Sports: NFL Picks, Week 11

Ouch. The NFL seems to have conspired to bring me down last week. Buffalo gave Detroit the finger by refusing to join them in the winless season ranks; Houston inexplicably tipped a hail Mary pass right to the Jags (but it's still pretty cool to see a hail Mary actually work); Kansas City and the NY Giants got buckets of cold water tossed in their faces... and by far worst of all, my Steelers got humiliated by TTSNBN :( :( :( I can only hope we repay them twice as well in the playoffs. *Sigh* On to the picks...

Chicago at Miami: Miami, x-x
See? This one balances out last week's Thursday pick. And I feel extremely foolish now for picking Miami, who never looked like they had a chance to win.

Buffalo at Cincinnati: Cincinnati, 20-17
I'm more confident that this will be a close game (like Buffalo's last 4 games)than I am that Cincy will win. But Cincy finally gets an easier opponent, and they have some potential.

Detroit at Dallas: Detroit, 38-34
Rule of thumb for Dallas games this year (mostly): whatever you think will happen, the opposite will occur. Plus, Detroit will enjoy the turf in Jerry World.

Washington at Tennessee: Tennessee, 31-10
Wow, did the 'Skins look bad on Monday night. Now they have a short week to prepare for Chris Johnson and a usually tough Titans' D.

Arizona at Kansas City: Kansas City, 28-20
The Cardinals give up lots of points on the road and the Chiefs score lots of points at home. The only question is, how much will KC win by?

Green Bay at Minnesota: Green Bay, 27-24
Many people think this will be blow out, but I'm not so sure. I'm not completely sold on the Packers yet, and we saw last night that Minnesota losing to Chicago was not such a shock.

Houston at NY Jets: NY Jets, 21-17
The Texans' simply can't stop anyone, which is preventing them from using their big new weapon, Arian Foster, to the fullest. The Jets, however, can stop people cold.

Oakland at Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, 14-10
The Steelers are well aware of the way this season is beginning to mirror last season. I think the defense will step up, but that injured offensive line is simply atrocious and WRs need to step up.

Baltimore at Carolina: Baltimore, 35-7
The Ravens' defense is rested, hungry, and ready to send Brian St. Pierre to an early retirement.

Cleveland at Jacksonville: Cleveland, 28-17
The Brownies are looking pretty feisty, even after a tough overtime loss to the Jets. Hillis should be able to flatten the Jags.

Tampa Bay at San Francisco: San Francisco, 28-24
I'm really not sure at all what we'll happen here, both teams are so inconsistent. But the Bucs have one of the worst run defenses and they're going against Frank Gore.

Seattle at New Orleans: New Orleans, 45-10
When all else fails, pick the team playing against the NFC West. However, New Orleans succeeds at home and Seattle fails on the road, so this one's easy.

Atlanta at St. Louis: Atlanta, 31-24
This is technically a road game for the Falcons, but it's still in a dome on turf. And they're simply one of if not the best teams in the NFC. Sorry, Rams.

Indianapolis at TTSNBN: TTSNBN, x-x
It's safe to say, I'm hoping more than usual after last week that the jinx pick works.

NY Giants at Philadelphia: Philadelphia, 21-20
It all depends on how the G-Men bounce back here. If Eli Manning and the defensive line struggle, they are in for a whupping.

Denver at San Diego: San Diego, 42-38
The Chargers, with a week of rest, should be a little fresher to win a shoot out. But I am hoping that this will be an entertaining Monday Nighter.

2010 Picks: 85-59

Music: Sounds of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel)

Album Review: Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

The dynamic duo released their second studio album, Sounds of Silence, in January 1966. I've already reviewed Graceland, so you know I'm a fan of Paul Simon. Well, Paul is one of the few artists who was able to create his own style as a solo artist that matched the quality of his efforts with his first band. And that wasn't an easy thing to do, because Simon and Garfunkel was one of the best pop music groups of the 20th century. Of course, they had Simon's musical brilliance to guide them, and Garfunkel's voice was a perfect complement to Paul's. Simon wrote all of the pair's songs, with the exception of those indicated.

