Songs Of The Week #16: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma

School Of Seven Bells, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, & Dana Falconberry...

Hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome To Songs Of The Week #16!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Songs Of The Week, each week we ask two of our contributors to listen to The Current's Song Of The Day podcast and tell us what they think of the songs

The podcast is free and if you'd like to play subscribe (which we recommend), please click here. Enjoy the songs for yourself and play along at home.

This week we asked MinneSarah & TCDroogsma to give the tunes a listen. What they have to say may shock you. That seems unlikely, but we've never met you. Maybe you're easily shocked? Regardless... there were only three songs this week thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday. Slim pickins' thanks to the fattest of holidays. Isn't that ironic? Don't you think?

As always MinneSarah & TCDroogsma have not read each other's comments prior to posting.  Also, be sure to vote in the poll to the right of the page for your favorite Song Of The Day.

Ready, set... Review!

01. School Of Seven Bells – Secret Days (from the EP Put Your Sad Down)

MinneSarah:

     This is an upbeat little electronic song. The singer has a breathy optimistic voice, the vocal elements build on each other, and it's got a catchy electronic and drum beat.  Lyrically, these secret days are gone and the song mirrors the rosiness of hindsight and nostalgia for days past.  However, I didn't really get sucked in to the inner workings of secret days, it just seemed really pretty.  

TCDroogsma:

     School Of Seven Bells is one of my all time favorite "shuffle" bands.  What I mean by that is their songs are all great, but taken all together I get oppressively bored.  I went and saw them at 7th St. a while back and even got bored then. Taken out of the context of an album (or, rather, shuffled to on my iPod), however, they all sound like gold. For 3-4 minutes at a time the combo of drum machines, ambient vocals, and just the right amount of hooks add up to something great.  

     If I were reviewing a whole SOSB album it probably wouldn't get a very high score.  However, "Secret Days" as a single is pretty solid.  I like this band a lot more when the guitar is prominent and that's not the case here.  This almost sounds like a female-fronted version of Depeche Mode.  I'll call that a win.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                   TCDroogsma -3.5/5

02. Benjamin Francis Leftwich – Atlas Hands (from the album Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm)

MinneSarah:

     Whoa dude, you've inspired me to go by my full name always - it's a shame most people don't.

     Plenty of acoustic guitar-ness going on in this song!  While this guy tries to put some gravel into his voice, it doesn't seem like he's really up to the task.  This half gravel voice plus a female counterpart on the final chorus actually sounds alright.  With a song title like “Atlas Hands,” I thought he would be talking about holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, but the lyrics are clearly more straight forward as in a geographical book that will take him back to a place he loves.  The delivery is a lot more genuine and heartbreaking than the actual lyrics, but in all honesty, that is what really counts.

TCDroogsma:

     If I didn't know better, MPR, I'd swear you were trying to turn me against all people named Ben.  After two straight weeks of Ben Gibbard warbling we get Benjamin Francis Leftwich, who clearly spent too many lonely nights with Transatlanticism.

     "Atlas Hands" isn't necessarily a bad song.  It's melody is agreeable enough and lyrically it... well... maybe it is a bad song.  "I will remember your face because I am still in love with that place..."  Ugh... Just follow her into the dark already, BFL.

Final Score: MinneSarah -2.5/5

                   TCDroogsma - 2/5

03. Dana Falconberry – Crooked River (from the album Leelanau)

MinneSarah:

     This song is part nursery rhyme, part grown women on acid pretending to be fairies in the woods.  I'm sure that the group's other offerings are not as completely unbelievable.  However, in this song, the mix of the singer's baby octave, the harp, and the cutesy anthropomorphic lyrics about a river doing it's adorable little thing are so over the top.  I'm actually incredulous that this is a serious offering, but I have never professed to be in on the wood nymph movement.  Watch how I'll be saying I love this song after my initiation.

TCDroogsma:

     I was trying to place the sound of this song and the first two acts that came to mind were The Magnetic Fields and Joanna Newsom.  That's not a great way to start.

     The more I listened to it the more it seemed skew former rather than latter.  Still, there's just something a little too proper about this song.  It's a little too meticulously done and it has that same stupid dueling-vocals-that-aren't-words thing that turned me against that Django Django song last week.  Also, oddly, the more I listened to this song the more I thought it was about menstruation.  I got problems, though.  Scary problems.

