El Oso's 6th Annual Best Records of the Year

It's that time again. Our good friend Bill aka El Oso has put out his best records of 2008.

1. Frightened Rabbit – Midnight Organ Fight
2. Royal Bangs – We Breed Champions
3. Hush Arbors – Hush Arbors
4. American Princes – Other People
5. Dr Dog – Fate
6. Blitzen Trapper – Furr
7. The Broken West - Now Or Heaven
8. British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
9. Jay Reatard – Matador Singles '08
10. No Age - Nouns
11. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
12. Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer
13. The Uglysuit – The Uglysuit
14. Brendan Canning – Something For All of Us
15. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
16. James Blackshaw – Litany of Echoes
17.Foals – Antidotes
18. All The Saints – Fire on Corridor X
19. We Were Promised Jetpacks – 3
20. Glasvegas – Glasvegas
21. Jack Rose – Dr Ragtime And His Pals
22. Nomo – Ghost Rock
23. Popular Workshop – We're Alive And We're Not Alone
24. Santogold – Santogold
25. Fennesz – Black Sea
26. The Dodos – Visiter
27. Parts and Labor – Receivers
28. Sun Kil Moon – April
29. The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound
30. Cheap Time – Cheap Time
31. The Dutchess and The Duke - She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke
32. Bill Frisell – History, Mystery
33. Quinn Walker – Laughter's An Asshole / Lion Land
34. El Guincho - Alegranza
35. The Sea and Cake - Car Alarm
36. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
37. The Constantines – Kensington Heights
38. Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
39. Bound Stems – The Family Afloat
40. Koushik - Out My Window
41.Wavves – self-released cassette
42. Plants and Animals – Parc Avenue
43. Box Elders – Hole In My Head
44. Young Knives – Superabundance
45. Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Graves
46. White Denim - Workout Holiday
47. The Ruby Suns – Sea Lion
48. Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life
49. Love is All – A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night
50 Endless Boogie - Focus Level
51. Parsley Flakes – Dead Living
52. Deerhunter – Microcastle
53. Charlie Haden Family & Friends – Rambling Boy
54. Quiet Village - Silent Movie
55. Allá – Es Tiempo
56. Sloan - Parallel Play
57. Paul Westerberg – 49:00
58. Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
59. Neon Neon – Stainless Style
60. The M's – Real Close Ones
61. Jolie Holland – Living and the Dead
62. Catfish Haven – Devastator
63. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
64. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns
65. Boris – Smile
66. Tall Firs – Too Old To Die
67. Dan Friel – Ghost Town
68. Amadou & Mariam - Welcome to Mali
69. Suicide Note - Empty Rooms
70. Ratatat – LP3
71. Torche – Meanderthal
72. Joan Of Arc – Boo Human
73. The Week That Was
74. Hayden - In Field and Town
75. Shugo Tokumaru – Exit
76. Oxford Collapse - Bits
77. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrsing
78. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
79. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
80. Times New Viking – Rip It Off
81. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
82. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
83. Mystery Jets - Twenty One
84. Beck - Modern Guilt
85. The Walkmen - You & Me
86. High Places - High Places
87. Helios – Ceasura
88. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
89. Crooked Fingers – Forfeit / Fortune
90. Calexico - Carried to Dust
91. Hercules and Love Affair
92. Have a Nice Life - Deathconsciousness
93. Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
94. Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances
95. The Futureheads - This Is Not the World
96. She & Him - Volume One
97. Mudhoney - The Lucky Ones
98. Metallica - Death Magnetic
99. REM – Accelerate
100. Mercury Rev – Snowflake Midnight
101. Guns and Roses – Chinese Democracy

What's your top albums of 2008? Feel free to leave a comment whether you agree or disagree?

-Baroke Randy
currently listening to the citizens of chicago screaming their lungs out because the Bears just won an amazing game!

I Want to Be at This Party

Seriously...sick commercial by Adidas



I did some research on the song because it's a jam. It's a remix of a old school song by Frankie Valli and the Four Season called Beggin'. The remix is by Pilooski, a French DJ.

Want the song? Here. Thanks to the blog Mashup Town for that one.

On the subject of commercials, our friend Tim was telling me how he has the Bulls 3 peats on cassette tapes at home. He then reminded me of a certain commercial. How many people remember Neon Deion?

Now, who remembers this commercial?



Recognize the actor? It's Mighty Mos. Filmed in '96 this was before his rapping career took off and bigger acting roles.

That's all.

Oh yeah... its negative 5 right now in Chicago, and Baroke David is in Florida. Send him hate e-mails.

Good Day

-Baroke Daniel
listening to Poolski...c'mon, obviously

I Dream of Summer... ALREADY!!!