1. "The Sounds of Silence"
The first track is the title song and, of course, is one of the group's most famous songs. It's hard to place this song actually, despite its popularity. It's kind of an odd choice as an album opener; it seems like more of a middle-album track. The intro hooks you immediately, with Paul and Art harmonizing on the first verse to the accompaniment of a lone guitar. It's an affecting tone, but like the song itself, I can't really place it. I suppose somber would be the best fit. Anyway, once the second verse starts, the full rock band kicks in with bass and drums; with each verse, Paul and Art's vocals become a bit more intense. The regular instruments backing the vocals seem odd; you'd expect something lighter, and so the track has an edge to it. The song goes along like this for the full three minutes before ending with the lone guitar again. Not my favorite S&G song, but certainly a classic and very good, and worth listening to.

2. "Leaves That Are Green"
Whoa, talk about shift in tone! This one starts off with a very bright, artificial keyboard part, backed by tambourine, light guitar and bass. Paul sings the first verse solo, a pretty, and much happier sounding one than in "Sounds of Silence". Art provides some harmony soon after, while the pleasant instrumental backing continues on. The melody of this song doesn't really grab you; it's more about the mood and just kind of floating along (like leaves, I suppose). Pleasant song, but not an especially great one.

3. "Blessed"
Here, Simon and Garfunkel change up the style yet again with one of my favorite tracks on the album. Driving the tone is a slightly discordant guitar part and strong drum beat. Paul and Art's harmony blasting out "Blessed! Is..." followed by various lyrics in each verse is a powerful force and grabs your attention, as opposed to the nonchalant "Leaves That Are Green." That's the strength of the song: Paul and Art mix up the vocal quite well, matching their tones perfectly to the lyrics but always keeping a good but not overblown intensity. Not much variety in this one either but it, like the two preceding tracks, doesn't overstay its welcome. Great song.

4. "Kathy's Song"
Style change #3! Here we have a stripped down track, with just Paul singing accompanied by an acoustic guitar (very Simon-and-Garfunkel-y at that). It's a pretty song; however, I've just never got into this one. There's really no musical variety at all, and with the same vocal line and guitar over and over, it gets a bit old. Perhaps this is one where I should pay more attention to the lyrics, but it just hasn't clicked with me yet.

5. "Somewhere They Can't Find Me"
Here we have perhaps the most standard rock song on the album yet, and it's a fun little track. Backed by a pretty standard set of rock instrumentals, in addition to a trumpet (maybe that's why I like this song...) and a bit of other (but subdued) orchestra, Paul and Art return to the charged vocal style of "Blessed". The verses are really fun, with Paul's vocal and a keyboard in particular really driving with great energy. Art's neat harmony in the chorus builds the urgency until the duo sings the title. It's a short one at about two-and-a-half minutes, but it's quite well written and performed. Nice little gem.

6. "Anji" (Graham)
Now for an all-instrumental track with a guitar duet (I think; I could be wrong). It's kind of an intermission on the album. A nice way to pass the time, but that's basically all it's doing. One thing to note is that while this is a cover, it does actually sound like it would fit in well with several of the other songs on the album.

7. "Richard Cory"
Another song in the rock mold of "Somewhere They Can't Find Me", this one tells a bit of a story (about, naturally, Richard Cory). This is a great example of Paul writing great lyrics - and also writing music that makes the words come out crystal clear and bold. And at the same time, the backing music isn't just a platform for the lyrics: the verse and chorus structure are both quite fun rock bits themselves. Paul sings the lead vocal here, and Art provides a light vocal that only becomes prominent in the chorus. The instrumental backing is quite strong, and gives the song a great beat. At three minutes, the track is also a very good length. Good one.

8. "A Most Peculiar Man"
Things quiet down significantly here. Paul and Art's soft harmonies are very pretty and calming. The song is guided along by high-pitched (but soft, so not irritating) keyboard, bass and various percussion (not the usual drums). Ironically, after giving Paul praise in the previous song for his great fusion of lyrics and music, this one is a bit awkward in that regard. I think he tried a bit to hard to force music around his lyrics here. It's not a bad song, but it passes right on by with little effect, and I'm not unhappy to move on to the next track.

