Jose' Gonzalez - Heartbeats Live/Bravia Commercial

Is this really a commercial featuring Jose? It's beautiful either way. It could be used for a promotional video. I guess in a way it is. You will need to have the latest version of QuickTime. Enjoy!

Heartbeats Live/Interview

Commercial Only

Convert vinyl to digital files

The Chicago Tribune tackles a common problem for Bushwick hipsters. How can you get your vinyl onto your computer.

Q. I am looking to rip my vinyl LPs into digital music files and was wondering if you could recommend software to do this job. I have a turntable that has an internal amplifier and will connect directly to my PC?

A. Once one has acquired a turntable with an internal amplifier and a computer with a line-in soundcard, there are two approaches to software. You can acquire a shareware program from small-time operations over the Web or buy one of the programs from established companies. I'll give you my choices in each category, Mr. G. I've never seen audio-recording shareware that beats the product from the Netherlands-based Polderbits Software (www.polderbits.com). Called Sound Recorder and Editor, the software works with admirable simplicity. It costs about $33.50. A bit of advice: You can avoid a lot of invasive ads by looking for the option on the download page to use the Netherlands site rather than one nearby your home state.
The software does exactly what you describe and then some. It not only will record anything that is plugged into the computer's line-in port, but it also will automatically snip files into individual tracks so you can name each song. I prefer a more costly solution because I am a heavy user of DVD/CD recording packages like Nero 7 Ultra and Roxio/Sonic Solutions Easy Media Creator, both around $80. These suites of media software include splendid line-in recording, along with a huge number of other tools, ranging from copying a CD to making a fairly serious movie. I have tried both with good results. Check them out at www.nero.com and www.roxio.com. You'll need to wade through dozens of features to find the sound-recording and editing software, but it certainly delivers what you want. And both offer serious sound-editing software to remove scratch and dust sounds and other glitches.

Mrs. Scruff

Mr Scruff - "Mrs Cruff"

It should have been called Mrs. Scruff, but he choose Cruff? hmmmm.
We shall forgive the name of the record, it's the yummy creamy center we are concerned with anyway. The Music!
One of the most underrated artists on one of the most underrated labels(Ninja tune). This album was originally released on Pleasure Records, and only on vinyl. The re-issue came out in May of this year and contains 7 extra tracks.

Trip hop? Yes
Jazzy? Mos def
Yummy? All over

Mr Scruff "Crisps" MP3

Buy Mrs Cruff Here

We are babies

It's always great to find a good unsigned band. Did so on my weekend in Los Angeles. This band has a bright future indeed. Very pop/indie. I hear a little flaming lips in there...

Who do they remind you of?

Great Northern Demo (MP3)

More info on Great Northern

Franz

Franz Ferdinand - "Walk Away"

Well, the boys from Glasgow have regained our favor. "Walk Away" is more spiritied and better articulated than "So you want to". The song features a slow, steady verse reminiscent of "matinee" and boasts a strong energetic chorus and ending. While not brilliant the song does present a certain carefree exuberance. But that's Franz. They just come around for a good time, make a few jokes, and then leave. Nothing memorable but a fun substitute from some of the heavier bands currently playing.

Walk Away MP3

Buy You Could Have It So Much Better Here

From Bushwick to Central Park West?

From the ghetto of my Bushwick apartment to the high life of Central Park West? Ahhhh, it must be Thanksgiving!

Zombies/Kinks belong on every mix

One rule for mix tapes. Each mix must include one Kinks song, and should contain a Zombies song. Believe me, they will work in almost every mix.

I wonder what my Bushwick neighbors think when I'm blasting the Zombies song.

Zombies "Care of Cell 44" MP3

Kinks "King Kong" MP3

Dream catchers work

If your dream is to be gay.

John would have blogged high and nude...

and you should too.
Oh yes.
Where I am going with this babble? Nowhere.

I think I'm officially drunk. It's Thanksgiving and you gotta love a buzz on a Wednesday. I think it's time people got a little more creative and out of control in their blogging. It's getting so safe and cute isn't it? Well it isn't safe in Bushwick. We live under constant fear of death and torture. You have no idea what that does to a person.

