2010 FIFA World Cup: Week 1

The first week of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is almost over.  So far the first week of action hasn't been a disappointment.  Here are some of the highlights so far.

USA-England:  There was a lot of hype leading up to the game and I'm not quite sure the game lived up to it.  England was able to score a goal within the first 4 minutes which caused me to feel that it was gonna be a long game.  The US defense seemed like they didn't want to defend England giving them plenty of chances to score other goals.  The US offense couldn't get anything going.  Luckily in the 40th minute the US was given a gift when the goalie for England misplayed the ball and let it bounce of his hands into the goal.  When I saw Clint Dempsey kick the ball and it hit the goalies hands I thought the ball was stopped so I looked away and missed the ball slowly roll into goal.  There were a couple of chances for both teams in the 2nd half, but neither side was able to capitalize.  The game ended in a 1-1 draw giving both teams just 1 point in group play.  Next up for the US, Slovenia on Friday.

Spain-Switzerland:  Spain is a team that many feel have a chance to win it all.  In my ESPN Bracket Predictor, I selected them to make it to the semifinals.  Switzerland isn't necessarily a bad team, but when going up against Spain, you would expect Spain to dominate.  When you look at the stats of the game Spain appeared to have complete control.  Spain possessed the ball for 63% of the game and had 24 shots compared to Switzerland that had only 8 shots.  But in the 52nd minute Switzerland was able to put one of their shots in the goal and pulled off what many believe to be the biggest upset of the first round.

Germany-Australia:  Australia has a little place in my heart since I took them to the World Cup championship in the 2006 FIFA World Cup video game on the Gamecube.  Unfortunately they had to play the mighty Germany in their first game of the 2010 World Cup and boy to Germany give it to Australia.  Germany dominated the game and scored 4 goals.  The most by any team in the first series of games.  It was hard to not feel bad for Australia, they were dominated in every phase of the game.  Germany looked great and potentially dangerous for any team that has to play them after group play.

Group of Death:  The first big game in the Group of Death was played between Ivory Coast and Portugal.  Both these teams know it will be hard fight to advance since Brazil is in their group.  I had some pretty high expectations for this match but of course was disappointed when the game ended in a scoreless draw.  Either team played exceptionally well.  In the other game within this group, Brazil put on a fairly impressive performance against North Korea, winning the game 2-1.  The first goal of the game for Brazil was scored by Maicon and so for has got to be the best goal of the 2010 World Cup.

These are just a few of the things that have happened so far.  I hope to bring more updates about the World Cup soon.

2010 FIFA World Cup Preview

Today beings the greatest month in sports that only happens every four years, the FIFA World Cup.  This time the World Cup takes place in South Africa and it is the first time the World Cup has been held in Africa.  The World Cup is made up of 32 nations that go through an extensive qualifying process.  Those 32 nations are then separated into eight 4-team groups, where only two teams from each group advance.

One of the most anticipated matches of the World Cup is the United States versus England.  That takes place tomorrow, June 12th.  I think the game will either end in a draw (tie) or England will win by one goal.  One of the best groups in the World Cup has to be Group G and is made up of Brazil, South Korea, Ivory Coast, and Portugal.  It's hard to say what two teams will advance from this group but I believe it will be Brazil and Portugal.

When it comes to predicting a champion I have to go with my favorite team, Brazil.  There are other teams that are capable of winning the World Cup though.  I wouldn't be surprised if Portugal, Spain, or Argentina walk away champions.  Keep checking back throughout the next month, I plan on watching as many of the games as I possibly can and will try to give my opinions on what happens.  Also I will be posting the bracket I picked over on ESPN.com in their World Cup Bracket Predictor.

Enjoy the next month watching the greatest sport in the world!!!

Blitzen Trapper/The Moondoggies Concert

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of getting to see two bands that I really enjoy in concert, Blitzen Trapper and the Moondoggies.  The concert took place at the Knitting Factory in Spokane.  If you haven't been there, it can be a pretty decent venue for a concert.  The audience isn't always the best though and that was the case for this concert.  The crowd was fairly small and some of those in attendance hadn't even heard of either band and decided to talk through most of the concert.  Trust me I was really frustrated.

Even though the crowd was bad, the bands themselves were great.  The Moondoggies started out the night with a pretty good set.  While watching the lead singer, Kevin Murphy, seemed to be channeling his inner My Morning Jacket's Jim James.  Kevin had some great energy and just belted out his songs.  After the performance you could tell the Moondoggies won over a lot of fans.  People were running to the merchandise stand to purchase their album.