9. "April Come She Will"
Here's another acoustic-vocal song; this time Art gets to sing the lead. I also like it significantly more than "Kathy's Song" as the composition is much more interesting. In addition, Art's voice is just perfect for this type of song. Finally, the song is not even two minutes, so it doesn't have time to grow old; it's over almost as soon as it begins - but it still has enough time to leave a pleasant effect on the ears.

10. "We've Got A Groovey Thing Going"
Simon-and-Garfunkel rock here, plain and simple. I mean, it's got the word "groovey" and everything. Supported by a very active and energetic instrumental backing (and another trumpet... I think there's a pattern here), Paul gives a good vocal (perhaps not one of his best, though) with a bit of harmony from Art here and there. The hook around the song title is quite catchy, and it's this, the driving drums and bright trumpet that really "hook" me (sorry). This one is exactly two minutes, another short one, but another good one.

11. "I Am A Rock"
Here's one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs. This one has just a fantastic beat, with great instrumentals, from the keyboard, to the drums, to the bass and the guitar. The main guitar part in particular is both brief and excellent. And, of course, Paul sings a great lead; as he is known to do, he has a strange mix of rather upbeat, positive-sounding music with rather downbeat, if not outright negative lyrics. Here, the upbeat music portrays the defensive loner with the pride he/she feels, oblivious to what they're missing. Only as the song ends and the instruments drop out does the realization sink in. This combination of musical and lyrical genius is what we find intermittently throughout this album and would only increase throughout Paul's career. S&G classic.

Score: 4 out of 5. This is a strong album, with great variety and several stand out tracks. But while the potential is clearly evident here, Simon had yet to really spread his compositional wings. With so many fantastic albums getting 4.5 from me, this one was certainly at least a step below, but still a good one.

Essentials: "Sounds of Silence", "Blessed", "Somewhere They Can't Find Me", "I Am A Rock"
Weak(er) Songs: "Kathy's Song", "A Most Peculiar Man"

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 10

Nice! I was 10-3 last week. I even got a number of the scores pretty darn close, like the Baltimore and San Diego games (although I can't claim much with scores, since I just kinda toss 'em out). Perhaps I'm finally getting a good handle on most NFL teams now. Naturally, the huge story for me last week was the Browns just obliterating TTSNBN; didn't get to watch it, but it was quite satisfying. Now TTSNBN plays the Steelers this week, and hopefully they play just as poorly. On to the picks:

Baltimore at Atlanta: Atlanta, x-x
Yeah, yeah, I didn't post in time. But I had the Falcons for this one, I promise!

Detroit at Buffalo: Detroit, 17-10
Buffalo's agony continues, losing a close on to Chicago last week. And I can't have it end here, as Detroit wants to have company in the "winless season" club.

Minnesota at Chicago: Minnesota, 21-17
The Bears' defense has been just good enough to have them lose close games most of the time. The Vikings are out to win to spite their loathed coach (yeah, I know, kinda weird).

NY Jets at Cleveland: Cleveland, 13-10
The Jets have potential, but they've looked lousy several times this year, and the Browns are at home again after a massively uplifting win against TTSNBN.

Carolina at Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay, 24-10
If the Bucs can hang with Atlanta on the road, I think they can take care of Carolina at home with not much trouble. Carolina is a worse disaster than Buffalo.

Houston at Jacksonville: Houston, 35-28
Two similar offensive powerhouses here with very little defense. I give the edge to Houston since they've been playing tougher teams which will serve as a "batting donut" for them.

Cincinnati at Indianapolis: Indianapolis, 31-21
Talented, undisciplined team meet talented, disciplined team. The Bungles are regressing quickly from last year's success, and Indy just plows ahead even with myriad injuries.

Tennessee at Miami: Tennessee, 27-10
The punishment is going to keep on coming, Miami. It will be interesting to see how Moss affects his THIRD team of the season (help CJ2K?), and Pennington is apparently starting for the Dolphins.

Kansas City at Denver: Kansas City, 24-17
KC is coming off a tough loss, but Denver can't stop the run while that's what KC does best. The Broncos will be the team more likely gasping for oxygen in Mile High Stadium this week.

Dallas at NY Giants: NY Giants, 42-14
This one has all the makings of a blowout; Dallas is looking horrid and they just fired their coach, while the G-Men are looking pretty dominant (granted, against crappy teams).

