Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #29

I'm riding on a camel that has big eyes...

Hello again, free music fans! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #29!
 
For those of you who are unaware of the Flatbasset Radio format, here's what you're looking at: TCDroogsma is our resident MP3 junkie. As you've probably noticed in his Songs Of The Week column, he's not always the most positive music fan. In an effort to prove that he is, in fact, a fan of music, we give him an hour each week to play the songs he's digging and talk a little bit about them. Once he's recorded his podcast we put it right here on the website for free to stream and/or download!

In this week's episode Droogsy's flyin' solo due to the polar vortex, wondering why British bands are better at shoegaze, playing something from one of his most anticipated albums of 2014, struggling (yet again) with basic pronunciation, speculating about an unpredictable MC's motivation, trying to warm us up with music, wondering just what the big deal is with the Grammy Awards, giving us all a warning about proper footwear, getting excited about reunited 90's groups, recalling the days of compact discs, and shining the spotlight on "one of the most skipped songs" in history!

You can download the podcast for free by clicking the episode's title or stream the episode by clicking on the Mixcloud player below.

Flatbasset Radio - Episode #29

Flatbassest Radio: Episode #29 by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. Toy - Endlessly
02. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Militant
03. Cars & Trains - An Abandoned City Street
04. Portastatic - Echos Myron
05. Strange Names - Ricochet 
06. The King Khan & BBQ Show - Invisible Girl
07. Kendrick Lamar - The Art Of Peer Pressure
08. Protomartyr - Scum, Rise!
09. Ratking & Eric Copeland - Gauchos
10. Warm Thrills - Girl Of My Dreams
11. Cibo Matto - Sugar Water
12. The Person & The People - Blue Haze
13. The Verve - Sonnet

There you have it, music fans!  Enjoy!

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems, stopping by and giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog. 

Your Name Is Wild: Week #17

If we can make it through the day, keep the ships at bay...

  
Well hello again, Wild fans!  Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #17!

For those of you who are new to the column, here's the scoop:  The NHL season is a long, tedious journey.  We decided that this season we would ask TCDroogsma of the blog Wildly Biased to stop by each week and give us an update on our local squad.

Droogsy, what'd we miss?

Well hey there, fellow Wild fans.  Thanks for stopping by.

Going back to last week, the Wild managed to take two out of three (including an important OT win over division rival Dallas) on the strength of Darcy Kuemper, Erik Haula, Jason Zucker, & Nate Prosser.  It was a successful week in that it kept the Wild clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.  It was encouraging to see role players and young guys step up and fill in the blanks while Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Jared Spurgeon, & Josh Harding remain on the shelf.

This week found the depleted Wild taking on three difficult tasks:  Keep the Stars at arm's length in the playoff race by beating them in Dallas, continue to hold serve in the Central Division by taking on the Blackhawks in St. Paul, and head out West to begin a brutal four game road trip in San Jose.

Let's break this thing down:

The Week That Was

Tuesday 1/21 - Dallas: 4  Wild: 0

When the Wild beat Dallas in St. Paul at the end of last week, it was a big win for a couple of reasons.  First, despite ceding a point to Dallas in OT, the Wild's victory meant that they remained 9 points ahead of the Stars for the eighth & final playoff spot in the West.  Second, it made this second half of their home-and-home far less significant, which proved to be tremendously important as the Wild have always played terribly in Dallas.  Tuesday night was no exception.

The Wild did young goaltender Darcy Kuemper no favors in the first period.  Yet again they were vastly outplayed in the first frame of a game (a trend that threatens to sink the Wild on a nightly basis).  They were outshot 12-3 in the first period and only the stellar play of Kuemper kept the score at a manageable 2-0.  Vernon Fiddler got the Stars on the board by tipping an Alex Goligoski shot from the point behind Kuemper.  Erik Cole's corpse continued the scoring when he fired a wrister past Keumps with just over 3:00 remaining, putting an exclamation point on the first period and leaving the Stars in the driver's seat for he remaining two frames.

Now, this has been the script for the Wild lately.  During the first act they're badly outplayed (though usually they aren't behind by more than one and, frequently, surprisingly, they're ahead a lot of times).  They then battle even in the second and usually carry the third.  However, that script has only been running for a couple of weeks.  The script of the Wild getting thrashed in Dallas has been running for years.

Tuesday night's second period showed that a couple weeks worth of trends cannot overcome years of history.  The Stars came out firing yet again.  They outshot the Wild 16-6 on the period while carrying play on both ends of the ice.  Bless his heart, Kuemper did everything he could to keep the Stars at bay, but it wasn't enough.  Ray Whitney (the second oldest player in the league) finally managed to solve the young goaltender with a move at the side of the net that was so filthy he would have to register as a sex offender in 43 of 50 states.  3-0 Stars at the end of the second.

The Wild managed to outshoot the Stars 9-8 in the third, but that was largely a product off Stars coach Lindy Ruff calling off the dogs and locking down on defense.  Jordie "don't call me Jamie" Benn concluded the night's scoring at the 11:22 mark, putting a penalty shot behind a sprawling Kuemper. Kari Lehtonen held on for the what was likely the easiest shutout of his career and the Wild limped out of Dallas like they have a dozen times before:  defeated.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Darcy Kuemper - The final score (4-0) is ugly, but don't let that throw you, without the efforts of Darcy Keumper it could have been 6 or 7-0.  With Niklas Backstrom now hurting himself in practice and Josh Harding essentially MIA, I don't think it's an overstatement to say that Keumper's effort in net is keeping the Wild afloat.  The fact that he was able to continue to play well behind a team that had clearly checked out for most of a this game speaks to the level of maturity the young man now carries.

