Flavour Of The Week

Band of the Week - Cage the Elephant

The Kentucky Rocker's New Album

For those of you who have not heard of my pick for this week's band of the week, Cage the Elephant hail from Kentucky, United States and I guarantee you that the band's name is every bit as enigmatic as their music, but that's what makes the quintet such an endearing package. Spearheaded by eccentric frontman Matthew Shultz, the group fuse together your typical alternative rock with a partially revived punk blues sound.

The band's first, self-titled, album, Cage the Elephant, was recorded in just 10 days, released to great critical acclaim, and left its listeners reeling from a sound that hit them like "a punch in the face" according to lead vocalist, Shultz. So, what's to like about that? Their first album tells tales of guilty pleasures, none more so than on their third released single, Ain't No Rest for the Wicked, and to tell you the truth, their light-hearted take on all things socially relevant is hard not to be enticed by.

So, what now for the raucous five-piece? On their upcoming second album, Thank You Happy Birthday, they seek to find a more soulful sound, indicative of their growing age and maturity as a band. If their first single, Shake Me Down, is anything to go by, Cage the Elephant have finally found a less turbulent, more concise sound, that they seemingly ease into in natural fashion. As expected, vibrant guitar flourishes and Shultz's raw emotion are still prominent throughout the course of the track. In my opinion, the band have finally found their forté in their latest helping of controlled chaos.

Their new album is scheduled for release on iTunes on 21st March and here's the link to the brand new single, Shake Me Down - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v27TRan1SBI

If You Listen to Anything this Week, Listen to...
Foo Fighters - Rope:

A Beautiful Man, With A Beautiful 'Stache

Dress it up however you like, Foo Fighters kick ass. In fact, they have the ability to repeatedly kick ass, then provide an in-depth commentary into just how they kick ass, and present it as a single. Their latest helping of refined brashness is no different. The typical Foo formula for success is instigated once again on new single, Rope. Throw together Dave Grohl's ingenious songwriting along with a purely emotion-fuelled performance on the drums as well as one hell of a guitar solo too, and, hey presto, you've got yourself another hit.

You can't help but wonder that, if it wasn't for Dave Grohl et al, the rock-based music scene would be a whole lot less exciting, dominated by Nickelback, and, as a consequence, the world would be a worse place to live in. Here's the link to new single, Rope - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At3rZUgQsh8

Cults - Go Outside:
My second single of the week is the brainchild of a band whose image is possibly more innocent than kittens, rainbows and a Mogwai rolled into one. Boy/girl duo Cults are an unknown quantity to some extent; I could tell you more about quantum physics than I could about their history as a band. This is largely down to the fact that searching for information on the group seems to be a less worthwhile effort than searching for the meaning of life, but mainly because I am, in fact, a young, British, facial hairless Albert Einstein.

With a lazy bassline reminiscent, in effect, to that of Peter, Bjorn, and John's cult hit, Young Folks, Go Outside floats on like a dream, pausing only to appreciate it's own natural beauty, as pertained through it's softly cutting glockenspiel melody. Here's the link to that song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHhEBqRTXdk

Two for the Weekend

Two for the Weekend

As any football fan will know, as soon as the footballing calendar passes the halfway mark and the January transfer window shuts, the ante of each and every single match is well and truly upped, both for the players, and the managers. This weekend presents the neutral with many a reason to be excited. So, here are my picks for the two most interesting match-ups of the weekend.

F.A. Cup - Stoke City Vs Brighton and Hove Albion

For me, regardless of the hype surround the supposed ultimate David Vs Goliath tie of Manchester United Vs Crawley Town, the most interesting match of this week's F.A. Cup fifth round is the one taking place at the Britannia Stadium. Firstly because I believe that the match-up at Old Trafford will be a fairly anti-climactic one, but secondly, and more importantly, I see there being a, not so farfetched, possibility of Gus Poyet's men turning over the Potters, or at least taking them to a replay.



The Thorn in Stoke's Side?

Of course, the odds are firmly stacked against Brighton, however in the past two rounds of the competition, the Seagulls have seen off stronger opposition in Portsmouth, and, more recently, Watford with English-born Austrian striker, Ashley Barnes, proving clinical on both occasions. Another factor that may work in Gus Poyet's favour is that on several occasions this season, Stoke have faltered against weaker opposition at home including a 1-0 loss to Blackpool and a 1-1 draw with Cardiff.

Key Man - Elliott Bennett

Gus Poyet has this week stressed that he will not stray too far from the side's usual attractive passing blueprint, so Brighton's efficiency of ball retention is going to be key, and I see Elliott Bennett as being pivotal to the outcome of Saturday's match. In Bennett, the Seagulls possess a player that has everything in his locker, goals, flair, pace to burn and Premier League potential. Regardless of their stature, Stoke are renowned for having a rather sluggish back-four and I'm sure the twenty-two year-old midfielder will fancy his chances up against them.

My Prediction - Stoke City 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion
Although they're very much the underdogs in this tie, I wouldn't rule out Brighton getting a result this weekend. The main worry for the side, currently top of League 1, is that they may be prone to tiring after the hour mark, as with many lower league teams.

npower Championship - Nottingham Forest Vs Cardiff City

If other results in the division work in favour of these opposing teams on Saturday, then either Billy Davies' men or Dave Jones' can expect to be sitting pretty in second position in the npower Championship, come Sunday morning. With the prize of promotion to the Premier League being the most lucrative in world football, it's arguably one of the most crucial games left on any domestic fixutre list, but I'm not expecting a cagey affair.

