It's a holiday-shortened week, but the editorial staff hit the ground running with plenty of cool things to promote, including reissues by New Order, a great new (to us) video game, a Penguin sparkling water maker, an interesting author to follow, a tasty Downtown lunch and some really cool lights to spark conversation -- and kill time -- in the yard. These are a few of our favorite things this week:
New Order -- Collector's Editions: "The Factory Years" (Rhino) -- Five deluxe two-CD editions make up the new "The Factory Years," reissues of the first five New Order records. In many ways, New Order defined "alternative music" in the 1980s. As punk turned to post-punk and then continued to morph, bands had to figure out how to move ahead. But New Order -- formed from the shards of Joy Division after the death of singer Ian Curtis -- didn't take much time to ponder. So, it's no surprise the band's first disc, 1981's "Movement," is transitional. Although it wasn't half-finished at Curtis' death, it sounds as though it could have been. The vocals are mixed low as guitarist Bernard Sumner navigates his new role as frontman and vocalist. The second disc, with a clutch of singles tracks, predicts the band's new direction -- a mix of dark guitar rock and pumping dance beats. That sound reached its apex on "Power, Corruption and Lies," from 1983, with its infectious dance-y pop. The bonus disc includes the brilliant Arthur Baker-produced "Confusion," on which New Order dipped into New York hip-hop/electro territory. By 1989's "Technique," the dance sound ("Fine Time," "Round & Round") and the guitar pop ("Love Less," "All the Way") had separated themselves like oil and water and New Order felt like two bands tugging in different directions. But in between, the quartet experienced its biggest successes on 1985's "Low-life" ("Perfect Kiss") and 1986's "Brotherhood" ("Bizarre Love Triangle"). It's interesting to trace New Order's trajectory from its rickety jump-start from the ashes of Joy Division to its full-fledged stadium status. You might not have liked every step along the way, but these attractive reissues, with great essays and each with a disc full of b-sides, singles tracks and remixes, help revisit one of rock's most interesting paths. --Bobby Tanzilo
The Gumbo Man -- Last weekend at the East Town Farm Market, I met the Gumbo Man, Gregory Johnson. The personable Johnson made me a veggie omelette, potatoes and gumbo. Wow. Great stuff. Made to order and only $6. His "authentic New Orleans-style" cooking is yours when you need it since his main business is catering. But, he's at the East Town Market on Saturdays and says he'll be at the Global Union World Music Festival next weekend (Sept. 19-20) in Bay View's Humboldt Park. From jambalaya to fried okra and blackened catfish, the Gumbo Man is a fine addition to Milwaukee's dining scene. --Jeff Sherman
Guitar Hero 5 -- I'm pretty late to the game when it comes to the Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band phenomenon, but friends turned me onto the addictive series last month and I've been hooked ever since. I bought the latest installment, "Guitar Hero 5," last week, and it's really fun. I can't tell you how it's different or the same from previous version, but it has tons of songs from many genres, and it's quite entertaining to play. Interestingly, I'm really good at the bass, while not so proficient on the guitar. I just ordered a microphone off of eBay, so time will tell how well I can sing along. If you buy the game this month, you're eligible for a free download of the Van Halen package -- which is no "Beatles Rock Band" -- but it's not bad, either. --Andy Tarnoff
Penguin sparkling water maker -- I do not own this, but as a regular LaCroix drinker, I want it. Badly. This baby allows you to easily transform tap water into sparkling water and you can even customize the amount of fizz. Plus, it comes with reusable glass bottles which eliminate the need for plastic. Fizzy water is just the tip of the iceberg for the ol’ Penguin. It easily makes soda, if that’s your thing, and I’m already wondering how well it carbonates juice or wine. You can get this guy for about $200 via Williams-Sonoma or Amazon.com. --Molly Snyder Edler
Joseph Finder -- In 2006, I recommended "The Killer Instinct" by Joseph Finder. It's a fun, thrilling read. Since then, I've read several of Finder's books and truly have enjoyed every one of them. I'm halfway through Finder's fifth novel, "Paranoia," a great story of corporate espionage focused on two high-tech, telecommunications companies. Finder's sixth book, "Vanished," was released in August. I can't wait to dive into it. --J.S.
Firefly Magic firefly lights -- We attached this set of green, solar-powered outdoor lights (yes, basically all-green Christmas lights), to the bushes in front of our house in the middle of summer. Though they lit up and faded off like real fireflies, there were so many living lightning bugs in the air that we didn't pay that much attention. However, now that the real examples have all died off or gone dormant -- or whatever they do (look it up on Wikipedia!) -- we find we're paying more and more attention to the Firefly Magic lights, trying to guess which will light up next. As the air begins to cool, these lights are keeping some of summer's warmth alive in our front yard. And thanks to the solar cell, they don't use any electricity. --B.T.
A gyro/Greek fries combo lunch at Ouzo Cafe -- A lot of people I know think of gyros as a late-night indulgence, usually consumed amid a haze of alcohol? Why is that? A gyro is a satisfying sandwich and you can get a tasty version with very good fries for $7.25 at Ouzo, 776 N. Milwaukee St. Just make sure you have a toothbrush at work -- or plenty of gum. The gyro breath tends to stay with you for awhile. --Drew Olson
Attending the International Downtown Association's conference next week in Milwaukee -- Want to hang out with the world's foremost leaders in Downtown development? Well, they are coming to town beginning Saturday. The International Downtown Association is coming to Milwaukee and there's a special "Conference Condensed" price just for you -- $229 gets you into see all the speakers. Check it out here. --J.S.
