1. Mark your calendars: Virgin Mobile + Re*Generation Gallery are teaming up for a good cause: "The RE*Generation Gallery 2007 Auction and Benefit to raise awareness and support for the issue of youth homelessness in America. This night of art, dinner and great music will coincide with National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in November, designated by Congress as a result of efforts by Virgin Mobile and its partners. The silent auction will consist of a special gallery of works of art created by 21 internationally renowned artists. This 3 hour event will be attended by the who's who of the art, entertainment and fashion communities." You can donate to the cause and place bids on work online, but really, you'll want to go to the silent auction party to have a few drinks, eat some hors d'oeuvres amd see the work in person. Last year's party was super fun and I'm sure this year's will be just as good. See you there!!

2. This one falls into our Public Service Announcements category: every New Yorker should know their rights as tenants. We've got a lot of them. Things are getting very intense with the rental market and landlords are doing everything and anything to work the system in their favor. Remember: there's no such thing as an honest landlord. Checkout Tenant.net. It's chock full of info on everything you need to know. There's also a list of all the buildings and apartments in the city that are rent controlled and rent stabilized. You should check the list to see if yours is on it. Landlords count on our ignorance and rent apartments at market rates that should be stabilized hoping the new tenant nevers finds out. If you don't protect yourself, nobody else is going to. Know your rights!!

3. There's a hot new retro Nike about to drop at Supreme in NY, LA, and Japan. "In 1988 the Nike Air Trainer TW was introduced through the Nike Air Trainer SC program. The Air Trainer TW was designed to be the lighter weight, low cut version of the Air Trainer SC. The Air Trainer TWII was released in 1989. During the 1980’s and 90’s Bo Jackson was the leading spokesperson for the Air Trainer program." Available 11.08.07 in NY and LA and 11.09.07 in Japan. Checkout this page for more details and to checkout detailed photos. These kicks are hot!! You can bet I'll be up early fighting for a spot in line for these babies.

Our friend Simon Kristoph--one of the masterminds behind superfuture.com--has sent us the third installment of what will be a weekly Top 10 List he's doing for this.hearts.on.fire.

On the block: Top 11 Institiutional New York Dive Bars, a list of the best New York bars that are big on character, low on bullshit. Try to order a green apple or lychee anything at one of these places and you'll most likely get kicked out, which is great. More room for us!

Please note, we could do this list once/week for a year and not hit all of the killer dive bars around town. Stay tuned though for Institutional Dive Bars 2. Coming soon to a theather near you.

1... Lucy's (mother of the house of dive bars)
2... Botanica
3... Black Betty
4... Ear Inn
5... Verchovyna
6... Horseshoe Bar (the bartenders are ruder than the checkout clerks at duane reade!)
7... Doc Holiday's (rumor has it my asst. super stabbed someone there last month)
8... Enids
9... Motor City
10. PDT
11. Manitoba's (guaranteed at least one fight/visit or your money back)

Check 'em out!

1. I almost forgot about B & H Vegetarian (127 2nd Ave btwn 7th St & St Marks)in the East Village. It's like Odessa or Veselka with a few veggie patties and such thrown in to replace the meat where needed. Most choices, though, are just diner choices that don't include meat, like soups, tuna melts, pancakes, mac and cheese, and so on. Of note: their soups. They rival any in town and there's a revolving weekly menu of special soups available. The best part of all: the prices. Just like the other old school diners in the area, the prices are just right and the interior will make you feel right at home. I had a pepper and mushroom omelette with home fries, 4 pieces of buttered challah toast, and a cup of coffee for just $7. Checkout their menu here, this review, and these pics and more detailed info on CheapAssFood.com.

2. Climate neutral what?! Our friends at Continental Clothing have just had an apparel breakthrough: they've created a line of that is the most eco-friendly to date. "Climate Neutral means our industrial greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced to pre-industrial levels through low-impact (low emission) organic agriculture and carbon neutral industrial manufacturing, achieved through substituting energy use from fossil fuel powered power stations (grey electricity) with clean renewable 'green' energy from wind turbines and solar power." Checkout their site for more info. And have a look at Continental Clothing's site while you're at it. The cuts, fits, and fabrics are all a step above.