Impression Of The Game:  The Wild entered this home-and-home series with an eight point lead over Dallas.  Obviously, had they lost both of these games that lead would have been cut to four points, giving the Stars a legitimate shot at catching the Wild (especially since the Stars have two games in-hand on the Wild).  After winning in St. Paul the Wild extended that lead to 9 points, but by losing in Dallas two nights later the lead was down to 7.  At the risk of sounding overconfident, if the Stars were to have a legitimate shot at catching the Wild they needed to take both of these games in regulation.  By giving up only one point in the standings the Wild all but assured the Stars of an impossible uphill battle to the playoffs.

Thursday 1/23 - Wild: 2  Chicago: 1

Thursday night's showdown with the Blackhawks brought two noteworthy events to the Xcel Energy Center.  The first is that the Blackhawks were in town, which meant the the barn would be filled with somewhere between three and four thousand filthy, drunken, boisterous Blackhawks fans.  What these fans may lack in fashion sense (do they appreciate the irony of a special edition St. Patrick's Day Patrick Kane sweater?) and common decency, they more than make up for in sheer volume (both attendance-wise and decibel-wise).  For better or worse, a visit from the Blackhawks means a chance to check the local barometer of the enthusiasm for the Wild.  When the buzz is running high, the stereotypically passive-aggressive locals are able to drown out the Hawks fans.  When the buzz is running low, it may as well be United Center North.

Fortunately for the Wild, they had a trump card to play in the battle for volume:  Zach Parise's long-awaited return from a foot injury.  With the Wild somehow managing to stay in the playoff picture during Parise's absence, the buzz around the team was healthy.  Adding Parise to the lineup with the rival Blackhawks in town assured the Xcel Energy Center would be loud.

As for the game itself, the Wild were facing the Hawks under the best of circumstance.  The Hawks had played the night before (a shootout loss to the arch-rival Red Wings), meaning they didn't arrive in St. Paul until the wee hours of the night.  Second, they were playing without Norris Trophy winning defenseman/narcissistic headwear aficionado Duncan Keith.

There's an old adage in hockey that states that the road team should typically prepare to focus primarily on defense for the first ten minutes of a game.  The theory is that the home team, fired up by a loud building, will come out flying for the first half of the first period so the road team should focus on holding down the fort until the game settles down.  Of course, the Wild have been pissing away first periods for the better part of a month now, so something would have to give.

Fortunately, that something was the Chicago Blackhawks.  Whether it was the return of Parise, a loud Xcel Energy Center, or both, the Wild came out flying during the opening frame.  The Wild managed to outshoot the Hawks 10-6 in the first, but more importantly, they were able to get two shots behind Hawks backup goaltender Antti Raanta.

The first goal of the night turned out to be the highlight of the game.  Clayton Stoner cleared a puck up the right wall to Jason Pominville.  Pominville then dumped the puck across the ice to Dany Heatley as they crossed the blue line.  Heater found a streaking Mikael Granlund down the middle.  Finnish Jesus took the puck deep toward the net, drawing defenders & eyes with him before sending a pass across the top of the crease to a wide open Pominville for the goal.  It was a gorgeous goal, firing up the crowd and showing to the Blackhawks the Wild were feeling frisky tonight.

The Wild doubled up their lead just five minutes later when Matt Cooke found the back of the net.  As is typical of the third line, the play began when Justin Fontaine slid a pass to Kyle Brodziak as they attacked the Chicago blue line.  Brodziak, of course, handled the pass like it was a live grenade, chopping the puck in half and sending it bouncing through the slot.  Fortunately, the hockey gods (perhaps repaying him for taking an unpenalized elbow to the face last week), put the puck right Matt Cooke's stick.  He fired a wrister that seemed harmless until you remembered the Hawks were starting their backup goalie.  Boom, 2-0 Wild after 1.

From that point on, it was the Darcy Kuemper show.  I know I've been harping on Kuemper's stellar play for two weeks now, but these last two periods Thursday night were the exclamation point on that stretch.  

Over the final two periods of this game, the Wild faced a Blackhawks team that seemingly sat down during the first intermission and said, "Fuck that. 2-0 doesn't mean shit.  We're the fucking champs."

The Blackhawks came out with guns blazing over the final two periods.  They outshot the Wild 28-9 over that stretch, yet were denied nearly every time by young Kuemper.

(Kuemper Sidenote:  He played the last half of the game wearing Niklas Backstrom's mask after his own was dented.  This kid is in the zone right now.)

The Hawks finally broke through with a mere 32 seconds left in the game on a Patrick Kane slapshot (giving the drunk & confused Hawks fans something to cheer about).  Fortunately, that was all the Wild would surrender on the night.  They took the game 2-1 and have now taken 3 of 4 from the Hawks on the season.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Mikael Granlund - Look, we all know that Darcy Kuemper was the star of this game.  Frankly, I've run out of ways to compliment him on the job he's doing.  I'm awarding this one to the Finnish Jesus on the strength of his ultra-filthy assist on Pominville's goal.  Outside of the pass itself (which was gorgeous), the decision to even make the pass is where Granny deserves extra credit.  The Wild are not now (nor have they ever been) a team that scores a lot of goals.  When Granlund took the puck to the side of the net, it would have been the sound decision to take a shot.  Granlund's big brother Mikko Koivu has been crucified by both fans and beat writers alike for his tendency to pass when he has the opportunity to shoot (a fact I'm sure Granlund is aware of).  By opting to attempt a difficult pass over taking a decent shot, Granlund showed that hearing those sort of criticisms mean nothing to him.  He's a great passer and that's what great passers do: they see lanes nobody (not fans, not beat writer, not, eveidently, Niklas Hjalmarsson) see.  It was a confident play by a confident player.