Seattle at Arizona: Arizona, 30-10
NFC West Part 1. The Cards surprised me by how well they played Minny last week, while Seattle couldn't even put up a fight on its own home turf.

St. Louis at San Francisco: St. Louis, 20-17
NFC West Part 2. I'm mostly picking St. Louis here since they are the overachievers this year and the 49ers are the underachievers. Go Rams!

TTSNBN at Pittsburgh: TTSNBN, x-x
Oh, boy. Hmmm, what's the best jinx I can think of? Roethlisberger is washed up, the defense is crap, TTSNBN will have no problems this week.

Philadelphia at Washington: Philadelphia, 28-10
The Redskins are looking worse and worse each week. Meanwhile, Vick came back and immediately led the Eagles to an impressive victory over Indy.

2010 Picks: 79-51

Music: Help! (The Beatles)

Beatles Album #5: Help!

Released in August 1965, Help! helped the Beatles begin to significantly move into the next phase of their musicianship. The album also is their first to have a strong theme throughout: that of vulnerability, bitterness, loss (but don't worry, it's not a negative-sounding album in the musical sense). The Beatles were clearly shedding their care-free, mop-top, boy-meets-girl style, although traces of it are certainly still there. Some of the songs are moderate upgrades, while others are quantum leaps forward for the group. I rate this one slightly above A Hard Day's Night, which I consider their quintessential early album, but the overall quality of Help! simply puts it above that one.

1. "Help!"
The album's title song, obviously, is one of the Beatles' biggest hits. This hit also shows the group's musical evolution right off the bat: yes, it's still an uptempo rock song like earlier ones, but it also shows more nuance and complexity, and the lyrics, obviously, are no longer romance driven. The Beatles kick it off with a one-off, very effective variation on the chorus. As the first verse comes in, the bass part provides a great energy, and the backing vocals fit in perfectly seamlessly. The chorus adopts a tone of greater urgency from John's vocal, and by the end Paul is singing along in classic Beatle harmony. One drawback of the song is that the essentially one-note vocal line can get a bit tiring; but it's still an essential Beatles classic.

2. "The Night Before"
The bass starts things off with a rising rhythm, accompanied by the guitars. Paul comes in singing the lead in a somewhat typical Beatles-rock style, although it's certainly not one of the harder rockers. Lennon leads a backing vocal that is perhaps a little too assertive, but one that is still appropriate. The chorus flows in naturally with a rising tone, but Paul's vocal maintains a dark, heavy feel for this and throughout. The guitar solo is a bit anemic, but the middle eight is neat, with Paul's vocal rhythm nicely accompanied by Ringo's drums. A very good song, which could have been elevated further with just a bit more punch to the performance.

3. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"
The first of two fantastic Beatles ballads on the album, this song represents a huge breakthrough for Lennon as a songwriter. Accompanied sparingly but expertly by a guitar and tambourine, Lennon sings an aching, beautiful verse. The chorus, started with the recognizable jolt of "hey!", gives a nice added bit of energy, while retaining the somber mood of the piece and showing some more sophistication from the instrumentals. Like so many of the Beatles' strongest ballads, this one keeps it simple and short, while leaving a complex and long-lasting effect on the listener. Brilliant.

4. "I Need You"
Hmmmm. It would have been hard for just about any song to follow the previous one, but this is a particularly poor choice. One of Harrison's first original compositions, this one is stuck in the past. The verses are actually pretty good, but the chorus is definitely a step in the wrong direction. The instrumental backing is pretty plain, and lets Harrison's vocal dominate (joined at times by a light backing vocal). However, by far the worst part of the song is the accordion-sounding synthesizer, or whatever horrible contraption that is. Blech. Let's move along.

5. "Another Girl"
This one immediately kicks off as another of the Beatles' country-rhythm songs. Again starting off with a bit of the chorus, Lennon and McCartney start right in with their harmony. Quickly, though, John passes it off to Paul to sing the verses alone, which he does quite well, using the lower register of his voice very effectively and supplemented by a very nice bouncing rhythm. John comes back in at the chorus with a great harmony, and Paul launches off with a nice touch at the end of it. The bass and guitar trading off on beats is a simple but effective way to reinforce the rhythmical pattern, and George has a small but nifty guitar part. Maybe not one that'll blow your socks off, but just a rock solid tune that showcases many of their strengths.