3. Checkout two parties that super hot indie record label DFA is co-sponsoring: the record release party for Hold On--the latest single from Brooklyn's Holy Ghost-- @ 205 Tuesdays (205 Chrystie corner of Stanton ) Tuesday 10.30.07 with DJs Justin Miller & Jacques Renault. RSVP to justinandjacques@gmail.com. Act fast, it's free so it'll fill up quick. Make sure to checkout the single on Holy Ghost's MySpace. It's hot. Second up is Ghostly and DFA's Halloween Bash at Studio B Wednesday 10.31.07. The bash is "devoted to dance music and featuring a line-up to DIE for: Juan Maclean (DJ), Morgan Geist, T&T (Tim Sweeney and Tim Goldsworthy), Derek Plaslaiko and capping-off the 2007 Asa Breed Tour, Mathew Dear's Big Hands. A new resident of NYC, this will be Dear's debut performance at Studio B and a perfect finale to his Asa Breed Tour. Just added is the feted Invisible Conga People (Italians Do It Better) and the side room now opened with Ghostly DJ Jeffrey Sfire, resident Ghostly DJ/T-shirt maker, and Kevin Avery take over the back room for cold wave, dark italo, creepy electro, and experimental synth vibes." Tickets available at TicketWeb.

1. Just in case you have never read Free Will Astrology in the back of the Village Voice, I'm here to tell you that you cannot live without this. And you don't even have to track down a copy of the Voice to do so, alhtough there's something about doing so that still has a certain level of satisfaction to it. Rob Brezsny's genius advice is also online. Here's mine (Virgo) for this week: "Writing in the L.A. Times, Rosa Brooks bemoaned the budgetary cuts that have caused the mass firings of reporters at many major newspapers. This sad development means there are 'fewer persistent, nosy people with a mandate to wander around the world asking questions'. Whatever you do in the coming weeks cannot single-handedly fix this problem, of course. But it will be your astrological mandate to be a persistent, nosy person wandering around asking questions. Halloween costume suggestions: journalist, spy, muckraker, whistleblower."

2. If you happen to be in Tokyo: "Creative GBG plans on giving Tokyo a taste of what Gothenburg's creative community is all about. Cafe Pause will host various installations from GBG creators & companies, and also include a special edition of PauseTalk. The event will also present the first phase of the GBG Creative Index project, set to document creativity in the city." Runs 11.29.07 through November 08. Checkout this page for more info, the location details, and a list of particpants and links to their respective bodies of work.

3. No sleep till Brooklyn: party all night @ BAM on 11.03.07. Takeover @ BAM features bands, movies, djs, and art. All for only $15! What you'll find. Music: Heartless Bastards, Dirty On Purpose, Be Your Own Pet, and The Exit. Movies: Lindsay Lohan Mid Career Retrospective & punk retrospective Burning Down The House. Art: Leo Villareal's new work Stars: five nearly 12-foot round sculptures composed of over 14,000 white LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are hung within the windows of BAM’s Peter Jay Sharp Building, Jean Shin's sculpture Sound Wave is made of hundreds of melted vinyl records on a wooden armature, and work from Robert Wilson. Check here for more info and make sure to get tickets now. This one's sure to sell out. See you there.

1. Super New York skate shop Supreme's Fall/Winter 07 magazine is out featuring: photography by Terry Richardson and interviews with artists Vincent Gallo, Takashi Murakami, Mr. and Bad Brains. Q&A's with Tommy Guerrero, Harmony Korine, Skatething and more. Tera Patrick shot by Kenneth Cappello. Available 10/29 at Supreme Japan locations. NY and LA stores will have the magazine available on 11.01.07.

2. Film Forum is so hot right now with movies we love. We won't mention Control again, which has been held over through 11.01.07. Opened yesterday: "Lagerfeld Confidential, a new documentary on Karl Lagerfeld by Rodolphe Marconi that focuses more on Mr. Lagerfeld as a photographer than as a designer. At least half of the 90-minute film shows him taking pictures of his collections, Nicole Kidman and almost undressed male models." Check the NY Times article for the full story and Film Forum's website to buy tickets. As always, if you can go during the week during the week it's best, as the theaters are small and this one's sure to be very popular given Mr. Lagerfeld's current level of fame.

