Kurt Vile
Wakin on a Pretty Daze
Matador
2013

9/10

by Jordan Bohannon.

Where does one start with Kurt Vile? Philadelphia’s self-proclaimed “Constant Hitmaker” has quietly become one of America’s most consistent singer songwriters. Evolving from a fuzzed out, lo-fi maestro to the creative mastermind behind The War on Drugs, into a full-fledged finger picking studio musician, Kurt Vile has done almost everything- including the having a mural painted in his honor and becoming a Philadelphian landmark.

Wakin on a Pretty Daze is the follow up to Vile’s last effort, 2011’s Phenomenal Smoke Ring For my Halo. Perhaps the most underrated album of the year- from start to finish, Smoke Ring is nearly flawless. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Vile’s latest effort is that progression from Smoke Ring to Pretty Daze is not forced at all. But that is nothing new- he has been gradually changing since his debut album, Constant Hitmaker was released in 2008. The production sounds the same, the song writing is distinctive Vile, and everything that made Smoke Ring great is there. So what exactly is the difference? Ambition.

On Pretty Daze, Vile doesn’t hold back. The songs are long, honest, and beautiful. Vile manages to explore all of the sonic possibilities to the fullest extent. Shimmering guitar solos layer up over masterful finger picking on almost every track. No one on the circuit today is even close to Vile in terms of understanding how guitar based music should work and sound. The songs are exploratory and spacious without ever dragging on.

Stand outs on the album include the tracks “Girl Called Alex”, “Pure Pain”, “Snow Flakes are Dancing”, and the ten and a half minute epic closer, “Goldtone”. The lead of (and almost title track) “Wakin on a Pretty Day,” captures the feeling of walking around an empty place in the wee hours of the morning and watching the world wake up- a truly beautiful experience captured by an equally beautiful song.

The tack KV Crimes sounds like a victory lap, and well deserved one to say the least. On the cover of the album, Vile stands bashfully in front of the mural painted by Philly based graffiti artist ESPO. After the success of dark and smoky, Smoke Ring, Wakin on a Pretty Daze feels like a breath of crisp, fresh, morning air.

Merchandise

Totale Night

Night People; 2013

8.5/10

by Erin Riley.

If Ian Curtis led a Florida-based Joy Division, it would be called Merchandise. Merchandise is Florida’s latest gem emerging onto the 80s influenced music scene. The trio has been releasing music since 2008 out of their home in Tampa including two albums and numerous EPs and cassettes. Their first two albums, (Strange Songs) In The Dark and Children of Desire encompass psychedelic sounds and haunting lyrics that make you relive the wonders of The Jesus and Mary Chain and New Order.

Dance beats and howling guitars never sounded better than on Merchandise’s latest album, “Totale Night.” Their third full-length work exceeds all expectations of another reincarnation of dark 80s music. These Floridians have been generating significant recognition after being cited as followers of new wave and post-punk acts like The Cure, The Smiths, and Echo & the Bunnymen. “Totale Night” may be brief, capping out at five tracks, but it presents more variety and polish than the previous albums.

Their music features lengthy tracks of pure, eclipsing melancholy tones that seem like endless synth waves. Prominent tracks like “Who Are You?” and “Anxiety’s Door” truly capture the wonders of Merchandise’s diverse use of instruments ranging from a harmonica intro to upbeat drums and rhythms. The nine minute title track features frontman Carson Cox bellowing the opening lines, “Don’t get it twisted / the words you see written on the wall”, over the echoing beats and wailing guitars.

Remaining tracks “I’ll Be Gone” and “Winter’s Dream” are those perfect slow songs that pay homage to revered numbers like “Just Like Honey” and “The Killing Moon”. Slow, beating drums over shimmering synth is the perfect ending to Merchandise’s fine work.

Wavves

Afraid of Heights

  2013

A few days ago, I came to the realization that in about a year or so, Dookie will be turning 20. Green Day’s pop punk masterpiece changed the shape of pop music to come and re-defined angst in a much more bratty way than Nirvana. Fast forward those 19 years and it seems as though everything has come full circle blue-haired Billie Joe has been reincarnated in the form of Wavves, Nathan Williams. It’s a fair statement to say that nobody has done Pop-Punk this well in years, but the real triumph of Afraid of Heights is simply that exists.

