I am sure I have no lost my entire readership after ignoring my blog for a couple months. That presumes that I actually had a readership, though, which probably flatters myself. Anyhow, here is what is up with me:
It's the second full week of summer for me after school (finally) finished a couple weeks ago. Naturally, (because my one talent in life is writing essays, apparently) I pulled some great grades last quarter, so I am happy about that. Now, I'm just sitting at home trying to balance relaxing, reading for my BA thesis, and doing housework. It's not an exciting life but it's pretty stress free.
The lack of stress is important. What I find amazing about last year is that I did much better academically than I did in either of my first two years and I did so while displaying almost every classic symptom of clinical depression. I felt worthless and hopeless and wanted to sleep all day and occasionally fantasized about ending it all and yet I still managed to pull straight A's. The came at a cost, though. School is a highly stressful environment for me. I struggle to make all the personal relationships work.
Home is a more pleasant environment for me. I get enough social interaction to keep me from going crazy from my parents but I don't have to deal with a lot of people all the time. I am shy and I have a fair bit of social anxiety. At home, I don't have to worry about being "on". The effort of being personable takes a lot out of me. I don't make that effort at home, so it is less stressful.
It is nice to be home because I am happier here but I find that happiness bothersome in that it is strictly localized to home. I am not happy when I am at school. I feel like I'm not really depressed if I can be perfectly happy at home but I can no longer cope with the school environment. I was about a week or two from a mental breakdown when school ended. If there had been another three weeks left in the quarter, I fear something terrible may have happened. I definitely feel like I need help so that I can deal with school when September rolls around. I just fear that doctors will say that I am fine and that I am not depressed but that I will once again struggle during the school year like I have the past three years. I would rather be clinically depressed and on medication than a supposedly normal person who just hates his life 9 months of the year.
Beyond the drama of my mental capability or incapability not much is happening in my life. I've started a workout plan, hoping to add some weight to my pitifully thin frame. It's going reasonably well so far although I generally don't appreciate the constant soreness. We'll see how it works out. I find that the hardest part of the whole equation is just eating enough to provide my body with the calories necessary to gain way.
Other than that, my life is a whole lot of nothing right now. To further quote Maximo Park's "The Kids Are Sick Again," which is quoted in this post's title. I'm just spending "pointless days pining, afternoons whining".
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Chelsea Musings
Once again, I am dreadfully failing to come even close to being productive. Time to write on the old blog again. Tonight's topic, sports musings.
CHELSEA MUSINGS
Wednesday is the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League Semifinal with Barcelona. Chelsea played the first leg at the Camp Nou in Barcelona determined to do just one thing: prevent Barca from scoring. They successfully accomplished that goal. Guus Hiddink, ever the tactical master, pulled a new trick out of his sleeve. Instead of picking two out of the trio of Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, and John Obi Mikel to man the midfield, he chose all three. The versatile Essien shifted to right wing and acted as almost a second right back, playing just slightly in front of Branislav Ivanovic. Meanwhile, on the left, Florent Malouda displayed a fabulous work ethic in tracking back to aid Jose Bosingwa who superglued himself to Lionel Messi for the whole of the match. That left Didier Drogba all alone up top and with very little support. He almost managed to nick a first half goal anyway, which is a testament to how well he is playing currently.
The night was all about defense, though. Barcelona had the odd dangerous moment. Bojan Kristic probably should have done better with a brilliant service from Dani Alves that provided him with a clear header opportunity. Nonetheless, the Catalan goal scoring machine was rendered mostly impotant. Chelsea tackled vigorously and often and Petr Cech produced one of his very best displays of the season to keep the leaders of La Liga out.
Predictably, the football purists howled. Pep Guardiola berated the Blues for refusing to play actual football. What did they honestly expect? There is an established tactic for handling Barcelona over two legs. You park the bus at the Camp Nou and pray that you don't concede before taking it home to win the decisive match. Playing free-flowing attacking football against Barcelona is a suicide mission. No club side in the world can go tit for tat with Barca in that way and have any prior of survival.
Now, Hiddink faces yet another tough task. How does he beat Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. The crowd will certainly be plenty excited for what will be by far the biggest match of the season for the Blues to date, but that can only go so far. Chelsea needs to win. That means that Chelsea has to attack. The time for sitting back is over. How do you attack without exposing yourself to deadly Barcelona counterattacks? That's the big question.