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. I remember the first time I saw a Paul McCarthy performance. Well, it was a video of a performance that had taken place at a gallery in Chelsea and the remnants of that performance, a set smeared with ketchup, chocolate, and a lot of weird looking objects. An example of McCarthy's work is "his 1976 piece Class Fool, where McCarthy threw himself around a ketchup spattered UCSD classroom until dazed and injured. He then vomited several times and inserted a Barbie doll into his rectum. The piece ended when the audience could no longer stand to watch his performance." If you're not familiar with McCarthy, checkout this interview with the artist, this video Black And White Tapes (1972), and this site with pics of various past works. It's all about psycho sexual libidinal something or other. Lots of elfs, nudity, chocolate, ketchup, and other stuff that will make you think twice. Currently, his sculpture--Santa Claus With A Buttplug--is on display in Antwerp. He's also selling chocolates of the same sculpture available at Maccarone Gallery (630 Greenwich Street) beginning 11.14.07 through 12.24.07. It's the perfect gift for grandad!! Or your mom maybe.

2. One of our favorite brands--Commes Des Garcons--is opening another in their series of guerilla pop-up shops this Saturday (10.27.07) at 12am (I think that's Friday after midnight, for anyone who's up and in the mood to shop. But perhaps it's the opening party?!) Destination = Warsaw. Prior locations: Beirut and Athens. Leave it to CDG to open shops in such exotic locales, but when's it coming to New York?!?

3. check back shortly for updates...

A sound that developed gradually by clubs and DJ's in Star-Wars-era Europe, Space Disco (also known as Cosmic Disco) was and is a strange fusion of slowed down disco cuts with added space sounds and themes. Vocoders. Robot love. Lazers.

It's much more about moving bass lines than launching rockets, though, so you don't have to be a total space-nerd to get down with this. And the finer Space Disco sets include far reaching selections from so many other genres-Electro, Krautrock, Slowed Down House.

For a solid introduction to the genre, check out Paris-based DJ team Dirty Sound System's excellent compilation disc, Dirty Space Disco (released this summer on Tigersushi). You can't go wrong with track names like Risque's Starlight and Starbow's Voyager II, and beautiful, Space-cheese cover art.

Digging deeper means checking out Italian Space pioneers Daniele Baldelli and Beppe Loda. Baldelli was the house DJ at early eighties club, Cosmic, in northern Italy. There he exposed crowds of up to 1000 to his slowed down, druggy, electronic, new wave, afro, sound.

And there's contemporary, Norwegian practitioner Lindstrøm. Check out the track, Breakfast in Heaven (and more), on his MySpace.

And don't forget to checkout these tracks:

1. Conrad Schnitzler - Auf Dem Schwarzen Kanal
2. Risque - Starlight
3. Odyssey - Who

1. ALIFE's got a hot new style of sneakers available only at Barneys: the ALIFE Everybody Mid. They're an all-over pattern, embossed full grain leather style with elastic lace system and full leather lining. Each packaged with 3 pairs of additional non-elastic laces in white, red and black. Check them out on Barney's site. Don't miss the white Hi Top they did for Barney's while you're at it. These are sick.

2. It's time for a trip to Long Island City. Anyone who's a fan of indie cinema won't want to miss this one: "P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center presents in collaboration with Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin and the Media Department at The Museum of Modern Art, the first U.S. gallery exhibition that will feature the newly restored version of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s monumental, sequential film Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980). Based on Alfred Döblin’s 1929 novel, this recently restored epic will be a long overdue introduction of a masterpiece of German cinema to a younger American audience. The more than 15-hour epic will be divided into 14 screening rooms—one for each episode of the film. This exhibition will be on view in the Third Floor Main Gallery from October 21, 2007 through January 7, 2008." Not only is the movie amazing, but this mode of presentation will definitely make it ten times better. Checkout the full press release and info page on PS1's site. Don't forget to checkout a list of Fassbinder's other films and his Wikipedia entry. Did you know film director Todd Haynes appropriated imagery from the film's notorious, phantasmagorical epilogue for a sequence in his Velvet Goldmine.

3. check back shortly for updates...

One of our favorite stores in the world--super cool Miami store BASE--has hooked up this.hearts.on.fire. once again with their Album Club Picks. The picks are a very well-curated set of some of the sexiest, coolest music anywhere. I love it because it's so different from my usual taste and always introduces me to new artists that I would not have heard otherwise. You can listen to samples and buy each album by clicking on the links below.