So, much of the Baroke team has recently finished up another semester of schooling, and have collectively inched towards the day when we each will enter real life. Besides continuing on with Baroke and design goodness, I will be *fingers crossed* entering grad school for urban planning. I recently completed a paper that involved a lot of bike planning and in my research I found streetfilms.org, a site that deals with urban street design and use.

There are tons of films here, displaying innovative street use around the globe, and I found some awesome examples of how to use streets more efficiently while providing a more egalitarian setting (rather than making way for SUVs and placing token bike lanes along the parking margins, Chicago).

We here at Baroke aren't restricted to clothing when it comes to design. Good design helps to improve quality of life in whatever field you may find yourself in. The built environment is perhaps the design exerting the most significant impact on each and every one of us. Still, entire towns are constructed haphazardly with little regard for individuals who live a way of life that either refuses or cannot afford the luxuries of seclusion that American ideals call for today. Streets in America are the most prevalent form of public space, yet they reflect our inability to provide for the common good in that they provide for the luxury of the automobile over the safety, accessibility and diversity of all individuals who may care to use them.

I thought it would be cool to list a few of the videos that I found most interesting and insightful:











-Baroke David
Listening to: M83 - before the dawn heals us

Me want this...

via Swissmiss

Buy Here

-Baroke Daniel
listening to Cadence Weapon

Baroke Head

I just received a few dope pictures pictures that I want to share with you kids.




Big shout out to Kevin from Chicago. Now thats how you bring your fixed gear to another level.

If any of you have creative Baroke pictures, please feel free to send them in to me. Show us love and we will show you some love.


stay icy,
Baroke Randy
currently listening to jayz - brooklyn

Take a Second to be Emo

As always during our downtime at Baroke, we surf the net. My surfing last night led me to an article on Yahoo which discusses how horrible some band names are. Included in that article is a link to a Emo Band Name creator. My band name is "Sunnyday Helicopter Drug." I need a bassist, drummer, and teen angst, who's in? Your time spent on that site depends on how many friends you can think of.

That made me remember a certain video from a couple years back. My friend Christina had shown me a video on how to be emo. It's 21 minute mock-umentary, on how to make the change. Well worth the time.



A simple google search brought me to this site. Hopefully, it's a joke.

It is a serious subject.

The scene should be dead soon, so make sure to laugh before it's over. Until then we will have to deal with the new King of Emo.



-baroke daniel
currently listening to: Something Happy

Broken ankles and Dance-y Songs

I had two separate things I wanted to post, but I decided to do one mega post.

Randy and I were talking about Derrick Rose and his cross over on Andre Miller.

Watch here...



Then anger yourself by reading the mindless comments people write.

We will end with this...Click Here

Common featuring Pharell on the new track Universal Mind Control. I didn't know Hype Williams had skills with lazers and robots. Any who, the song is sick.



Youtube won't allow embedding on this song. Friggin' Geffen.

Common's new cd comes out in a little over a week. The album has been done since summer but Common is a movie star and was filming so it wasn't released. There is also a commercial on his site in which Afrika Bambaataa and Common discuss influences for the song.

I think the Zulu Nation needs a web designer.

out.

ps I play songs like these on this RADIO SHOW. Tuesdays 10am-12pm. UICradio.org

-baroke daniel
listening to: Common (as one would guess)

Er?

I was looking through one of my daily inspiration blogs and stumbled upon this image.



Could this truly be a place where dreamers such as I could live out a fantasy of becoming a superhero? Or is this just a sick joke that shatters children's dreams? (Not inferring that I am a child but rather that I seem to have childlike tendencies)

Please chime in and leave a comment if you know more information about this place. If you are in the Brooklyn area, can you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE shine some light upon this mysterious yet delightfully fantastical establishment.

Be COOL, buy shirts.


happy december,
-Baroke Randy
currently listening to Grizzly Bear(Another fantastic Brooklyn creation) - Two Weeks

Posturing?

This:

Is different than this:

Is a lot different than this:


And yes, she looks good with that eyeshadow.

Gotta love the Castles. And last night at work the DJ played Kid Cudi, who in my opinion you also must love. Check it out, and GO BEARS!

Buy Baroke.

-David of Baroke.

Bling'd Out.

I saw these pictures posted by my friend Stephanie and thought I'd show a little love for having an unofficial "Matching Baroke" day.

Baroke Status shirt + Gray jeans = Delicious. Thanks for the support!


(Dave, Stephanie, Kevin)




Baroke Randy
currently listening to - Clipse - Big Dreams

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Baroke wishes you all a happy thanksgiving. Eat well friends. 

-Baroke

Should we take 'em to court?

Last week during my blog surfing/procrastination/downtime, I found this site Let me Google that for You. Funny, yes. It is also a good thing to have if someone asks you for a site or something that is 10 seconds away from finding it on google. After I actually googled Baroke, I found this....

