care of the couple's children. The resulting catharsis in finding humor during a medical crisis is the main focus of Ape , adding a more personal resonance to the proceedings alongside the laughs.

Lifers (CD)

Cody Jinks

Crunchy electric keys, searing pedal steel guitars, and confident, steady rhythms propel Cody Jinks' latest album Lifers, which finds a sweet spot between classic '70s country and modern country rock.