Impression Of The Game:  Given the circumstances that surrounded this game, it would be ludicrous to say the Wild are a team on par with the Blackhawks.  The Hawks absolutely dominated this game for two periods, but were thwarted when a hot goaltender outplayed their backup.  Regardless, the way the schedule shakes out after this game (a brutal four game road trip out west), the Wild needed to make sure they got points at home.  Mission accomplished.

Saturday 1/25 - Sharks: 3  Wild: 2 (OT)

Riding high on taking two points from the champs, the Wild opened an absolutely brutal four game road trip on Saturday night in the Shark Tank.  Now, this building has not been kind to the Wild in the past, so my inclination was to expect the Wild to get thrashed.  Of course, I said the same thing about the Staples Center & Jobing.com Arena a couple of weeks ago and they went into both of those buildings & took wins.  Is it possible the days of west coast road trips meaning abject fear are behind us?

Based on Saturday's game, the answer is "sort of."

To the surprise of everybody, the Wild took that "road team" adage I mentioned above and completely inverted it.  By a large margin, the Wild's best period of the night was the first.  Yes, they were still outshot (11-7), but they carried play for large stretches and walked away from the first frame with a 1-0 lead courtesy of Matt Cooke.

The Wild were able to build on that 1-0 lead in the second.  Keith Ballard buried a wrist shot behind Sharkies netminder Antti Niemi to put the boys up 2-0 just 4:16 into the second.  The two teams battled evenly for the remainder of the second period, but the Sharks proved to be too much for the Wild.  The Wild were done in by goals from Joe Thornton & Patrick Marleau, both of whom were playing their first games since inking three-year contract extensions with the Wild.  Both showed exactly why they were awarded those deals 

With the Sharkies bleeding momentum, the Wild spent the third period pretty much holding on for dear life.  Though the Sharks outshot the Wild 7-4 in the frame, they weren't able to get the puck past the staunch Darcy Kuemper.  The Wild made it to the end of regulation and stole their point for the night.  Appropriately, they quickly buckled in overtime, giving up a second goal to Jumbo Joe 3:30 into the extra frame.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Matt Cooke - I'm giving this one to Matt Cooke on the basis of his body of work in both this game and the Chicago game.  Cooke's run awfully hot & cold this year, but it's no coincidence that when he managed to find the back of the net a couple of times the Wild took three out of four points from two of the best teams in the West.

Impression Of The Game:  I wrote last week that, "If the Wild could somehow get out of this game with a point I would be thrilled."  Well, color me thrilled.  There are eight available points on this road trip and, if we're being honest, none of them are a give (yes, even Calgary).  Starting the trip by getting one of two may not seem like much, but every point on this trip is a bonus.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday 1/28 - Wild at Anaheim

The Wild finish off the California half of this road trip at the Honda Center.  They'll be trying to avoid season sweep at the hands of the league-leading Ducks.  Those Ducks have laid waste to nearly every team that has set foot inside their barn this year, with their only regulation home loss coming to the... wait for it... Jets.  So, I guess it's possible.

Thursday 1/30 - Wild at Colorado

The Wild resume their contentious season series with the Avalanche on Thursday night. So far this year the two teams have battled viciously, but Colorado retains the edge in games won and has somehow managed to keep the Wild at arm's length all season.

Saturday 2/1 - Wild at Calgary

The Wild conclude their road trip in the Saddledome against the former-division-rival Flames.  The Saddledome used to be a house of horrors for the Wild, but the tide has turned in the last few years and now is likely a worse experience for Flames fans & players than opposing teams.  That said, there's a very real possibility that the Wild will roll in on Saturday having only gained one of six available points on this trip.  A win in Calgary, regardless of how the rest of the trip plays out, is a must.

The Big Picture

The Wild opened the week in 8th place in the Western Conference.  After gaining three of six points, they still sit in 8th in the West.  Frankly, this counts as progress.  The longer the Wild are able to hold serve and check games off the calendar the better.  That may not seem like the most exciting approach to the remaining months of hockey, but with Mikko Koivu & Jared Spurgeon likely out through the Olympic break, treading water is just what the Wild should be doing.

I'll be back to break down that road trip next week.

Until then...

For more of TCDroogsma's hockey ramblings be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@WildlyBiased).  He can also be found writing about the Wild in greater detail on his hockey blog Wildly Biased.

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems stopping by & giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Songs Of The Week #76: TCDroogsma & MinneSarah

Ryan Hemsworth, Syd Arthur, Milosh, The Low Frequency Of Stereo, & Web Of Sunsets...

Well hello again, MP3 junkies!  Welcome to Songs Of The Week #76!
 
For those of you who are new to the SOTW column, here's the story:  TCDroogsma and MinneSarah are both fans of The Current's Song Of The Day podcast.  They're also both opinionated and have access to computers.  Seeing an opportunity to let them indulge in their MP3 habit and put them to work writing reviews we created the Songs Of The Week column.  Over a year later later and here we are.

