Sunday, August 1, 2010
Song for Sunday
Early Day Miners – Comfort/Guilt
Band/artist of the week: Arcade Fire
Song of the week: Rose Elinor Dougall – Find Me Out
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Post Tour melancholy
So: now that the sleep deprivation has worn off and the dust has settled on the Champs-Élysées, what to make of Le Tour 2010? Well, for starters my predictions were about as bad as they have ever been. I got the winner right and that was it.
To be fair nobody else I saw managed to pick more than two out of the top five (oh, all right Monsieur Jean-Francois Quenet got three), but even so I would have done better if I had just republished last year's list.
The green jersey list would have been spot on if Petacchi had followed Cipollini's example and headed for the Riviera at the first sign of mountains and you ignore the fact that Robbie was placed below Rojas on a countback. And as for the mountains jersey, well the less said about that the better. I do find it sad that all the real mountain specialists don't seem interested in this classification anymore. They should just rename it the mediocre French journeyman's prize ...
Contador didn't seem to have the same form as last year and I would have loved to seen Schleck really attack him in the mountains. You also have to wonder what would have happened if Andy hadn't lost 42 seconds to Contador in the prologue. How could a serious GC contender lose so much time over 8.9 km? He even lost less time than that to Contador in the 52 km on the penultimate day.
Anyway, I seriously underestimated Schleck's form and if everything goes well for him you have to imagine him winning in the next year or two. And I drastically overestimated how strong Armstrong and Wiggins were – both were a big disappointment. Armstrong looked like he couldn't quite believe that his legs wouldn't keep up with the younger generation and he was unlucky at crucial points, but as Phil or Paul said, when lady luck gives up on you she really gives up. As for Wiggins he just never looked like a serious contender this year. I think the miscalculation on the opening prologue hit him hard psychologically and it will be interesting to see if he can get back in the top ten next year.
Rogers was an even bigger disappointment than Wiggins and Armstrong and, as he said himself near the end of the race, he just isn't cut out for the three week grand tours. Unlike a true GC contender who seems to get stronger as the race goes on you can just see Rogers fading away. Kreuziger did pretty well and I reckon you will see him on the podium before too long.
To be fair nobody else I saw managed to pick more than two out of the top five (oh, all right Monsieur Jean-Francois Quenet got three), but even so I would have done better if I had just republished last year's list.
The green jersey list would have been spot on if Petacchi had followed Cipollini's example and headed for the Riviera at the first sign of mountains and you ignore the fact that Robbie was placed below Rojas on a countback. And as for the mountains jersey, well the less said about that the better. I do find it sad that all the real mountain specialists don't seem interested in this classification anymore. They should just rename it the mediocre French journeyman's prize ...
Contador didn't seem to have the same form as last year and I would have loved to seen Schleck really attack him in the mountains. You also have to wonder what would have happened if Andy hadn't lost 42 seconds to Contador in the prologue. How could a serious GC contender lose so much time over 8.9 km? He even lost less time than that to Contador in the 52 km on the penultimate day.
Anyway, I seriously underestimated Schleck's form and if everything goes well for him you have to imagine him winning in the next year or two. And I drastically overestimated how strong Armstrong and Wiggins were – both were a big disappointment. Armstrong looked like he couldn't quite believe that his legs wouldn't keep up with the younger generation and he was unlucky at crucial points, but as Phil or Paul said, when lady luck gives up on you she really gives up. As for Wiggins he just never looked like a serious contender this year. I think the miscalculation on the opening prologue hit him hard psychologically and it will be interesting to see if he can get back in the top ten next year.
Rogers was an even bigger disappointment than Wiggins and Armstrong and, as he said himself near the end of the race, he just isn't cut out for the three week grand tours. Unlike a true GC contender who seems to get stronger as the race goes on you can just see Rogers fading away. Kreuziger did pretty well and I reckon you will see him on the podium before too long.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Song for Sunday
Laura Marling – Rambling Man
I am usually fairly immune to waify, singer/songwritery types, but this is rather lovely and has snuck in behind my defences over the last few weeks. The video reminds me of an old friend who lived in Brighton for a while, but only because of the swimming in the sea thing not the rambling or the suitcase or the birds or anything like that.