Hiddink experimented with one possible solution by finally debuting a 4-4-2 with Drogba and Anelka up top together and Lampard on the right wing. The experimented proved conclusively that the notion that the two strikers cannot play together is utter rubbish. They linked extraordinarly well. Drogba set Anelka up for the first goal. Anelka played Drogba in for the third. In between, they both played a role in setting up Florent Malouda.
However, the plan has its flaws. Fulham had far too many chances of far too great a quality during the Chelsea's 3-1 win. Erik Nevland scored Fulham's lone goal as the lucky benificiary off some soft defending and even softer goalkeeping. Without the usual midfield trio, Chelsea couldn't impose their physicality like they normally do. In addition, Lampard appeared lost on the right wing.
I would expect Chelsea to come out in their normal 4-2-3-1 formation. The left back will almost assuredly be assigned to man-mark Messi once again. Other than that, it's hard to imagine what Guus can do to outfox Pep Guardiola. This time around, Chelsea may just have to play it's game the best way it knows how.
While they do have to face the fearsome Barca offense, Chelsea does have some advantages of its own. Victor Valdes is not considered one of the world's top keepers. In front of him, Barcelona has an unsettled centre half situation. Carlos Puyol is suspended and Rafa Marquez is out with a season ending injury. Gerard Pique will thus be teamed either with usual left back Eric Abidal or infrequently-played Uruguayan Martin Caceres. Moreover, even when they are at full strength, Barcelona's defense can be beaten. Zeus knows that Dani Alves can only loosely be termed a defender as he does precious little defending. Certainly, height is not Barcelona's strong suit and they can be beaten aerially.
Real Madrid got clobbered 2-6 by Barcelona at the weekend but in the process exposed Barca's defensive frailities. Sergio Ramos figured in both goals. First, he served a perfect ball to a completely unmarked Gonzalo Higuain, who deftly headed into the net. Then, he found himself totally unmarked and scored off an Arjen Robben free kick. One imagines that Chelsea will be providing plenty of service to the noggin of one Didier Drogba. Even the sometimes uninterested Michael Ballack may be intrigued enough to steal a goal for himself. Heck, even Branislav Ivanovic, the two-goal hero at Anfield, is probably licking his chops.
If Chelsea don't get lured into a passing competition with Barcelona and instead use their superior physicality and aerial prowess, they have every chance to prevail at the Bridge with that most English of tactics, Route One football.
CHELSEA MUSINGS
Wednesday is the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League Semifinal with Barcelona. Chelsea played the first leg at the Camp Nou in Barcelona determined to do just one thing: prevent Barca from scoring. They successfully accomplished that goal. Guus Hiddink, ever the tactical master, pulled a new trick out of his sleeve. Instead of picking two out of the trio of Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, and John Obi Mikel to man the midfield, he chose all three. The versatile Essien shifted to right wing and acted as almost a second right back, playing just slightly in front of Branislav Ivanovic. Meanwhile, on the left, Florent Malouda displayed a fabulous work ethic in tracking back to aid Jose Bosingwa who superglued himself to Lionel Messi for the whole of the match. That left Didier Drogba all alone up top and with very little support. He almost managed to nick a first half goal anyway, which is a testament to how well he is playing currently.
The night was all about defense, though. Barcelona had the odd dangerous moment. Bojan Kristic probably should have done better with a brilliant service from Dani Alves that provided him with a clear header opportunity. Nonetheless, the Catalan goal scoring machine was rendered mostly impotant. Chelsea tackled vigorously and often and Petr Cech produced one of his very best displays of the season to keep the leaders of La Liga out.
Predictably, the football purists howled. Pep Guardiola berated the Blues for refusing to play actual football. What did they honestly expect? There is an established tactic for handling Barcelona over two legs. You park the bus at the Camp Nou and pray that you don't concede before taking it home to win the decisive match. Playing free-flowing attacking football against Barcelona is a suicide mission. No club side in the world can go tit for tat with Barca in that way and have any prior of survival.
Now, Hiddink faces yet another tough task. How does he beat Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. The crowd will certainly be plenty excited for what will be by far the biggest match of the season for the Blues to date, but that can only go so far. Chelsea needs to win. That means that Chelsea has to attack. The time for sitting back is over. How do you attack without exposing yourself to deadly Barcelona counterattacks? That's the big question.