Final Score: MinneSarah -1/5 (Is there less than one?)

                   TCDroogsma - 1.5/5

Well there you have it, everybody, a brief holiday-week's worth of songs listened to, reviewed, and filed away forever. It will be a quick turnaround for Songs Of The Week this time around, as we're moving the column to its new home on Monday afternoon. Until then...

For the record, Newest Industry and its contributors are in no way affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio, The Current, or any of the artists above.  We're just people with computers and a little too much free time. 

For more of the always charming MinneSarah, she can be found on Twitter (@MinneSarah). Follow her if you enjoy discussions about whether or not 1994 was better than 1996.

For more TCDroogsma, he can also be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma) or rambling along on his own blog Flatbasset. He also hosts our weekly Flatbasset Radio Podcast, which you should listen to if your favorite records came out in either 1994 or 1996.

Of course Newest Industry is also on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we also have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and giving us a “like” is, oddly, the best thing you can do to support the blog short of just giving us some money. Not that we're trying to discourage that. I mean, we'll take cash...

Ten & Six With Mike Otto: Week 13 (Thursday Bonus!)

Gorilla goons with the tool, down to act a fool, birds in the living room, it's the Atlanta Zoo...

Well hello again, football fans! Week 13 of the 2012 NFL season is here!

As always, we've asked our resident football expert to give us his pick for tonight's NFC South showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints.

Mike, this is a biggy. What'd do you think?

  

New Orleans Saints (5-6) at Atlanta Falcons (10-1)

The Saints handed the Falcons their first loss of the year 3 weeks ago and since then all the Falcons have done is win close games.

I am fairly certain the Falcons would have lost to the Cardinals had “The Wizard” himself, Ken Wisenhunt, not inexplicably decided to put a rookie quarterback (who'd never thrown an NFL pass) into the 2^nd quarter of a tied game.

I'm still not willing to write off the “late season struggles” storyline for the Falcons until they win their first playoff game with Matt Ryan under center. I still see the Falcons earning a bye week in the postseason, but I also see them losing that first playoff game (as long as they don't play the Vikings or Seahawks, both of whom, at current appearance, the Dirty Birds would easily dispatch).

Anywhooo... the Saints' playoff hopes are on the line in this one and I don't bet against Drew Brees when he has something on the line... unless, of course, his hair is on the line (in which case yes, definitely bet against Drew Brees).

Turns out you don't need a full head of hair when you have a golden rocket for an arm. When's the last time a head of hair threaded a pass into double-coverage? NEVER!! Saints win a close one 31-28.

There you have it, folks, betting on a balding Pepsi spokesman over the best record in the league. Bold move, Mr. Otto. Bold move.

For more of Mike Otto be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@SwervinTaters). Of course Mike will be back this Saturday to make his picks for the rest of the NFL and to breakdown this week's Border Battle between YOUR Minnesota Vikings and a bunch of drunken hayseeds.

Newest Industry also has a Twitter home (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and giving us a “like” is the cheapest, easiest way to give us a bit of support. Our hairlines are receding too.

Ryan's Record Of The Week #8: "Antietam After Party" by Regents

Well hello again, punk rockers!  Welcome back to Ryan's Record Of The Week!

This week we took a stroll down to Extreme Noise on Lake Street to find something to soundtrack this rapidly chilling autumn.

Ryan was kind enough to turn us on to the new album by DC-based hardcore band Regents.  He also laments the lack of band logos on albums, battles against his Minnesota accent, applauds band for not recycling material, and explains why Extreme Noise is better than Cheapo.  Have a look:

Boom! "Antietam After Party" from Regents is the new sound of East Coast Hardcore!

Have a look at this video for a little bit better idea of what you'll be getting into with Regents:

Niiiice.  For more info on Regents, be sure to stop by their excellent website here.

As always we'd like to give a big thanks to Ryan and all the folks down at Extreme Noise.  For those who don't know, Extreme Noise is located at 407 W. Lake St.  It is run on a completely volunteer basis.  These folks love what they do and it shows.  Stop by and support them when you have a chance.  Visit their website here.

Of course Newest Industry has an internet footprint as well.  Follow us on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  If you can't tell, we're completely volunteer-run as well.  Odd though it is, giving us a "like" on Facebook is the best way to support what we do.

Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5

This was my dream... playing a rockin' routine...

Well hello again, music fans!  TCDroogsma is back with Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5!

For those of you stopping by for the first time, TCDroogsma is one of our regular contributors.  He typically sticks to the twin indulgences of food and music.  Each week we have him put together a podcast of roughly an hour's worth of music broken up sporadically by his nasally banter.

As you can see, Tuesday night is now going to be the new home of the podcast.  We realize that this puts Flatbasset Radio up against Tuesdays With Lazerbeak and Tuesday Morning Quarterback.  We're hoping that you'll soon consider Flatbasset Radio in the same breath as those two internet institutions.  Call it the Tuesday Hat Trick.

Anyway, this week found TCDroogsma in a rather sour mood.  Fortunately he managed to talk himself back into a better place by leaning on loud guitars, hometown jams, asian women, Twin Cities ex-pats, yet another stroll back to the 90's, and a Minneapolis icon.  Click the embedded player to have a listen or click the title to download the podcast and take it on the go.



Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5

Here's how the podcast breaks down:

01. Deerhoof - Milk Man
02. Kudzu Wish - We've Got Big Hands
03. DJ Abilities - Kastdaddy 4 President
04. BNLX - 1929
05. The Hold Steady - Magazines
06. Yak Ballz - Gas Galaxy
07. Menahan Street Band - The Crossing
08. Superdrag - Sucked Out
09. Murs - Eazy-E
10. Longwave - No Direction
11. Depeche Mode - Waiting For The Night
12. Paul Westerberg - All That I Had

There you have it, everybody!  Give it a listen!  Download it!  Free music!  Tweet it!  Tell a friend!

For more of the kind of emo TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  He also maintains his own Flatbasset blog, though it mainly consists of the work he does here.  If you ever meet him in person don't let his beard throw you off, he's not a handsome man.

Of course Newest Industry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1).  Give that a follow to stay up on all the work being done by our contributors.  More importantly we also have a Facebook page. Stopping by and giving us a "like" is the best way to support this blog without any sort of financial obligation.  If we get to 50 likes we're going to make TCDroogsma shave his beard.

Songs Of The Week #15: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma

Menahan Street Band, Body Language, No, Ben Sollee, & BNLX...

Hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #15!

For those of you who are still somehow unfamiliar with the SOTW posts, each week we ask a couple of our contributors to give us their thoughts on the previous week's songs given away by MPR's The Current. To download the Song Of The Day podcast for yourself (which we highly recommend), click here. Playing along at home is fun for the whole family! Especially if your family likes pretty average indie music!

Make your voice heard by voting in the poll on the right of the page. This is serious, serious business people. Whoever wins the contest gets... er... some level of validation, we suppose.

This week we asked MinneSarah & TCDroogsma to have a go at the songs.

Kids, what'd you think?

01. Menahan Street Band – The Crossing (from the album The Crossing)

MinneSarah:

     So this band is an instrumental soul group complete with horns and an organ.  The absence of vocals is actually refreshing - as it's hard for a lot of these soul funk revival bands to pull off all the elements - adding a singer is just another thing to have to worry about fitting in to the mix.  This song features some prominent string plucking over the top of signature horns and downtempo funk, which makes the song seem a little more modern than revivalist.  Also, this group has been sampled by Kid Cudi and 50 Cent, so there is a slim chance Kanye is sampling this song as you read this review.

  
TCDroogsma:

     Honestly, when I saw "Menahan Steet Band" in the downloads this week I set my expectations pretty low.  Even though I've really been into instrumental music lately, that tends to be more in the hip-hop instrumental vein and not, y'know, a "supergroup" form Brooklyn consisting of Antibalas and The Dap-Kings.

     And yet, I loved "The Crossing."  Instead of using the "MSB" moniker to indulge in musical masturbation this song is actually tight.  None of the instruments go off on their own and the whole thing is held together by a pseudo-hip hop rhythm.  The horns are bright but reserved.  The guitar is somehow both celebratory and mournful.  This is a perfect soundtrack for strolling around downtown MPLS on a brisk November night.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                   TCDroogsma - 4.5/5

02. Body Language – I'm A Mess (from the EP Grammar)

MinneSarah:

     This song is an example of the funk/soul revival that is not really working.  The cadence of this song reminds me of that Mayer Hawthorne hit a few years back, so if you liked that song, you won't be disappointed by an even more hipster version.  The singer's voice is not faux soul, and thus stands out by not trying to be something it's not - however, the lyrics are cloying and hackneyed.  If you like to hear pining lyrics served over electronic soul revival lite, this song is a ten. I'd like to make a joke about how this song was written without you and is a mess unto itself, but that's just not true.  It's pretty tight yet overly pedestrian.

