BlackBook Magazine

We Are Scientists have been embraced by U.K. critics who know better. But is it too late to win our musical darlings back? Below, a dissection.

In 2005, We Are Scientists emerged as punk-funk debutantes equipped with fully-crafted, danceable hits and a persona that seamlessly mixed scholarship with stupidity. On their first album, With Love and Squalor, the Booklyn-based then-trio of frontman Keith Murray, bassist Chris Cane, and drummer Michael Tapper flirted with their fans stateside, kicked up some feet, and sent ripples through the music press—all the while having good hair.

Rogan Gregory, the eco-friendly designer behind Rogan—think natural fibers and hoodies, American Apparel without the ambiguously underaged exploitation—celebrated the release of his Target collection with a three-day shopping event at Barneys New York. The 60-style line, which ranges in price from $15 to $45, will be available in stores and online May 18. Celebrity friends like Amanda Peet, Diane Kruger, Alan Cumming, and Waris Ahluwalia came out to toast the collection. We wanted to make a joke about Rogan sounding like Rogaine, which makes us think of Hair Club for Men, and then segue into, "I'm not just the president, I'm also a customer." But it's Friday afternoon, so instead, we'll just show the video after the jump.

When Lykke Li asked the packed crowd at Bowery Ballroom how many of them were in love, we estimate about fifteen people put their hands up, including the couple in front of us (her first, then him). They gazed into each others eyes and kissed as Li reminded them of what they shared. We wanted to smack them. “This song is for everyone who’s not in love,” she announced amid cheers from the dispossessed, us included. Li was the centerpiece to a soiree of Swedish sweeties, her flawless set bookended by Scandinavian songbirds—Anna Ternheim first, and Sarah Assbring last, playing under her nom de plume El Perro Del Mar.

Going On is the best song off the new Gnarls Barkley record and now there’s a video to match. It teems with island charisma, and when it’s over, all you want to do is watch it again.

This book's been out for a few months, but if you haven't already heard of Cover Story -- a book of gorgeous, bizarre, and/or erogenous album compiled by Brooklyn's Wax Poetics magazine -- time to correct that oversight. To help get you in the mood, check out our sample gallery of pics from the book.

"Moscow Mule?" asks the waiter, as he proudly displays a sticky-sweet tray populated by an assortment of cocktails named after Russian donkeys. "Mule?" we italicize. He might as well have offered me a Burger Meat-tini. Still, thirsty, we drink. This is the last time our friend will come bearing gifts. You see, the private dinner to celebrate the launch of Unruly Heir at Bloomingdale's quickly devolved into a spectacle of starving socialites, double kisses, and take-out from the Cuban spot next to Thor.

And you thought Connecticut was all Talbot sweaters and tennis on Tuesdays. In fact, not only is Bridgeport America’s #1 destination for violent crime, but good old CT even has its own little version of Sin City. And as of May 17, the Foxwoods Resort Casino, perennial host to Cheap Trick reunions, dwindling comedy careers, and couples desperately trying to rekindle the magic, gets a luxurious new MGM Grand -- 825 pricey rooms, a 4000-seat theater, and a 5500-square-foot-outdoor pool. (Size doesn’t matter? Please.) And NY chef extraordinaire Tom Colicchio adds to his crafty dining empire here with a swanky new branch of Craftsteak. Management likens the new partnership to the airline alliance trend. Only here, it’s the customers who will be plunging into bankruptcy. Mommy’s alright, daddy’s alright ...

Nostalgic naysayers suggest that "Saturday Night Live" has lost its edge, and most weeks we tend to agree. The show, however, has always been spot-on with its political satire and politico impersonations. To celebrate the few funny sketches other than Debbie Downer, the folks at NBC have launched an official "Saturday Night Live" Politics site. There's a bunch of fun stuff there including videos, e-cards, and candidate bios from Clinton, Obama, and the rest of the gang. Clinton's page, featuring the inimitable Amy Poehler, explains, "It's going to take someone so annoying, so pushy, so grating, so bossy and shrill... And I think the American people will agree that someone is me." We have to admit, the whole thing is a pretty genius marketing "strategery."

Our favorite girl about town is, well very about town these days. With Vanity Fair naming Lydia Hearst the leading social lady under the age of 30, Frost (a film in which she appears) generated buzz at the Tribeca Film Festival, and her upcoming cameo on Gossip Girl this Monday, the multitasker just nabbed Model of the Year at Wednesday night’s Michael Awards. Hearst joins the ranks of winners Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington before her. Like she told Spencer Morgan last November, “I started at the top. My first job was the cover of Italian Vogue, which is the equivalent essentially of winning an Academy Award. So, there was nowhere else to go from there.” Apparently there was.

As my favorite season approaches, despite all the amazing summery things I look forward to, there are three inevitable occurrences I dread. The first are those sudden thunderstorms that ruin suede loafers ("But there was no rain in the forecast!"). The second is when, as you're waiting for the subway in the sweltering heat, the train pulls up and you notice a car with only one or two people in it, and think, "Score!" only to be met by a rush of disappointing, equally hot air, realizing this car's air conditioning is broken. The third, and this is, by far, the worst, is the dawn of what I like to call, "window-screen shoe season," when the little abhorrent gems (pictured left) make appearances all over the city, on the feet of the most variable wearers.