6. "You're Gonna Lose That Girl"
John finally comes in with a harder rocking number here. It's worth noting here that the album has quite a strong theme of vulnerability in the lyrics, and even carrying over somewhat to the tone of the music - this song being a prime example. John's vocal effectively mixes a menacing, snarly tone with a higher pitch at points that seems to reflect their earlier work sarcastically. The backing vocal, often used to help brighten Beatle songs, here instead echoes John's sentiments. The verses and chorus roll right along with the practiced skill of a band subverting their own genre. Ringo adds a cool drum part, and George's guitar is nice as well. Very good.

7. "Ticket To Ride"
Another of the Beatles' #1 hits, this one starts off with a distinctly advanced guitar part, and Ringo's drums fit perfectly. In fact, it might be one of his best performances. Lennon sings a fantastically-written verse, which ends each line with an equally-great harmony from Paul. The chorus flows right in from the verse, and John and Paul are just cruising in the heights of their collaboration. The middle eight is also great, with a good tambourine from Ringo and more of the harmony. The instrumentals continue effectively support the vocal with a heavy but uninterrupting force. The musical jump in this song is just incredible, and it's a phenomenally well executed performance.

8. "Act Naturally"
Time for the song of the album for Ringo! The Beatles don't bother messing with the formula here, giving him yet another country cover to perform. A perfectly pleasant song, Ringo sings it admirably well, and the backing instruments don't let him down, either. The lyrics also fit quite well for Ringo, a funny, self-deprecating guy (at least back in the day). It does kind of come off as a bit of an intermission in the album, but perhaps that's appropriate after the jolt provided by "Ticket To Ride".

9. "It's Only Love"
Here, we get one of Lennon's songs in the model of "Anna" and others, of which we normally get one per album - this one adopting the album's vulnerable, perhaps bitter tone, in lyrics. I'm quite fond of the verses here; not only does John sing the upper-register part quite well, it is simply written very creatively with some cool chords, supported by guitars. The chorus, sadly, is a bit more generic, but it's serviceable. Interestingly, no backing vocals here, although Lennon's voice is double-tracked in the chorus. Pleasant little song that doesn't overstay its welcome.

10. "You Like Me Too Much"
Harrison's second song on the album, this one is a considerable improvement on his first, but still not one of the album's better tracks. This one does, however, follows the same pattern of his other composition, strong verses, but a chorus that is overly derivative of earlier stuff. On the upside, the refrain shows a little development in use of chords, something that will blossom fully later on. An electric piano (?) accompanies throughout, a very nice choice; the rest of the instruments are also fine, if basic. I believe Harrison recorded two different vocal parts for the chorus, similar to John in "It's Only Love". Beginning and ending with a neat, wobbly piano line, this one is alright.

11. "Tell Me What You See"
Here's another neat, original piece from John and Paul. It strikes me as a bit bi-polar, though in a good way. The verses switch between a line of bright, high harmony from John and Paul with the following line just as low as the other was high, finishing with more of the deep, rich low register; you can practically feel the vibration. The chorus then goes to a high-low combo, that is difficult to tell who is who thanks to some tricky, effective producing. With a slower tempo and little variation, it's perhaps a bit long, but still quite a nice song.

12. "I've Just Seen A Face"
This one opens with a really neat guitar duet with a triplet rhythm (you know I'm a sucker!) before heading into a completely different style. I would call the style Paul's country, aided by percussion that gives that country feeling and led by a tender, well-performed vocal by Paul. Once again, the chorus features two parts - and it's another double track of the lead singer, this time Paul. The song is almost over before you know it, and I kind of wish they'd taken some time from the last one and put it on this one. Not a centerpiece song, but a very nice one anyway.

13. "Yesterday"
Boy, does this one need any explaining? Only the most covered song in pop music history, and perhaps one of the most recognizable. Heard within the context of this album, it's a shocking push forward musically for not only the group but popular music in general. It combines composition of perfectly elegant simplicity from Paul with an enriching and ingenius score for strings by the fifth Beatle, George Martin. It's easy to get overexposed to this one, but if you can take a step back from all the significance and popularity surrounding it, its power as one of the Beatles' and pop music's great works will come back to you.