As always, we strongly suggest that you follow this link and subscribe to the podcast yourself.  It's free and it's fun for the whole family!

To that end, once you've given each song a spin or two, feel free to cast a vote for your favorite song of the week in the poll to the right side of the page.  The artist who accrues the most votes wins the validation that comes from winning an anonymous internet poll, arguably the loftiest height to which a modern musician can aspire.

As per tradition TCDroogsma and MinneSarah have not read each other's reviews prior to posting

So... Droogsy, Sarah... thoughts?

01. Ryan Hemsworth - Against A Wall (from the album Guilt Trip)

 
TCDroogsma:

     Partially out of timing and partially out of quality songs, I've really been enjoying Ryan Hemsworth's work lately.  I've been lucky that Hemsworth's rise in popularity has occurred just as I've really come to appreciate music made by producers rather than bands or singers.


     "Against A Wall" picks up nicely where his Still Awake EP left off. As I've mentioned many times before, I struggle to listen to strictly instrumental tracks without being somewhat informed by whatever the title of that track is.  I suppose it's possible that "Against A Wall" could have suffered the same fate ( though the song itself has a sort of "the streetlights look extra bright" sort of energy too it) but the addition of vocals turned out to be an awfully savvy move.  The mostly consist of, "I love you more than ever..." but Hemsworth chops them into a swirling hook that's easy to get lost in.  Instrumentals are typically more "mood" than anything else, but here the line "mood" and "pop" is straddled brilliantly, leaving behind more than just an impression.

MinneSarah:

     My first thought during this chill but upbeat love song was that it would have made a great soundtrack to Vancouver or Montreal.  Turns out, Ryan Hemsworth is a Canadian DJ (from the Maritimes) with a knack for mixing together catchy elements to ensure you'll remember his tunes.  Vocals by Lofty 305 are reminiscent of the warm hug of a Frank Ocean album, and at least as a woman, the positive lyrics about loving this girl and being there for her are comforting.  The beats are steady but delve into the periphery.  Left to my druthers, I'd listen to this song on repeat while walking through my city, though it's not as modern nor clean as any of the Canadian cities Hemsworth is DJing at any given night.

Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3/5
                    MinneSarah: 4/5

02. Syd Arthur - Ode To Summer (from the album On And On)

TCDroogsma:

     The first verse of "Ode To Summer" could lead anywhere.  It could turn into a prog-rock opus, it could turn extra fuzzy, the guitars could drop off entirely and we could enter into "indie power ballad" land.  Really, the possibilities are endless for the first 40 seconds.

     Fortunately, the folks in Syd Arthur take the song in a loungey, nostalgia-tinged direction.  Rather than getting loud, singer Liam Magill laments a lost summer fling over the most subdued world of guitars this side of "Girl Afraid."  Even though we here in Minnesota have reached the point of winter where summer flings are a distant, distant memory, the warmth that tinges Magill's delivery is palpable.  She may not come back after when winter ends, but even if she does, it won't live up to the memory.

MinneSarah:

     Perhaps it's because we are about as far away from summer as we are ever going to get, but this song doesn't necessarily scream "summer" to me.  The lyrics reference winter enough to remind me that the wind is howling outside my window and I'm bound to have some shoveling waiting for me once the sun rises after lunch.

     It is, however, upbeat and has the elements of a great summer jam.  The vocals sound eerily like Sondre Lerche singing for the Black Keys, but I guess that is what happens when modern Brits get into the Southern rock game.  The chorus sounds laid back, and this element above all others makes me long for long summer days the likes of which these Brits have never experienced.


Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
                    MinneSarah: 3.5/5

03. Milosh - Hear In You (from the album Jetlag)

TCDroogsma:

     There's only about four things going on in "Hear In You," and yet it feels like a hundred.  Percussion is nearly non-existent, synthesizers about, and Milosh's warm, clear voice is sometimes accompanied by... um... a second Milosh voice.

     And yet, "Hear In You" is an incredibly well-realized song.  Milosh hails from Toronto, the city that gave us the blurred, dizzy, debauched soul of The Weeknd.  Milosh represents the other side of that coin.  Jetlag was an album created by Milosh & his wife, which gives lines like, "I'll untangle these dreams and dance toward you instead..." a certain warmth.   "Hear In You" is Milosh's letter to his muse.  When addressing someone so important, perhaps it's best to leave the bells & whistles behind.

MinneSarah:

     Two Canadian DJs in one week?  Maybe the polar vortex is actually Canada's plot to invade the U.S. - by next week we'll be reviewing "Oh Canada" as we reposition our toques.

     Some of the beats sound like they'd back up a good video game, but you can feel Milosh's classical influences throughout the song (so maybe this could back the new Tetris).  I detected harp strings, which may be a first instance in regards to any of the electronic songs I've reviewed. The vocals are smooth and lyrics aren't memorable, so the vocals are there to temper that electronic layer.  After a few listens, I'm surprised at how much I liked this song, given its downbeat melancholy feel.  I guess my will has been broken down by the cold and I'm ready for the Canadian invasion.


Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3/5
                    MinneSarah: 3.5/5

04.  The Low Frequency In Stereo - Colette (Subie Subie) (from the album Pop Obskura)

 
TCDroogsma:

     As a 32 year old white guy in the Midwest, I can't tell you the amount of sleep I've lost over the years wondering to myself, "I wonder what it would sound like if Stereolab covered 'Spiders (Kidsmoke)?'"