TCDroogsma:

     I know I spend a lot of time here making fun of synth-pop bands, but know that those jokes have more to do with how many are in MPLS and not the genre in general.  So, that being said, I really did enjoy this one.

     "I'm A Mess" is an ode to co-dependency soundtracked by Paul McCartney's keyboards from "Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time."  I mean that as a compliment.  Although, if you're a co-dependent guy who spends his time listening to old Paul McCartney records I would imagine the only body language you're used to is crossed arms and rolled eyes.

Final Score: MinneSarah -2/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3/5

03. No – What's Your Name? (from the 7” What's Your Name?)

MinneSarah:

     

     Is this The National?  This band has gotten that question so many times, they just named themselves No. They then named their single - What's Your Name, as that is the question they got after they responded that they weren't The National.  Okay, maybe that didn't happen, but then again maybe it did.  

     While I feel like this is a National song when I listen to it, it does evoke a little more optimistic moodiness.  The song is broken up a little with bouts of whistling, and punches of percussion.  The lyrics talk about what people are wearing, which is pretty much what caught my attention.  Although I feel like the singer sounds a bit generically indie, the song is interesting enough to get catchier the more often you listen to it.

TCDroogsma:

     This song is like indie rock Madlibs.  Kind of a piano song, kind of a guitar song.  None of the lyrics add up to any kind of coherent whole, but rather they all sound like the first line from a different band's song.  "See the sun turn round and run away..." is Lou Reed.  "Turn around now, I can't stay" - Julian Casablancas.  "Shut the gates if I don't show, I'll send dogs to let you know..."  Paging Paul Banks.  Paul Banks, please pick up the red phone.  What's your name, indeed.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3/5

04. Ben Sollee – Unfinished (from the album Half-Made Man)

MinneSarah:

     So remember last week when I said that I was born in Kentucky?  Guess who else was born and raised in my birth town?  Why Ben Sollee, of course. This music isn't bad, but once again, it's not really my style.  The song is alt-country nouveau, with the inclusion of the cello - which does add quite a depth.  Ben's vocals sound almost Bruce Springsteen-like.  Overall, hometown be damned, I am extremely conflicted whether or not I can recommend a song by a singer/songwriter who has done a bike tour of Kentucky.  Seriously. That could be the most awesome and inspiring or soul-crushingly hipster thing I've ever heard.  Can't decide.  Luckily, as the song indicates, this isn't the last we've heard from Ben Sollee.

TCDroogsma:

     I guess I wouldn't think you could build a whole career around recreating the Billy Bragg tracks from Mermaid Avenue.  I learn something new every day.

Final Score: MinneSarah -2.5/5

                   TCDroogsma - 2/5

05. BNLX – Vibrant (from the album BNLX)

MinneSarah:

     Upbeat guitars, hyper-enunciated vocals, slight electronic backdrop.  I like how clean the song sounds amidst punctuated rouge (or not) guitar.  There is a lot of order in this song, almost formulaic but in a way that works! Basically I love anything upbeat and eighties sounding and will justify that any way I see fit.  Although this isn't the most exciting song I've heard this week, there is something comforting in its design.

TCDroogsma:

     I went on an extended rant about BNLX earlier this week when I reviewed their track "1929." (cough... Singles Mixer #3... cough... scroll down... cough...)

     Oddly, I don't necessarily like this song as much as that one.  My point in that review was that getting a slightly political angle out of Ed Ackerson made for an interesting listen.  It gave me a fuller picture of who he is regarding his Polara/BNLX bands.  "Vibrant" is a pretty great track, don't get me wrong, but this one sounds more like Polara with a drum machine.  Still, you all know I'm a sucker for boy/girl hooks and really, who's arguing with a song that sounds like the love child of New Order & Dinosaur Jr?

Final Score: MinneSarah -3.5/5

                   TCDroogsma - 3.5/5

Blaow! There you have it, everybody! Another week of songs listened to, reviewed, and filed away.