Similarities to Green Day, Blink 182, and Weezer have all been thrown around in reference to Afraid of Heights, but while people are busy comparing Williams + Co. to the big boys of the nineties, they are failing to see the natural progression that has occurred. The synths and noise elements of Wavves and Wavvves are scattered throughout the album, the break neck velocity and fun of King of the Beach are present, and the self-loathing and production value of Life Sux are there. This album is the accumulation of years of work, and while the sum may not be as great as the individual parts, Afraid of Heights serves as a quintessential introduction to Wavves.

Songs such as “Demon To Lean On”, “Sail to the Sun”, “Lunge Forward”, “Afraid of Heights”, and “Gimme a Knife” are all perfect examples of what Wavves should sound like. These songs are undeniably some of the catchiest tunes of 2013, and will surely make their way on to thousands of summer mix-tapes and playlists.

The title of the Afraid of Heights is a bit of a contradiction. Underneath the self-loathing and the power chords, there is an album that is begging to reach a larger audience (and my guess is that it will). Producer John Hill, who has worked with Rihanna, P!nk, MIA, and Santigold, has created a sound for Wavves that above all, makes them accessible. At the end of the day, the production is there, the angst is there, the hooks are there, and the harmonies are all there. Title aside, Afraid of Heights could very well throw Wavves pretty high up into the sphere of “popular music”. Maybe King of the Beach wasn’t their 15 minutes of fame after all.

Jordan Bohannon.

                                              Devendra Banhart                                              

Mala

Nonesuch; 2013

7.3/10

Devendra Banhart has never been one to take himself all that seriously; his Tumblr blog is affectionately referred to as “Chumblr.” His eighth studio album—and first in four years—“Mala,” is a refreshingly rendered testament to that. Over the course of fourteen diverse and strangely beautiful tracks, Banhart reminds us why we fell in love in the first place with the seductive warmth and psychedelic undertones of his unique style.

A spearhead of the bearded and hair feathered freak folk movement, Banhart has indeed “seen such good things go so wrong.” Gone are the days, though, of his long, unkempt hair, scraggly beard, and chunky jewelry that now dominate the festivalgoer crowd. In the time since shedding the ear markers of the movement he led to mainstream appeal, Banhart has scaled back to basics—while adopting some of the trends of more recent, synth-heavy groups. Never abandoning his sense of humor, the coalescence of haunting melodies, synth arrangements, and signature guitar strumming make for a surprisingly top-notch album.

It’s entirely run of the mill in these synth pop laden days to combine flamenco guitar with frowsy eighties synths, but Banhart introduces this unexpected element in attractively odd juxtapositions, that at no point become too strange or unpleasant. Nowhere is this more apparent than on “Your Fine Petting Duck,” a self-deprecating Fifties duet with his Serbian fiancée, Ana Kraš, that, yes, does transition unexpectedly into German house music. Over the course of five glorious minutes, the title of the song goes unreferenced among the pleas of Banhart that “If he doesn’t try his best/ Please remember that I never tried at all.” The sudden breakout of electronic drums and subtly haunting synth chords do not define the second half of the album—or any other track, really—it wavers and fades out into a warm acoustic interlude in the form of “The Ballad of Keenan Milton.” An apparent node to the professional skateboarder who accidentally drowned at an Independence Day party in 2001, Banhart reminds listeners that his effortless strumming and eclectic song names are still as much of a driving force in his music as on previous albums.

“The new album is me accepting and becoming more comfortable about what I do,” says Banhart, “ ‘Mala’ felt transitional; it’s about me being more direct.” And “Mala” does seem to be a scaling back, a fresh start for Banhart that earns the right to be as loose and as funny as it is. “So much desire left in me,” hums Banhart on the concluding track, “Taurobolium,” and that’s a good thing because he’s turned the corner onto an exciting new path of the genre-hybrid, marrying pop and folk in a manner begging to be explored further.

Zachariah.

Fast forward to today, and it is safe to the many of those questions were answered. The Devils ended the year with an 8-5 record, they found a solid replacement under center for Brock Osweiler in Taylor Kelly, the defense was among the best in the country, Will Sutton emerged as an offensive coordinator’s nightmare and the Devils stopped talking about excuses and started speaking victory.

