Brooklyn's Best Bands

Well, it's no secret that the days of Manhattan being the home to struggling artists and musicians are long gone. The city is now overrun with guys in finance, foodies, and rich Europeans.

Native New York City rocker Julian Casablancas even criticized his home turf in a recent Pitchfork interview, saying "New York is like one bar/restaurant/Whole Foods/Starbucks thing now. You used to have a range of neighborhoods but now there's like two cool streets in Manhattan."

Brooklyn's music scene, however, is pretty much killing it. New York Magazine has comprised a list of the top 40 songs from Brooklyn-based bands. Below are the top 10. Click here for the full list.

# 1 - Dirty Projectors “Stillness Is the Move”
# 2 - Grizzly Bear “Two Weeks"
# 3 - MGMT “Kids”
# 4 - LCD Soundsystem “All My Friends”
# 5 - TV on the Radio “Golden Age”
# 6 - Gang Gang Dance “House Jam”
# 7 - Vivian Girls “Where Do You Run to”
# 8 - Vampire Weekend “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”
# 9 - Yeasayer “2080”
# 10 - Animal Collective “My Girls”

Colette X Gap

As we anxiously await the opening of Colette X Gap on September 6, we’ve scored a few images from the collaborative, star-studded stash. Apparel will include this Gap denim “Dreamer” jacket by Olympia Le Tan, a customized trench by French graffiti artist André (the belt reads "Andre & Colette hearts New York & Paris"), and illustrated collaborative tees by a mix of French and New York artists and brands, among them Genevieve Gauckler, Jean-Philippe Delhomme, Peter Arkle, Claw Money, Miss.Tic, and Clements Ribeiro. Check out a smattering of accessories below, like this sweet Alexis Mabille clutch, neon-blue Asics sneakers, Oakley shades with star-printed plastic frames, and a tiny knit key ring from Anne-Marie Herckes. The final haul will include an expanded array of crowd-pleasers — a Hello Kitty watch and ties by Adam Kimmel. But we’ll be rushing the doors along with you opening day to get our hands on a Ruben Toledo tee (just part of our never-ending plan to stalk the Toledos. Sigh).

Need a Good Bathroom? Grub Street's Guide to Loos You Can Use

In these dark rooms we found jack-o-lanterns, volumes of existentialist literature, live fish, warnings against cocaine peddling, waterfalls, pachinko machines, S&M gear, and the city’s most expensive toilet. The only thing we missed was Larry Craig. We hope you enjoy the resulting compendium of loos you can use.

How Will Christopher Nolan ‘Dark Knight’–ify the Stupider Batman Villains?

An excellent question. Read more.

Presidential Hopeful

In Oliver Stone’s sure-to-be-controversial W., Josh Brolin finds both the comedy (pretzel choke!) and pathos in our soon-to-be-history president.

Exclusive Excerpt: Stephen Davis’s ‘Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N’ Roses’

As Axl Rose purportedly makes final preparations to put out Chinese Democracy any minute now, Stephen Davis, the esteemed rock biographer behind 1985's classic Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga, is releasing his long-awaited Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N' Roses via Gotham Books today. In it, Davis traces GN'R's illustrious history all the way back to Rose's origins as a disaffected Indiana kid named Bill Bailey. After the jump, in an exclusive excerpt from the book's introduction, Davis discovers the inspiration behind the band's best-loved hit.

Will This Fall’s Movies Be As Depressing As Last Fall’s?

It's nearly fall! That magical time of year when the air gets crisper, the leaves change color, and Hollywood conspires with the pharmaceutical industry to win Oscars and sell craploads of Paxil. Last year gave us awards-quality glumfests like There Will Be Blood, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and In the Valley of Elah. It also gave us a severe case of clinical depression. Will we survive 2008? Or will this year's crop of movies be even more dour than last year's? After the jump, we break it down weekend by weekend.

Rachel McAdams Does New York Times Magazine

Interview by Lynn Hirschberg.