As always we'd like to mention that neither this blog nor its contributors is in anyway affiliated with MPR, The Current, or any of the artists reviewed. We're just people with iTunes & free time.

For more of the always charming MinneSarah give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah). For even more MinneSarah be sure to mention nail polish & vegan donuts.

For more TCDroogsma he can also be followed on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He seems like he should probably eat more vegan donuts too.

Of course Newest Industry is also on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on all the work being done by our contributors. More importantly, we also have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and giving us a “like” is genuinely the best way to support this blog short of buying us donuts.

Ten & Six With Mike Otto: Week 12 - Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (Plus Picks!)

So... much... turkey...

Hello again, football fans and welcome back to Ten & Six with Mike Otto!

Hopefully everybody had a happy and safe Thanksgiving.  As you can tell, we here at Newest Industry took a little breather from shoving our opinions out into the ether that is the internet for a few days, but we're back and we're kicking it off with Mike Otto's football column.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ten & Six, Mike is our resident football expert.  He's a lifelong Vikings fan who stops by each week to give us his thoughts on the upcoming game as well as his picks for the rest of the league.

Michael, good to see you.  What's on tap this week?

Welcome back to Ten & Six starring everybody's favorite jerk - me!

Last week my picks went 10-4 even with my upset picks of the Cardinals over the Falcons (almost spot on) and the Colts over the Patriots (completely misguided).  Combine that with my 3-0 Thanksgiving and you can put me at 13-4 for the last week!  Not too shabby.

(Editor's note:  Adding in that 13-4 run, Mike is now 111-69-1 on the season.)

I'm pretty psyched about this week's Vikings-Bears game.  If The Purple can somehow win this game it changes the entire dynamic of the NFC North and puts the Vikings one win away from the driver's seat of their division.

More on that later, though.  Time for this week's picks!

Oakland (3-7) at Cincinnati (5-5)

A real thriller to start this week off!  So many levels of intrigue in this game it's really hard to know where to start.

On one side we somehow still have Marvin Lewis and on the other side we have something called Dennis Allen.  This is what you fired Hue Jackson for?

Who would have thought Oakland management could actually get worse?  Is it too late to re-animate Al Davis?  Bengals win 24-19

Pittsburgh (6-4) at Cleveland (2-8)

Charlie Batch lives!

It's true he may only be able to throw the ball 35 yards in the air, and he's probably as mobile as a patient in traction, but all he has to do is game manage.  If he avoids the turnovers and mistakes that plagued his early years the Steelers should win.

It's funny that Charlie Batch has become much more useful in the NFL ever since he accepted the fact that he was terrible and couldn't start in the league.  Pay attention, Brandon Weeden.  You may be looking at your future in Charlie Batch this Sunday.  Steelers win 23-16.

 Buffalo (4-6) at Indianapolis (6-4)

It will be interesting to see how the Colts respond to getting blown out by the Patriots.  It will also be interesting to see... uh... well... who wins the coin toss?

OK, so this game is terrible.  The Colts secondary is so bad Ryan Fitzpatrick will probably be able to put up some points.  Gonna be a close game won by Andy Lucky in the 4th quarter.  Colts win it 27-20.

Denver (7-3) at Kansas City (1-9)

Brady Quinn will get the start this Sunday against Peyton Manning, making this the most lopsided quarterback matchup in recorded history.

There is simply no chance Kansas City wins this game.  Broncos roll 38-10.

Seattle (6-4) at Miami (4-6)

The once-promising Dolphins season is suddenly just another Miami-based disappointment.

You have to feel sorry for the Dolphins fan out there.  Sitting alone in his basement in a Marino jersey muttering something about "laces out."  He lives a solemn existence, devoid of love or empathy, destined to wander the streets of Tallahassee by himself for the next 32 years until he dies of a massive coronary at age 63.

Seahawks win 26-17.

Atlanta (9-1) at Tampa Bay (6-4)

Are you ready?  The Rolls Royce Silver Cloud of a quarterback that is Josh Freeman is ready to hand Matty Ice and the Dirty Birds their second loss of the year.

After barely escaping a loss to the Cardinals at home the Falcons seem poised for another late-season slide.