The 2012 season success could just be a steppingstone to 2013 and beyond.

Offense:

Huge questions swirled around the quarterback entering this season. Many assumed Mike Bercovici and Michael Eubank were the frontrunners to replace Brock Osweiler, but Taylor Kelly impressed Graham in spring ball and won the starting job. Kelly was a consistent distributor. He set records for completion percentage and nearly had three touchdowns for every interception he threw.

The most reliable target in the passing game was tight end Chris Coyle. The junior, who only had 6 receptions entering 2012, caught 57 balls, a single-season record for receptions by a Tight End. Not bad seeing as NFL studs Todd Heap and Zach Miller came from ASU and Coyle did this as a junior.

Surprises in the running game emerged in the 2012 season. First the good, then the bad:

Freshman D.J. Foster had a great first year for the Devils, wracking up over 1,000 total yards. JUCO transfer Marion Grice had a nose for the end zone, crossing the goal line 19 times.

Production from these two backs meant a limited role from workhorse Cameron Marshall. The senior had his touchdown production get cut in half from 18 to 9 and the 1,000 yard rusher in 2011 amassed only 603 rushing yards in 2012.

Who Will Replace Them?

The Sun Devils lose Marshall and a pair of receivers in Jamal Miles and Rashad Ross. They will also lose the starting right side of their offensive line in guard Andrew Sampson and tackle Bryce Schwab.

The top candidates to replace Miles and Ross are Kevin Ozier, Richard Smith, and Alonzo Agwuenu. Ozier and Agwuenu provide big targets and Smith is dangerous in the open field.
ASU commit and JUCO transfer Jaelen Strong could also make an instant-impact when he makes his way to Tempe. The 6’4” receiver is a blazer, he runs a 4.4 40-yard dash, and he put up over 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns at Pierce College in California.

Offensive tackle Christian Westerman is transferring from Auburn to ASU and could help anchor the offensive line this upcoming season. Typically, transfers must sit out one year, but if Auburn gets put on probation by the NCAA for recruiting sanctions, Westerman could play immediately. The Hamilton High School grad was a five star recruit and ranked #2 tackle in the country by ESPN when he came out of high school.

Look for this offense to not miss a beat from the 62 points they put up against Navy in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. The offense returns their starting quarterback, two very productive running backs, a record-setting tight end and a good chunk of their offensive line.

Defense:

Graham’s attack defense put the Devils second in the PAC-12 in total defense and second in the country in sacks. All-American Will Sutton led the way, winning the PAC-12 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year and will be making his to decision to stay for his senior year of go to the NFL around January 15th.

The linebackers were strong as well. Brandon Magee led the way, racking up over 100 tackles, putting him second in the PAC-12 in that category. Carl Bradford and Chris Young were both pleasant surprises. Bradford ended the year with 11.5 sacks and ran around the field like a banshee taking down opponents. Young, #21, replicated the #21 from last year, Colin Parker. Both entered the season looking to just find the field, but both ended up added stability and consistency to the defense.

The Devils also featured the top pass defense in the PAC-12, partly due to the pressure applied by the front seven, but a more consistent secondary helped as well. Keelan Johnson was playing like a man on fire, specifically in the second half of the season. Johnson had two picks in each of his final two PAC-12 games, and also came up with a huge strip on Matt Scott that completely turned the momentum against U of A. Better play by Alden Darby, Osahon Irabor, and Deveron Carr made this unit have huge strides throughout the year.

Who They Will Lose:

The Devils lose a little bit more on the defensive side of the ball than the offensive side. Brandon Magee has already signed a contract to play Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox and will most likely get drafted to the NFL come April. Keelan Johnson and Deveron Carr are both seniors as well.

The X-factor will be whether Will Sutton comes back for his senior year. Sutton was a consensus All-American and PAC-12 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year, but some NFL scouts are saying he is undersized and when asked about what he has left to achieve at the collegiate level, Sutton said two words: “Rose Bowl”.

