NFL Divisional Round Predictions

 Wild Record Record: 4-2 (Correct: Bills, Buccaneers, Ravens, Saints Incorrect: Seahawks, Steelers)

Green Bay Packers over Los Angeles Rams: Make no mistake, there's a clear path for the Rams to win this game. Their terrific defense can wreck games with their strong pass coverage/takeway/pass rush combo, they have a trio of strong covers (Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams, Troy Hill) that could slow down Davante Adams wherever he lines up-which could expose the Packers lack of secondary playmakers in a way that basically no other team has this year and despite recent improvements, the Packers still have a vulnerable run D that Cam Akers-who is coming off a career-best performance against a strong Seahawks front that ranked 5th best against the run during the regular season-could feast against. However, a warm weather team traveling into a cold weather environment with a quarterback in Jared Goff who is gutting it out with a pretty much just surgically repaired thumb on his throwing hand and Aaron Donald potentially making less of an impact upfront as he deals with his own potentially bad rib injury should put the Packers in a good spot to eek out a victory.    

Baltimore Ravens over Buffalo Bills: Last week could prove to be a fluke for both sides, but I love the grit the Ravens showed in their victory over the Titans and the Bills were extremely fortunate that Frank Reich's boneheaded decisionmaking in key situations prevented the Colts from flipping the outcome of the shootout they engaged in. Plus the Ravens have a physical corner group that could give the Bills talented receiver group just enough problems to prevent Josh Allen from completely taking over the game and I'm not convinced the Bills D will be able to stop the Ravens multi-faceted rushing attack or splash play ability of their passing game-particularly if they target the middle of the field where Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds got gashed by Michael Pittman, Jack Doyle and Mo-Allie Cox last week. 

Kansas City Chiefs over Cleveland Browns: An undermanned, head coach-less Browns team going into Pittsburgh and beating up on the Steelers was the best story of Wild Card Weekend as well as a beautiful feel good moment for a franchise that has done nothing but suffer since they last made the playoffs in 2002. As confident and excited as the Browns locker room has to be right now, their fairy tale 2020 season is likely going to come to a bitter end at the hands of the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs. While the Browns should be able to keep it competitive with their superb ball control offense driven by a strong running and play action pass game, the Chiefs unreal ability to put points on the board in an instant-particularly against defenses with a back end that's as easily burnable as the Browns-significantly weakens that typically very useful asset and thus tanks their odds of picking up another road W.  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers over New Orleans Saints: Both regular season meetings between the Saints and Buccaneers were bloodbaths where the Bucs looked like the NFL equivalent of the New York Nationals. When one divisional rival dominates another to a truly eye-popping degree during their prior showdowns, they should be the easy favorites to win again right? Not so fast. As I outlined last week, I do not trust this Saints one bit against a legitimate opponent (hell, they struggled for roughly 2.5 quarters against an illegitimate one during Wild Card Weekend) when the bright lights are on and Tom Brady should be supremely motivated to not lose to the same team 3 times in 1 season. 

2020 in Music: A Year in Review

Unlike the outside world, the music world in 2020 consistently delivered a good type of unpredictable chaos. From Machine Gun Kelly becoming a vintage pop punk act to Taylor Swift dropping a pair of downtempo folk pop records, everything felt upside down and expectations were regularly shattered-often in the best possible way. 

Of course, there was still streaks of normalcy to be found among all the weird happenings. Routine AOTY contenders further bolstered their strong catalogs (Run the Jewels, The Weeknd, Deftones), veteran metal acts stayed the course for the umpteenth time (The Black Dahlia Murder, Lamb of God, August Burns Red) and Playboi Carti wrapped up the year by dropping another polarizing record on Christmas that generated the level of heated discourse that's typically reserved for political conversations. Below, you'll find an assortment of lists highlighting the wild year that was in music including my picks for the top 50 songs, a complete ranking of every LP/EP I heard (w/grades) and much more. Hope you enjoy,

EP's:

13.Horse the Band-Your Fault (C)

12.Incubus-Trust Fall (Side B) (C)

11.Crossfaith-Species (C+)

10.Tove Lo-Bikini Porn (B-)

9.Flatbush Zombies-Now, More than Ever (B)

8.Hayley Williams-Petals for Armor I (B)

7.Megan Thee Stallion-Suga (B)

6.RMR-Drug Dealing is a Lost Art (B)

5.Alleageon-Concerto in DM (B)

4.Inferi-Of Sunless Realms (B+)

3.Kali Uchis-To Feel Alive (A-)

2.System of a Down-Protect the Land/Genocidal Humanoidz (A-)

1.Every Time I Die-A Colossal Wreck/Desperate Pleasures (A)

LP's:

126.Poppy-I Disagree (D+)

125.Selena Gomez-Rare (D+)

124.BackxWash-God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It (C-)

123.Phoebe Bridgers-Punisher (C-)

122.Kesha-High Road (C-)

121.Charli XCX-How I'm Feeling Now (C-)

120.Chloe x Halle-Ungodly Hour (C)

119.Bedsore-Hypnagogic Hallucinations (C)