10. Federico Aubele (Panamericana) / Pan Americana, the second album from Argentine Federico Aubele, is a mixture of styles as diverse as tango, bolero, reggae, trip-hop and hip-hop, all melded together in an astounding collection of lounge music, with an assist from legendary Thievery Corporation.

9. Ravin (Huvafen Fushi Maldives) / DJ Ravin is best known for helming the Buddha Bar series, so it was a natural match when the Huvafen Fushi resort in the Maldives was looking to capture the ambience of its exotic location, where the chilled out and spiritual come together.

8. Passport To Paris / Swank Recordings has put together an outstanding and eclectic selection of lounge music for their new compilation, Passport to Paris, which is guaranteed to transport you directly to one of the city's chic sidewalk cafes.

7. Jose Gonzalez (In Our Nature) / Minimalist folk, soft, soothing melodies and introspective lyrics can mean only one thing, singer and songwriter Jose Gonzalez has returned with a new disc, In Our Nature.

6. Valgeir Sigurosson (Ekvilibrium7) / Icelander Valgeir Sigurosson is primed to arrive big time with his beautiful and spellbinding debut album, Ekvilibrium, chock full of dark, ambient and dreamy compositions.

5. Just Jack (Overtones) / Just Jack, aka London-based rapper-producer Jack Allsop, puts forth good old Brit-pop with a little bit of jazzy breaks, deep house, plenty of horns and strings to boot, albeit with lyrics reflecting his status as a "pop star with a conscience".

4. Shankar/Kale (Breathing Under Water) / Indian musical royalty Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale have done nigh the impossible and fused Indian classical sitar with electronic music for their masterful album, Breathing Under Water.

3. Stacey Kent (Breakfast On The Morning Tram) / "Intimate Ballads with perfect timing and control" sums up the appeal of UK based and ex-pat American Stacey Kent, who moves seamlessly from light funk, blues and jazz, elegant French chanson, and even folk, on her new disc Breakfast On The Morning Tram.

2. Flevans (Unfabulous) / Brighton's Flevans returns with what he is known for, using eccentric samples and mashing them up with funk, breaks, guitars and horns for a unique dance floor experience.

1. Nextmen (This Was Supposed To Be The Future) / The UK blasts onto the hip-hop scene with the Next men and their new offering; This Was Supposed To Be The Future.

1. Although Todd Hayne's Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There Yet may not be opening in New York until 11.21.07, you can still watch Dylan videos on YouTube in the interim. The Times They Are A Changin' (1965) live performance; Subterranean Homesick Blues; and Mr. Tambourine Man live performance. Don't forget to watch the trailer for I'm Not There Yet, read the reviews of the film on Rotten Tomatoes, and checkout Dylan's Wikipedia profile. Don't forget to get your tickets now on Film Forum's website!! And I'm not sure how the whole movie release thing happens, but how did this film release in Italy and Canada in September, but isn't coming out in the US until November??

2. check back shortly

3. for updates...

1. Don't miss the opening for Sean Mellyn at Anna Kustera (520 West 21st St @ 10 Ave) this Thursday (10.18.07) from 6-8pm. The show's called Friday. "Committed to virtuoso technique, Mellyn has extended the art-painting-part-assemblage Pop art idioms introduced by Johns, Rauschenberg and Rosenquist to frame his own signature images of children, illumination, refrigeration and snowmen, with all they imply." Checkout the full press release here. See you Thursday!

2. We love Ryan Gossling. I hope by now you've seen Half Nelson. If not, rent it now. Gossling's in an new film--written by Six Feet Under writer Nancy Oliver--coming out 10.25.07 entitled Lars and the Real Girl. "A delusional young guy strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet." Need we say more? Sounds a bit Michel Gondry, which is a good thing in our book. Checkout the official website, view the trailer, and these reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

3. Australia's Midnight Juggernauts are coming to New York! They're playing with JUSTICE 10.20 and 10.22 at the all new Terminal 5. "Midnight Juggernauts an electro-synthesized rock n’roll fantastical sci-fi force, combining the wonders and mystique of Eno/Bowie with the hardhitting distorto of JUSTICE and other 'new ravers'." JUSTICE has even named them their favorite new band! Checkout their MySpace to test drive a few songs. I guarantee you'll want to listen to Into The Galaxy over and over and over. The 10.20 show is SOLD OUT!! Get tix for 10.22.07 here.

