2013 NFL MOCK DRAFT

It is my belief that we live in a world that has way too man entitled teenagers, way too much country music, far too many Kardashian sisters, and way too many NFL mock drafts.  Sadly, i'm adding on to the trend, as I do every year.  In my defense, even though it's become overkill, the over mockage is still more preferable than the 1994 method of doing things....

So once again, I've made a first round mock draft. This is a process that has actually been in the works for about a month now. There's been quite a bit of tinkering.  I do mine with a ton of qualifiers. This is not what I would do if I were the team, and trades are absolutely ruled out. This is simply what I think would happen if no draft day trades take place, because I obviously can't predict the draft day transaction madness.  

Before my official 2013 first round mock, here are the results of my 2012 Mock Draft, which was also completed 2 nights before the draft last year.

2012 RESULTS

# of players correctly picked in round: 26/32

# of players correctly picked by spot: 5/32

# of players correctly picked by team: 6/32

1.    KC-LUKE JOECKEL OT TEXAS A&M (Coin flip between he and Fisher)

2.    JAX- ERIC FISHER OT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (Fisher or Jordan here I would guess. Gus Bradley would love Jordan, but over the long-term I think they're safe play is Eric Fisher or Luke Joeckel if KC decides to go with Fisher)

3.    OAK- STAR LOLOTULELEI DT UTAH (I forgot Al Davis was dead)

4.     PHI- DION JORDAN OLB OREGON (Chip Kelly will have some impact. I'm sure they'd like to roll with a LT but Jordan is worlds better than the next available LT)

5.    DET-LANE JOHNSON OT OKLAHOMA (Once the tackles start going fast and furious Detroit will decide to take Johnson, although they're intrigued by Ansah according to David Newbury of Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket. A man who has done more crazy stuff than I could ever imagine.  Seriously. All the weird stuff)

6.    CLE-SHARIFF FLOYD DT FLORIDA (Not convinced this will be Cleveland picking here. They will try to trade out I think)

7.    ARI-EZEKIEL ANSAH DE BYU (They need O-line help, but Ansah fills a need for them as well as being the best available player.  Unless for some reason they think Cooper can play tackle, I think they roll with Ansah)

8.    BUF-RYAN NASSIB QB SYRACUSE (I would hope they try to trade down and then take Nassib if that's really their guy. If they take Nassib at 8, we can just chalk it up to another crappy thing about Buffalo. Besides the Goo Goo Dolls. Those guys were pretty bad-ass in the 90s)

9.    NYJ-TAVON AUSTIN WR WEST VIRGINIA (The extra pick in the Revis trade really secured this for me as well as many other pundits. I think they take him at 9 rather than 13 though just in case someone gets handsy)

10. TEN-JONATHAN COOPER OG UNC (I think they'll go with Cooper or Warmack here, just a hunch on Cooper)

11. SD-DJ FLUKER OT ALABAMA (It's a reach, but they'll prefer a tackle over a guard. Warmack is a possibility here, but I think this is the destination for Fluker)

12. MIA-DEE MILLINER CB ALABAMA (Injury history and recent reports haven't really scared many teams in my opinion. I do think he'll slide out of the top ten, but not because of health. Mainly because of people like Ryan Nassib and Tavon Austin)

13. NYJ (from TB)-CHANCE WARMACK OG NYJ (They'll be thrilled that he lasted to 13. Other hunch is Barkvious Mingo, as Rex Ryan apparently loves that guy)

14. CAR-SHELDON RICHARDSON DT MIZZOURI (They've been all over him for a long time, plus it's the long lost son of owner Jerry Richardson)

15. NO- BARKEVIOUS MINGO DE/OLB LSU (I never really know what the Saints are up to. Pass rusher is my guess though, and Mingo or someone like Jarvis Jones could be the selection here)

16. STL-DEANDRE HOPKINS WR CLEMSON (They need a safety too, so I wouldn't be surprised if they take Vaccaro here. That's been the narrative all along. Honestly at this point, i'm so sick and tired of moving all these parts back and forth that i'm going with Hopkins here so it alligns with my Cowboys prediction)

17. PIT-TYLER EIFERT TE NOTRE DAME (Why the hell not? They could go a number of directions, but this just seems to make sense)

18. DAL-KENNY VACCARO S TEXAS (I'm not sold on Vaccaro as the best safety, as i'm forever a Cyprien lover. If I was a Cowboys fan I wouldn't be thrilled with how the draft played out at this point. They could do worse than filling a need though. We all know they need O-line help, but at this point taking an offensive lineman at 18 just wouldn't be smart)