118.Kyle-See You When I Am Famous!!!!!!!!!!! (C)

117.The Chicks-Gaslighter (C)

116.Spanish Love Songs-Brave Faces Everyone (C)

115.Lady Gaga-Chromatica (C)

114.Juicy J-The Hustle Continues (C)

113.Trivium-What the Dead Men Say (C)

112.Fiona Apple-Fetch the Bolt Cutters (C)

111.Lianne La Havas-Lianne La Havas (C)

110.Perfume Genius-Set My Heart on Fire Immediately (C)

109.Jeff Rosenstock-No Idea (C)

108.Tennis-Swimmer (C)

107.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-K.G. (C)

106.Suicide Silence-Become the Hunter (C+)

105.Afterbirth-Four Dimensional Flesh (C+)

104.Kehlani-It Was Good Until It Wasn't (C+)

103.$ucideboy$-Stop Staring at the Shadows (C+)

102.Katy Perry-Smile (C+)

101.Purity Ring-Womb (C+)

100.Yukika-Soul Lady (C+)

99.Drake-Dark Lane Demo Tapes (C+)

98.The Fall of Troy-Mukiltearth (C+)

97.Future and Lil Uzi Vert-Pluto x Baby Pluto (C+)

96.Pyrrohn-Abcess Time (B-)

95.Wailin' Storms-Rattle (B-)

94.Westside Gunn-Pray for Paris (B-)

93.Bury Tomorrow-Cannibal (B-)

92.Pop Smoke-Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (B-)

91.Various Artists-Birds of Prey: The Album (B-)

90.Aversions Crown-Hell Will Comes Us for All (B-)

89.Lil Yachty-Lil Boat 3 (B-)

88.Jessie Ware-What's Your Pleasure? (B-)

87.Lil Uzi Vert-Eternal Atake (B-)

86.Aeternam-Al Qassam (B-)

85.Loathe-I Let It In and It Took Everything (B-)

84.Killer Be Killed-Reluctant Hero (B-)

83.Kid Cudi-Man on the Moon III: The Chosen (B-)

82.Invent,Animate-Greyview (B-)

81.Rico Nasty-Nightmare Vacation (B-)

80.Chris Stapleton-Starting Over (B-)

79.Joji-Nectar (B-)

78.Body Count-Carnivore (B)

77.Faceless Burial-Speciation (B)

76.2 Chainz-So Help Me God! (B)

75.Warbringer-Weapons of Tomorrow (B)

74.Greg Puciato-Child Solider: Fortune of God (B)

73.Rotting Out-Ronin (B)

72.Future-High Off Life (B)

71.Sylosis-Cycle of Suffering (B)

70.Plini-Impulse Voices (B)

69.Kodak Black-Bill Israel (B)

68.Dogleg-Melee (B)

67.Good Tiger-Raised in a Doomsday Cult (B)

66.Finntroll-Vredesvavd (B)

65.The Ocean-Phanerozic II: Mesozoic/Cenozic (B)

64.Hatebreed-Weight of the False Self (B)

63.Oranassi Pazuzu-Mestrain kynsi (B)

62.Umbra Vitae-Shadow of Life (B)

61.Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist-Alfredo (B)

60.Cytotokin-Nuklearth (B)

59.Testament-Titans of Creation (B)

58.Lil Uzi Vert-Lil Uzi Vs. the World 2 (B)

57.Denzel Curry x Kenny Beats-Unlocked (B)

56.Defeated Sanity-The Sanguinary Impetus (B)

55.Sevdaliza-Shabrang (B)

54.Cryptic Shift-Visitations from Enceladus (B)

53.Young Nudy-Anyways (B)

52.Phoxjaw-Royal Swan (B)

51.Taylor Swift-Evermore (B)

50.Carly Rae Jepsen-Dedicated Side B (B)

49.Emmure-Hindsight (B)

48.Don Toliver-Heaven or Hell (B)

47.Within the Ruins-Black Heart (B)

46.Megan Thee Stallion-Good News (B)

45.VoidCeremony-Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel (B)

44.Intervals-Circadian (B)

43.Touche Amore-Lament (B)

42.Beneath the Massacre-Fearmonger (B)

41.Playboi Carti-Whole Lotta Red (B)

40.Make Them Suffer-How to Survive a Funeral (B)

39.Intronaut-Fluid Extensional Inversions (B)

38.The Ghost Inside-The Ghost Inside (B)

37.Action Bronson-Only for Dolphins (B)

36.Lamb of God-Lamb of God (B)

35.Machine Gun Kelly-Tickets to My Downfall (B)

34.Dance Gavin Dance-Afterburner (B)

33.Hayley Williams-Petals for Armor (B)

32.Amine-Limbo (B)

31.Victoria Monet-Jaguar (B)

30.Tame Impala-The Slow Rush (B)

29.Idles-Ultra Mono (B)

28.Juice WRLD-Legends Never Die (B)

27.Four Year Strong-Brain Pain (B)

26.Misery Signals-Ultraviolet (B+)

25.August Burns Red-Guardians (B+)