Freeman to Jackson looked like a special kind of combination in the Bucs comeback win last week.  Expect a lot more of that in this upset.  Bucs win 28-27.

Tennessee (4-6) at Jacksonville (1-9)

Wittle Bwainy Gabboyt hurt his elbwo and got shut down for the season.

I have no idea who the Jaguars backup quarterback is and I don't care.  This game is diseased.  Titans win 16-10.

Baltimore (8-2) at San Diego (4-6)

Watching Norva and Philip Rivers interact looks more like an episode of "Maury" than it does an NFL sideline.  I can hear Maury now...

"Philip, when it comes to one year old Barbella Turner, you are not the father!"

"You filthy bitch, Norva!  How could you do this to me?  Who was it you dirty, pock-marked whore?!?  Huh?  Was it Antonio Gates?  Don't tell me it was Ryan Matthews!!!"

Norva is sticking to his story that he is indeed a virgin and this baby must be the second coming of Joe Montana.

I feel bad for little Barbella.  She didn't ask for this shit show.  Ravens win 23-10.

San Francisco (7-2-1) at New Orleans (5-5)

You have to believe Colin Kaepernick earned himself another start last week when he picked apart a solid Bears defense.

Go Black Irish!  I'm rooting for Black Irish.  He can drink a 40 yard dash in 4.5 seconds?  Sure, something like that.

This will be another good test for him.  If he can outshine Drew Brees at home he will be starting the rest of the Niners games this year.  49ers win a close game 27-26.

St. Louis (3-6-1) at Arizona (4-6)

Will Sam Bradford ever reach his potential?  It's true that he has never had a genuine #1 receiver, but the great quarterbacks don't need one.  Seems to me that Sam Bradford is probably just a little bitch.

The young Oklahoma standout needs to figure it out or his career as a starting NFL quarterback will be over sooner rather than later.  Cardinals win this one 16-10.

Green Bay (7-3) at New York Giants (6-4)

Lots of playoff implications in this one.

Eli Manning will have to get off the shit streak of shit play he has been shitting out in recent weeks if the Giants want to win.

At some point the Packers will have to form some semblance of a ground attack if they want to win these late season games.

I think Aaron Rodgers throws a couple picks and the Packers win streak ends in New York.  Giants win a back and forth game 28-24.

Carolina (2-8) at Philadelphia (3-7)

Turns out a Nick Foles isn't very good at football.  Nick Foles has lots of Nick holes.

I have to believe Cam Newton can beat Nick Foles.  Unless, of course, it's any kind of close game in the 4th quarter, in which case the Panthers will find a way to lose.  Ron Rivera is very cut.

Regardless, I think the Panthers win 23-17.

Boom! Picks on picks on picks!  Now, on to the main event:

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-4) at CHICAGO BEARS (7-3)

This game could change it all!  A win lets Christian Ponder & Co. throw up middle fingers to the rest of the league.  A loss and all the jerky sports pundits get to say, "I told you so" in regards to the Vikings season.

Jay Cutler is officially listed as "questionable," but it seems as though Lovie Smith is fairly certain he will pass his final concussion test and play Sunday.

However, it is unlikely that Percy Harvin returns to the field on Sunday, so expect more of Jarius Wright in the slot.

It's been a while since The Purple's last game, so let's look back at some positives and negatives.  As always, we'll start with the positives.

-Adrian Peterson No surprise that we start off with the perennial positive.  Last week's win was All Day's fourth straight 100 yard game and he had the game-sealing touchdown (a 61 yard scamper).  Not too shabby!

-Christian Ponder As I predicted, the kid had a bounce-back week.  Two touchdowns and 200+ yards.  Add in the fact that he didn't turn the ball over once and you have the recipe for the Vikings success.

-Jarius Wright In his first game-action the rookie grabbed 3 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown (including a momentum-building 54 yard bomb in the first quarter).  I was really hoping this kid would have a big impact this year, but, for whatever reason, he didn't see the field until now.  Even when Percy returns to the lineup I hope Jarius Wright still sees playing time.

And now, unfortunately, the negatives.

-Mistral Raymond He returned from an injury and he is still the same old Mistral.  Bad angles, poor tackling, terrible coverage... the whole awful package.  Fortunately Jamarca Sanford has been playing decently and getting most of the 1st team snaps.