19. NYG-TANK CARRADINE DE FLORIDA STATE (Another pass rusher to NYG. Yikes. His name is Tank too. Cornelius Tank. Just let that sink in )

20. CHI-ARTHUR BROWN ILB KANSAS STATE (Brown is really not talked about much, especially considering his brother is a running back in the league. Good player, but there is apparently questions about his size as he's just a tick over six feet tall. I wouldn't worry about that though, as Michael Gruber is living proof that you don't have to be six feet tall to be successful in this world)

21. CIN-JONATHAN CYPRIEN S FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (Ahhh, my love affair with Cyprien ends as I don't see him sliding to 26 for my Packers. Cincinnati is rumored to be huge on Cyprien, and I think they'll trade down to get him or will reach and snag him at 21)

22. STL-ERIC REID S LSU (They get their safety after all. It must be nice having 2 first round picks)

23. MIN-DJ HAYDEN CB HOUSTON (Either Hayden or Xavier Rhodes here. I don't really have a good read though. It's possible both of them are gone by 23, but not in my scenario. The possibility of the Vikings taking a wide receiver has been heavily reported as well)

24. IND- DATONE JONES DE UCLA (I really like him. I would honestly love it if the Cowboys considered him at 18, even though that might not be the smartest thing for them in terms of need. He can play anywhere on the defensive line. This is another situation of my eyes being glazed over and just kind of filling voids on my entire mock though)

25. MIN-MANTI TEO LB NOTRE DAME (I think if the Vikings don't pick him, then he falls out of the first round. I guess Baltimore could take him at 32. The purple punk faces apparently like him a lot)

26. GB-EDDIE LACY RB ALABAMA (I don't really want the Packers to do this. I sense they'll trade out of the first round. I would really hate this pick, but I can't deny how imminent it's becoming)

27. HOU-CORDARELLE PATTERSON WR TENNESSEE (I have no idea what Houston is going to do. Just a hunch here)

28. DEN-JARVIS JONES OLB GEORGIA (Remember that fax machine guy named Elvis?)

29. NE-KEENAN ALLEN WR CALIFORNIA (Brandon Lloyd gone, so why not. How about a smart route runner. Could also see them snagging Geno Smith and trading him later. New England is wild)

30. ATL-SYLVESTER WILLIAMS DT UNC (Could be a possible Cowboys target at 18. I find him to be a tad overhyped. I also once stole a gift card from Junior Miller. I'm the butthole here, and probably wrong. Nonetheless, he probably won't fall this far but if he does I think Atlanta will gladly snatch him up)

31. SF-XAVIER RHODES CB FLORIDA STATE (Surely he won't slide this far. SF would pee their pants if this happened)

32. BAL-KEVIN MINTER ILB LSU (I've had them taking Minter since the beginning of time. Some ancient scribes say that my first words were "Minter to Ravens in 2013". Other ancient scribes say my first words were "Sorry about me, world")

Well that does it for me. Now off to the red box to grab my pre-draft movie. It's a yearly tradition that I watch the 1991 film "Backdraft" starring Kurt Russell, Robert De Niro, and one of the Baldwin brothers.

ZERO DARK THIRTY REVIEW

Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Sunday, March 31st, 2013

2:39 PM

My overall movie watching game is as poor as the smell of Tim McGraw’s new cologne. I normally wouldn’t know that, but I took a bottle for free at a Ticket road show.  So now, my goal is to start getting around to watching all these movies that people have been hyping up. Why am I so late? I don’t know. I know I’m very familiar with that question, as my girlfriend (?) offers that up almost daily.  I’m not sure. I get behind. I don’t have time. I have to take care of “that one thing”.  All valid excuses, but mainly I think it comes down to an attention span smaller than the length of an episode of Children’s Hospital. 