     Fortunately, there was a group of Norwegians over on their side of the Atlantic wondering just the same thing.  Voila! "Colette (Subie Subie)!"  I don't have any idea what this goddamn song is about, but I can't believe that's the point.  The Low Frequency In Stereo's rhythm section finds a groove and hold it steady for nearly 4:00.  Over that time we're treated to guitar stabs, keyboard squiggles, girl-group lyrics, surf guitar, & even a couple of choruses.  And yet that beat marches steadily on...

MinneSarah:

     The title says it all - this song is a sixties pop song at heart.  Where this song differs is the high pitched guitars and electronic beat.  The Low Frequency in Stereo is Norwegian, and they are playing this sixties surf pop better than most.  I'm not sure if we need to have a Europe vs. America breakdown of this genre, but if we did the Europeans would have a lot of sixties movies to pull from as inspiration.

     I find songs like this to be situational, perhaps not something for a daily rotation but fun to listen to when the mood strikes.  And that mood doesn't come around all that often, but when it does this song would hit the spot.

Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
                    MinneSarah: 3.5/5

05. Web Of Sunsets - Foreign Bodies (from the album Room Of Monsters)

TCDroogsma:

     When we last checked in with Web Of Sunsets back in April I reviewed their song "Fool's Melodies," describing its "easy guitar strumming" & "airy vocals" as akin to song being sung around a bonfire at the height of summer.

     "Foreign Bodies" may have kept the easy guitar strum, but rather than drifting off into the nigh air, they oppress.  "Foreign Bodies" is a sad, claustrophobic song.  It lives well past the moment of loss and take us to a place where the memory has been distorted and nearly entirely forgotten.  Sara Bischoff's voice seems to echo that sentiment, abandoning any sense of longing or anger, but just hoping to hold everything together with a quiet, pretty resignation

MinneSarah:

     If you've read this column before, you'll know that I can't help it, I have a knee-jerk reaction to acoustic guitars.  This song took several listening attempts before I got through it.  But once I did a few times, I was glad I gave "Foreign Body" a chance.

     The vocals sound very reminiscent of what I've heard of Tegan and Sara, but I can assure you, that hasn't been much. This song sounds clean and simple, there are no drums, just acoustics and vocals.  There is a cowboy campfire element of the story telling with the slightest bit of twang set against the acoustic guitar.

     While this song has elements that I just can't make myself enjoy, when taken as a whole, I can appreciate it for what the band is trying to convey.  This song is a clean sounding, bittersweet narrative, and it's impressive how emotive it sounds without the use of a lot of instruments.

Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
                    MinneSarah: 3/5

Well there you have it, MP3 junkies!  Another week's worth of songs downloaded, reviewed, & filed away!

As always, please keep in mind that neither Newest Industry nor our contributors are in any way affiliated with the artists above, The Current, or MPR.  We're just music fans with laptops and a bit too much time on our hands.

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  He can also be found right here on Newest Industry hosting our free weekly podcast Flatbasset Radio

For more MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah).  She can also be found right here on Newest Industry filing reports out of St. Paul for our Big Day Out column 







For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems, stopping by and giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Your Name Is Wild: Week #16

Gotta press on, yeah, you know what that's like...

Well hello again, Wild fans!  Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #16!

For those of you who are new to the column, here's the scoop:  The NHL season is a long, tedious journey.  We decided that this season we would ask TCDroogsma of the blog Wildly Biased to stop by each week and give us an update on our local squad.

Droogsy, what'd we miss?

Well hey there, everybody.  Thanks for coming back around after I spent most of last week's post giving examples of just how terrible I can be at predicting the ebb & flow of this year's Minnesota Wild team.  It's not an easy challenge and last week I didn't even come close to getting it right.

Those surprising wins, however, thrust the Wild right back into a playoff spot.  This week brought three consecutive home games against teams that are sitting on the outside of the playoff picture, providing a rare mid-season opportunity for the Wild to bank a little bit of breathing room between themselves & ninth place.

Let's break this thing down.

The Week That Was

Tuesday 1/14: Ottawa: 3  Wild: 0

The Wild welcomed an unfamiliar opponent to the Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night in the form of the Ottawa Senators.  The Sens were a trendy pick to build on their surprising success of the last two seasons and really throw their hat in the ring that is a pretty wide open Eastern Conference.  So far, they've struggled. As the last couple of years proved, it's easy to exceed expectations when there aren't any.  This season's Sens squad has struggled with the weight of expectations from goaltending on out.

Tuesday night's game, however, served as a reminder of just the kind of talent the Sens can put on the ice.

Yet again the Wild turned to the hot hand in net, giving young Darcy Kuemper another start after he earned his first career shutout in Nashville on Sunday.  Unfortunately, he was just about the only Wild player to show up for this one.

The boys opened this one up by sticking to the same pattern that somehow earned them 6 points last week: getting absolutely thrashed in the first period.  Ottawa came out guns blazing in the opening frame, outshooting the Wild 15-3.  Despite that disparity, it took a moment of shaking officiating for the Sens to get on the board.  With Justin Fontaine in the box for a lazy hooking penalty, Sens forward Kyle Turris carried the puck over the blue line and into the Wild's zone.  On the other side of the ice, it appeared that fellow Sens forward Clarke MacArthur was just a quarter of a step offside.  No whistle was blown, MacArthur crashed the net, and Turris put the puck on his stick.  Boom.  The puck was in the back of the net & the Wild were livid.