After a solid performance by the Moondoggies, Blitzen Trapper took the stage.  They started out the night with "Black River Killer" off their amazing album Furr.  After that they started to mix in numerous songs off their new album, Destroyer of the Void.  Since Destroyer of the Void hadn't been released when the concert happened it was interesting to see the fans reactions to the new songs.  My favorite part of the night was when  Erik Earley, the leader singer, took the stage by himself and sang my favorite song off Destroyer of the Void, "The Man Who Would Speak True".  I really enjoyed how Blitzen Trapper mixed both old and new songs.  Seeing them perform songs off the new album actually made me like the new album even more.

If you haven't listened to Blitzen Trapper yet, they are definitely worth a listen.  I would say listen to Furr and then Destroyer of the Void and then if you have the opportunity see them in concert.  You won't be disappointed.

Here is the setlist from Blitzen Trapper (the first one I've ever gotten):

Black River Killer
Laughing Lover
Fire & Fast Bullets
God & Suicide
Love & Hate
Destroyer of the Void
Evening Star
Heaven & Earth
Below the Hurricane
Lady on the Water
The Tree
The Man Who Would Speak True
Not Your Lover
Furr
Sleepytime in the Western World
Dragon's Song
Lover Leave Me Drowning
Sadie
Wild Mountain Nation

Arcade Fire Announce New Album

Arcade Fire has finally announced their new album, The Suburbs.  This is an album that I have been waiting for years to be released.  I have eagerly anticipated any news about this album, whether it was they have started writing, recording, mixing, about to release, etc.  A couple weeks ago they released a 10 second segment of both sides of the first single.  Even though it was only 10 seconds, it was new Arcade Fire and that alone is amazing.  The new album will be released on August 3rd.  Below is the cover art for The Suburbs.

To pre-order the album go to http://www.arcadefire.com/

Local Natives/Suckers Concert

My ears are ringing like they never have before.  It only adds to the incredible night that was had at the Empyrean in Spokane.  Tonight the Suckers and Local Natives put on an absolutely amazing concert.  When I got to the Empyrean, the Local Natives were just finishing up their sound check.  This was the first time I've ever experienced a sound check.  It was pretty fun to watch.  After that the Suckers took the stage and did their sound check.  Once they were done that was when the waiting began.  I had read somewhere that a local band was supposed to open, but they never took the stage.  I'm not sure if they were no-shows or weren't really scheduled to play.

The Suckers were the first band to take the stage tonight.  I don't really know the Suckers that well.  They only have 4 track EP with a full length album coming out on June 8th.  When they took the stage, they looked just like regular guys until I saw the lead singer, Quinn Walker.  He decided to have war paint on his face.  I was kind of expecting it since I read many articles comparing them to David Bowie.  Once the band started playing I was no longer distracted by the war paint.  The Suckers were completely crazy up on stage.  Quinn's stage presence was awesome.  He took control of the audience and captivated them with his every move.  I can't tell you what their songs were about, but I look forward to hearing their album that comes out.  Their performance made me a fan.

After the Suckers, it was time for the Local Natives.  I am absolutely in love with the Local Natives album, Gorilla Manor.  I can listen to the album on repeat for hours and hours.  Once they got on stage you could feel the audiences excitement.  The energy in the room just exploded with the first strum of the guitar.  The bands lead singer, Taylor Rice, has one of the best Tom Selleck-mustaches in music history.  When Taylor starts playing that guitar and dancing on stage the only emotion possible is happiness and awe.  Each member of the band played multiple instruments throughout the night and did an incredible job showing how talented they are.  For me the highlight of the night was when they played "Airplanes".  I have absolutely loved this song for the first time I heard it and they did not let me down.  Hearing it live sent shivers down my spin.  Another highlight was the last song of the night, "Sun Hands".  The entire audience was anticipating this song, waiting for them to blow us away and that they did.  The Local Natives look at home on the stage and you could see how much they love what they do.

Overall I felt the Local Natives and the Suckers put on one the best concerts I have ever been to.  As I'm typing this my ears are still ringing.  If you have the opportunity to see either of these bands in concert I highly recommend it.  Until then pick up both their albums and be amazed by two highly talented bands.

Local Natives Concert Tonight

Tonight the Local Natives are playing in Spokane at the Empyrean.  I'm pretty excited for this concert.  I absolutely love their album "Gorilla Manor".  If you haven't heard it yet, it is one of the year's best so far.  I would have to say my favorite songs off the album are Sun Hands and Airplanes.  Their harmonies are incredible.