4. Checkout the Ovation TV orginal series Art & The City tonight (10.17.07) at 8 pm. Host David Keeps uncovers discoveries of arts and design in highly regarded attractions as well as uncovered corners throughout the US and Europe. In this episode, David explores New York City. The episode will feature interviews and a gallery tour with New York artist/designer Ken Courtney aka Ju$t Another Rich Kid and gallerist and art dealer Anna Kustera, which was filmed this past June while The Black Market was showing at Kustera's gallery. Also keep an eye out for additional episodes, where keep travels to London, LA, Chicago, Paris, and New Orleans.

It seems like Sonic Youth becomes more relevant each year. With so many bands lately referencing the drone and punk-psych of their signature sound, it's good to see them staying prolific and continuing to get the recognition they deserve. While the occasional questionable release will come up, I'm pretty into listening to all of it. Old and new. So, when I heard about Thurston Moore's new solo album, Trees Outside the Academy, I was ready to pick up a copy right away.

But first, I made a point to go back and listen to his last solo album, 1995's Psychic Hearts. It's everything I love about Sonic Youth and Thurston's song writing/improvisation-discordant progressions, repetitive, sudden-stopping riffs, and emotionally ambiguous vocals, in this case, frequently distorted or awash in reverb. Listening to this in 2007, I felt like it could have been released a month ago. It holds up.

Where Psychic Hearts is all rock and fuzz, Trees Outside the Academy carefully wraps its noise around Moore's direct vocal delivery and acoustic guitar playing. He recorded it in J Mascis' (of Dinosaur Jr.) home studio in Amherst, Ma, with several traditional Sonic Youth collaborators. He's joined by a few musician residents of Northampton, Ma, where Moore and wife Kim Gordon (fellow Sonic Youth) moved to raise their 13 year old daughter and continue pursuing experimental music and art. According to Moore, the town has become a center for a movement of "new Weird America" a loose collective of musicians and visual artists working on projects together.

Thurston Moore explained the reasoning behind going solo to the BBC, "I wanted to do this record as a way of expressing my own personal feelings musically and visually, without it being a democratic concern," he explains of his newly contemplative direction. "Being in a band like Sonic Youth is great, but it can obviously be frustrating at times. There's always this desire to want to do something that's just completely personal."

Trees Outside the Academy was released last month on Moore's label, Ecstatic Peace.

1. So CMJ's coming up (10.16-10.20.07 in NYC) and so is something called The Fader Sideshow, sponsored by Fader Magazine. Seems a bit like a hush hush type thing. We got an invite, but can't find anything about it on their site. That might be because our ADD is in overdrive today and we're not trying that hard. Either way, checkout this link to find a list of the bands and a form to RSVP for the 4 day event. But don't tell anyone we told you!! We want to make sure we keep getting their insider emails.

2. Checkout this video of "Jimmy Justice", my current favorite New Yorker who follows city traffic cops around and busts them on camera for parking illegally!! One woman parks in front of a fire hydrant while she pops in to get her lunch blocking the hydrant while a fire is going on outside!!! New York needs more guys like this. The new millenial Guardian Angels, this time fighting landlords, copys, and corporations instead of gangs and muggers. Checkout way more of his videos on YouTube!!

3. If you have any interest in fashion, especially the ways of a haute coutourier, and the creative process, you must check out the documentary Yves Saint Laurent: His Life And Times. Being a biography and documentary buff, I had to watch it. "An expert at creating the finest in haute couture, Yves Saint Laurent is one of the fashion world's most celebrated designers. This documentary takes an in-depth look at St. Laurent's life via interviews with his mother, his partner Pierre Berge, friend Loulou de la Falaise and fan Lee Radziwill. From age 3 (when he noted to his aunt that her shoes and dress did not match) to his retirement in 2002, St. Laurent has enjoyed tremendous success. Included are the following segments: His Life and Times and 5th Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris. The second piece is of particular interest, as it shows the actual process by which couture is made at the YSL headquarters, with dozens of fit models, hundreds of bolts of fabric, and an equal number of tailors and seamstresses changing details on designs at every step of the way. It's truly fascinating. Don't forget this bio on the designer and this site Pierre Berger's Yves Saint Laurent Foundation.