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Rose Elinor Dougall – Find Me Out
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Song for Sunday
Blondie – Union City Blue
A golden oldie as they used to say when I listened to the radio. Even after 30 years I still love this song. They don't make videos like this anymore – interesting to see where the design for the Guantánamo jumpsuits came from though ...
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Rose Elinor Dougall – Find Me Out
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Song for Sunday
Emma Pollock – Red Orange Green
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Rose Elinor Dougall – Find Me Out
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Song for Sunday
Sambassadeur – I can try
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Dot Allison – Message Personnel
Friday, July 2, 2010
Tour de France 2010
Winning three Tours de France puts you in special club of cycling greats, joining Greg Lemond, Louison Bobet and Philippe Thys. Doing it at the age of 28 probably gives you another five or six attempts and a shot at all out legend status; looking towards the five Tours of Indurain, Hinault, Merckx and Anquetil and onwards to the dizzy heights of Armstrong's seven wins.
So, the question is can Contador win it again this year and join the club of greats? My answer would have to be ... probably. He is still the strongest rider, his preparation has been good and the course is so suited to him you almost have to wonder if Christian Prudhomme wants anyone else to win.
But. And there are a lot of buts. His team is nowhere near as strong or tactically astute as last year, the tensions and conflict will be gone, but will he have the support when he needs it? I doubt it, but even so I still can't see anyone else managing to get ahead of him. The tough Belgian stages in the first week will also be strange and unfamiliar, with the other favourites doing all they can to make him suffer. Even so, the lack of team time trial and just one individual time trial will play to Contador's strengths, as will the tough Pyrenean stages a few days before the end.
Until the race gets to the Pyrenees I think it is going to be one of the most open and interesting Tours we have seen for many years and there are more genuine challengers this year than I can ever remember, so who else will be joining Contador on the podium?
I think Armstrong will be next. He is looking stronger and more dangerous than last year. Radioshack is also a much stronger team than Astana and you can guarantee that they will work for Armstrong like no other team in the race. Also it is his last chance and if he has enough time on Contador before the Pyrenees, he could just hang on to make it eight. Unfortunately, unless Contador and Astana make mistakes I just can't see where he is going to gain enough time.
And moving up one place on 2009, I think Bradley Wiggins will be finishing on the podium for the first time. He looks ready, thinks he is in better form than last year and Team Sky are hungry to show that they can compete at the highest level with the best in the world.
After that there probably another ten riders that could round out the top five. The Schleck brothers still look strong, but I think Andy is not quite on his best form and Franck just isn't strong enough in the mountains. Cadel was very strong at the Giro, the lack of team time trial will be an even greater relief for him than Contador, but I think he will struggle to crack the top five. Michael Rogers on the other hand looks like he is in the form of his life and, although Columbia will be working hard to put Cavendish into the green jersey, I still think he will have enough support to strongly challenge for yellow. And in fifth, Roman Kreuziger, will show how much potential he has as well as wresting the white jersey from the shoulders of Andy Schleck.
Yellow
1 Alberto ContadorSo, the question is can Contador win it again this year and join the club of greats? My answer would have to be ... probably. He is still the strongest rider, his preparation has been good and the course is so suited to him you almost have to wonder if Christian Prudhomme wants anyone else to win.
But. And there are a lot of buts. His team is nowhere near as strong or tactically astute as last year, the tensions and conflict will be gone, but will he have the support when he needs it? I doubt it, but even so I still can't see anyone else managing to get ahead of him. The tough Belgian stages in the first week will also be strange and unfamiliar, with the other favourites doing all they can to make him suffer. Even so, the lack of team time trial and just one individual time trial will play to Contador's strengths, as will the tough Pyrenean stages a few days before the end.
Until the race gets to the Pyrenees I think it is going to be one of the most open and interesting Tours we have seen for many years and there are more genuine challengers this year than I can ever remember, so who else will be joining Contador on the podium?
I think Armstrong will be next. He is looking stronger and more dangerous than last year. Radioshack is also a much stronger team than Astana and you can guarantee that they will work for Armstrong like no other team in the race. Also it is his last chance and if he has enough time on Contador before the Pyrenees, he could just hang on to make it eight. Unfortunately, unless Contador and Astana make mistakes I just can't see where he is going to gain enough time.