I haven't read anything about how they are in concert but I'm hoping they are amazing.  Since the concert is at the Empyrean it will be a small intimate show.  I have been to a concert at the Empyrean before back when it was The Big Dipper.  I saw the Hold Steady there and found the venue to be pretty sweet for a concert.  It's not like a big arena show where you can barely see the band.  You are right in the bands face and the energy can be incredible.

Opening for the Local Natives are the Suckers and a local band called Sassmatrons.  I have spent a majority of the day listening to the Suckers EP to try and get a feel for them.  From what I've heard I think they should put on a pretty good show.  They only have a 4 track EP out with a full length album coming out in June, so I have a feeling a lot of the songs played will be from that full length album.  I have no idea what the Sassmatrons sound like so it will interesting to see how they are.

Given the small intimate setting of the Empyrean and my enjoyment of the Local Natives, I have a feeling tonights concert will be one to remember.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective is a band that I don't know much about.  Their album "Strawberry Jam" was a huge critical hit back in 2007.  Pitchfork Media said it was their sixth best album of '07.  Animal Collective is made up of four guys: Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin, and Geologist.  Just by looking at their names you can tell they might just be a little different.  I have listened to Panda Bear's solo album, also released in '07 called "Person Pitch".  That was a strange album, so if Animal Collective sounds anything like Panda Bear, "Merriweather Post Pavilion" will be an interesting album to listen to.

Unlike the Bon Iver EP, I'm gonna listen to "Merriweather Post Pavilion" all the way through and then post comments about it.

Alright so I've finally listened to "Merriweather Post Pavilion", the latest album from the band Animal Collective.  After one listen it sounds a lot like Panda Bear's "Person Pitch" which sorta makes sense since Panda Bear is one of the lead singers of Animal Collective.  "Merriweather Post Pavilion" is not going to be for everyone.  In fact, I don't know if many people I know will enjoy it at all.  For me I feel that this is an album that is going to take multiple listens to fully appreciate.

The songs on "Merriweather Post Pavilion" all tend to blend together with there infectious beats.  It's hard to tell when a song ends and another one begins.  For some albums I feel that could be a bad thing, but for this one it works.  Lyrically I can honestly say I have no idea what is going on.  If you are one that tends to prefer relating to lyrics this album may not be for you.  Personally for me I can go either way.  Given the type of music Animal Collective creates, I'm okay with lyrics that don't really relate to me after one listen.

My favorite song so far on the album is Summertime Clothes.  First time I heard it I found it to be a fun song to listen to.  It's a fairly simple song about a hot summer night where you can't sleep and just going out and walking around the city with a loved one.  The beats within the song do a great job making you feel the joy of that experience.  It's just simple, upbeat fun.

Animal Collective's new album won't be for everyone.  I feel that if you enjoy experimenting with the music you listen to, you should give "Merriweather Post Pavilion" a listen.  There isn't really anything else out there like it.  Animal Collective is on the of the few bands out that are doing there own thing and have fun with it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP

Bon Iver aka Justin Vernon, released one of, if not, the best albums of 2008 with "For Emma, Forever Ago".  For me, the album took sometime for me to fall in love with.  At first I thought all the songs sounded the same and were just kind of bland.  But throughout the year I kept hearing about this Bon Iver and how is album is supposed to be amazing.  So I kept listening to it.  After about the fifth listen I really started to like the album.  "For Emma, Forever Ago" did end up being one of my favorite albums of 2008, but that was 2008.

It is now 2009 and Bon Iver starts out the new year with an EP called "Blood Bank".  From what I've read about this EP is that it contains songs that were written during the same time as "For Emma, Forever Ago", but just didn't fit with the album.

Here are my thoughts as I listen to each track:

1) Blood Bank:  One thing about Bon Iver is that vocally he is just beautiful.  Then you throw in lyrics like "Then the snow started falling.  We were stuck out in your car.  You were rubbing both of my hands, chewing on a candy bar" and "That we don't know how to tell, I'm in love with your honor, I'm in love with your cheeks."  Something about those lines just pull at you emotionally.

2) Beach Baby:  Lyrically I have no idea what this song is about.  The instrumental at the end though is stunning.  I don't know if there is anything Bon Iver does wrong.

3) Babys:  Great intro that just builds up the anticipation for the song, very simple but gets you excited.  This song just seems very simple, but Bon Iver makes it so beautiful.  Lyrically this song is simple, it's just about making babies in the summer.

4) Woods:  Lyrically very easy, it's the same verse repeated multiple times.  Musically very different than anything Bon Iver has done before.  Imogean Heap is definitely the sound that comes to mind when you hear it.  It's hard to not be amazed when listening to this song because of how beautiful it is.