Hiddink experimented with one possible solution by finally debuting a 4-4-2 with Drogba and Anelka up top together and Lampard on the right wing. The experimented proved conclusively that the notion that the two strikers cannot play together is utter rubbish. They linked extraordinarly well. Drogba set Anelka up for the first goal. Anelka played Drogba in for the third. In between, they both played a role in setting up Florent Malouda.
However, the plan has its flaws. Fulham had far too many chances of far too great a quality during the Chelsea's 3-1 win. Erik Nevland scored Fulham's lone goal as the lucky benificiary off some soft defending and even softer goalkeeping. Without the usual midfield trio, Chelsea couldn't impose their physicality like they normally do. In addition, Lampard appeared lost on the right wing.
I would expect Chelsea to come out in their normal 4-2-3-1 formation. The left back will almost assuredly be assigned to man-mark Messi once again. Other than that, it's hard to imagine what Guus can do to outfox Pep Guardiola. This time around, Chelsea may just have to play it's game the best way it knows how.
While they do have to face the fearsome Barca offense, Chelsea does have some advantages of its own. Victor Valdes is not considered one of the world's top keepers. In front of him, Barcelona has an unsettled centre half situation. Carlos Puyol is suspended and Rafa Marquez is out with a season ending injury. Gerard Pique will thus be teamed either with usual left back Eric Abidal or infrequently-played Uruguayan Martin Caceres. Moreover, even when they are at full strength, Barcelona's defense can be beaten. Zeus knows that Dani Alves can only loosely be termed a defender as he does precious little defending. Certainly, height is not Barcelona's strong suit and they can be beaten aerially.
Real Madrid got clobbered 2-6 by Barcelona at the weekend but in the process exposed Barca's defensive frailities. Sergio Ramos figured in both goals. First, he served a perfect ball to a completely unmarked Gonzalo Higuain, who deftly headed into the net. Then, he found himself totally unmarked and scored off an Arjen Robben free kick. One imagines that Chelsea will be providing plenty of service to the noggin of one Didier Drogba. Even the sometimes uninterested Michael Ballack may be intrigued enough to steal a goal for himself. Heck, even Branislav Ivanovic, the two-goal hero at Anfield, is probably licking his chops.
If Chelsea don't get lured into a passing competition with Barcelona and instead use their superior physicality and aerial prowess, they have every chance to prevail at the Bridge with that most English of tactics, Route One football.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The Kids Are Sick Again
I haven't accomplished ANYTHING yet this weekend, so I figure that there's no sense in starting to be productive now. It's time to once again start writing in the old blog. I'll write about various other things soon hopefully, but now it's time for a song.
Maximo Park are one of the best bands in the world, in my humble opinion. You'd have a hard time arguing that, though, especially in America. Most people in the United States would have no clue who Maximo Park are. Then again, most people in the US that I talk to don't even know who the Smiths are. So fuck them, right? What could they possibly know?
Maximo Park are a 5 piece band from Newcastle, England that formed in 2003. Technically, they formed in 2000 but it wasn't until 2003 that frontman Paul Smith joined the band. Maximo without Paul Smith are like the Stones without Mick Jagger. The concept just doesn't work. Their first album, A Certain Trigger, arrived in 2005. They followed it with Our Earthly Pleasures in 2007. Following the one album every two years schedule faithfully, their third album Quicken the Heart is due out in just one week.
The musical landscape is fairly littered with jangly self-important UK indie bands. I enjoy The Enemy for example but there is something about their stiflingly self-conscious desire to speak for the masses of the Credit Crunch era in the way that Oasis and the Manic Street Preachers did the same for disillusioned 90s lads did that is off-putting. Also off-putting is the manufactured arrogance of bands like the Artic Monkeys. Maximo Park is refreshing because they are entirely different to the other bands on the scene. They are no less pretentious. In fact, they are probably more pretentious than most. However, their is a certain honesty in Paul Smith's pretensions that make it all acceptable. One gets the feeling he just does, to reference a song title, read "Russian Literature" all day and that he is the kind of fellow who can and does quote Byron at will.
It makes him the modern rock scene's nearest equivalent to Morrissey. With apologies to Liam Fray of the Courteeners, a self-styled "Morrissey with some strings" who opens for the man himself, Smith is the one who most nearly approximates the Mancunian crooner in terms of unique gesticulations and remarkably verbose lyrical sensibilities.