And moving up one place on 2009, I think Bradley Wiggins will be finishing on the podium for the first time. He looks ready, thinks he is in better form than last year and Team Sky are hungry to show that they can compete at the highest level with the best in the world.
After that there probably another ten riders that could round out the top five. The Schleck brothers still look strong, but I think Andy is not quite on his best form and Franck just isn't strong enough in the mountains. Cadel was very strong at the Giro, the lack of team time trial will be an even greater relief for him than Contador, but I think he will struggle to crack the top five. Michael Rogers on the other hand looks like he is in the form of his life and, although Columbia will be working hard to put Cavendish into the green jersey, I still think he will have enough support to strongly challenge for yellow. And in fifth, Roman Kreuziger, will show how much potential he has as well as wresting the white jersey from the shoulders of Andy Schleck.
Yellow2 Lance Armstrong
3 Bradley Wiggins
4 Michael Rogers
5 Roman Kreuziger
1 Mark Cavendish
2 Thor Hushovd
3 Robbie McEwen
1 Carlos Sastre
2 Luis León Sánchez
3 Cadel Evans
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Fozz for Oz
Down to the last eight ... 75% hit rate on my group stage predictions ... still looking good for Argentina, but sadly not against Spain in the final as I thought. Could it be an all South American final? Quite likely ...
However, my attention is going to be elsewhere come Saturday as the greatest annual sporting event gets underway in Rotterdam. Plenty more to come on that over the next few days, but first I just had to throw my considerable influence behind the push for the FFA to appoint Craig Foster as the next Australian manager. Yes, I know he didn't really play at the highest level, has never coached anywhere and it would be terrible to lose him from the SBS team of experts, but (and most importantly after the Verbeek fiasco) you have to admit that he has the hair to take Australia at least as far as the quarter finals. I rest my case.
However, my attention is going to be elsewhere come Saturday as the greatest annual sporting event gets underway in Rotterdam. Plenty more to come on that over the next few days, but first I just had to throw my considerable influence behind the push for the FFA to appoint Craig Foster as the next Australian manager. Yes, I know he didn't really play at the highest level, has never coached anywhere and it would be terrible to lose him from the SBS team of experts, but (and most importantly after the Verbeek fiasco) you have to admit that he has the hair to take Australia at least as far as the quarter finals. I rest my case.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Song for Sunday
Tracey Thorn – Why Does the Wind?
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Black Box Recorder – Seasons in the Sun
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Song for Sunday
Stars – Fixed
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Black Box Recorder – Seasons in the Sun
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Here We Go
Just over one week in, time to look at the World Cup good, the bad and the predictions ...
Good: Slovenia's Charlie Brown shirts, England's failure to get it up on the big stage (twice), Ally McCoist sounding wise and knowledgable alongside the rabidly partisan Martin Tyler, SBS's coverage (it is worth emigrating just to avoid the awful BBC and ITV pundits), German red cards, German penalties being saved, France's blanket for their subs bench, Maradona in a suit and The Guardian's Lego match recreations.
Bad: getting North Korea in the work sweepstakes, the Coca-Cola and Macdonalds adverts every ad-break, Australia's away strip, Australia's home strip, trying to explain the concept of a draw to number one son, Maradona's suit, bad puns about Honda being Japan's engine, Harry Kewell's groin and all the bollocks about watching games in 3D.
Predictions: Still on track for the final (wish I had put money on Argentina).
Group A – France can still qualify, but it looks like Uruguay will accompany Mexico into the knockout stages.
Group B – Again, mathematically Nigeria can still qualify, but at this stage you have to think that it will be Argentina and South Korea.
Group C – I am sticking with England and the USA, but that won't stop me cheering on Slovenia on Wednesday morning.
Group D – Yup, still Germany and Ghana.
Group E – Cameroon and The Netherlands. Check.
Group F – Italy and Paraguay. Check.
Group G – I'd like to see Ivory Coast go through, but suspect that Brazil and Portugal will make it.
Group H – Chile and Switzerland? I just can't see it, I'm afraid. Chile and Spain as predicted.
And the 64 million dollar question: can Australia beat Ghana? I actually think they can. And will. I am still not convinced they can get any points from the Serbia match, but with everyone in the group apart from Australia on three points at the moment who knows what will happen.