14. "Dizzy Miss Lizzy"
Hmmm... sorry to question you, Beatles, but what's up with this? "Yesterday" would have made a perfect conclusion to the album. But you tack on this song, whose tone if nothing else is a horrible fit for the album. Is this a strange attempt to recreate the "Twist and Shout" effect, perhaps? If so, it didn't work. Sure, Lennon's vocal is quite good (though not T&S level), but it's not a good choice for the group, and the high-pitched guitars quickly get on my nerves. Actually, the instruments in general are a bit sloppy by the Beatles' standards. Unfortunately, Help! does not get what it is calling for from its closing track.

Essentials: "Help!", "Ticket To Ride", "Yesterday", "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"
Weak(er) Songs: "I Need You", "You Like Me Too Much" (sorry, George!)

My Rank of The Beatles' Albums So Far:
1. Help!
2. A Hard Day's Night
3. Please Please Me (after further consideration, I bumped it up)
4. Beatles For Sale
5. With The Beatles

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 9

9-4 last week is pretty good. Finally starting to hit my stride. Sadly, the Steelers did not play a great game last week, and I am getting really worried that TTSNBN keeps winning. The AFC West is looking like there will be a good fight to win that division (first time in a LONG time). There are still a number of teams that are hard to pin down exactly how good they are. I'm especially interested to see more out of the Giants, the Falcons, the Titans (now with Moss to hopefully give CJ2K some breathing room) and the Chiefs. I think the ambiguity is great; the one outcome I'm rooting against, as usual, is TTSNBN doing well. Here we go again:

Tampa Bay at Atlanta: Atlanta, 31-20
Atlanta has played well at home (it seems home field advantage is coming back this year), especially on offense. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay just gave up 35 points to Arizona.

Chicago at Buffalo: Buffalo, 24-20
Yeah, Buffalo hasn't won a game all year. But they haven't just been blown out every time. Plus they're at home (see above), and Chicago is spiralling downward (as usual).

TTSNBN at Cleveland: TTSNBN, x-x
As always, the jinx pick. That said, Cleveland is looking a bit frisky this year. But they are still the Browns, and thus find more ways to lose games than win them.

NY Jets at Detroit: NY Jets, 28-27
What happened o the J-E-T-S last week?! Seemed like their season opener all over again. I think this game is on major upset alert; but the Jets' running game may give them the edge.

New Orleans at Carolina: New Orleans, 30-14
Though the Saints squeaked out a win against the Panthers earlier this year, I doubt it will be so close this time after the Saints' statement game last week.

Miami at Baltimore: Baltimore, 27-14
Call it a hunch, but I think Miami is due for a bit of a letdown after 3 tough games in a row; now they're in brutal M&T Bank Stadium (despite the pathetic name).

San Diego at Houston: San Diego, 28-24
Houston faces a similar foe to their last one, but they are on a short week and certainly didn't gain in confidence after their loss to Indy.

Arizona at Minnesota: Minnesota, 42-10
I think this is a statement game for Minny, and they're going to stamp it all over the Cardinals' poor, trampled bodies.

NY Giants at Seattle: NY Giants, 24-20
Seattle takes the home-road differential to the extreme; the Giants are just a superior team. However, this is my second upset alert of the weekend.

Indianapolis at Philadelphia: Indianapolis, 35-31
This should be the game of the week. The huge wildcard here is Vick, coming back from injury. I'll put my money (though I'm not a gambler) on the proven QB.

Kansas City at Oakland: Oakland, 28-27
When was the last time a game between these two teams meant anything?! I really don't know what to expect here; maybe it'll be boring, maybe exciting.

Dallas at Green Bay: Green Bay, 21-3
A battle between two bitter rivals. Could have been a fun one had Romo not been injured, but now it's gonna suck.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: Pittsburgh, 27-13
One of the Bengals' strengths from last year, the defense, is letting them down this year. I expect the Steelers' D to be not quite as kind after being a little embarrassed last week.

2010 Picks: 69-48