The Smiths, then, are an obvious influence but sonically there are traces of the Manics, Editors, and probably several other bands that I'm not thinking of right now. The important thing about Maximo is not that they sound different (they do, but not markedly so) from other bands but that they are different. While they work in a common sonic territory with other bands they stand out from the pack thanks to their unique lyrics and Smith's remarkably manic energy. The whole band seems to pulse with the energy that Smith puts into his performance.
A Certain Trigger was the debut, a guns-blazing, teen-angst ridden introduction of the band to the world. Our Earthly Pleasures saw Maximo refine the formula trying for clarity, depth of emotion, and sometimes sweetness where the previous album had supplied jangly guitars, superficiality, and self-righteous and self-conscious nervousness. Quicken the Heart promises to be the dreaded change of direction album. Smith said, "The whole affair is going to be quite stripped down compared to the last album because we don't like to repeat ourselves." That can only mean one of two things. Either it will be a brilliant redefinition of an underappreciated band or it will be their suicide.
The first single is "The Kids are Sick Again". As one can see from the title, Maximo is veering into dangerously political territory here. Besides the ocassional success like the Manics and "If You Tolerate This..." songs about sick youth are almost always bad news for rock bands. Thankfully, Smith saves us all from rants about government and the economy and instead sings vaguely about "pointless days pining" and his loss of self-respect before indulging in the hackneyed yet still somewhat powerful refrain of "The kids are sick again/nothing to look forward to/they jumped the cliff again/future sinks beneath the blue".
It doesn't pack the sheer energy of "Our Velocity" and in that sense it may be ill-suited to be a first single. However, it's a better than that lyrically vacant song from the last album and hearlds a yet tighter and yet cleaner style from Maximo. If the rest of the album can stay away from pseudo-political ditties and stick to the relationship heartbreak that has been the most fertile source of Maximo's songs, it could just be their best effort yet.
Here's the tracklist for Quicken The Heart:
Maximo Park are one of the best bands in the world, in my humble opinion. You'd have a hard time arguing that, though, especially in America. Most people in the United States would have no clue who Maximo Park are. Then again, most people in the US that I talk to don't even know who the Smiths are. So fuck them, right? What could they possibly know?
Maximo Park are a 5 piece band from Newcastle, England that formed in 2003. Technically, they formed in 2000 but it wasn't until 2003 that frontman Paul Smith joined the band. Maximo without Paul Smith are like the Stones without Mick Jagger. The concept just doesn't work. Their first album, A Certain Trigger, arrived in 2005. They followed it with Our Earthly Pleasures in 2007. Following the one album every two years schedule faithfully, their third album Quicken the Heart is due out in just one week.
The musical landscape is fairly littered with jangly self-important UK indie bands. I enjoy The Enemy for example but there is something about their stiflingly self-conscious desire to speak for the masses of the Credit Crunch era in the way that Oasis and the Manic Street Preachers did the same for disillusioned 90s lads did that is off-putting. Also off-putting is the manufactured arrogance of bands like the Artic Monkeys. Maximo Park is refreshing because they are entirely different to the other bands on the scene. They are no less pretentious. In fact, they are probably more pretentious than most. However, their is a certain honesty in Paul Smith's pretensions that make it all acceptable. One gets the feeling he just does, to reference a song title, read "Russian Literature" all day and that he is the kind of fellow who can and does quote Byron at will.
It makes him the modern rock scene's nearest equivalent to Morrissey. With apologies to Liam Fray of the Courteeners, a self-styled "Morrissey with some strings" who opens for the man himself, Smith is the one who most nearly approximates the Mancunian crooner in terms of unique gesticulations and remarkably verbose lyrical sensibilities.
The Smiths, then, are an obvious influence but sonically there are traces of the Manics, Editors, and probably several other bands that I'm not thinking of right now. The important thing about Maximo is not that they sound different (they do, but not markedly so) from other bands but that they are different. While they work in a common sonic territory with other bands they stand out from the pack thanks to their unique lyrics and Smith's remarkably manic energy. The whole band seems to pulse with the energy that Smith puts into his performance.
A Certain Trigger was the debut, a guns-blazing, teen-angst ridden introduction of the band to the world. Our Earthly Pleasures saw Maximo refine the formula trying for clarity, depth of emotion, and sometimes sweetness where the previous album had supplied jangly guitars, superficiality, and self-righteous and self-conscious nervousness. Quicken the Heart promises to be the dreaded change of direction album. Smith said, "The whole affair is going to be quite stripped down compared to the last album because we don't like to repeat ourselves." That can only mean one of two things. Either it will be a brilliant redefinition of an underappreciated band or it will be their suicide.