Our friend Simon Kristoph--one of the masterminds behind superfuture.com--has sent us the third installment of what will be a weekly Top 10 List he's doing for this.hearts.on.fire.

On the block: Top 10 New York Classic Diners, a list of the best New York diners that haven't changed much at all (including prices, interiors, and staff) in the last 20+ years. What you pay for one drink at some new fancy bar will get you a full meal (with bread, salad, and a side, of course!) at most of these places.

1. The Waverly (West Village)
2. Odessa (East Village)
3. Bon Vivant (Union Square)
4. Empire Diner (Chelsea)
5. Little Poland (East Village)
6. Square Diner (Tribeca)
7. Chez Brigitte (West Village)
8. Mike's Coffee Shop (Clinton Hill)
9. Cheyenne (Midtown West)
10. Toms (Prospect Heights)
11. Joe Junior (Gramercy Park)

Check 'em out!

1. Love 'em or hate 'em, skeletons will not go away and now they've trickled up to the artworld. New York's Cheim and Read have a show up featuring the skeleton entitled I Am As You Will Be: The Skeleton in Art. "Artistic representation of the skeleton first became common in medieval times. Engaged in human activity, with human characteristics, the skeleton figured in moralistic or religious tableaus by 15th century artists. It was also representative of the plague and the subsequent fear of death by disease. A similar preoccupation with the skeleton reemerges during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, when skeletons and skulls were integrated into the language of graffiti art, and artists incorporated the loaded symbol in their work." Check the full press release for more details! Artists included in the show: Donald Baechler, Matthew Barney, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louise Bourgeois, Salvador Dali, Adam Fuss, Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, Jannis Kounellis, Sherrie Levine, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol, among MANY others. It's actually quite an impressive range. Click here for images of the works and here for images of the gallery view of the show.

2. check back shortly

3. for updates...

1. Finally saw Control this afternoon at Film Forum. It was the first showing of the film in New York. As I'd heard from folks who went to the premiere and LA and who've seen it in the UK, it's amazing. Very well done, great to look at, and the acting is killer. Sam Riley channels Ian Curtis; Samantha Morton(always a favorite of mine) delivers as always; and someone I'd not heard of until today Toby Kebbel is a scene-stealer with his witty portrayal of Joy Division manager Rob Gretton.

There's a crack in the floor at the Tate Modern! The best part: it cost them nearly $600,000 to make it. "Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth is the first work to intervene directly in the fabric of the Turbine Hall. Rather than fill this iconic space with a conventional sculpture or installation, Salcedo has created a subterranean chasm that stretches the length of the Turbine Hall. The concrete walls of the crevice are ruptured by a steel mesh fence, creating a tension between these elements that resist yet depend on one another. By making the floor the principal focus of her project, Salcedo dramatically shifts our perception of the Turbine Hall’s architecture, subtly subverting its claims to monumentality and grandeur." It's the kind of idea that makes me wish I'd thought of it first: absolutely brilliant. Read more on the Tate's site, see more photos of the piece, and checkout this bio on the artist on White Cube's site. And don't forget this photo of a piece entitled 1,550 Chairs, which looks like she took an empty lot in the East Village and piled it high with dining chairs. HoT!

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. Checkout Band Of Horses, whose brand new EP Cease To Begin drops today. "Band of Horses, known early in its life as simply Horses, is an American indie rock band formed in Seattle and are currently signed to Sub Pop Records. The lead singer's (Ben Bridwell) vocals have also been compared to Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, early Neil Young, and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips by All Music Guide." You can test drive a few songs on their MySpace page. Watchout: Is There A Ghost is insanely addictive. Don't forget to checkout their site, where you can buy the EP, check for a show in your town, and signup for their newsletter.

2. Daft Punk (remember them?) has an exclusive single on MySpace: Too Long/Steam Machine. Not surprisingly, it's hot. They're also playing at something called Vegoose, which "is a Halloween festival extravaganza that draws inspiration from its Las Vegas location and, of course, the spirit of Halloween.  In addition to an eclectic group of music performers, there are interactive attractions, performance artists, and art installations.  Don't forget to bring your costume!" Click here for more info. The lineup's pretty sick (M.I.A., Iggy And The Stooges, Blonde Redhead, UNKLE, Rage Against The Machine) if you happen to be in that neck of the woods.