Good: Slovenia's Charlie Brown shirts, England's failure to get it up on the big stage (twice), Ally McCoist sounding wise and knowledgable alongside the rabidly partisan Martin Tyler, SBS's coverage (it is worth emigrating just to avoid the awful BBC and ITV pundits), German red cards, German penalties being saved, France's blanket for their subs bench, Maradona in a suit and The Guardian's Lego match recreations.
Bad: getting North Korea in the work sweepstakes, the Coca-Cola and Macdonalds adverts every ad-break, Australia's away strip, Australia's home strip, trying to explain the concept of a draw to number one son, Maradona's suit, bad puns about Honda being Japan's engine, Harry Kewell's groin and all the bollocks about watching games in 3D.
Predictions: Still on track for the final (wish I had put money on Argentina).
Group A – France can still qualify, but it looks like Uruguay will accompany Mexico into the knockout stages.
Group B – Again, mathematically Nigeria can still qualify, but at this stage you have to think that it will be Argentina and South Korea.
Group C – I am sticking with England and the USA, but that won't stop me cheering on Slovenia on Wednesday morning.
Group D – Yup, still Germany and Ghana.
Group E – Cameroon and The Netherlands. Check.
Group F – Italy and Paraguay. Check.
Group G – I'd like to see Ivory Coast go through, but suspect that Brazil and Portugal will make it.
Group H – Chile and Switzerland? I just can't see it, I'm afraid. Chile and Spain as predicted.
And the 64 million dollar question: can Australia beat Ghana? I actually think they can. And will. I am still not convinced they can get any points from the Serbia match, but with everyone in the group apart from Australia on three points at the moment who knows what will happen.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Song for Sunday
Rose Elinor Dougall – Find Me Out
See also the excellent Start/Stop/Synchro ...
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Rose Elinor Dougall – Find Me Out
First time since April 11 that Song of the Week isn't by The National! Even so they still get the overall prize, but for how long?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Black Box Recorder
To be honest, I thought they had broken up years ago. Sometime back in the mid-2000s after the Passionoia album. But no, they were still hanging around, not quite calling it a day in amongst side projects for Sarah Nixey and Luke Haines.
Then two new songs appeared last month and for a moment I thought maybe a new lease of life was on the cards. But then the title of the EP sunk in and after a bit of background checking it is confirmed that Black Box Recorder are no more.
Jude Rogers sums them up much better than I ever could over at The Quietus, but here is a small-scale tribute to commemorate one of the most interesting and incomprehensibly overlooked bands of the last decade and a bit. Enjoy.
Black Box Recorder – England Made Me
Black Box Recorder – The Art of Driving
Black Box Recorder – Seasons in the Sun
Then two new songs appeared last month and for a moment I thought maybe a new lease of life was on the cards. But then the title of the EP sunk in and after a bit of background checking it is confirmed that Black Box Recorder are no more.
Jude Rogers sums them up much better than I ever could over at The Quietus, but here is a small-scale tribute to commemorate one of the most interesting and incomprehensibly overlooked bands of the last decade and a bit. Enjoy.
Black Box Recorder – England Made Me
Black Box Recorder – The Art of Driving
Black Box Recorder – Seasons in the Sun
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
World Cup
For the first time in three years I missed taking a punt on the Giro d'Italia final standings, so to make up lets have some ill-informed predictions for the World Cup:
Group A - France and Mexico
Group B - Argentina and Nigeria
Group C - USA and England
Group D - Germany and Ghana
Group E - Cameroon and The Netherlands
Group F - Italy and Paraguay
Group G - Brazil and Portugal
Group H - Spain and Chile
Likely to be fewer upsets in the group stage this time round, but I still reckon that the USA can finish on top of group C and that's not just wishful thinking.
Unfortunately I can't see Australia getting through to the knockout stages this time – the team is lacking in goal-scoring ability and Verbeek is the sort of coach who is too obsessed about not losing to actually win games. I would be delighted to be proven wrong, especially as a second place in the group could set-up the succulent prospect of knocking out England to progress to the quarter finals. Not going to happen, but for another couple of weeks we can at least dream ...