Nothing like cheesy 3D effect, 4 color, 3 font, anti-liberal t-shirts. You be the judge. Here.

-baroke Daniel

currently listening to: something liberal

On A More Serious Note, aka Dave rants...

So, we here at Baroke have been blessed to the point that we still have jobs, pretty much have school wrapped up, and are able to make ends meet - by the way, thank you for supporting us as always, but especially in such a vulnerable time for small business. Thanks :)

That said, I have been staying in tune with Congress and corporate America at such a pivotal time for our nation. One thing that has irked me of late, is the auto companies' seeking $25 billion. We made a shirt this line, 'the suburbs are killing us,' and that shirt speaks to the physical environment in which the majority of Americans live in today: the suburbs. The suburbs have quite a history- and I want to TRY and stay on topic, so I'll only discuss what's relevant to the video below for now.

During the 1950s, auto makers like GM did things like buy transit systems. They then proceeded to drive those transit systems right into the ground. Why? Because they wanted those riders on the trains and trolleys to become drivers on the highways that they would later cause to be built (with your tax dollars, of course).



Next, the suburbs kept growing (due to de-industrialization and racist FHA neighborhood ranking systems that denied loans to specific neighborhoods, as well as racist realtors). The suburbs grew further and further away from the city center, and as time progressed, it became an absolute necessity to own a car in order to live in these enclaves and low-tax bedroom communities. People lived less and less densely, with McMansions sprouting along the periphery of the region, leeching off of the city proper. These homes need cars, and cars need roads. As I mentioned a moment ago, the residents insist on paying some of the lowest taxes in the entire world. So who pays for those roads and firemen and policemen and water pipes and schools to be built? EVERYONE WHO DOESN'T LIVE THERE! They get the money from the taxes that the general public pays, and then wealthy people move in, taking with them the taxes they paid in their former hometown.

This means that schools on the inner core get less money, and neighborhoods that were formerly populated by the haves fall into squalor for the have-nots. Many automobile and oil producers have squashed electric car development and successfully lobbied congress to repeal the miles per gallon standards that were put in place by Nixon and Carter. My point....

The autoworkers are people I feel for. The auto-ceos are a bunch of shortsighted idiots who leech off of our money and feed us products and habitats that are unremarkable and wasteful. I was taught in 4th grade - and yes, I lived in the suburbs - that we would have oil shortages by the year 2000. That happened, gas prices went up, and people stopped buying SUVs. Gas prices are only low now because of low demand for all the products - i.e. plastics, gasoline, etc. GM's CEO said he didn't see it coming.

So when these morons who we've given too much money to already are asking for more, I say only give them loans if they build air compression or electric powered vehicles. If it wasn't for the jobs (and the fact that I was raised by a mechanic), I would say screw 'em, and let some companies who know what they're doing come in and take their market share. Let the people who deserted their city bring back their tax dollars. I'll shut up now, here's the vid:



-Baroke "hippie idealist" David

tv show for the hipster child

A 3 year old buddy of mine, Alex, introduced me to Yo Gabba Gabba! this summer -- an over-the-top colorful tv show with no purpose and unclassifiable characters. I can't really describe the content...couldn't tell what was going on to be honest. It's just no Mr. Rogers thats for sure, but it gets kids moving and grooving?! what? yah i dont know either. They have a deejay - DJ Lance Rock.

Anyway, I was doing some research so I could hook this kooky kid up with some Yo Gabba Gabba! gear for Christmas and realized that they collab w/ Kid Robot and Paul Frank. Geez, finally these companies are hitting the right target market!

Their website is fascinating...like artistically, graphically kinda cool. Pretty colors! I can see why any hipster child or cute-things loving person would eat this shit right up! Its fascinating the kinds of visual stimluation our munchkins get today!

I chose to share this link. There's something really therapeutic about this. Just let it load first. Color Garden

p.s. I know I don't blog much, working on that...this is my start.

eekers.
Baroke Victoria

More procrastination goodies!!!

Finals are coming up right after Thanksgiving for 3/4 of the Baroke tribe. For that reason, I bring you Fleet Foxes and a cute little French girl.

First, the Foxes:

La Blogotheque has a pretty flippin awesome video of the Fleet doing their thing. Also, since the winter makes me think about the Shins for some reason, I'll throw them in too!


Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.




Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

I want to have a little French daughter one day. Enjoy Wednesday.

Cookin' Something Up...

I think today was the first day that Chicago finally got some real snow on the ground. What better way to celebrate such an occasion except with a Baroke meeting. Wheeee?



Just in case you all didn't know, we are quite busy people. Individually, we all have other projects and jobs outside of Baroke so getting together is a rare commodity.





Occasionally we allow Baroke Victoria to sneak in some grub.


Lucky for us we got to document such commodities.


Baroke Randy
currently listening to - M.I.A. - What I Got

Things to ponder about...