3. It's official: Control (the Ian Curtis biopic) opens tomorrow at Film Forum. Get your tickets now! If you can sneak away, it's probably best to hit the 1pm showing, although given the size of the theaters, it might be packed then too. See you tomorrow.

1. Tucked away quietly in what used to be a bric-a-brac shop across the street from Kiehl's in the East Village is one of the most amazing vintage shops: Stock (143 East 13th Street @ 1st Ave). An impeccably curated selection of Ralph Lauren-esque clothing fills the store's 400 square feet. You won't find a better selection anywhere. After all, the store's owner Melissa Howard has been supplying Lauren with antiques and vintage clothing for his RRL stores worldwide for the past 8 years.

2. Ex Depeche Mode front man Dave Gahan has a new EP Hourglass on the way (10.22.07) and has just released the first single Kingdom. Checkout his MySpace to test drive a few tracks (they're sick!) and his official website for more info, links to videos, interviews, downloads, etc.

3. I'm cheating on my current coffeeshop, Ciao For Now. A few blocks away is Taralucci E Vino (163 First Avenue @ 10th Street), who have the most amazing espresso in town. My current favorite: iced latte. They mix the sugar in the espresso before adding it to the milk, which makes it taste 10 times better. Just make sure to specify you want it that way. Today the new guy screwed up and put it in the bottom of my glass. It wasn't quite the same. Checkout this review in NY Mag.

Our traffic is up over 30,000 hits per day! A huge accomplishment and a reason to celebrate by taking the day off. Not quite sure we'll go fishing, but maybe a celebratory sushi lunch at Sapporo East will be our urban version of the old cliche. Thanks to everyone who reads the blog and for all the good tips sent in. Keep 'em coming. Until Monday: Thank God It's Friday!! And a balmy 80 degree Friday in October to boot! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1. Check it out: "Robert Dennis Crumb is an American artist and illustrator recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical and subversive view of the American mainstream. In 1968, R. Crumb self-published the first issue of Zap Comix and its success quickly established Crumb as the best-known artist of the underground comics movement. Crumb's artwork references details commonly found in early 20th-century cartoon styles. However, his stories are frequently satirical, sexual and politically outrageous. Supreme produced a series of two t-shirts and a zip-up hoodie incorporating the artwork of R. Crumb. This series will be available mid-October at Supreme stores." Checkout the details on Supreme's site and these images of the designs. And if you haven't seen the documentary on R. Crumb yet, get it now. It's fascinating.

2. We just can't get enough Fred Perry these days. The latest: a collaboration with British band The Dead 60s. "After an incendiary live gig in the Fred Perry Newburgh Street shop in September 2005, Matt--lead singer of The Dead 60s--asked if the brand had ever produced a tartan reversed Harrington. He's been searching for one for ages. We hadn't and thought it was a great idea - echoing the way the Harrington was worn reverse side out in the Punk era. As well as the Fred Perry laurel, each jacket will be individually numbered and come with a Dead 60s neck label. There's also an elasticated black cuff and waist. Fred Perry will be releasing 500 of Red Stuart Tartan and Monochrome Cornish Tartan Harrington worldwide." Checkout this page to signup to be one of the first to have access to buying this limited edition jacket. Don't forget to checkout The Dead 60s on Myspace and their official site.

3. check back shortly for updates...

One of our favorite stores in the world--super cool Miami store BASE--has hooked up this.hearts.on.fire. once again with their Album Club Picks. The picks are a very well-curated set of some of the sexiest, coolest music anywhere. I love it because it's so different from my usual taste and always introduces me to new artists that I would not have heard otherwise. You can listen to samples and buy each album by clicking on the links below.

10. Hotel Costes 10 / Luxurious, eclectic and sophisticated, Hotel Costes returns with legendary DJ Stephane Pompougnac turning in another cosmopolitan set of chilled out lounge tunes.

9. Boca AllStars Vol. 1 / Boca Barranca is a club located in Marina Romea, Italy, and Boca All Stars represents the best of the artists appearing there, with Mark Clive De Lowe, Nicola Conte, and Colonel Red providing deep, funky and soulful beats for those of us who couldn't be there in the flesh.

8. Bitter: Sweet (The Remix Game) / LA outfit Bitter: Sweet burst onto the scene in 2006 with The Mating Game, successfully mixing Chillout, funk, and cinematic quirky lounge, which has now been remixed, albeit with all of the musical integrity of the originals intact.