No one could knock Sutton for going pro. He has the numbers and the awards. If he does go, the Devils will have to find someone to replace him as the disruptor up the middle. Sutton missed two games this year: Oregon and a good chunk of UCLA. This defense looked very different without Sweet Tea Willie anchoring that defensive line and both offenses had no problem scoring points. If he does leave, Jaxon Hood seems to be the logical choice to replace him. Hood enters his sophomore season with plenty of experience under his belt as he found the field early and often as a true freshman this year.

Someone will also have to step into the vocal leader role Brandon Magee held. He was the heart and soul of that defense and was able to right the ship if the defense got off course.

Who Will Replaces Them?

Blue Ridge High School linebacker Chans Cox could replace Magee as early as next year. Cox has already been drawing comparisons to Sun Devil great Terrell Suggs, but there are questions about how Cox will play against top talent he played in Division IV and rarely saw the best Arizona had to offer. Carlos Mendoza could also find time in the middle. The linebacker impressed in just three games. He had two interceptions against Illinois while filling in for Magee, who was out with a concussion. Mendoza injured his shoulder after returning his second interception of the game and was out for the rest of the season. Graham loved Mendoza’s motor and look for him to be in the mix to be Magee’s replacement.

Marcos de Niza safety Priest Willis, who some say could be the top high school player in Arizona this year, could be coming to Tempe. He is being recruited heavily by the Devils along with LSU, Florida State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Florida and many, many others. He is very close with his family and likes what Graham and the new coaching staff is doing in Tempe, which could mean great news for Sun Devil fans. If he joins the Sun Devils, Willis could replace Keelan Johnson or Deveron Carr depending on how Graham wants to use him. Recently, experts have said Willis is leaning towards LSU, but we will only know when Signing Day comes around.

Jayme Otomewo is another big-time recruit coming in that could help the secondary. The safety out of Dorsey High School in Los Angeles was a Semper Fidelis All-American and could help with the depth in the secondary.

Ezekial Bishop was a promising recruit to Dennis Erickson, but has had durability issues in his first two seasons. If he could stay on the field, the Devils could have some depth in the secondary, a luxury they didn’t have this past year. Also, look for Robert Nelson to get more playing time at corner after getting two interceptions in his final two games.

Special Teams:

It will be interesting to see who Todd Graham gives the nod to at kicker. Jon Mora took over field goal duties from Alex Garoutte midway through the season, but Garoutte still handled kickoffs and extra points, where he missed only one extra point all year, and that occurred against Navy in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Will Graham give full kicking duties to Mora, continue to split time between Mora and Garoutte, or will big-legged Dillon Johnson break onto the scene and find some field time? If last years spring ball and Camp Tontazona stints proved anything, it probably means the job will be won in practice and all candidates have a shot.

Who they will lose:
The Devils have a huge hole to fill at punter. Josh Hubner was absolutely phenomenal this year. Hubner averaged 47.1 yards per punt, which puts him second in the nation in that category. Hubner, along with Keelan Johnson, will be playing in The East-West Shrine Game. It is safe to say Hubner will get drafted, if not invited to quite a few training camps for his big leg.

Who replaces him?

It isn’t completely out of the ordinary to have one of the kickers named above to double up as a punter, but ASU has also got a big punting commitment from Matt Haack from Des Moines, Iowa.

Overall:

The Sun Devils return plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball. The defense will have to fill some big holes defensively left from Brandon Magee, Deveron Carr, and Keelan Johnson. Of course the landscape of the team will be affected dramatically after January 15th, the deadline for Will Sutton to decide whether to go to the NFL or stay for his senior season, and February 6th, National Signing Day.

No matter what recruits Graham and his staff will land, or whether Will Sutton will stay or go, the Devils return plenty of talent to build on success in the 2013 season.

-Jordan Hamm

Why? Well, he already had a more impressive season than Collin Klein, so that automatically knocks the Kansas St. QB out of consideration. The one blemish on Klein’s record is a big one. That loss to Baylor is like that zit taking up most of your nose on picture that no one can look past it. Middle school was fun right? Hey, that’s what throwing three picks against the then-worst defense in college football will do.

So we are left with Manti Te’o and Johnny Manziel. Both had impressive seasons. Te’o has been the soft-spoken but hard-hitting leader of the Notre Dame defense and led the Irish to the National Championship game. Johnny Manziel has been Houdini-like escaping near-death jailbreak blitzes and breaking out of the grasps of some of the top defenses in the country.