-Vikings Coaches Why in the hell didn't they put Jarius Wright in a ballgame sooner?  For fuck's sake!  Not like we needed a deep threat earlier this year... oh, wait...

Three Keys To A Vikings Victory

Key #1: Hit Jay Cutler hard.  Hit him early and hit him often.

If the Vikings can ring Jay Cutler's bell he likely won't be coming back into the game.  That would go a long way toward a Vikings victory.  Cutler may not be perfect, but he is ten times the quarterback Jason Campbell is.

Key #2: Keep Brandon Marshall in check.

The Vikings have done a great job this season of limiting stand out wide receivers to average performances.  That needs to continue in this game if The Purple want to win.

The Vikings have kept better receivers than Marshall out of the end zone this year and I think they will do the same this weekend.

Key #3: Establish Adrian Peterson as a force early.

If A.P. can break a couple big runs in the first quarter it will set up the play-action game to Kyle Rudolph later.  I'm sensing a big game from #28.  He single-handedly beat the Bears at Soldier Field his rookie year.  Wouldn't be surprised if he does it again on Sunday.

Two Matchups To Watch

Matchup #1: Jarius Wright vs. Peanut Tillman

Charles Tillman is one of the most physical cornerbacks in the game.  Jarius Wright is a skinny rookie wide receiver.  The rookie would make quite a statement if he could make Peanut Tillman look silly once or twice.

Matchup #2: Bears pass rush vs. Vikings offensive line

Hopefully Musgrave has a lot of three-step drops dialed up for this one.  The longer Ponder holds on to the ball the harder his day is going to get.

It is imperative that the offensive line give CP7 three or four seconds every time he drops back.  A lot of times the 2nd or 3rd read is the guy that's open.  In order to get those reads the young Vikings quarterback needs time.  I'm looking at you, Loadholt!!

Mike's All-Purpose Flour Lock Of The Week

Adrian Peterson, Running Back, YOUR Minnesota Vikings

A.P. has been flat-out spectacular of late.  His amazing last four games culminates on Sunday with a 200 yard, 3 touchdown performance.  All Day, baby!

Final Takes

I have a really good feeling about this game.  I think Cutler is going to be a little rusty, the Vikings defense will be jacked up, and Adrian will be on a mission.  It's going to come down to Christian Ponder.

If he can play smart, avoid the big turnover, and let his teammates do most of the heavy lifting the Vikings can win.

This Bears defense is tops in the NFL at creating turnovers and no doubt will be looking to rattle CP7's cage early.  The kid needs to stay poised and know it's OK to take a sack as long as you hang onto the ball.

This is a huge game!  The Vikings could find themselves in first place in the NFC North with a win.  Think about that.  Nobody believed that was a possibility for the Vikings this late in the season.

Well, nobody but me.

FINAL SCORE: 

Minnesota Vikings:31

Chicago Bears: 27

VIKINGS WIN!! WOOOOOO!!!!

There you have it, Minnesota.  Mike predicts the Vikings will be in the driver's seat by the end of the day.  Frankly, we just hope that all Vikings players and staff make it out of Chicago alive.  No, literally.

For more of the intoxicatingly charming Mike Otto be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@SwervinTaters).  His tweets may a bit infrequent this week as he's still digesting huge quantities of leftover turkey.

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter as well (@NewestIndustry1).  That's the best way to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  We also have a Facebook page here.  Stopping by and giving us a "like" is really the best way to support the blog short of just handing us a sock full of quarters.  We do accept socks full of quarters.

Ten & Six With Mike Otto: Week 12 (Thanksgiving Bonus!)

Butter up that bacon... bacon up that sausage...

  

Happy Thanksgiving, football fans!

Welcome back to Ten & Six With Mike Otto. For those of you who are new to the column, Mike is a lifelong Vikings fan and our resident football expert. Each week he breaks down the upcoming Vikings game and gives us his picks for the rest of the league.

Well, because America is indisputably the greatest country on Earth, we're celebrating Thanksgiving with not one... not two... but three NFL games! Of course, Mike is no stranger to binging on Thanksgiving, so he gave us his picks for all three games.

Mike, put down that pie and give us some thoughts.

Hello football fans and turkeynecks! We have arrived at the annual NFL Turkey Day Extravaganza!!!

Three games on the slate for Thursday and oh, can't we just taste the excitement! I'll get to those picks later, but first, a bit of Thanksgiving tradition.