The first single is "The Kids are Sick Again". As one can see from the title, Maximo is veering into dangerously political territory here. Besides the ocassional success like the Manics and "If You Tolerate This..." songs about sick youth are almost always bad news for rock bands. Thankfully, Smith saves us all from rants about government and the economy and instead sings vaguely about "pointless days pining" and his loss of self-respect before indulging in the hackneyed yet still somewhat powerful refrain of "The kids are sick again/nothing to look forward to/they jumped the cliff again/future sinks beneath the blue".
It doesn't pack the sheer energy of "Our Velocity" and in that sense it may be ill-suited to be a first single. However, it's a better than that lyrically vacant song from the last album and hearlds a yet tighter and yet cleaner style from Maximo. If the rest of the album can stay away from pseudo-political ditties and stick to the relationship heartbreak that has been the most fertile source of Maximo's songs, it could just be their best effort yet.
Here's the tracklist for Quicken The Heart:
- Wraithlike
- The Penultimate Clinch
- The Kids are Sick Again
- A Cloud of Mystery"
- Calm
- In Another World (You Would’ve Found Yourself By Now)
- Let’s Get Clinical
- Roller Disco Dreams
- Tanned
- Questing, Not Coasting
- Overland, West of Suez
- I Haven’t Seen Her in Ages
- Lost Property
Monday, April 13, 2009
"Don't Give Up"
One more reason that I am somewhat rubbish at life. Instead of writing my own blogs, I know simply regurgitate others' words. *Sighs*
I was listening to a new song on Marina and the Diamonds' Myspace when I decided to read her blogs. Minus the stuff about celebrity, this encapsulates a lot of what I've been feeling. Here's what she wrote:
Back from New York.
Feel happy but also sad and like world hates me. Feel like i may rule the world but also fear in reality i am big failure who is rubbish friend/ deluded/ crap at love etc.
Feel greedy and horrible for spending all money in new york.
Feel mean for being mean person in life.
Feel like i do not want to grow up to be twat face celeb. Have been thinking deeply about the notion of fame and celebrity and what it actually means, what i would personally gain from it and how one can get to a point where one doesn't want attention/ recognition for unhealthy reasons eg "Oh Hey i have a gaping, gangrenous hole for a heart and and i want everyone to love me for no reason whatsoever". Cause most Famouses seem pretty fucked up and weird and not very loved in reality because they love themselves too much to form real, stable relationships. The ones that are normal and kind and add something to pop culture are the ones worth the space.
I have always really admired people like Madonna for doing what they want, for being disciplined when the rest of the world cant be bothered and for staying focused on their goals until they achieve them. But it freaks me out when I realise most of these people are now really fucked up or sad and I just wonder what it's all really about..
Dont want to be like the unhealthy celebs. All those people who gossip and care about material shit, their $11k bags, whats in fashion, who is having sex with who etc. I am as prone as anyone to the media/ celebrity but its so diseased and wrong and damaging and not what any of us should be wasting our time on. Where are all the old fashioned people in the world. Why do i never meet them. Feel like i dont want to go to any parties and that everyone in the world is crazy amazing fun party animal except for me and that i am just a boring girl and ''all i wanna do is take ugly dogs for a walks".*
*To get me through this difficult time in life, i am playing Hassle's 'Love me to pieces' for 5 hrs now.
PS. I am not in any way considering myself a 'celeb 'in this post.
PPS. Everything in this post is aimed at myself.
Well, you've got that last bit wrong, Marina. It's aimed at me, too. Everything from feeling deluded and rubbish at love to feeling hopelessly old-fashioned and stodgy for not partying to resorting to listening to Erik Hassle on repeat to get through things resonates strongly with me.
The other songs that get me through things lately? Those of Morrissey and of Marina herself, especially "Obssessions".
I was listening to a new song on Marina and the Diamonds' Myspace when I decided to read her blogs. Minus the stuff about celebrity, this encapsulates a lot of what I've been feeling. Here's what she wrote:
Back from New York.
Feel happy but also sad and like world hates me. Feel like i may rule the world but also fear in reality i am big failure who is rubbish friend/ deluded/ crap at love etc.
Feel greedy and horrible for spending all money in new york.