Both candidates are fighting history. No freshman has ever won the trophy and only one defensive player (Charles Woodson) has taken home the award since 1950.

Te’o has the university prestige, the #1 ranking and the highly publicized season. Manziel has the big numbers, highlight reel where you’re saying, “Did he really do that?”, and the marquee win against then-#1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Te’o has racked up over 100 tackles, is top-5 in the country with seven picks and seems to be in on every play. However, the case against Te’o is the Heisman Trophy is an offensive dominated award. It is hard for voters, and the public, to quantify his numbers versus an offensive player. Yes, Te’o has over 100 tackles, but when you look at his solo tackles, he has 52. That ranks him at 59th in the country in that statistic. And when I think of the Heisman Trophy, I think of 59th best.

While he has been in on every play and very, very good, he hasn’t been dominant quite like a N’Damukong Suh was in his final weeks at Nebraska. The solo tackles and “dominant” label isn’t necessarily Te’o’s fault though. He has a very strong defensive line and linebackers who probably have helped on gang tackles to give Te’o those assisted tackles and have prevented ball carriers to get through the line to Te’o. Opponent offensive coordinators can also game plan to run away from Te’o, while when you have an offensive superstar, the coaches can dictate a game plan to get him involved.

Don’t get me wrong, Te’o has been a phenomenal player. Notre Dame wouldn’t be where they are now without him and he will make a great NFL player, but the odds are stacked against him.

Now, to Johnny Football.

Manziel’s two biggest knocks are the losses to Florida and LSU. The loss to Florida was Texas A&M’s debut in the SEC and the time of possession in the second half was dominated by the Gators. Manziel was only able to muster up 220 total yards. Manziel’s worst game of the year came against the Bayou Bengals of LSU. He threw three picks, but was able to put up 300 total yards. Why is it ok for Johnny Manziel to throw three picks in a loss and not for Collin Klein? Because LSU was second defensively when they played this game, Baylor was dead last when they did that to Collin Klein.

So how can a quarterback with two losses on his record be considered for the Heisman? Just look at last years winner. Robert Griffin III’s Baylor Bears had three losses on the year, but accumulated just over 5000 total yards in his season.

It is easy to see similarities between last year’s winner and this year’s likely winner. Both have an incredible escape ability, have cool nicknames, throw for a high completion percentage and pick up the yards by the boat load. RG3 had 47 total touchdowns while Manziel had 43.

This year, Manziel has 4,600 total yards, with still the Cotton Bowl to play. That is more than Cam Newton and Tim Tebow had in the years they won their Heismans. He also led the SEC in rushing up until last week when both Todd Gurley of Georgia and Eddie Lacy passed him. They, however, had the benefit of an extra game with the SEC Championship.

Manziel threw for 24 touchdowns and 8 picks, while also rushing for 19 touchdowns as well. He basically showed the country the only thing he couldn’t do offensively was kick extra points (as we’ve seen against Sam Houston State).

The most impressive thing about all this is he did all this against the top defenses in the country. I don’t think anyone who claims to be an educated college football fan can argue against the claim that the best college football and best defenses come from the SEC.

In fact, I would argue that if Texas A&M hadn’t left the Big 12 for the SEC, Manziel could have eclipsed the 6,000 yard mark and the Aggies would be playing in a BCS bowl game. They would not, however, have the marquee win that they have against Alabama, though.

With that marquee win and staggering numbers against the nation’s best defenses are the reason why after tonight Johnny Football will be known as Johnny Heisman.

-Jordan Hamm

Let’s start this year by talking about last year. The Vikings drafted Florida State QB Christian Ponder with the 12th overall pick. Probably a reach by most people’s standards, but this is the first instance of the Vikings finally drafting a quarterback for the future. Along with drafting Ponder, the Vikings took a flyer on veteran QB Donovan McNabb. This gamble worked in 2009 when the Vikings took a chance on Brett Favre and he led then to the NFC Championship game. This gamble though, did not pay off. The Vikings started the year 0-4 and finally benched McNabb for Ponder after a 1-5 start. McNabb was released before the end of the season. Ponder showed flashes of why the Vikings drafted him, but a late season injury kept him out the last 2 games. The 2011 Vikings finished 3-13.