Thanks to FSN's uncanny ability to have only the worst possible angles covered with their cameras, replays were inconclusive as to whether or not MacArther was offside.  Frankly, it doesn't matter. Much like they did in St. Louis when an early call didn't go their way (a Zach Parise high-sticked puck in that case), the Wild quickly wilted.  Seriously, two year olds leaving Target without candy handle adversity better than this group.  It was clear at that point that this just wasn't going to be the Wild's night.

(Quick Offsides Sidenote:  Any time there is a questionable onside/offside call, I remember former Wild coach Jacques Lemaire summing up the subject by saying that whenever he & his staff went over replays after games the linesmen got the call right nearly every time.  As my dad is fond of saying, when in doubt I tend to side with the guy who has 11 Cup rings.  It may have been a close call, but I'm inclined to give the guy standing at the blue line the benefit of the doubt for the no-call).

The two teams spent the second period treading water throughout the second period.  In the third the Sens somehow managed to take the lead in heartbreaking fashion despite the fact that neither team was showing much heart. 

As per the usual routine, the Wild finally decided to show up in the third period, peppering Sens goalie Robin Lehner with four quick shots to begin the period.  Unfortunately, as Marco Scandella prepared to fire a one-timer for their fifth shot, his stick shattered.  Sens forward Erik Condra quickly pounced on the loose puck and took off alone toward Kuemper.  Scandella caught up to Condra in the slot, but, still without his stick, wasn't able to thwart the play.  Rather, he gave Condra a bit of a shove (enough so that, had Condra not scored he would have been awarded a penalty shot), but all the shove accomplished was confusing Kuemper.  Condra slid the puck between Kuemper's pads and the Xcel Energy Center faithful conceded defeat.  Kyle Turris added a goal with just over 5:00 left in the game to end the scoring on the night.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Darcy Kuemper - The young netminder continues to show his stuff as an NHL-caliber goalie.  Lord only knows how the three-headed hydra that is the Wild's goaltending situation is going to play out over the rest of this season, but right now Kuemper's the man.

Impression Of The Game:  Not a debacle on par with the loss to the Islanders, but an incredibly disappointing night nonetheless.  By being shut out at home by Robin Lehner (!) & the Sens, the Wild basically gave back two of the points they fought so hard for in L.A. & Phoenix last week.  The loss itself was disappointing, but the double trend whammy (coming out flat, folding when dealt adversity) brought plenty of questions about this Wild team back to the forefront.

Thursday 1/16: Wild: 4  Edmonton: 1

Fortunately for the Wild, all of the questions that arose during Tuesday's loss were rendered moot when the Edmonton Oilers rolled into town.  Nothing cures an ailing team like a visit from the LOiLers.

Now, a typical visit from the Oilers is pretty much an automatic two points, but for the second consecutive time, this Oilers visit wasn't quite typical.  First, a little past:

The last time the Wild & Oilers met in St. Paul was game 47 of last year's lockout-shortened season.  The Wild had returned home from yet another loss in Columbus with a chance to clinch a playoff spot in front of their restless, raucous fans.  All they had to do was beat the Oilers.  Seems easy, right?

Well, not so fast.  Not only did the Wild lose, they lost handily.  The Oilers, playing there now-annual role as spoiler, pasted the Wild 6-0 in a game that is best remembered for Wild fans booing Josh Harding's performance even though it was his first game back after battling MS for the entire season.  Not a fun day in St. Paul.

Tuesday's game did not have the stakes of last spring's meeting, but it was curious game nonetheless.  On Wednesday Oiles GM Craig MACTAVISH! made a couple of moves designed to jump start his struggling squad, first acquiring goalie Ben Scrivens from Los Angeles then acquiring Minnesota native Matt Hendricks from Nashville.  Both suited up for their first game with their new team on Thursday.

However, much like every trade, free agent acquisition, & draft pick made by the Oilers over the last 8 years, it didn't make any difference whatsoever.  Despite outshooting the Wild 9-7 in the first period, the Oilers left the period down 1-0.  Wild forward Mikael Granlund made yet another highlight reel play when he beat the Oilers to a loose puck behind Scrivens' net and threw an impossible angle pass to a crashing Jason Pominville.  Pominville patiently pulled the puck to his backhand and slid it past Scrivens to stake the Wild to the lead.

After Jordan Eberle opened the second period by tying the game at 1-1 with a filthy wrister past Darcy Kuemper, the wheels came off for the Oilers thanks to Nate Prosser.  Prosser's been a thorn in Edmonton's side for a couple of years for his on-ice chippiness, but he finally landed a blow when he fired off a slapshot that was destined to sail over the top of the net.  Fortunately, Scrivens proudly upheld the recent tradition of Oilers goaltening by handling the shot in the worst possible manner.  Scrivens through his catching hand in the air an inch too high, redirecting the puck off the bottom of his glove and into the net to restore the Wild's lead. The goal provided an awkward moment in which both Ben Scrivens & Edmonton's brass must have been thinking, "Shit, what have I/we signed up for here."