It’s not my fault. I blame it on Steve Jobs. Put phone in hand, will use phone, must use phone, this isn’t even a phone, what was I talking about? Sorry, I was texting. Oh yeah, the movie…

I liked the movie. I truly liked it. It’s not how I want that story told though. I want HBO to give me a 5 episode 10 hour mini-series on the capture of that dirt bag.  That’s not even my real issue though; the issue is that the movie was longer than my average sleeping span. I’m serious.  I can’t sleep for more than 2 hours at a time, and the “Zero Dark Thirty” criticism I have is the same one I had for “Django Unchained” and the same one I would have for “Lincoln” had I seen it. Let’s trim the fat. As a nation, and in the film industry.  I just feel like movies shouldn’t be more 

than 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Wait, that’s your review Kevin? Yeah. I’m no Siskel, I’m more of a Sisqo The Dragon.  I liked it, but didn’t love it.  I feel like the Seal Team 6 crew was portrayed to be a bunch of tobacco chewing red necks. Maybe they are, but maybe they aren’t. See how I’m flip-flopping? That’s how I review movies, because I’m not Ebert, I’m more of a Seifert.

Why did I waste my time on this? Because the internet connection at Cowboys Stadium blows, and I’m trying to avoid my peers in the media.  I’m not proud of it, but that’s the truth. Social anxiety is a tough thing, plus everybody is being blowhards about this college basketball game between a couple teams that I don’t even know right now. Okay it was Michigan and Florida. I can’t tell a lie. Oh look a vacant seat in the Florida band…and an available trumpet…….

2013 LATE NIGHT WARS

Like a teenage girl I always soak in and bask in the drama of the late night television wars. I had a contact, a friend even, directly involved in the Conan vs. Leno welterweight title bout.  That friend also ended up having ties with Jimmy Fallon's show.  I'm not saying I had an insider's point of view, but I did know about certain things before most of the nation did.  Why didn't I use this information to pull a "Steve Tacos Al Carbone", and use this info to my advantage?  It would have possibly allowed me to make more than my fairly close to minimum wage for doing sports reports 3 times an hour every weekend. That's all very far away from the point of what i'm typing.

We have a developing situation on our hands here. Jay Leno 62 is about to be forced out (again?) from his gig as late night host.  Jimmy Fallon and The Roots will slide in and take his place, flawlessly and it won't be a story.  David Letterman is 67. I'm pretty sure CBS has been in contact with Fallon, using the "be patient and we'll take care of you strategy". 

Don't let the TV executives and media fool you.  Ratings don't matter when it comes to late night, and are on their way to be almost totally irrelevant in general when it comes to television.  Old people die. Late night talk shows won't.  Sure there is competition, and you want to beat your competitors, but the flawed TV ratings system is not how you determine who is winning in the battle for late night.  DVR ratings, web site hits, hulu views, and more are taking over as what really matters. 

NBC appears to be thinking clearly for once. Leno must go, and they must get younger at that position. Don't think CBS isn't thinking about this as well.  So what happens next?  In my estimation, a chain of events that will change Monday-Saturday nights on NBC for the forseeable future.

Leno out! Fallon in, and Seth Meyers to the 1130 central time slot. Meyers leaves SNL, where he serves as head writer.  Taking his place, Jason Sudekis who has been unhappy with his SNL role for a long time now.  He would not only get a pay raise, but more say in the way things happen on SNL.  The head writer doesn't neccessarily write the most, or do weekend update.  They serve as Lorne Michaels' right hand man, and they help with the trimming and editing of skits.  Sudekis wants power, along with the ability have a movie career.  I thought he'd be gone by now, but SNL talked him into staying.  This is just a guess, but NBC approached Sudekis and notified him of the situation months ago. 

Sudekis wanted out, and it was painfully obvious during last year's season finale in which they sent off Kristen Wiig.  He was underappreciated by SNL and now he will be reciprocated.  Fallon to 1030, Seth Meyers to 1130, and Sudekis running SNL.  Sure, I could be wrong, but it makes a lot of sense.  Maybe i'm just starting rumors and gossiping. I can't help it, the late night wars turn me into a dramatic teenage girl.

I love this stuff.

SOUNDTRACK OF 2012

Each year I compile together music, and form 3 or 4 CDs of my favorite songs of the year.  I started doing this back in 2008, really got it organized in 2009, and it's probably the only thing in my life that I've ever committed to.  Lord knows, I haven't committed to my child support payments.  I hope you like, and if not well who cares, it's not like I created any of this music.