A young team, an inexperienced coach, a weak secondary, a group of unproven wide receivers and a relatively unproven linebacker core are the focus of this season. Yes, there are A LOT of areas of concern for this 2012 Vikings team. With few explosive players and a lack of depth, this could be a long season for the purple and gold. Position by position, these are my grades for this Vikings team…

OFFENSE

Quarterback Starter: Christian Ponder. Backup: Joe Webb
Ponder showed signs of promise last year. His poise in the pocket and ability to scramble surprised some folks. We all knew he was a smart player and now he needs to adjust to NFL speed. His lack of weapons will hurt him, but the emergence of TE Kyle Rudolph and the additions of Jerome Simpson and John Carlson should help. If Ponder should go down, Joe Webb is waiting. Webb led the Vikings to a victory over the Washington Redskins last year and almost led an upset over the Bears in the season finale. Webb is an extremely athletic QB with a strong arm. I would image Leslie Frazier is going to try to get him in the game in certain situations. Ponder needs to show large strides for Vikings fans to feel that he is the QB of the future. Grade: C-

Running Backs Adrian Peterson & Toby Gerhart
The best and most talented group on this Vikings team. Adrian Peterson, when healthy, is the best running back in the league and Toby has proved that he could be a starting running back in this league. Peterson is a running back that can do it all. He call run over, around or through defenders. Keeping him on the field and providing him with a little bit of space will make this an exciting team to watch. Toby is a downhill style runner and a perfect compliment to AP. If these guys can get a little bit of blocking up front, they can win the Vikes a few games. Grade: A

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Percy Harvin, Jerome Simpson, Kyle Rudolph.
The Vikings have not had a big time WR since Sindey Rice left after the 2010 season. They have plugged in veterans like Mike Jenkins/Devon Aromashodu and young guys like Stephen Burton/Jarius Wright into the lineup this year behind Percy Harvin and Jerome Simpson. Percy is one of the most explosive WR/RB/Returners in the game of football today, but without a complimentary wide receiver, defenses are working out ways to limit his production. Simpson (most recently with the Bengals) should add a deep threat to the offense. The tight ends could be the strength of the Vikings passing attack. The 6’6 Kyle Rudolph hauled in 3 TD’s last year in a reserve role and now will get the starts. Adding veteran John Carlson will bolster what should be a strong TE core. Without a proven deep threat WR, the Vikings are going to struggle getting the ball deep down the field. Defenses will focus of Percy which should open up lanes for Rudolph and Carlson. Grade: D+

Offensive Line: Kalil, Johnson, Sullivan, Fusco, Loadholt.
With the #3 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, the Vikings selected LT Matt Kalil out of the University of Southern California. Kalil was drafted to anchor an offensive line that is less than stellar. Over the years the Vikings have seen the likes of Matt Birk, Steve Hutchinson and Bryant McKinney leave the team. Center John Sullivan started every game last year and has developed a rapport with young QB, Christian Ponder. RT Phil Loadholt was drafted to be the teams future left tackle, but lack of quickness has led to the Vikings moving him to the right side of the line. At 6’8 343 lbs, Frazier should feel confident running the ball to his side. The guards Johnson and Fusco are new to the Vikings. The line will be charged with protecting a young QB and providing lanes for Peterson and Gerhart. In a division with Peppers, Suh, Vanden Bosch, Raji, and Matthews that could prove to be no small task. Grade: C-

Offensive Grade: C- There are a ton of question marks for this years Vikings offense. How will Ponder progress? Will Simpson provide enough at WR? Will the offensive line hold? These factors will determine how good the Vikings offense will be this year. By all accounts, I believe the Vikings will struggle to put points on the board. Harvin and AP are the only true playmakers on this side of the ball and if the Vikings struggle getting them the rock, it’s going to be a long winter. A relatively easy early season schedule could help the Vikings get some confidence, but tough contents against San Francisco, Seattle, Houston and the NFC north opponents could squash that confidence. With all that being said, the Vikings have the 4th best offense….in the NFC North..

Defensive grades to follow!