I received an interesting msg the other in the most odd place.


To whoever did this: Quite clever my friend...quite clever.


Baroke Randy
currently listening to - qtip - life is better

Should be studying but...

I found this awesome site! Just meandering about the internetting today when I came across fabchannel.com, a site that has tons of concerts for you to watch on it. For free! So far I've watched the Black Keys, SpankRock and some Arcade Fire. Time to check out the Presets show! Then I'll get back to the studying.



-Baroke David
currently listening to: the presets - girl and the sea

Crowder.

One of my favorite bands (David Crowder Band) came into town. Luckily I had my trusty camera so I thought I'd share the wealth:








Speaking of pictures, here is Baroke Randy's picture of the day: A very candid Baroke Daniel.



He's going to kill me. Alright, back to work. You Snooze You Lose. Buy a Tee!

Baroke Randy
currently listening to - Mint Royale - Show me

Refreshed from Camp Anawanna.

Yo!

Randy checkin' in. It's been awhile guys, hope all is well with you. Yes, you the reader who is currently reading these words. Mmmm. I must say, we have been getting some crazy weather around here. There are times when I forget that it is November with this September temperature.

Anyway, I got the chance to get away from the maddness this past weekend. I headed up to Lake Geneva, WI for some much needed rest. I took some time out to shoot some night photos and thought I'd share one with you guys.




It was quite beautiful out there. Alright, don't flame me but...this past weekend was the first time I have ever seen a shooting star. Yeap, I've been deprived. And for you photo heads, that picture was taken at ISO 100 with a 20minute exposure. Yes, it was pretty cold standing in the middle of nothingness.

So with all this talk about Obama and the future it made me take a step back and think about the good old times. Not that thinking about Obama and the future of our country is a bad thing, but just all this future outlook made me think about my childhood. Anyway, to my point. I was recently talking to Daniel and our friend Mary about a past tv show that we all used to watch when we were kids. This may go past some of you younger ones heads but we were discussing the classsic, Salute Your Shorts.



Please don't mind that random guy who comes on every so often. I couldn't find the original version of this but no worries, the words that he sings is the original words that were sung in the introduction. Doesn't this bring a blast of memories? Man, good times. Alright, enough of this reminiscing, time to get back to business. Just wanted to warn you all. IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN YOUR BAROKE SHIRTS YET, DONT COME CRYING LATER WHEN THEY ARE SOLD OUT. WE DO NOT REPRINT. I REPEAT, WE DO NOT REPRINT. Happy buying kids!

Baroke Randy
currently listening to M.I.A. feat Blaqstarr - Way Down in the Hole

Hope Change Anything Please

So the response to the new line has been awesome! We're all so happy to see our hard work paying off, and truly appreciate the interest shown in Baroke.

Today, however, the world is bigger than Baroke, and unless you've been kept in your basement your entire life by your crazy hillbilly grandparents, you know it was Obama vs McCain, and the United States chose its future (if you didn't vote you still chose). We at Baroke let our shoulders lean to the left for the most part, but regardless of your orientation, I'm glad our voices were heard. So long as you were well informed, that is.

A lot of amazing artwork has come out of this election season, and I wanted to share a few of our favorites here at Baroke.







For more posters and art work check out Design for Obama. If you have McCain art work feel free to post in the comments. These are some that I enjoyed.

Also check out Design Bay for their study of logo design and politics.

On a final patriotic note, I would implore everyone to give a listen to Malcolm X's "Ballot or the Bullet" speech. It emphasizes the need to support local businesses.


-baroke David
listening to: the Dodos - Red and Purple

BAROKE the vote...

Okay that doesn't work that well I know, but you get the point.



The 4 Baroke-ians have all voted, have you? This is a very important election and the whole world will be watching. So make the right choice! I am sure we will all be watching the votes getting counted all night.

With all this going on be sure to check out our newest line. Which features our shirt entitled "Anything Please." The entire shirt is made out to read, "Hope, Change, Anything Please." Our shirts are perfect for this fall weather.

Happy Voting!

-Baroke daniel
listening to: the Black Lips - O Katrina!

change clothes....then go

We got flashy again. Meaning our main website is all flash and we are back on this blog. It works out for us because we get to hear your comments again. Check out the new site which launched with the help of our good friend Sonny.



We have launched our long awaited new line of shirts. 5 new tee's and they will go fast. Trust me. You can see our look book at our site baroke clothing.



The four of us are very proud to present this line to you, and we always want to thank those who have helped and supported along the way. So...thank you.

Ummmm...enough, with the precious moments, go tell your friends, neighbors, and mother's that we sell shirts at BAROKE CLOTHING DOT COM.

Check back daily and comment below!

Did I mention our site?

Word.

-Baroke Daniel
listening to Kid Cudi