Justin Fontaine added a goal just 2:00 later to make it 3-1.  He was followed by Jason Zucker finishing off a Dany Heatley assist just 0:08 into the third period (an especially filthy apple from Heatley on his Bobblehead Night).  That was it for the scoring and Edmonton limped back out of St. Paul just as hapless as when they had arrived.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Dany Heatley - It was Heater Bobblehead Night at the Xcel Energy Center and Heatley proved just why he gets the honor.  His assist on Zucker's goal was saucy enough to warrant mentioning, but, for the first time this season, Heater showed some anger in this game, getting into several scrums with Oilers.  I suppose we shouldn't have been surprised.  After all, Heatley has a long history of trolling Edmonton fans.

Impression Of The Game:  I take as much away from the Wild kicking the shit out of Edmonton as I do from the sun rising in the East each morning.

Saturday 1/18 - Wild: 3  Dallas: 2 (OT)

Sunday was Hockey Day In Minnesota and, as per tradition, it brought the Dallas Stars to town for what was by far the most important game of the week.  In years past FSN has tried to shoehorn these two teams into a rivalry simply because the Stars used to call Minnesota home.  It was a tired and ultimately pointless exercise until this year, when realignment finally gave this matchup the heft lazy FSN execs had been hoping for.

This year's edition of the Stars has been remade on the fly by new GM Jim Nill.  He brought in Lindy Ruff to coach the team and pulled off one of the biggest trades of the offseason by acquiring burgeoning star/housekeeping aficionado Tyler Seguin from the Bruins.  The hope was that these moves would be enough to push the team from perennial also-rans to lower-tier playoff flotsam.  So far, so meh. The Stars entered the game in 10th place, eight points behind the Wild in the wild card race.  Doing some simple math, that meant that a Wild win would push the Stars 10 points back, whereas a Stars victory would vault them to a mere six points back.  With a rematch awaiting both teams in Dallas on Tuesday (where a Wild loss is all but assured), Saturday's game took on extra significance.

Now, if you can believe it, the Wild came out flat in the first period (I know, crazy, right?).  They were outshot 9-3 by the Stars but were once again bailed out by Darcy Kuemper, who stopped all 9 of those shots.  That first period provided a highlight for one of Minnesota's "homegrown" talents (he went to the U, anyway) when Erik Haula scored his first NHL goal by snapping a wrist shot behind Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen.  It was an appropriate start for Haula as most of the fans in attendance had passed the time before the opening faceoff by watching the Gophers kick the shit out of THE Ohio State University on the Jumbotron.

The Wild continued their lackadaisical play in the second period, outshot this time by a 13-6 margin.  Unfortunately, Kuemper wasn't able to stop all of those shots as Ryan Garbutt tied the game nearly 12:00 into the period.  Through a series of fortunate events, however, the Wild regained the lead just 2:00 later when Ryan Suter deflected a Justin Fontaine shot behind Lehtonen.  I'm almost sure I'll never type that sentence again.

The Wild put up a fight during a sloppy third period that saw neither team really playing well enough to deserve a in outright.  Yet again the Stars outshot the Wild (11-8) and yet again they found a way to get the biscuit past Kuemper when Alex Chiasson fired a backhander from the top of the crease into the back of the net at the 9:32 mark of the period.  Neither team was able to finish it off in regulation, which meant a point for everybody involved (Woooh?), but also added significance to the extra point available in OT (Wooooh!).

Fortunately, for a crowd that had slogged through an entire day of televised hockey (and a rather lackluster NHL game in person), everybody was rewarded for their perseverance when Nate Prosser ended the game 2:42 into OT with a wrister.  It was Prosser's second goal in as many games and it was a big one, ensuring that the most ground the Stars could make up on the Wild over the course of this home-and-home is one point.

Wild Player Of The Game: Nate Prosser - As I mentioned above, Saturday was Hockey Day In Minnesota.  This year's festivities kicked off in, of all places, Nate Prosser's hometown of Elk River, so it was appropriate that the day ended on his stick.  Even if Prosser hadn't buried the shot, though, the very fact that he was on the ice in overtime of an important game is a major sign of progress for the ever-patient Prosser.  He's come a long way from the consistent healthy scratches that have defined the past year of his life.  He may or may not ever score a more memorable goal in his life.  Good work, Mr. Prosser.

Impression Of The Game:  This was not a pretty game.  The longer it went on the more clear it became why these two teams are battling for the last available playoff spot.  Neither team was disciplined or talented enough to grab the bull by the horns.  Regardless, gaining that extra point in OT was obviously huge for the Wild.  Like I said, they'll likely be defeated in Dallas (where they are notoriously bad), but that pill will be significantly easier to swallow knowing that they banked two points in St. Paul.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday 1/21: Wild at Dallas

Rematch!  As I mentioned, I have little faith in the Wild's ability to finally figure out a way to win in Dallas on Tuesday, but hell, we live in a world where Nate Prosser scores OT winners.  Anything is possible.

Thursday 1/23: Chicago at Wild

The Blackhawks head to St. Paul on Thursday, meaning that the Xcel Energy Center will be filled with the filthiest, stupidest, drunkest hockey fans in the Midwest.  Oh, and the hottest team in the NHL not named after a Disney movie.  Rumors persist that Zach Parise will make his return Thursday night, which would give the squad a boost against a team that always seems to bring out the best in the Wild.

Saturday 1/25: Wild at San Jose

The Wild open a brutal four game West Coast trip on Saturday night with a visit to Brent Burns, James Sheppard, Martin Havlat, and the rest of the Sharkies.  If the Wild could somehow get out of this game with a point I would be thrilled.  If they just get out of there without anybody separating their shoulder I'm calling it a victory.

