Song for Sunday

Gemma Hayes – Back of My Hand

Band/artist of the week: Zomby
Song of the week: Zomby – Vanquish

Song for Sunday

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Ffunny Ffrends

Band/artist of the week: Glasvegas
Song of the week: Glasvegas – Daddy's Gone (live)

Song for Sunday

Glasvegas – Shine Like Stars

Band/artist of the week: Mogwai
Song of the week: Bent – So Long Without You

Song for Sunday

Jordie Lane – Not From Round Here

Band/artist of the week: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Song of the week: The Streets – Empty Cans

Cadel's suitcase of courage*

Well I was wrong about Contador and wrong about the Schlecks, but at least I was pretty close with Cadel. It was probably the most exciting Tour that I can recall – wide-open and tremendously exciting right from the first stage.

Cadel winning was more of a relief than anything else. I did wonder if he would always be one of those riders remembered for the almosts, what-ifs and second placings rather than the big win he deserved. It seems a bit unfair to say that about someone who has won the World Championships and perhaps that day in Mendrisio did mark the turning point in his career. After that he certainly seemed less awkward and more confident about his own talents, happier and willing to take risks.

The win hasn't been as big a deal in Australia as I thought it would be. Obviously it will make a big difference to Australian cycling, but in this sport obsessed society it is unlikely to change much in our sporting landscape. Personally I'm quite happy about that. I don't want the big commercial channels muscling in on the coverage and cocking it all up like they do with the Olympics. Everyone who has watched the Tour over at least a few years knows what a huge achievement it is and how hard it is to win the greatest annual sporting event in the world.

My green jersey predictions weren't too bad. I got the winner and no-one could deny that Thor had a great Tour. I would be surprised if Rojas figured in anyone's predictions for the sprinter's prize but he put up a great fight even though he couldn't compete with Cavendish's all out speed.

My top two maillot à pois predictions failed to fire and I was happy to see Sanchez take the top spot. He is a great climber and worthy winner of this jersey. Finally, hats off, as they say, to 'little' Thomas Voeckler and his superb tenure in the yellow jersey. Unfortunately I think that's the last time the big teams will ever let him get in a breakaway, however, with a bit more investment in the team and bit of good luck he could well be a genuine contender for the yellow jersey in Paris next year. After Cadel, of course.

*Thanks to Paul Sherwin for this bon mot from the Alpe d'Huez stage

Song for Sunday

Morning After Youth – Lived

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Ash – Uncle Pat

Song for Sunday

Fulton Lights – Staring Out the Window

Band/artist of the week: R.E.M.
Song of the week: Lucinda Williams – Still I Long for Your Kiss

Song for Sunday

R.E.M. – ÜBerlin

Band/artist of the week: Lucinda Williams
Song of the week: Lucinda Williams – Still I Long for Your Kiss

Song for Sunday

Little Scout – We Are Walking Out


Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Mogwai – Death Rays

Song for Sunday

The Swell Season – Drive All Night

Band/artist of the week: Malcolm Middleton
Song of the week: All India Radio – Rippled

Tour de France 2011

Another second place for Cadel? I think so, but whether that will still be the case on August 3 that's another question. Contador is certainly the favourite – no-one could touch him in the Giro and you cannot imagine anyone putting much time into him in the mountains or in the time trials. It will be interesting to see how much a very hard Giro did take out of him and whether he is completely recovered, but his winning margin was so great that even with the superior field at the Tour there doesn't look like anyone who could realistically knock him off the top spot.

Cadel looks much improved this year and I think he can really challenge Contador. His team is much stronger and winning the World Championships seems to have given him a much needed psychological boost. It will be interesting to see if he can attack in the mountains, but with good team and individual time trials it may not matter.

It would be great to see Wiggins and Sky get on the podium. They have a really strong team and I think will surprise a lot of people this year. I am worried that Bradley may have peaked slightly too early and think that he will lose a bit of time in the third week, but hopefully that should still be enough to hold onto third place.

Gesink and Roche are both a bit of a long shot, but I think that they are both riding well and ready to step-up to highest levels. I am so impressed with Roche that he even made the cut in my Tour de France fantasy team.

But there is one big name that we haven't mentioned yet: what about Andy Schleck? His form seems to be off this year and unless he has been doing some serious bluffing I don't think he will be one of the contenders this year. It is possible that he may ride himself into form over the three weeks, but I would bet that his brother Fränk finishes higher than him this year.

This will be the year that everything goes to plan for Mark Cavendish and I am looking forward to seeing him take the green jersey in Paris for the first time.