And the final? I think we'll have Argentina v. Spain with the South Americans winning out 3 - 1. (Now where did I put that Argentina shirt from 1986?)
Group A - France and Mexico
Group B - Argentina and Nigeria
Group C - USA and England
Group D - Germany and Ghana
Group E - Cameroon and The Netherlands
Group F - Italy and Paraguay
Group G - Brazil and Portugal
Group H - Spain and Chile
Likely to be fewer upsets in the group stage this time round, but I still reckon that the USA can finish on top of group C and that's not just wishful thinking.
Unfortunately I can't see Australia getting through to the knockout stages this time – the team is lacking in goal-scoring ability and Verbeek is the sort of coach who is too obsessed about not losing to actually win games. I would be delighted to be proven wrong, especially as a second place in the group could set-up the succulent prospect of knocking out England to progress to the quarter finals. Not going to happen, but for another couple of weeks we can at least dream ...
And the final? I think we'll have Argentina v. Spain with the South Americans winning out 3 - 1. (Now where did I put that Argentina shirt from 1986?)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Song for Sunday
The Dø – At Last
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: The National – Afraid of Everyone
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Song for Sunday
The Mynabirds – Numbers Don't Lie
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: The National – Afraid of Everyone
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Song for Sunday
Besnard Lakes – Albatross
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: The National – Afraid of Everyone
Monday, May 17, 2010
Pre-internet search
I know it is only just over ten years ago, but how did we find out about stuff before Google?
Ironically, even though I searched on Google, I am not sure who the creator of this ingenious spoof was. Thank you whoever you are.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Song for Sunday
The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
Beautiful. One day I will be able to grow a beard like that.
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
Funny that!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Song for Sunday
White Hinterland – Amsterdam
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Song for Sunday
The Morning Benders – Promises
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The People's Train
Unfortunately The People's Train is the exception that proves the rule.
Sometime last year I chanced across a review that praised the book and mentioned that it was based on a true story about one of the minor protagonists in the Russian Revolution. I have never read anything by Thomas Keneally (or Tom as his Australian publishers prefer), but he won the Booker for Schindler's Ark and is undoubtably one of Australia's best regarded and prolific writers so it seemed likely to be something I would enjoy.
The first two-thirds is set in Brisbane and is purportedly the English translation of the memoirs of one Artem Samsurov (Late Hero of the Soviet Revolution) – a protégé of Lenin's who escapes from prison in Tsarist Russia and makes it to Australia by way of Japan and China. The last one-third is billed as Paddy Dykes' Russian Journal and culminates in his account of the storming of the Winter Palace on 27 October 1917.
It is a brilliant idea to swap the perspectives in this way – the Russian exile narrating the Australian section (although with a great deal of back story and plot filling along the way) and the small-town Australian idealist reporting the momentous historical events he witnesses in Russia.
Unfortunately it just doesn't work. The characters are flat and unconvincing, the historical details are correct by don't come to life and the narrative trundles along when it should race toward the obvious conclusion.
At one point Paddy complains that Artem's bride-to-be 'Tasha didn't seem to exist beyond her reputation. She was most alive and was a real presence when she spoke at factories around Kharkov. In the Gubin house she was a bit like a ghost.' Unfortunately this could applied to a great many of the characters in the novel. And on top of this the writing can be clunky and laboured, almost as if he forgot to re-write all the material that his researcher came up with. It's a shame because Artem's story is incredible and I couldn't help feeling that it was short-changed by this book.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Song for Sunday
Casio Kids – Grønt Lys i Alle Ledd
Band/artist of the week: Frightened Rabbit
Song of the week: The National – Afraid of Everyone
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Song for Sunday
Venice is Sinking – Okay
How great is this? Venice is Sinking are from Athens GA (same city as R.E.M.) and specialise in a beautiful, lush and languid slightly leftfield-rock which is right up my street. The combination of male and female vocals weaving in and out is something else which I find hard to resist. Anyway, they are the best new band I've found this year (thanks mbvmusic!) and if the video above appeals then I suggest you have a look at their website – plenty of free tunes to download – and start by purchasing their Okay EP from late last year.
Band/artist of the week: Venice is Sinking
Song of the week: Venice is Sinking – Compass
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Song for Sunday
White Rabbits – They Done Wrong, We Done Wrong
Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
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