Blogcritics Author: Jeff Perkins

Past Legend: Florian Albert, The Latterday Magical Magyar

Jeff Perkins — Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:50:39 EST

Some have stands or statues dedicated to them. Not many have entire stadiums named in their honour.
For the latest past legend we are off to beautiful Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to remember the silky skills of Florian Albert. There are plenty of legendary footballers who have had stands named after them. For example Johnny Haynes at Fulham or Bobby Moore at West Ham United. Some players have statues outside the grounds where they made...

Music Review: The Hushpuppies - Silence Is Golden

Jeff Perkins — Wed, 7 Jan 2009 08:48:12 EST

Having caused a stir in their native France with high octane live performances, the band is now busy crossing the Atlantic and taking on America.
Anyone out there who got Activision’s Guitar Hero World Tour video game for Christmas has probably already rocked out to The Hushpuppies’ track, “You’re Gonna Say Yeah”. They are in good company, as the game also includes tracks from R.E.M. and Modest Mouse.Having caused quite a stir in their native France with some...

Music Review: Pendragon - Pure

Jeff Perkins — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 20:11:20 EST

Weighty, meaningful, and utterly absorbing. Pendragon take it even higher.
Within the first few seconds of Pendragon’s latest album, my dog Dylan was salivating almost as much as me. The reason? Well for Dylan it must have been hearing the ‘dogs of night’ in the opening track “Indigo”. For me, I was quickly reduced to a dribbling shellshock victim by Pure, one the finest prog-rock albums I...

Robben The Capped Crusader - European Football Round Up

Jeff Perkins — Mon, 5 Jan 2009 14:02:10 EST

A slow start to the year sees a virtuoso performance from a not-so-old Dutch master.
For the first Euroscore round up of 2009 we travel to Madrid to check up on Real’s progress under new manager Juande Ramos. Many Euro leagues are taking the sensible approach and enjoying a winter break. Even the Premiership was out of action this weekend as it was FA Cup 3rd round time.Scotland...

Music Review: Colour Kane -A Taste Of

Jeff Perkins — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 17:42:41 EST

Travel up and beyond the lowlands with Colour Kane.
Have you ever tried to eat a doughnut without licking your lips? For me, at least, it’s impossible. Now here’s an equally unachievable challenge. Try and review A Taste Of, by Belgium dream pop artists Colour Kane, and not include words such as dreamy, soaring, atmospheric, or the oft quoted ‘blissed-out’.Colour Kane emanate...

Honouring The Ibrox Disaster Victims, 38 Years Later

Jeff Perkins — Fri, 2 Jan 2009 12:01:53 EST

The lives of 66 football fans exiting through a poorly-built staircase are remembered.
Back in 1971, before the restructuring of Scottish football, there were only two Old Firm league games a season. On Saturday January 2nd 1971 the two bitter rivals clashed at Rangers’ Ibrox Stadium. It was, of course, a huge, and eagerly anticipated match. Celtic, from the east end of the city, had been enjoying a period of dominance. They...

Music Review: Heidi Happy - Flowers, Birds, And Home

Jeff Perkins — Thu, 1 Jan 2009 20:20:57 EST

Life and all its emotions explored and revealed.
There’s a famous line delivered, and apparently ad-libbed by Orson Welles on post war Vienna’s big wheel, in the classic film The Third Man. “In Switzerland,” he declared, “they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.” It’s not the...

Music Review: Alan Tyler & The Lost Sons Of Littlefield - Lonesome Cowboys

Jeff Perkins — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:10:02 EST

All the way from Nashville, North London.
So, just who are The Lost Sons of Littlefield, you may ask? To answer that, we need to go way, way back. Back to Waylon Jennings birthplace, in fact. Yes Littlefield is where the great man comes from but his inspiration has spread a great deal further. It’s not quite that simple though and we need to go digging a little deeper. Alan Tyler,...

Music Review: Beth Rowley - Little Dreamer

Jeff Perkins — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:51:12 EST

The album is beautifully lo-fi, radiating a warm glow of late night atmosphere amid some softly seductive vintage performances.
As soon as a promising white, blues-tinged, female soul singer arrives on the scene, it tends to ignite the inevitable comparisons to the likes of the legendary Dusty Springfield, amongst others. That, of course, is a huge legacy for any aspiring young singer to carry around. One of those who, along with Dusty -- and Amy Winehouse, for example --...

Celtic Turn Up The Heat In Frozen Glasgow - European Football Round Up

Jeff Perkins — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:43:36 EST

With most of Europe's football in hibernation, we go to Glasgow for the latest Old Firm clash.
There was still some drama to be seen despite the fact that most of the European football leagues are currently enjoying their winter break. Here's the latest Euroscore Monday Round Up.England – Boxing Day, 26th DecemberThe Premiership has had a busy time of late with two full programmes of fixtures. Firstly, our Premiership heroes had to...