The Big Picture

After a two week slide that saw injuries rob the Wild of Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Jared Spurgeon, & Josh Harding (and nearly Mike Yeo), the Wild have somehow found a way to make incremental progress in the playoff race.

It's been a different hero every night for the Wild lately (with the exception of the night-to-night heroics of Darcy Kuemper) which, frankly, is the way this team was built.  As good as Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville, & Ryan Suter can be, they're not so good that you can surround them with a bunch of stiffs and make the playoffs.  Perhaps the absence of two of those stars (and the ice time/responsibility afforded some of the lesser lights on the roster) will actually make the Wild more formidable in the long run.

This upcoming week consists of three difficult games with the following week consisting of three more.  They may still be clinging to a wild card spot, but the Wild have put themselves in the driver's seat with reinforcements on the way.  Given the circumstances of the last month that's a great place to be.

Until next week...

For more of TCDroogsma's hockey ramblings be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@WildlyBiased).  He can also be found writing about the Wild in greater detail on his hockey blog Wildly Biased.

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems stopping by & giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Ten & Six With Mike Otto: The Mike Zimmer Hiring

Zimmer down now...

Well hello again, football fans!  Welcome back to Ten & Six With Mike Otto!

While the rest of the NFL continues to focus on such trivialities as "records," "legacies," and, y'know, "actual football games," the Vikings have had a whirlwind couple of weeks.  First they fired their head coach Leslie Frazier.  Stoic, even-keeled, well-respected, but ultimately very average, Frazier evidently didn't fit the traditional model of the Vikings franchise.

In an effort to find a coach who would more align with the Vikings tradition of passion, hubris, & an almost schizophrenic pattern of season-by-season competence, the brass looked outside of the organization.

Enter new head coach Mike Zimmer.  The former Cincinnati defensive coordinator will be given the big chair at Winter Park in an effort to co-opts some of that notorious Cincinnati Bengals winning culture.

Mikey, what do ya think of the new guy?

"I'm not going to go out there and just chew butts, like everyone says..."

That was a quote from the ninth Vikings head coach, Mike Zimmer during in his first press conference in the position. If only there were nine starting quarterbacks in franchise history (for the record, there have been 35).

All jokes aside, Mike Zimmer seems like a strong minded, confident coach. You can tell he believes in himself, and that's half the battle. At times last year, you could tell Leslie Frazier was defeated, you could tell that perhaps doubt had crept into his mind regarding whether he was cut out for the job of head coach in the NFL.

Mike Zimmer doesn't mince words. He is going to answer questions honestly and generally gives off the aura of a wise ass (with wisdom) that you might meet at the Minneapolis Auto Convention. "No, Mike Zimmer, I don't want to buy a 2014 Dodge Viper....

....
....

OK, I'll buy a 2014 Dodge Viper."

After his first press conference I can tell the man exudes confidence, but not in a Tim Brewster way (thank you, dear Lord). Brewster knew he was just spouting bullshit about Rose Bowls and Pasadena. You can tell Mike Zimmer has conviction behind his words, he believes everything he says. He is well spoken and humorous yet professional behind the podium. It looks like he was meant to stand there. Speaking of...

"I was destined to do this...I don't want to just be a defense guy, I want to call plays for the offense, I will be in all the meetings. As a defensive minded coach, I know what hurts certain defenses."

I agree, and I like having a defensive-minded head coach. I feel like it is easier for a defensive-minded head coach to grasp and understand what makes an offense dangerous than it is for an offensive-minded head coach to understand what makes a good defense. Zimmer seems like a natural leader, a real manager of different personalities, which is an incredibly necessary trait for a head coach in the modern day NFL.

"I have a chip on my shoulder, I want 31 other teams to know I'm here. I'm pretty good at my job, I'm pretty good at what I do."

Nothing wrong with that. Leslie Frazier always seemed to have a lack of chip-on-shoulder. I know he cared about his job, I just wish he showed it to the public every once and a while. I'm excited to see what Mike Zimmer can do with guys like Xavier Rhodes, Shariff Floyd, and whatever rookies the Vikings choose to draft on defense this year. He is a self-proclaimed and proven motivator of men, so I'm excited to see him mold some young guys into rounded out veterans.

"I want teachers, I want leaders. Great motivators and technicians."

So he wants a teacher, Bill Clinton, Dr. Oz and a mechanic? Zimmer would not commit to any of his staff yet with any certainty, as that process is still playing itself out. There have been rumors of a certain pock-marked whore being in negotiations for the offensive coordinator position, a prospect of which can only bring good things. Whether those things are the product of actual success on the football field, or simply the hilarity that follows Norv Turner wherever he goes, has yet to be decided. 

"I want to grab these players hearts and get them to follow me."

Originally a quote from the one and only Vince Lombardi, Mike Zimmer seems to want to build a family as much as a football team, and maybe he can do both. I certainly hope so, and at the very least, after this inaugural press conference, he has sold Vikings fans everywhere on his brand of coaching. I like the guy, and if he has his way, he will hoist Lombardi himself. 

Well there you have it, Vikings fans!  Mike Zimmer:  He will be in all the meetings.

For more Mike Otto be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@SwervinTaters).  Mike will be joining us occasionally throughout the offseason to discuss the happenings around our favorite football squad.

 

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems, stopping by and giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.