Listen John would have blogged. He would have blogged high and naked in the Dakota, and we would have watched him masturbate on a web cam. Make Lennon proud, and show us something damn you.

Festive Lennon MP3 ("Only You")

Plastic Ono Band - "Isolation" MP3

Buy Lennon's Music Here

Pick the Bushwick is Beautiful Single of the Year

We would like your help in picking the single of the year. This is obviously our favorite top 10 list, but we'd like you to have the final say.

Here are the top ten songs we discovered this year. Download, enjoy, and choose your favorite song.

1. Clap Your Hands say Yeah - "Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth"

2. Sufjan Stevens - "John Wayne Gacy, Jr."

3. Jose Gonzalez' - "Heartbeats"

4. Spoon - "I Summon You"

5. Elephants - "Dreaming of a Puppy"

6. Wolf Parade - "Modern World"

7. Levy - "Rotten Love"

8. Caribou - "Hello Hammerheads"

9. Devendra Banhart/Jana Hunter - "That Dragon is My Husband"

10. Elliot Smith - "Thirteen"

Buy The Top 10 Singles Here

2005 Plug Independent Music Awards

Vote now! Best Station, Band, Album, etc.

Glad to see Soundfix in Brooklyn is up for best record store.

Vote Here

Together we can keep Bushwick Beautiful!

A few important tips for my fellow Bushwick neighbors:

When you shoot someone, please pick up your shells.

When you mug, mug with respect. A little please and thank you can go a long way.

When you pee, pee quickly and aim high.

Clean up the glass around your apartment.

Pretend the rats and roaches don't exist, I've found it helps.

It's not "EAST Williamsburg" it's Buchwick ok. Deal with it.
We live here because we can't afford or don't like Williamsburg.

Love it, and never leave it.

Cabin Chillin'

Mi and l'Au - S/T

It's as if the music was recorded in that cozy cabin you see on the cover. Yes that's the cover kids, one perfect picture. A virgo's delight.
Part Joni Mitchell, a bit of Animal Collective and Jose Gonzalez. Basically everything we like. Enjoy these MP3s from the male/female duo.

From the Young God Record's site:
"We have recently finished recording an album by Mi and L'au here in Brooklyn. I co-produced it with them. It turned out very lovely indeed. It was a privilege to work with such talented, sincere, and intensely focused individuals. They have a quite passion that is expressed both in the way they are as human beings and in their songs. The music is austere, but simultaneously warm. Picture a glacier with a red ember glowing in its center. Mi and L'au met in Paris a few years back. Mi is Finnish and was working as a model to make ends meet and L'au (who's French) was working in the music industry (soundtracks, I think). They fell deeply and immediately in love, and after a short period of moving from apartment to apartment in Paris, they gave everything up and decided to move to the woods in Finland, so they could be alone together in peace and to spend their time discovering each other and their music."

"I've Been Watching You" MP3

"Christmas Soul" MP3

Buy Mi and l'Au Here

Panthers Tonight in Williamsburg

Panthers - Nov. 19th (10:30) @ Glass House
(38 S 1st St)










There aren't too many "rock" bands anymore, and there are few that do it well. Brooklyn's Panthers are one of few exceptions. The band will satisfy every white man's need to rock. They are edgy enough for hipsters, and hard enough for your jean jacket wearing brother from New Jersey. Simply put, they are just damn good at what they do. If you can keep still to these guys, check your pulse.

I passed by John Lennon in Central Park

John Lennon 2oo5-

I saw John Lennon while walking in Central Park today. Good to see John out walking about more. I guess the Lennons get tired of pacing the Dakota floors from their coke fueled daze. He still has that limp after he was shot 5 times in the leg. Good thing that Mark David Chapman was a horrible shot.

"Be My Baby" MP3

Hold me

~I'd say you make a perfect angel in the snow
all crushed out on the way you are
better stop before it goes too far
don't you know that I love you
sometimes I feel like only a cold still life
that fell down here to lay beside you~

"Angel in the Snow" MP3

Transfiguration of Vincent

M Ward -

The Bourbon is on him.

You are walking into an old bar saloon in Kentucky circa 1881. M Ward maybe there by the Saloon's old crumbling piano. This guy has a nice small body of work, be sure to check out Transistor Radio . It was released by Merge earlier this year. Everyone needs a little M Ward on their pods.