Feel mean for being mean person in life.
Feel like i do not want to grow up to be twat face celeb. Have been thinking deeply about the notion of fame and celebrity and what it actually means, what i would personally gain from it and how one can get to a point where one doesn't want attention/ recognition for unhealthy reasons eg "Oh Hey i have a gaping, gangrenous hole for a heart and and i want everyone to love me for no reason whatsoever". Cause most Famouses seem pretty fucked up and weird and not very loved in reality because they love themselves too much to form real, stable relationships. The ones that are normal and kind and add something to pop culture are the ones worth the space.
I have always really admired people like Madonna for doing what they want, for being disciplined when the rest of the world cant be bothered and for staying focused on their goals until they achieve them. But it freaks me out when I realise most of these people are now really fucked up or sad and I just wonder what it's all really about..
Dont want to be like the unhealthy celebs. All those people who gossip and care about material shit, their $11k bags, whats in fashion, who is having sex with who etc. I am as prone as anyone to the media/ celebrity but its so diseased and wrong and damaging and not what any of us should be wasting our time on. Where are all the old fashioned people in the world. Why do i never meet them. Feel like i dont want to go to any parties and that everyone in the world is crazy amazing fun party animal except for me and that i am just a boring girl and ''all i wanna do is take ugly dogs for a walks".*
*To get me through this difficult time in life, i am playing Hassle's 'Love me to pieces' for 5 hrs now.
PS. I am not in any way considering myself a 'celeb 'in this post.
PPS. Everything in this post is aimed at myself.
Well, you've got that last bit wrong, Marina. It's aimed at me, too. Everything from feeling deluded and rubbish at love to feeling hopelessly old-fashioned and stodgy for not partying to resorting to listening to Erik Hassle on repeat to get through things resonates strongly with me.
The other songs that get me through things lately? Those of Morrissey and of Marina herself, especially "Obssessions".
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Words from a Hotel Parking Lot
I did not write this. I found it in the parking lot of a Best Western in Countryside, IL. That weekend was one of the worst weekends of my life. This is one of the worst nights in my life. Tonight, I think I've just had a panic attack. In order to try and calm myself down, I'm transcribing these words and uploading them to the world. I have preserved the orginal handwritten capitalization and punctuation and attempted to transcribe what appears as exactly as possible. I hope that whoever wrote this is well right now.
Every Day Its getting HaRDer to Decifer, the Real Between the Facts and Fixing of these liars I am just another coward lying on the Floor, Can you Hear Me Crying Now OR AM I A Whore looking For the Attention that I Seek IS there anybody listening .Believing in Anything seems So Fake, WISh I could just Clear my head and Make My ESCape. Cant take too Much more before I've gone insane. Watching all of the Repeated Memories Archived in my Brain . IS this Really life or Just a Dream?
Every Day Its getting HaRDer to Decifer, the Real Between the Facts and Fixing of these liars I am just another coward lying on the Floor, Can you Hear Me Crying Now OR AM I A Whore looking For the Attention that I Seek IS there anybody listening .Believing in Anything seems So Fake, WISh I could just Clear my head and Make My ESCape. Cant take too Much more before I've gone insane. Watching all of the Repeated Memories Archived in my Brain . IS this Really life or Just a Dream?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
VV Brown -- Bringer of Hope
I must say I was happy when I checked Twitter today and saw this tweet from VV Brown:
"i just love nerdy intellectual men who are awkward and witty. They are so super sexy...; ) especially those who dont realise there hotnesss!"
Given that I self-identify as a nerdy intellectual man and that I am awkward and at least aspire to wittiness, this gives me hope. Oh, and VV, if you're reading, I'll be your American Boy. Even if that is an Estelle lyric. You know you want some American nerd lovin'.
If you're wondering who, exactly, VV Brown is, wonder no longer. You may have read or heard (perhaps right here) that 2009 in music is set to be the year of females playing synth-pop. There is a whole laundry list of acts that fit this description. Let's see:
Lady Gaga (R&B-ish)
Little Boots (pure pop)
La Roux (New wave)
Mini Viva (Xenomania girl duo)
Pixie Lott (Not terribly synthy, Gabriella Cilmi-esque)
Alex Roots (Avril Lavigne-ish)
Marina and the Diamonds (actually just one person, a bit like Kate Bush with a synth)
That's just off the top of my head. VV Brown is very much part of that group. She has described her sound as both "indie doo-wop" and "50s synth madness". That about covers it.
