United Bamboo's After Evers Tees

by Ami Kealoha

Like legendary tees emblazoned with "This is Not a Fugazi Shirt", merch says a lot about a band. The latest in a series of curated t-shirt collections produced by New York label United Bamboo puts musicians themselves to work designing their own graphics. The included groups represent some of the most innovative and hyped artists of late with a heavy dose from the New York scene, including Black Dice, Animal Collective (pictured above), and LCD Soundsystem. The results, printed on not-so-soft tees with plastic transfers, range from the psychedelic doodling of White Magic to a brash statement that LCD Soundsystem softens with an embroidered dove. See LCD's message to the world and more after the jump.

Brian Eno’s 14 Video Paintings

by Ami Kealoha

Given Brian Eno’s dabbling in nearly every popular music form in the last 35 years, from nob-twirling glam pioneer to producing some of the best albums to come out of post punk and new wave (not to mention his own role as a forefather to electronic and ambient music) it’s not really a surprise he chose to experiment with another electronic medium—video.

In 1981 he set about to reexamine the role of video, altering it from a storytelling form to a purer visual medium. The timing was fortuitous; he was at the height of his artistic influence on popular culture having created the blueprint for experimental electronics in pop music with David Bowie's influential electronic-based Berlin albums a few years before.

A new DVD has been released containing two of his works from that era, and they work much like his ambient music, using dream-like tempos and digital manipulations that illuminate the composition. Perhaps the best feature is the idea that the videos be played on televisions placed on their sides, transforming them from devices of news and entertainment to gallery artworks, viewable as slowly moving paintings, liberating the medium from it slavishness to narrative and progression.

$25 from Rykodisc or Amazon.

by Patrick Speckman

Brooklyn's Woof Bites and Buttercup PAW-tisserie

by Evan Orensten

It's no secret that natural products and petsclusive stores have been gaining visibility in the marketplace. We recently discovered these two Brooklyn-based companies catering to deserving dogs and their owners. Those troubled by feeding their pets processed meat by-products and chemically-laden biscuits can find several healthy products on the market and increasingly more small-scale neighborhood spots that offer alternative snacks for pets. Woof Bites, Inc., a home-based family shop in Brooklyn bakes dog treats made from human-grade ingredients without sugar, preservatives, salt or any other bad stuff.

Currently on offer are four bone style treats made with homemade chicken broth, and carob-based treats for your pooch's sweet spot. There's even a treat made from peanut butter and mashed potatoes

The Buttercup PAW-tisserie, also in Brooklyn, makes doggie deserts, like "Peanut Butter Pup-Cakes" (pictured) and "Pawty Cakes" from human-grade ingredients without adding sugar, salt, or preservatives.

Also on CH: Sam's Yams, Dr. Becker's Bites

Note Book & Pencil

by Joel Niedfeldt

Let's be honest, as much as we try to go electronic, we're all still scribbling away on paper, writing todo notes, stock ideas, and grocery lists on plain old parchment. And as long as we're writing on paper, we're going to need a pen or a pencil. Designers "Sam and Jude" deserve a great big thanks for making our lives a little bit easier by combining these two in to one smart, simple package—although I still think a classic No. 2 correctly positioned behind the right ear is pretty sexy.

£10 at Suck UK

Melinda Beck

by Lost At E Minor

New York based illustrator Melinda Beck somehow manages to make even the most mundane of situations look exciting with her use of a bold, bright colour palette and ornamental decorative patterns. Since graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Beck has freelanced for a number of high profile clients — most notably The New York Times and ID Magazine. Her trademark block shapes seem to sit perfectly within their rather earthy surrounds, the realism of the backgrounds acting as a nice counter-presence to the somewhat abstract foreground imagery.

Milieu

by Evan Orensten

With so much music being released that's freely available on the internet, it's a little daunting to try and sift through to find the diamonds.

But British blogger Alex Young is a gifted electronica aficionado that does just that. His site, Milieu, is the most basic concept, but Young's taste and knowledge of the genre provides an invaluable service. He doesn't limit himself to music either. There's art, software and even Podcasts of some of the reviewed music for those of you in a hurry.

His interests are varied—you can get lost in this site.