As we all know, this is the time of year people sit around the table with their families, stuff their faces, drink too much wine, and pass out before the pumpkin pie is served. Also, it's a time we give thanks for things in our lives. Or things that just generally exist.

So here it is, everybody. Ten things that I'm thankful for!

1. Tramp Stamps – For alerting me that I should probably wear a condom and most definitely lose your number tomorrow.
   
   
2. Keith Morrison – His Dateline murder mysteries are to die for... or ARE they?? Yes, yes they are.
3. The Pioneer Press – It really is great fire-starting material.
   
   
4. The Entire Jets Organization – You're all so fat & doomed. Thank you for making my family look capable, functional, and sane.
   
   
5. Norva Turner & Philip Rivers – They remind all those couples out there that it could be worse. Norva, Philip... Just remember that a strong relationship is built on communication, love, compassion, and a solid TD-to-INT ratio.
   
   
6. Beer – Because... I mean, c'mon! I mean... you gotta have beer. I mean... c'mon!
   
   
7. Shannon Sharpe Being On TV - “Uh-buh-dee, uh-buh-dee, that's all folks!” Never has there been a less concise TV analyst. Tarvaris Jackson, there's still hope for a post-football career in broadcasting. Shannon, can you say “enunciate?” Probably not. Moving on...
   
   
8. Headlines With The Word “Gronk” In Them – Just kidding. The only “Gronk” headline that would make me happy is, “Gronk Mauled To Death By Walrus At Seaworld.” Which leads me to #9...
   
   
9. Andy Reid, Prime Attraction At Seaworld – He has to do something Monday-Saturday, right? The kids love you, Andy. And now I do too, because you killed Rob Gronkowski.
   
   
10. YOUR 2012 Minnesota Vikings! - Thank you for still being relevant at Week 11! Nobody believed in you, but I did. Six games left and you need 4 wins to make the playoffs. I believe!!

Well that's that. In all seriousness, I am most thankful for my friends and family (you know who you are).

Also, bacon. Bacon is the best.

On to the picks!

  

Houston (9-1) at Detroit (4-6)

The Lions are faced with a must win situation. In fact, they must win out to even have a shot at the postseason. That seems unlikely, especially with Houston's high-powered offense du up next.

Matt Schaub will no doubt feast on a very weak Lions secondary and I don't think Matt Stafford has what it takes to keep up.

The Lions will put up a fight on Thanksgiving with their season on the line, but the Texans win 28-23.

  

Washington (4-6) at Dallas (5-5)

You down with RG III? Yeah, you know me!

The Cowboys have reached .500! And, at 5-5, the national media will not get off the Cowboys' nuts. They barely squeaked out a victory at home against the Browns in a sloppy, penalty-ridden game. The Cowboys are garbage. They are pretenders and I seriously doubt they beat any more than a select few NFL teams on a regular basis.

Cowboys lose to the Skins 24-16 and their season is lost.

  

New England (7-3) at New York Jets (4-6)

Life Without Gronk

Gronk Watch

The Gronk Effect

Winning Without Gronk

The Curve Of Gronk's Dick

These were all stories on ESPN after Sunday. I hate ESPN so fucking much. Not to mention this is the second time in as many years Rob Gronkowski has been hurt and I've had to read these insufferable headlines. The next person to say the word “Gronk” makes my shit list for the rest of time.

The Jets actually won a road game last Sunday? Behind some decent QB play from Mark Sanchez?

The only explanation is that, for three hours last Sunday, we all entered a time vortex that transported us to some bizarro universe where down is up, black is white, Mark Sanchez is a capable quarterback, and his coach is the brilliant Ryan Rex (who is not fat & doomed, but thin and destined for success).

How boring. Back to our universe on Turkey Day. Patriots win 31-20.

There you have it, turkeynecks! Everybody have a safe and happy Thanksgiving here in our universe!

For more Mike Otto be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@SwervinTaters). Assuming he awakes from his tryptophan & wine induced coma Mike will be back this Saturday to break down the upcoming Vikes game and give us his picks for the rest of the league.

Of course Newest Industry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Be sure to give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we also have a Facebook page here. Stop by and give us a “like” and we'll reveal the secret to our Grandma's pumpkin pie recipe (hint: It's MSG).