Here's her debut buzz-building limited release "Crying Blood"
And here's her newest single, "LEAVE!"
One to watch, indeed.
"i just love nerdy intellectual men who are awkward and witty. They are so super sexy...; ) especially those who dont realise there hotnesss!"
Given that I self-identify as a nerdy intellectual man and that I am awkward and at least aspire to wittiness, this gives me hope. Oh, and VV, if you're reading, I'll be your American Boy. Even if that is an Estelle lyric. You know you want some American nerd lovin'.
If you're wondering who, exactly, VV Brown is, wonder no longer. You may have read or heard (perhaps right here) that 2009 in music is set to be the year of females playing synth-pop. There is a whole laundry list of acts that fit this description. Let's see:
Lady Gaga (R&B-ish)
Little Boots (pure pop)
La Roux (New wave)
Mini Viva (Xenomania girl duo)
Pixie Lott (Not terribly synthy, Gabriella Cilmi-esque)
Alex Roots (Avril Lavigne-ish)
Marina and the Diamonds (actually just one person, a bit like Kate Bush with a synth)
That's just off the top of my head. VV Brown is very much part of that group. She has described her sound as both "indie doo-wop" and "50s synth madness". That about covers it.
Here's her debut buzz-building limited release "Crying Blood"
And here's her newest single, "LEAVE!"
One to watch, indeed.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Chelsea at the Crossroads, Part Two
Chelsea at the Crossroads, Part Two: Scolari's Fatal Flaw
The January transfer window presented Chelsea an opportunity to improve their squad and address the weakness plaguing it, but that was never on the cards. Prior to the window’s opening Peter Kenyon warned that Chelsea was unlikely to make any significant buys because players of the quality Chelsea seeks are either unavailable or cup-tied in January. Fans’ hopes that this was merely a smokescreen were not fulfilled. Indeed, Chelsea proved a selling club in the window. Substitute left back Wayne Bridge was moved to Manchester City for a reported 12 million pounds and long-serving second choice goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was allowed to join Tottenham on a free transfer. Chelsea’s only incoming players were Turkish teenage prospect Gokhan Tore, Inter Milan flop Ricardo Quaresma, and 21 year-old defender Michael Mancienne, who returned from a loan spell with Championship front-runners Wolves. Quaresma would immediately get his chance to make an impression as Scolari, who managed him with the Portuguese national team, installed him in the starting XI against Hull City. Hull City, like Chelsea, ran out to a blazing start but of late the wheels have come off somewhat for the Tigers. Conceding goals, with alarming regularity, Hull seemed the ideal opponent against whom to revive the Blues’ flagging attack. However, Chelsea once again played lethargically and unimaginatively.
Quaresma, like Chelsea’s other wingers, proved uninterested in challenging defenders by driving to the byline and thus failed to add a needed dimension to the offense. Chelsea dominated possession but largely failed to create legitimate scoring chances. With the Blues desperately needing all 3 points to keep pace with Aston Villa and maintain distance over Arsenal, they instead limped to 0-0 home draw that arguably flattered them, for it was Hull who had perhaps produced the best chances. It was a game the caught Scolari out and marked him as stubborn and unimaginative. While Scolari had complained that his squad was too bureaucratic, he ultimately proved equally bankrupt of invention.
When Chelsea, at Roman Abramovich’s order, sacked Scolari, the move was largely greeted by surprise. The papers openly questioned the wisdom of sacking a manager after only 7 months on the job. Had not Scolari been hailed as a great success in the glow of his September returns, they asked? Frequently, it was pointed out that Scolari had not been given the resources in both money and talent that perhaps he had bargained for. On this reasoning, the sacking seemed the rash decision of impatient ownership who were reacting to a mere month’s worth of poor results. In fact, the poor results stretched back deep into the fall. Viewed in the lens of hindsight, it is apparent that Chelesa’s struggles were long evident and that Scolari’s termination was the logical and necessary conclusion to his uneven tenure.
The home match against Stoke City on January 17 provides perhaps the best example of the errors of Scolari’s ways. Stoke, like Hull City, is only freshly promoted to the Premier League. While Stoke has had considerable success inside the friendly confines of their home ground, the Brittania Stadium, they have struggled mightily on the road. Furthermore, they are heavily reliant on Rory DeLap’s long throws for consistent scoring opportunities. Having already beat the Potters 2-0 at the Brittania, Chelsea seemed sure to make light work of them at Stamford Bridge. That was not the case.
