Losing Streak Ends: Sea Scum Still Spineless

Oh boy, I've been wanting to do one of these for ages but, no win, no Big Boy.

However, there's nothing better or more satisfying than going to Vancouver & making those blue & green thugs look like the chumps they are.  With 2 goals and a helpie, last night's Big Boy is Brandon Saad.

                                                      ALL KNEEL BEFORE SAAD!

Caterham F1 2014 Launch: Avert your eyes

After viewing some not very adventurous-looking 2014 Formula One cars, with the Lotus being a notable exception and the Ferrari and Force India entries at least looking very attractive....along came this:

                                              Yarrrrr, Peg-Leg Pete be my name...

Sometimes Needle gets angry at the street

Wake me when it's summer

Hawks vs. Bruins: A New Big Boy

Heeeyyyy....two games in a row.

Just one assist but Niklas Hjalmarsson was a shot blocking monster today, playing against the B's top line pretty much all day.

                      En voi käyttää lyhyitä housuja syynä ovat valtavat mustelmia.

Friday's Big Boy

Two goals, including a shorty, in The Hawks' 4-2 win over first-place Anaheim nets Marian Hossa his second consecutive Big Boy nod. 

                                                   Celkom dobry, celkom dobry...

Sunday's Big Boy

It seems like forever since I had the pleasure, or need, to peck out a Big Boy post.

With a goal, his 17th, and a helpie, it's gotta be Marian Hossa.

                         Even Hoss agrees he looks awesome on the Jumbotron.

Ten Black Hawks to compete in Sochi

Woweewowwow - an unprecedented ten members of the Chicago Black Hawks will represent their respective countries at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

L-R: Marian Hossa (Slovakia), Patrick Kane (USA), Marcus Kruger (Sweden), Michal Rozsival (Czech Republic), Jonathan Toews (Canada), Patrick Sharp (Canada), Johnny Oduya (Sweden), Niklas Hjalmarsson (Sweden), Duncan Keith (Canada) and Michal Handzus (Slovakia)

What Everybody is (was?) Doing, 1974 vs. 1981

Nerd dog

      The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

Jury's Top Ten Records of 2013: #1

Here it is, my favourite record from 2013...

#1: Clutch - Earth Rocker

For me, a new Clutch album dropping is like a trip to an all-you-can-eat sushi place or a solar eclipse; it's an event.  Earth Rocker is, as expected, just such an event and a near-perfect rock album.  The jams, the sarcastic, sometimes chummy lyrics and Tim Sult's sublime riffs are all here, and Neil Fallon remains rock's most captivating, fully committed front man.  How is it possible for bass, drums, guitar and vocals to ALL be so punchy and up front…neither dominating nor slipping into the background?  As far as I'm concerned Clutch can do no wrong.

Not quite there:

The Phantom Carriage – Falls:  Generic.  There a few interesting musical things going on here but they’re completely wasted alongside weak, bleating vocals and dull song structure.

When Whales Collide – By Default:  More well played post-rock ruined by wimpy, whiny vocals.  I was encouraged by the crisp, dynamic beginning of the first track We’re Lost Here, but was scrambling for the delete key after the vocals came in.  Pity.

 
 

Friday's Big Boy

With another hat trick in tonight's 5-3 win over The Devils, this evening's Big Boy must be

Creepy, yes, but if he keeps scoring he can dress as Wonder Woman, if that's what he wants to do

Sharpie is making it tough to NOT add him to Canada's Olympic Team; with 7G and 3A in his last five games he's peaking at the perfect time.

Jury's Top Ten Records of 2013: #2

#2: Altar of Plagues – Teethed Glory & Injury

 I loved Mammal and I might love this even more. Furious, precise, atmospheric, dense and, most of all, inventive. Moody industrial in God Alone and Twelve Was Ruin, pummeling, post-rock in A Body Shrouded, furious minimalism in A Burnt Year, a blackened Rolling Stones in A Remedy and a Fever, the precise Found Oval and Final. Only the vocals really evoke anything of Altar of Plagues' black/blackened metal past.  Sadly, the band split up shortly after this album's release, making this an epitaph of sorts, nicely capping their consistently excellent discography.

I heard this, too:
Stay Here (EP): Quite good sludge/doom racket, rather reminiscent of Kylesa. This is only a two-track 7” so I won’t stake too much on two songs, but I’m eager to see what these Ottawa lads can do over the length of a full album.

Wolves Carry My Name – Amongst Ruin & Ashes: Kind of bizarre. Halfway through track two I was resigned to suffering through another ho-hum Isis homage, only for the song to suddenly take a dramatic turn south, as in the deep south, sounding, briefly, a lot like Pepper Keenan-era Corrosion of Conformity. No luck with the vocals, though, as the post-rock barking persisted, making for a very unusual mélange of styles. Strangely enough, it’s not terrible…just really, really odd.

Jury's Top Ten Records of 2013: #3

#3: Russian Circles - Memorial

More melancholy than what we’ve become accustomed to, but well-paced, inventive and exceptionally powerful at times. Like their last record, Memorial features one vocal track, this time sung by touring buddy Chelsea Wolfe. I caught Chelsea Wolfe when she and her band opened for Russian Circles a few years ago and hated it entirely, so I was surprised and pleased to enjoy her contribution here.  Otherwise, we get another rock-solid collection of bombastic, moody, dynamic and heavy instrumental tracks.

Failed to make the cut:
pozvakowski – seven people left: A pleasant surprise, this is competent, interesting post-rock or experimental rock or some such thing. Not ground breaking stuff, but solid and enjoyable heavy instrumental music incorporating occasional tape loops and other sound effects. These guys are apparently a thing in Hungary.

Shining – One One One: Often stunning, full speed ahead spaz-jazz-rock, featuring amazing musicianship and arrangements that are complex but not, seemingly, just for the sake of being complex (take heed, Colin Marston). In a way, Shining remind me of the great Belgian band dEUS, but with severe ADHD. Enjoyable but also exhausting and hampered slightly by too many too similar tracks.

Sleigh Bells – Bitter Rival: Last year’s Reign of Terror was among the biggest musical disappointments for me and I’m happy to report that the ship has been righted, somewhat. Of course this record is replete with more jagged guitars, canned drums & handclaps, but this time around they’ve made far better use of Alexis Krauss’ voice, combining the shout/chant style introduced on Treats with more melodic vocals more in the background, rather than so up front as they often were on that wretched second album. Bitter Rival is not without a few clunkers but it’s far more good than bad.

Resolutions