Want some excellent gospel music recommendations? Look no further than our latest What's In My Bag? episode featuring North Carolina indie folk band Hiss Golden Messenger. Lead singer/songwriter MC Taylor and touring collaborator Phil Cook raided Amoeba San Francisco's gospel section, finding some truly magnificent records, including a collection by Alex Bradford, who Cook described as "a precursor to Little Richard." Along with bandmate Scott Hirsch, the band found some killer records and shared their passion and enthusiasm with us.

Hiss Golden Messenger was founded in 2007 by MC Taylor and Scott Hirsch. The pair had relocated to Durham, NC after growing up in California and playing in hardcore band Ex-Ignota and indie rock group The Court & Spark. After the dissolution of the latter band, Taylor and Hirsch began releasing work on Taylor's label Heaven & Earth Magic Recording Company. In 2009, Hiss Golden Messenger's debut LP Country Hai East Cotton was released in a limited run of 500. A selection of songs from this first album was rechristened From Country Hai East Cotton and released on the Black Maps label in 2011, following the success of their first international release, 2010's Bad Debt.

If you're searching for the perfect holiday gift for the post-punk completist or the music fan who has everything, never fear! We've compiled a roundup of some of the most impressive, comprehensive, and just straight up awesome slash interesting rock box sets to hit our stores this year. Many of these releases have never been on vinyl before. Some had been on vinyl long ago, back in the day, and were going for crazy prices on the resell circuit -- until these reissues dropped. From alternate takes to oral histories, here's why we think these box sets will make delightful gifts for the music lovers in your life.

	XTC - Skylarking This comprehensive box set features two 200-gram vinyl LPs plus two CDs, a booklet with song notes from the band, a lyric sheet, and two record sleeves -- the original proposed design and the iconic Skylarking design.
	New Order - Singles Continue reading...

Wouldn't it be nice to hear Pet Sounds for the first time again? Well, next month you can experience the next best thing. In commemoration of the monumental album's 50th anniversary The Beach Boys and Capitol Records are re-releasing it in four different editions, some of which include studio outtakes, alternate mixes, and unreleased live versions. What's more Brian Wilson is now on a world tour playing the album in its entirety. Catch him in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl, Jul 10 and in San Francisco at The Masonic, Oct 12-13.

When Pet Sounds was released May 16, 1966 its reception was mixed. The 11th album for the already popular group garnered little critical and commercial success in the States, while in England it was hailed by the music press and hit the number 2 spot on the Top 40 charts. One Mr. Paul McCartney was so impressed with it the album became the main influence on his band's next record, a little thing called Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. 

While it may be a little hard to imagine today, the radical arrangements, un-rock-like orchestrations, and wildly inventive production coupled with subject matter that was less cheery and more introspective than your average pop album of the day, was a lot to take in for some who were just looking for the next fun surf track to dance to down at the beach shack. However Pet Sounds paved the way for the idea that a rock album could be more than a mere collection of singles, but a cohesive piece of art. Brian Wilson's production on the album would open up creative possibilities we take for granted now, would influence all kinds of musical genres, and would bring the concept of production into the mainstream consciousness as an essential part of an album.

Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid
Out April 29

Aesop Rock’s follow-up to 2012’s Skelethon is produced by the rapper himself. If you’ve ever wondered what’s going through the motor-mouthed MC’s head, watch the video for “Rings” below.

Brian Eno – The Ship
Out April 29

Legendary producer and artist Brian Eno’s latest is an ambient work inspired in part by the sinking of the Titanic and World War I. It also includes a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Set Free.” Hear the title track below.

Before her star-studded fashion show at Amoeba Hollywood in January, Stella McCartney had a chance to do some record shopping and share her picks with us. Needless to say her Autumn 2016 preview was one of the biggest things to hit Amoeba since, well, her father, Paul McCartney, played here. Being a daughter of music royalty, McCartney had some special insight into her picks, having known or met many of the artists personally, and she shares the poignancy of the albums to her and her family.

After graduating in 1995 from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, Stella McCartney was soon appointed Creative Director of Parisian fashion house, Chloe. In 2001 she launched her own business, Stella McCartney, in conjunction with Gucci Group. Having expanded her brand into perfume, organic skincare, lingerie, children's clothing, and active wear lines, McCartney now runs seventeen stores located all over the world. She has received awards from Glamour, Elle, and the British Fashion Council, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2013, some 48 years after her father was appointed the same.