7. Lemongrass (Filmotheque) / Roland Voss, aka "Lemongrass", has chosen to create a "score" of sorts for the cinema, with jazz, horns, acoustic guitar, piano, strings and an overall sense of beauty and melancholy pervading the album.

6. Cafe Mambo Ibiza 2007 / "Ibiza's best DJ" Pete Gooding and Steve Miller of Afterlife dug deep into their personal CD collections for Café Mambo Ibiza for some of the finest laid back house and down tempo Balearic beats on the planet.

5. Thomas Dybdahl (Scienc) / Called a "delicate and soulful folk masterpiece", Norwegian Thomas Dybdahl's major label debut showcases an intimate style and emotive vocals giving us another example of a singer-songwriter who understands the value of subtlety in music.

4. Kira Neris (Behind Closed Doors) / French outfit Kira Neris follow in the footsteps of the Cinematic Orchestra and St.Germain in redefining what "good" Nu-Jazz music is about, sporting deep and lush jazz grooves steeped in the traditional with a modern twist.

3. Stateless / Not quite Radiohead, not quite Coldplay, Leeds own Stateless has burst onto the scene with a self-titled debut album already hailed as an "instant classic."

2. Gaudi + Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn (Dub Qawwali) / By combining the peaceful vibe of Reggae with the spiritual vibe of Qawwali, Dub Qawwali represents a new and welcome invention in world music.

1. Cielo (Volare) / Drawing upon the summer glitz of Ibiza, and transferring it to the gritty Meatpacking District of New York, Cielo's vibes have become legendary for excellent deep and soulful house, again well represented in this fourth volume in the series.

1. Check it out: New York's hometown boys A.R.E. Weapons are back with a vengance. Checkout tracks from Modern Mayhem, the just-released EP from the band. Like the rest of their music, it's really hot. I remember seeing them back in the day at Plaid (maybe it was the bar that was there before it? I don't remember.) and they fu%*king rocked. I've never quite understood why they haven't gotten bigger than they are. Don't forget their Wikipedia entry and this bio on Rough Trade Records site.

2. Deitch's Director--Nicola Vassell--is hosting a one night exhibit Burnouts featuring the works of Canadian artist Aurel Schmidt this Thursday from 6-9pm at her house. SVP to info@deitch.com to get on the list. For more info on the show checkout this page on Tiny Vices, as well as this page featuring some of the works that will be shown. Don't forget to checkout this interview with the artist, more works and info on Saatchi's site, and this page on Tiny Vices, with links to other bodies of Schmidt's work.

3. check back shortly for updates...

1. It's all about Chucks. Chuck Taylors have been back in style in full force for a few years now: low-tops, high-tops, and the ongoing series of super hot John Varvatos custom designs. My favorites: the all black, tone-on-tone, leather high-tops. They're simple and hot and go with just about everything. For those of you into the super white sneaker thing that's going on right now, there's the all white version. And if you're a fan of canvas over leather, they've got them in that style too.

2. Last night, we headed out to opening for LES artist que`vz at the 55DSL store in SoHo. Hot crowd, great work, free booze and a shocking new tee design prominently displayed from the AW07 collection that reads "Fifty Fuckin Five". Looks like the word fuck out has finally trickled down to the masses. On the way out, the DJ played one of my favorite songs ever: Sister Nancy's Bam Bam. If you don't know it, click here to listen. Next it was off to the soon-to-be-closed Gavin Brown's Enterprise, where Useless mag was having a party for the release of their latest issue Useless #6. Checkout Gawker for party pix and the list of stores on their site to find out where you can get your hands on a copy!

3. One of our favorite bands (The Secret Machines) is playing the last of their 4 week Wednesday residency (An Evening With The Secret Machines) at one of our favorite venues (The Annex) on Wednesday 10.03.07. "For the next 3 Wednesdays the Secret Machines will be playing an exclusive residency at The Annex in New York City debuting new material, playing old favorites, and bringing it back to basics. Tickets are on sale now: here." Unannounced special guests will also perform, but until the night of the show, it's a secret. Don't forget to checkout their MySpace for much more info, as well as this videos for Lightning Blue Eyes and Nowhere Again, as well as their Wikipedia entry.