"Poor Boy, Minor Key" MP3
"Outta My Head" MP3

Buy Transfiguration of Vincent here

Britt Daniel is a Slut

Harsh but true?




You know his catchy tunes, and you know his shake of the leg. What you probably don't know is that he's slept with your girlfriend. That's right, Britt Daniel is a gang banger, a baller, a pimp daddy. He's every man's nightmare. Yet somehow we forgive Mr. Daniel because he makes us shake out hipster ass.

This track was recorded during a break in England, earlier this fall. The Hipster 'shake' will ensue from Bushwick to Williamsburg tonight.

My First Time, Vol. 3 - Single

The entire Spoon catalog is available from Itunes.

The Fiery Fucks

Admit it, you hate them. You despise them for everything they have done to you. They are pitchfork's darlings. I don't even buy the Rating: 4.0 rating they gave Rehearsing My Choir. It was a cover for their sweet darling little fiery fucks. Please make them go away.

Ok I really don't hate them that much. Yes, I danced to that "summer" song on the ep.

If I was going to use my grandmother for the recording though. I would sit her in a dark room, with a flash light, and sing some freaky shit. That would be a recording worth releasing Domino! Home of the shit that is, Franz Ferdianan. How dare ye! (thanks for all the other great stuff though)


Here is an MP3 from the fiery sensation.

"Though Let's Be Fair" MP3

Buy the Motherfucker here

Am I just Stoned?

Gris Gris - For the Season

Meet another "psychedelic" pop stoner band for 2006. This is their second album, and it's starting to get some nice college radio airplay. The album isn't perfect, but it's definitely one for repeated listening. The track I have selected to share is different than most on the album. Enjoy the Mp3 and buy the album like me.

"Winter Weather" MP3

Buy For the Season here

Screaming Masterpiece - Music from the Film

Recently I stumbled upon an intensely creative and
reflective album that compelled me to create something
of my own. The soundtrack to the film Screaming
Masterpiece is a perfect accompaniment to artistic
exploration. The album features a number of
intelligent, emotion-filled songs that force the
listener to work through their own feelings. Though
the songs themselves are powerful, as a compilation
the album express a brilliant range which could not be
conveyed in a single song.

Though the album has a defined sound and scope,
several songs stand out. Sigur Ros’ contribution to
the album is a steady layered piece that intensifies
into a climax of frenzied guitars and drums. Bang Gang
presents a dark pop piece with 60s flair that has the
potential to become an acclaimed single. The
Sugarcubes and their frenetic 80s style avant pop
piece are a band I hope to hear more from in the
future.

If you are filled with an artistic urge, Screaming
Masterpiece is a great music choice. Its creativity
and depth will likely inspire you to create something
yourself. A few pieces are a bit esoteric-and not
great listens by themselves- but fall within the
album’s cathartic spirit. Screaming Masterpiece pushes
its listeners through an intense cycle of a motions,
but the fulfillment in the end is well worth the
effort. -Le Maddox

Here is track 6, from the a new Icelandic band Bang Gang.

"Screaming Masterpiece Track 6" MP3

Buy Screaming Masterpeice here

The Cone Zone!

What this man possesses that makes me go all goofy with glee, I do not know. Should I had such man love for, well, a man? Conan makes me giggle like a school girl. Alright, I said it! So I attended a taping Conan O'brien on Wednesday. Waited in line with a friend 3 hours before the show started. We were second in line, and had seats right in the front. If you are attending of the show, get there from 2:15-2:30 if you want a good seat. Before the show comedian comes out at warms up everyone. He was pretty funny, kept talking about how conan was sniffing cocaine in the back. Then the man we all have been waiting for rushes out in a burst of energy to his adoring fans. The audience was really loud. Conan came out and stood right over my friend and I. Then he pulled up my friend and started dancing with him the aisle. Stunned, I can't help but laugh my ass off. He asks my friend if they can have an akdwardly long hug. He obliges. Show was pretty good. The guests were Philip Seymour Hoffman and the younger guy from the Office. Musical guest Neil Young. He seemed very spacey, and not quite all there. There were a lot of nerds in the crowd. I was one. Shit, I had entered the Cone Zone.