KT BEST OF 2012: CD 1
1. Little Cigarettes by Medicine Hat
2. Can't Feel My Face by Islands
3. What Would You Do by The Polyphonic Spree

4. Feral by Boxed Wine

5. Knock Knock by Band Of Horses

6. Loserhead by Cosmonot
7. Heartbeat by Kopecky Family Band

8. Bird by Wyldlife
9. (Talking On The) Telephone by  Camden
10. Off The Floor by Males
11. Holy Fucking Matrimony by And And And
12. Gimme A Beer by  Diamond Rugs
13. Hey Hombre! by High Safari
14. Crow Hill by It's A Bird! It's A Plane!
15. Feathers by Fanfarlo
16. Lady Percy by King Charles
17. Puzzle Pieces by Saint Hotel

18. The Stairs by Family Of The Year

19. Riot In The Neon Light by IAMDYNAMITE
20. Pablo Picasso by The Tellers
21. Shark In A Sink by Gaoler's Daughter
22. Golden Sea by French Films
23. Break These Chains by Raygun Cowboys
24. Breezeblocks by Alt-J

25. South by Racing Glaciers

KT BEST OF 2012: CD 2

1. Get Me In A Room by Hallelujah The Hills

2. Can't Get Enough by The Sweet Serenades

3. Do It Anyway by Ben Folds Five

4. Something Good by alt-J

5. Hallways by Islands

6. Waaaaaay! by Gregory Pepper And His Problems

7. Human Elevator by The Cast Of Cheers

8. Mars by Effi

9. Runaways by The Killers

10. I Just Know by The Struts

11. Panic Station by Muse

12. Anti-Pattern by Mystery Pills

13. Piedmont Girls by Local Hero

14. Your Stranger by Are You A Lion

15. That Old Black Hole by Dr Dog

16. The Thick Of It by Royal Wood

17. Close Encounters by Ganglians

18. Someone Purer by Mystery Jets 

19. Teenage Daughter by Dog Is Dead

20. Here She Comes by Skipping Girl Vinegar

21. No Rest by Dry The River

22. Drown Me In The River by Mother Falcon

23. Shivers by Divine Fits

KT BEST OF 2012: CD 3

1. Satellite Blues by Smile
2. Positive Vibes by Freshkills

3. I Can Lift A Car by Walk The Moon

4. Bam Bam by King Charles

5. Moneytown by Travis Morrison Hellfighters

6. I'm Shakin' by Jack White

7. Crash by Belle & Sebastian

8. A Little Bit Of Love by The Medics

9. Teenage Icon by The Vaccines

10. Swim And Sleep by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

11. Wrapped Up In You  by Dandelo

12. Think About Me (Fleetwood Mac Cover) by The New Pornographers

13. The John Wayne by Little Green Cars

14. Family by The Cast Of Cheers

15. Greatest Hits by Mystery Jets

16. Grist For The Malady Mill  by mewithoutYou

17. Heavy Ceiling by Said The Whale

18. Greyhound Racing by Concrete Knives

19. San Francisco by The Mowgli's

20. I Could Go by Oberhofer

21. I Came Around  by Murder By Death

22. Single Cheep by King Creosote

23. No Surprises (Radiohead Cover) by Locas In Love

KT BEST OF 2012: CD 4

1. Fence Sitter by Ball Park Music

2. California by Delta Spirit

3. Take A Left by Sunday Sun

4. Bigger Than Love by Benjamin Gibbard

5. Broke by Sea Of Bees

6. So So So by Bad Sound

7. Vampires by Maps & Atlases

8. The Fire Did Go by Royal Wood

9. Sugarplum by Eugene McGuinness

10. Fall In by Cloud Nothings

11. River by Civil Twilight

12. New Earth by Zerbin

13. I Walk The Streets by New Beard

14. Landline by Oberhofer

15. Mississippi Isabel by King Charles

16. Madison Row by The District Attorneys

17. Feud by Band Of Horses

18. We Are 1980 by Said The Whale

19. Shake It Off by The Spinto Band

20. I'm A Selfish Asshole by The Return Fight

21. Halcyon Days by Two Gallants

22. Whole Again by Paula And Karol

23. This Is Stupendous by Team Genius

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND "AWAY FROM THE WORLD" ALBUM REVIEW

The Dave Matthews Band is my favorite band. They have been since I was about 12 years old. I've been teased, loved, laughed at, boned, and mostly made fun of for this. What it comes down to, is screw you, I probably don't like your favorite band.

I'm full aware of the stereotypes that this band is a victim of. You can thank your typical college aged doucher for that. I understand that this band isn't for everyone, but i'm not sure that I understand why people choose to hate or make fun of the band without ever really hearing their full catalog.