A Familiar Sight at the City Ground

With Cardiff possessing Premier League talent within their ranks such as loanees Aaron Ramsay and Craig Bellamy, and Saturday's opposition having been beaten by lowly Scunthorpe United in the week, it'd be all too easy to write off the Reds. However, Forest haven't been beaten at the City Ground all season, and hold onto an astonishing record of not having lost having scored the first goal in a league match in little over four years. So, on this occasion more than ever, the first goal is going to be crucial to the outcome of this weekend's clash in Nottingham.

Key Man - Robert Earnshaw

As I said, the first goal is going to be crucial to this match. If Forest's stalwart centre-half pairing of Wes Morgan and Luke Chambers can stem the threat of Jay Bothroyd for long enough, then whether he starts or not, the role that Robert Earnshaw plays in this fixture could be vital. His truly explosive nature as a player, and his keen taste for the bigger games may prove to be a combination too lethal for Cardiff to deal with. 

My Prediction - Nottingham Forest 2-1 Cardiff City
The Bluebirds are yet to score against Forest at the last three times of asking, and, although I think they'll bring an end to the goal drought, I believe that Dave Jones will find his side on the wrong end of a 2-1 result.

Obviously I haven't decided to pick out the Black Country derby on here, but that's because I was going to do a feature on it for tomorrow if anyone wanted me to. So, let me know. I'll be back next week with my best of the week's music on Thursday. Have a great weekend

The BAFTAs & the Best of the Rest

Just briefly before I get into the core of this week's first post, I'd like to apologise for the three week delay of this belated blog post. So yeah, I just hope that you guys have all maintained interest and enjoy this week's first post as much as ever. On a lighter note, the attention on the blog has been overwhelming since I began doing it, so I'd like to thank each and every one of you for the support. Anyway, onto this week's first post.

The BAFTAs
In the past few weeks Tom Hooper's masterpiece, The King's Speech, has practically steamrolled any obstacle that has stood in its way. Now, the juggernaut, recently re-fuelled by the awarding of seven BAFTAs, looks set to take over the world under the guidance of Kalashnikov wielding Colin Firth. Of course, I jest, the film strolls along at a rather befitting pace that will suit fans of historical dramas and general filmgoers alike. So, what did we learn from the BAFTAs apart from the fact that Christopher Lee is entirely composed of dust and that Jonathan Ross has suddenly sprouted a poo smear moustache? One thing I, personally, learned is that Inception is a better film than The King's Speech. Don't get me wrong; I think The King's Speech is a brilliant piece of cinematography that makes me proud to be British. However, the fact of the matter is that BAFTA, being the British counterpart of the Oscars, has historically favoured any piece of British influence in the major awards if it has had the opportunity to do so.  



Star of the Show - Sir Christopher Lee

The King's Speech is undoubtedly a fantastic film, but I just think it lacks the certain unique qualities and revolutionary, outlandish story that is required for a timeless masterpiece these days, the same for which cannot be said of Inception. Who knows though? I could, and most likely will, be wrong. After all, the whole point of film is that it's subjective. All controversial opinion aside, I think anyone would find it hard to disagree with me that the highlight of this year's BAFTAs was the appearance of the man, the legend, Saruman himself, Sir Christopher Lee. Although his declining physical condition was plain to see, the eighty-eight year old did not let it detract from his usual fine public form after being rewarded with BAFTA's equivalent of the lifetime achievement award. His entire display at the awards is testament to his attitude towards the acting profession and life itself. As he neared the end of his acceptance speech, Lee was one of the last few people in the room to be reduced to tears. These were the tears of a man who had achieved everything he could have ever hoped for in life, which, I personally think, is a goal that each and every one of us should aspire to.

The Best of the Rest
And They Call It Pillow Love

Definitely Going to Bed Her

Personally, I'd describe myself as someone who is of the firm belief that you can't help who you fall in love with, and that any sexuality motivated discrimination is entirely vacuous. That being said, a man in Japan has, this week, married his pillow which lead to me briefly falling victim to a laughter-induced coma. In marrying his pillow, Lee Jin-gyu has joined a long list of people who are of the self-described objectum sexuality, which includes female American objectophile, Erika Eiffel, infamous wife of the Eiffel Tower. Mr Jin-gyu even stuck a photo of an anime character onto the front of the pillow, presumably to prevent the whole ceremony from getting a bit too weird. The pillow itself was dolled up from head to...well, bottom of pillow in a flowing white dress to fully convey the entirely serious nature of the occasion. Anyway, I think all of us have something to take from this story. Like me for instance, after reading this story I briefly saw my coffee table in a new light, before looking back at the photo of a pillow in a wedding dress, and continuing to laugh hysterically.

My Big Fat Gypsy Dance-Off

Gypsies Watch Step Up Too!

We know them, we watch them. Regardless of whether we love or hate gypsies recent news has lead us to believe one thing about them: that they love street dance. Little is known about the gypsy. Some say they're tax dodgers, others say they steal anything that you don't nail down. Of course, this is all hearsay, and none of it should be believed...okay, so maybe some of it should. Anyway, in the past week, travellers currently settled in the Shirenewton site in Cardiff have been awarded £4,690 in cash by the All Lottery Grant which will fund the visitation of specialist hip-hop dance teachers to the site. The group of gypsies being taught are scheduled to perform in June to mark Gypsy Roma and Traveller History Month. A local gypsy worker, Loren Morris, stated that she was not happy with the "very negative images of gypsies and travellers portrayed in recent television programmes." Gypsy's Got Talent begins on ITV next Satu...just kidding.

Anyway, Shmallow fans, that's your lot for today. Thank you again for all your support.