After an initial listen, "Blood Bank" is a great companion to "For Emma, Forever Ago".  It makes you just want more Bon Iver and shows that he isn't going to be a one hit wonder.  There is potential for great records for years to come.  I can't say anything but you must listen to Bon Iver.  You won't find anything more beautiful.

Rating: 4 out 5

The Visitor Review

Hype:  The Visitor is about a professor who discovers an immigrant couple in his house.  That is all I know about the plot of this film.  One thing I also know about this film is that it has gotten amazing reviews.  It is Certified Fresh on RottenTomatoes.com with a 93% positive review rating.  Given the high number of positive reviews, this film should be a joy to watch.

Review:  The Visitor is a film about a college professor named Walter, played by Richard Jenkins, who goes to New York for a work conference.  When he arrives at his New York apartment he realizes he is not alone.  Inside his apartment is a couple, Tarek and Zainab, that happen to be illegal immigrants.  Tarek starts to teach Walter to play the drums which helps Walter coup with his depression.  One day while out in New York, Tarek is arrested and sent to a detention center where illegal immigrants are detained.  Walter then starts to visit Tarek and hires a lawyer to help get him out.

You really feel bad for Walter throughout this film.  His wife had passed away and you could tell he doesn't really enjoy his job.  Once Walter meets Tarek and starts the drum lessons, you really seem him start to loosen up.  One of my favorite scenes with Walter and Tarek was when they play drums in the middle of Central Park.  It isn't just Tarek and Walter playing the drums, its a huge group of guys and there are people dancing around.  At first you can see Walter isn't too comfortable with it, but as he sees Tarek playing he loosens up.  It was fun to watch Walter let his guard down and have fun.

The Visitor isn't a fast pace, on the edge of your seat movie, but yet it does a good job of keeping the viewer interested.  I never really thought there was a dull moment.  This is one of those films where you easily get emotionally attached to the characters.  You can really feel their pain.  I really enjoyed this film.  The story is interesting and the characters are a joy.  I highly recommend this film.  It is definitely one of the best films released in 2008.

The Lookout Review

Hype:  The Lookout stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt whom you may remember from the television show Third Rock From The Sun.  Other than that I have no idea what this movie is about.  I don't know what the plot is and I don't know who else is in the movie.  One thing I do know is that the reviews for this movie are pretty amazing.  This film has been on my radar for a while.  Watching this movie is going to be a complete surprise.

Initial Review:  The Lookout is about a young man named Chris Pratt, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Chris and three of his friends were in a horrific car accident in which two of the people were killed.  Chris was thrown from the car and was put into a coma.  Four years later Chris is just trying to survive each day.  The accident left him slightly brain damaged and has trouble remembering things.  Since he can't remember things he writes them down in a little notebook.  Every day Chris goes to rehab and at night he works at a small town bank as a janitor.

While working at the bank, this group of guys start to follow Chris.  The reason why they follow Chris is because they want to use him to rob the bank.  They treat Chris as a friend and actually use the tragedy Chris to convince him that robbing the bank is the right thing to do.

I immediately enjoyed this movie from the start when a song by My Morning Jacket started playing.  From that moment I was sucked in and enjoyed every minute of it.  The story was a blast to sit through and watch.  There was never a boring moment throughout this film, the tension was extremely high.

I was not surprised with how great Joseph Gordon-Levitt was.  I have really enjoyed him in everything he has been in, whether it be 3rd Rock from the Sun or 10 Things I Hate About You or Mysterious Skin.  You really felt bad for his character.  You could really tell that the car accident has destroyed his life and he will forever be affected by it.  The pain and hurt can really be felt in his eyes.  It was great.

The supporting cast was also amazing.  Jeff Daniels plays Chris' roommate Lewis who is blind.  I thought Jeff did an amazing job.  His character really cares about Chris and wants him to be successful in life.  Isla Fisher plays a girl named Luvlee.  Luvlee is a girl that the group of guys that want to rob the bank use to help persuade Chris into robbing the bank.  I felt that this role for Isla was much better than the roles she has played before like the one in Wedding Crashers.  With her character in The Lookout you can tell she has a heart and knows that what she is doing to Chris is wrong.

Overall I thought The Lookout was great.  Emotionally this film pulls at your heart.  You really feel bad for what Chris has been through and hate the way people treat him.  You are thrown into Chris' world and you really don't want to leave it.  The story is original and fun.  It's really hard to say something negative about The Lookout, and feel you don't find many movies like that around these days.  I highly recommend this film.  If you have not seen The Lookout then you are missing out on one of the best films of the past year.  I say see it immediately, don't wait, you won't be disappointed, trust me.