Now that i've got that off my chest, let's move on to the album review for "Away From The World", currently America's #1 selling album.  The band reunited with Steve Lillywhite for the first time since 2000. The last time they had released anything with him as producer was 1998's "Before These Crowded Streets". It's pretty clear he knows how to get the best out of the band in the studio, and it's validated with "Away From The World"

Broken Things-A pretty simple song, with an extremely catchy sing along chorus. It also features a violin solo in the middle, which is interesting because you could argue that Boyd Tinsley has seen his role with the band decrease over the last couple years.

Belly Belly Nice-Straight up sex. This song is this generation's version of "Too Much", except it's not about greed. It's about sex. This packs a punch and you get the funk and the jazz. Strong horns would be the dominating force behind the song, but it's got a pretty cool riff.  This song also has a horn section solo and a violin solo. "Gonna eat your belly jelly til' the kingdom come" is the lyric that sticks with you until the end of time. Sex, man. Sex.

Mercy-I understand the main stream appeal, but I just don't really like this song. I do like the horn fills, and the outro is kind of cool although it doesn't really go anywhere.  A good song, but definitely one of my least favorites on the album.

Gaucho-This song took a while to grow on me. It's got that whole "change the world" message.  Love the fuzzy bass in the middle of the song. This is a weird thing but I kind of like when rock songs incorporate choirs, and this song features a stop down with a children's choir at the end of it. Although calling them a choir is kind of offensive to actual choirs. It's more just kids screaming the chorus. It works though, along with a pretty mean saxaphone solo from Jeff Coffin.

Sweet-One thing about this record is that it's dominated by Dave. This song is mostly him playing a ukulele, but it really is one of the more celebrated slow/love songs. I really like it. When the full band comes in at the end, it really proves that this song was perfectly done in the studio. They knocked it out of the park here, even though it's one of the more dry songs on the album.

The Riff-I rank this one strong to quite strong. It starts out with Dave solo, playing a really difficult riff, although it's a classic Dave style riff. Of all the songs on the album, I really think Lillywhite's influence is evident on this one the most. This is a very well produced, 5 minutes. I love this song.

Belly Full-They sandwich a 1:45 song between two 5 minute monsters. Dave solo, with a really simple love song. The change of pace in the chorus is the highlight for me. Nice and quick.

If Only-The second single from the album, and it's the most bluesy tune on the album. A song of despair and hunger for a long lost love. Overall just a really good adult alternative song. Great work with the violin and horns at the end of the song, and really strong fills from Tim Reynolds on the electric guitar. This is a beauty.

Rooftop-Not sure really what to think of this one yet. It has a fast paced Dave guitar riff to begin the song, but then the chorus kind of comes out of nowhere to smack you in the face. Lyrically the chorus is extremely weak, if not lazy, but the payoff is there because it is a pretty rocking chorus. This one is the biggest question mark on the album to me. I think I like it though.

Snow Outside-Sounds like a country song most of the way with some really strong musicianship by all members of the band. The last two minutes it accelerates and turns into a full fledged jam session, to lead us into the final track of the album. Really like this song, and it has extreme potential when played live.

Drunken Soldier-There's a lot going on here. This one clocks in at 9:48, and you get a funky, almost country riff at the beginning of it. It then peters off into more of a classical guitar style part, before the horns and other instruments come in, for a pretty amazing song intro.  Boyd then plays one of the most beautiful violin pieces he has ever played in my opinion. The song then goes on a high speed blast until the 6 minute mark and it turns into a soft 4 minute segment that is a cross between something Neil Young might do, but it also had some Pink Floyd tendencies. The work by the brass section is phenomenal, and it's really a perfect way to end the album as it fades out, with the "that's not a star, it's a satellite" line.

Overall, I really like this album. I'm not sure where to rank it on the DMB totem pole, but I know that Steve Lillywhite definitely helped make this album sound as good as it is. Great musicianship, somewhat decent lyrics, and an album with not a single turd on it's ledger. Check it out, even if you're not a DMB fan.  Highlights are "If Only" "The Riff" "Belly Belly Nice" "Sweet" and "Drunken Soldier".

THE KILLERS "BATTLE BORN" REVIEW

Next Tuesday’s release of “Battle Born” marks the Killers first album since 2008’s “Day and Age”.  In 2010 we were presented with the largely underrated “Flamingo”, a solo project by Brandon Flowers. Last year, drummer Ronnie Vannucci completed a record entitled “Big Talk” by his side band under the same name.  They termed “Battle Born” their “difficult” fourth record, and the final product is something that is clearly distinct. The Killers have a meandering sound that’s usually indefinable, but take away the vocals and the casual fan could probably pick out that it’s The Killers. 

