After The Noise

New Music Friday #4 is up. Six more new releases put through the Listening Log test. A few surprises, some toe-tappers, one or two disappointments... and, thankfully, not too much vocoder.

World Cup Log #8 is up. No football for the first time in weeks, England rediscover belief, Trump discovers he doesn't understand red cards, and my sweepstake outsiders Switzerland somehow keep hanging on. It's getting interesting.

World Cup Log #7. The tournament is finally catching fire, The Rest Is Football finds its rhythm again, Cape Verde continue to win admirers... and VAR remembers how to spoil everyone's fun.

New Listening Log entry. After days of World Cup overload, I escaped for a walk with Bowie and let the music take over again. Featuring Hüsker Dü, Status Quo, Madonna and The Rolling Stones, plus thoughts on growing older, legendary artists who simply refuse to slow down, and why the right song can make even an ordinary walk feel memorable.

World Cup Log #6 is up. The World Cup is finally reaching the knockout stages, but I'm running on very little patience. Thoughts on *The Rest Is Football*, the BBC's continuing struggles, Jim White's love affair with New York, my ongoing battle with the phrase "low block", and the strange effects of taking part in a weight-loss medical trial. Football is only half the story.

World Cup Log #5 is up. The group stage is almost behind us and, after what feels like a very long fortnight, the tournament is finally about to get interesting. Scotland cling to mathematical hope, England prepare for Panama, ZZ Top provide the soundtrack, and ITV somehow remain comfortably ahead of the BBC. Now the World Cup can really begin.

World Cup Log #5 is up. The group stage is almost behind us and, after what feels like a very long fortnight, the tournament is finally about to get interesting. Scotland cling to mathematical hope, England prepare for Panama, ZZ Top provide the soundtrack, and ITV somehow remain comfortably ahead of the BBC. Now the World Cup can really begin.

New Music Friday #3 is up. I took a break from the World Cup and let six tunes from Spotify's six-hour new music playlist do its worst. Unexpectedly, it was one of the better weeks for new releases. Charli XCX edges further towards rock, Ros T was a genuine surprise, Yard Act restored my faith in humanity, and just when everything was going so well... the vocoder returned. Some things never change.

World Cup Log #4 is up. England draw with Ghana and, right on cue, the doom merchants emerge from hiding. Suddenly the squad is wrong, the tactics are wrong, and every player left at home should apparently be on the plane. Meanwhile, the BBC continue their search for an identity, and football analysis continues to prove that talking about the game is considerably easier than playing it.

World Cup Log #3

World Cup Log #3 is up. Back in 2010 I wrote a blog called Blame ITV, arguing that England's poor performances were somehow the fault of the broadcaster. Sixteen years later, I've found myself writing the exact opposite. A look at why ITV are winning the World Cup coverage battle, where the BBC have gone wrong, and why finding an old blog can sometimes be a dangerous thing.

World Cup Log #2 is up. England looked good, Thomas Tuchel appears to have a plan, Cristiano Ronaldo may be feeling left out, and somehow I've found football coverage that makes endless discussion about England bearable. Also, I never thought I'd see the day ITV comfortably outperformed the BBC at a major tournament. Strange times.

World Cup Log #1 is up. I've spent weeks moaning about the expanded World Cup format, only for Cape Verde to take a point off Spain and immediately make me question everything. A footballing underdog, a delighted colleague at work, internet moaners, VAR behaving itself and hydration breaks that still make no sense. The tournament might finally be getting started.

Another journey through modern music in search of something genuinely surprising. Featuring Finn Wolfhand, Debba, questionable artist names, actual guitars, and the growing suspicion that "pleasant enough, without being thrilling" has become an entire musical genre. One track did stand out though. Which is why we keep listening.

The holiday is over, Manchester is wet, I've somehow developed a June cold, and reality has returned with alarming efficiency. Fortunately, Matt Johnson, Whitney Houston, Kim Deal and Frank Zappa are on hand to make things considerably more bearable. Music remains excellent medicine.

The holiday is over. Brazil already feels strangely unreal, the rain has returned to Salford, Bowie is asleep in the back seat and work emails are multiplying somewhere in the distance. Soundtrack today includes Everything But The Girl, Black Lace, Royal Blood and Shakin' Stevens. Britain remains gloriously miserable.

Jason Donovan unexpectedly gets the afternoon started before Graham Central Station, Charli XCX, Tom Waits and Mozart take over. There is beer, sunshine, a growing awareness that the holiday is nearly over, and a lengthy battle with a Figaro title that almost defeated me.