And my favourite jersey – the maillot à pois – will again be the consolation prize for a plucky unheralded Frenchman. This year I think it will be Jean Gadret's turn, followed closely by last year's winner Anthony Chartreau.

Yellow

1 Alberto Contador
2 Cadel Evans
3 Bradley Wiggins
4 Robert Gesink
5 Nicolas Roche

Green
1 Mark Cavendish
2 Thor Hushovd
3 Tom Boonen

Mountains
1 Jean Gadret
2 Anthony Charteau
3 Samuel Sanchez

Song for Sunday

House of Love – Shine On

Band/artist of the week: Malcolm Middleton
Song of the week: The National – Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

Song for Sunday

And now the Big Man. Very saddened to hear that Clarence Clemons died yesterday. Always the perfect foil to Bruce on stage, those songs will never sound the same again.

Band/artist of the week: All India Radio
Song of the week: All India Radio – Rippled

Song for Sunday

Streamer Bendy – Away from home

Band/artist of the week: All India Radio
Song of the week: Malcolm Middleton – Choir

Song for Sunday

Bill Wells and Aiden Moffat – The Copper Top

Band/artist of the week: All India Radio
Song of the week: All India Radio – Rippled

Song for Sunday

Gil Scott-Heron – I'm New Here

I came to Gil Scott-Heron pretty late. I had heard plenty of his earlier work, but never paid enough attention for it to really sink in. It was only with last year's I'm New Here album that I realised what I had been missing. That album and his recent collaboration with Jamie xx were met with a welcome resurgence in interest and seemed to suggest an exciting and productive new chapter in his 'colourful' life ...

Unfortunately it wasn't to be and as news of his death filtered through yesterday my sadness was tempered by a selfish joy at finding out lots more than I already knew about his life and work, and hearing all the heart-felt tributes and stories from other artists and fans. Gone, but certainly not forgotten.

Band/artist of the week: Mogwai

Song of the week: All India Radio – Rippled

Song for Sunday

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Into My Arms

For some reason this song has been in my head lots this week. Maybe because it makes a good lullaby, provided you don't listen to the lyrics too much ...

Band/artist of the week: Bruce Springsteen
Song of the week: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Into My Arms

Song for Sunday

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Wiyathul

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: R.E.M. – I Remember California

Song for Sunday

All India Radio – Rippled

Apologies for the late posting. I forgot on Sunday and by last night Blogger was broken. Anyway, this is well worth the wait. Enjoy!

Band/artist of the week: Bruce Springsteen
Song of the week: Bruce Springsteen – Dancing in the Dark

Song for Sunday

AC Acoustics – Stunt Girl

Band/artist of the week: Mogwai
Song of the week: tUnE-yArDs – Bizness

Song for Sunday

Amaya Laucirica – Sleeping in Your Shadow

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Lowtide – Underneath Tonight

Song for Sunday

Holly Throsby – What I Thought of You

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Amadou & Mariam – M'bifé

Song for Sunday

Art of Fighting – Free You

Band/artist of the week: Mogwai
Song of the week: Ash – Uncle Pat

Song for Sunday

Mogwai – How to Be a Werewolf (in Thirty Century Man)

Band/artist of the week: Mogwai
Song of the week: Mogwai – George Square Thatcher Death Party

Spot the theme anyone?

Romanno Bridge

Sometimes I am up for a bit of heavy-duty non-fiction, experimental novels or multi-layered literary fiction with fractured timelines. Sometimes though, all I am looking for is a cracking yarn.

Andrew Greig's Romanno Bridge certainly doesn't disappoint on that front. Reprising his characters from The Return of John MacNab a few years on he entangles them in a far more dangerous and brutal adventure. John MacNab had a very genteel sense of British fair-play compared with Romanno Bridge ...

Starting out with a suicide deep in Rothiemurchus Forest the plot plunges headlong into ancient secret societies and the search for the real(?) Stone of Destiny, racing all over Scotland with diversions to London, Canada and Norway.

Often with this type of story the reader has to allow the author a bit of leeway to get beyond some of the more far-fetched elements, but even so there can't be any holes in the plot or characters with defects or who aren't believable. Some of the characters do seem to turn-up in exactly the right place at the right time and I had heard comments from some who felt that Kirsty could only ever exist in a male novelist's head. There are elements of her that are almost too good to be true, but it was never a problem for me. I wanted to believe, so it all felt real.

Of course everything works out all right by the end and the good guys prevail. Even so he keeps you on your toes right up to the last pages and the ending avoids any whiff of sentimentality. It just feels right, and sometimes that is exactly what you need from a book.