On “Battle Born” they turn everything up. Their first CD “Hot Fuss” had plenty of guitar live-action, but it was also heavily covered with the keyboard skills of Flowers.  Their follow-up and best work to date “Sam’s Town” was a pure rock record. “Day and Age” was a bit off the beaten path, but still a solid record. I kind of refer to it as the bastard step-child of “Hot Fuss”.  To me “Battle Born” is Sam’s Towns nephew. It looks up to Sam’s Town, like young kids might possibly look up to their uncle. 

They stick to what they do. Songs about America, cars, young love, heartbreak, and songs with powerful anthem style rock choruses. It’s The Killers. It’s what they do. It’s called the way it is.  Here’s the track by track…

BATTLE BORN

1. Flesh and Bone 8/10

A great opener, with a punch in the face of Roy Jones Jr. in his prime.  This song definitely has room to grow live.  I didn’t like the lead single “Human” from “Day and Age”, and I still don’t like that song, but “Flesh and Bone” is “Human” on crack with more guitar. 

2. Runaways 9/10

The lead single is definitely one that will hang out with “When You Were Young” when it comes to catching everybody’s ear. It’s a wonderful song, and probably a little simple musically, but it’s classic Killers.  Flowers probably urinates catch choruses.

3. The Way It Was 8/10

Remember how I was saying that when Brandon Flowers pees, a little bit of awesome chorus comes out? Well, yeah it must be true. Great song, and classic Killers format. Tease you with the verse, and suck you in with the chorus.

4. Here With Me 5/10

Not one of my favorite songs on the album, but I understand it’s appeal. I think a lot of people will like this, and it could have single written all over it. Of course, most Killers do.  I just thought it kind of dragged in the middle. It’s a pillow-puncher. It’s a tearjerker if you’re the emotional type…..not me………….

5. A Matter of Time 3/10

Sounds like something that would have been on “Sawdust”. I’m not a huge fan of this song right now.

6. Deadlines and Commitments 6/10

Not to be repetitive, but this sounds like something that would have been on the tail end of “Flamingo”.  I dig the song a lot, but it was less like The Killers than some of the other cuts on the album.

7. Miss Atomic Bomb 6/10

Pretty powerful track with a booming chorus.  It kind of reminded me of “A Dustland Fairytale”. Just another song on this disc that follows the mold of ramping up the guitars and vocals.

8. The Rising Tide 8/10

This low self-esteemed reporter thinks that this song is possibly a B-side from Sam’s Town, but one can’t really ever know that.  Quick, punchy, and good.

9. Heart of a Girl 7/10

A sweet song that ends up pretty extravagant.  More resemblance to “Flamingo” here.

10. From Here On Out 6/10

This one had an almost country feel with the slide effects on the guitar.  “Big Talk” influence is pretty evident on this one.

11. Be Still 3/10

Undoubtedly, my least favorite song on “Battle Born”.  It could be a grower though.

12. Battle Born 10/10

The title track is pretty much perfect. A great way to end the album, and a perfectly produced track all the way around.

BONUS TRACKS

Carry You Home 7/10

Love the themes of death, and being okay with death. The guitar riff is fantastic too.

Flesh and Bone Remix 8/10

I'm not dubstep/techno/dance club music guy really, but this remix was done masterfully.

Prize Fighter 4/10

Definitely a reason this song is an extra. Kind of silly, in fact really corny.

While it’s not Sam’s Town, and I won’t have it ranked higher than Hot Fuss, I do think it’s better than their previous work Day and Age. I like Day and Age, but it’s just my least favorite album of theirs. I like this CD. It took me a few listens, but I really like it. It’s just another group of songs that will translate well in a live atmosphere. I’ve always been amazed at The Killers ability to stay incredibly indie, while also being mainstream, but not to the extent of selling out and going with the current trends of Top 40 music. Now, more than ever, I stand back and am still amazed at this band’s ability to pump out powerful, infectious 4 minute pop-rock songs, while still not getting away from the meaning of the songs. Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” was catchy, but it was pointless. That’s one example of many. The Killers’ songs are catchy, but there is a direction and a beauty to their craft.

For me, this album ranks in the lower half of their discography, but it’s still a creative work of art that I’ll spin until I die.

Mike from Breaking Bad has a New Role

Johnathan Banks, most well known for his role as Mike on Breaking Bad will be playing the role of Adam Scott's dad in Parks and Recreation this season. Awesome!