From the very beginning, Stoke gave the Blues fits. An early Rory DeLap throw was headed straight into the air by Alex who was fortunate that no Stoke player could get on the end of it. Petr Cech then failed to reach the ensuing corner kick providing another scare. Ultimately, Chelsea settled in and began to dominate the contest but a packed Stoke defense prevented the Londoners from claiming the lead they perhaps deserved. Scolari chose not to change tactics at halftime and it was the visiting Potters who netted first after the break. A Stoke counter-attack caught the Chelsea defense napping and DeLap coolly slotted by a helpless Petr Cech. With just minutes left, all seemed lost when suddenly Juliano Belletti headed in from point-blank range in the 88th minute to give Chelsea a lifeline. Then, in the dying seconds Frank Lampard, wearing the captain’s armband with John Terry a late injury scratch, lashed a 20 yard screamer into the top left corner of Thomas Sorenson’s goal to claim an unlikely win. Lampard, almost giddy with excitement, ran over and mobbed the embattled Scolari in a very public show of solidarity.
Lost in the thrill of victory was the truth of what won the day for Chelsea. While veterans Belletti and Lampard netted the crucial goals, it was the youthful vigor of two of Chelsea’s substitutes that put them in the position to do so. Little-used 19 year old Argentinean striker Franco di Santo headed across goal to set up an easy flick home for Belletti on the first goal. On the second goal, it was another 19 year old, Slovakian winger Miroslav Stoch, who made the key play in just his second first-team appearance. Stoch’s beautifully weighted cross led to the maelstrom from which Frank Lampard’s stunning winner ultimately emerged. Scolari, however, seemed not to recognize the contributions that the two young attackers made to the victory and neither of them saw an increase in pitch time subsequently.
Put in a nearly identical situation against Hull, Scolari left di Santo and Stoch on the bench and instead used his substitutes on the typically defense-minded Belletti, the chronically disinterested Drogba, and lackluster Deco. The Stoke victory should have been a turning point for Scolari’s Chelsea. It should have been the day on which Scolari discovered that his young prospects were ready to play a major role in Chelsea’s campaign. Instead, Scolari learned nothing and stuck to using the same players in the same system. How can Scolari honestly criticize his squad when he refused to use his youngest, hungriest players?
Ray Wilkins’ management of the team at Watford last Saturday further made a mockery of Scolari’s claims. Scolari steadfastly refused to pair strikers Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba. Wilkins, on the other hand, did just that against the Hornets. Drogba responded with perhaps his best effort of this season. In the early going, Drogba linked up with Anelka beautifully only to see the Frenchman unluckily hit the outside of the post with his shot. Still, Watford scored the first goal with Tamas Priskin’s delicate chip over the offside trap. It was an unfortunate for development for the Blues, who utterly dominated the game and surely deserved to be comfortably ahead long before Priskin’s 69th minute effort. Wilkins, unlike Scolari, responded with a deft tactical change. Holding midfielder John Obi Mikel was replaced with Stoch as Chelsea shifted to a 4-4-2 with Anelka and Drogba up top. The change paid immediate dividends. Anelka bagged goals in the 75th and 77th minutes to give the Blues the lead that they would not relinquish. At once, Wilkins shattered two of Scolari’s adamant beliefs. Not only could Anelka and Drogba play together but they could also do so in a 4-4-2, which Scolari refused to play.
Ultimately, it was not merely a bad run of form that doomed Luis Felipe Scolari’s tenure at Stamford Bridge. It was his inflexibility and refusal to try new tactics and play young players that proved his undoing. These characteristics made it abundantly clear that Chelsea would not come out of its winter slumber under Scolari’s watch. With crucial fixtures against Watford in the FA Cup, Aston Villa in the Premier League, and Juventus in the Champions’ League on the horizon, Roman Abramovich realized that if he was to save his season it was now or never. For a club struggling to slowly attain self-sufficiency, missing the financial windfall of the Champions’ League is a nightmare scenario. That is the scenario that was staring Abramovich in the face as he viewed a fixture list with Aston Villa and Arsenal away still to come and an unresponsive, unimaginative manager. Given the circumstances, Abramovich had no choice but to sack Scolari in an attempt to save his team’s season.
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