24.Gunna-WUNNA (B+)

23.Ulcerate-Stare Into Death and Be Still (B+)

22.Protest the Hero-Palimpsest (B+)

21.Miley Cyrus-Plastic Hearts (B+)

20.City Morgue-Toxic Boogaloo (B+)

19.Venom Prison-Primeval (B+)

18.Yves Tumor-Heaven to a Tortured Mind (B+)

17.Mac Miller-Circles (B+)

16.Gulch-Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress (B+)

15.Ariana Grande-Positions (B+)

14.Taylor Swift-Folklore (B+)

13.Kali Uchis-Sin mideo (del amor y otros demonios) (B+)

12.Black Crown Initiate-Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape (B+)

11.Dua Lipa-Future Nostalgia (B+)

10.21 Savage and Metro Boomin-Savage Mode II (B+)

9.The Black Dahlia Murder-Verminous (B+)

8.END-Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face (B+)

7.Halsey-Manic (B+)

6.Kvelertak-Splid (A-)

5.Bring Me the Horizon-POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR (A-)

4.Deftones-Ohms (A-)

3.Run the Jewels-RTJ4 (A)

2.Rina Sawayama-Sawayama (A)

1.The Weeknd-After Hours (A)

Awards and Accolades:

Biggest Surprises:

1.Bring Me the Horizon-POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR

2.Machine Gun Kelly-Tickets to My Downfall

3.Halsey-Manic

4.Taylor Swift-Folklore

5.Miley Cyrus-Plastic Hearts

Biggest Letdowns:

1.Denzel Curry x Kenny Beats-Unlocked

2.Lil Uzi Vert-Eternal Atake

3.2 Chainz-So Help Me God!

4.Hatebreed-Weight of the False Self

5.Dance Gavin Dance-Afterburner

Most Underrated:

1.Miley Cyrus-Plastic Hearts

2.Black Crown Initiate-Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape 

3.Amine-Limbo

4.Machine Gun Kelly-Tickets to My Downfall

5.Tame Impala-The Slow Rush

Most Overrated:

1.Pheobe Bridgers-Punisher 

2.Charli XCX-How I'm Feeling Now

3.Lady Gaga-Chromatica

4.Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist-Alfredo

5.Loathe-I Let It In and It Took Everything

Top Discoveries:

1.Rina Sawayama 

2.END

3.Gulch

4.Yves Tumor

5.Amine

Top 5 Artists I Hope Drop a Record in 2021 (That Don't Currently Have Set Release Dates):

1.SZA

2.Every Time I Die

3.Between the Buried and Me

4.Travis Scott

5.Kendrick Lamar

Top 50 Songs of 2020 (in alphabetical order by artist):

Allegaeon-Roundabout (Yes cover)

Ariana Grande-my hair

Ariana Grande-positions

Black Crown Initiate-Invatation

Bring Me the Horizon-Kingslayer (feat. Babymetal)

Bring Me The Horizon-Obey (feat. Yungblud)

Carly Rae Jepsen-Summer Love

Deftones-Radiant City

Deftones-Urantia

Don Tolliver-Cardigan

Doja Cat-Boss Bitch

Dua Lipa-Hallucinate

Dua Lipa-Levitating

End-The Reach of Resurrection

Every Time I Die-A Colossal Wreck

Four Year Strong-Get Out of My Head

Halsey-3 AM

Hayley Williams-Over Yet

Idles-Model Village

Infieri-The Abhorrent Art

Kali Uchis-angel

Kali Uchis-//Aguradente y limon

Kvelertak-Discord

Kvelertak-Uglas Hegemoni

Lil Baby-The Bigger Picture

Juice WRLD-Righteous

Mac Miller-I Can See

Machine Gun Kelly-Forget Me Too (feat. Halsey)

Miley Cyrus-Midnight Sky

Miley Cyrus-Prisoner (feat. Dua Lipa)

Rina Sawayama-Love Me 4 Me

Rina Sawayama-Who's Gonna Save U Now

Rina Sawayama-XS

RMR-Dealer

Run the Jewels-The Ground Below

Run the Jewels-Out of Sight (feat. 2 Chainz)

Run the Jewels-Walking in the Snow (feat. Gangsta Boo)

SZA-Hit Different (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)

System of a Down-Genocidal Humanoidz

Tame Impala-Lost in Yesterday

Taylor Swift-Seven

The Black Dahlia Murder-The Leather Apron's Scorn

The Weeknd-After Hours

The Weeknd-In Your Eyes

The Weeknd-Too Late

Travis Scott-The Plan

Venom Prison-Usurper of the Throne

Victoria Monet-Moment

Yves Tumor-Gospel for a New Century

21 Savage-Glock in My Lap

Top 20 Albums of 2020

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):

August Burns Red-Guardians 

Gunna-Wunna

Miley Cyrus-Plastic Hearts

Protest the Hero-Palimpsest 

Ulcerate-Stare Into Death and Be Still

20.City Morgue-Toxic Boogaloo: 

Getting a new City Morgue record in the contentious, doom-filled landscape of 2020 was a much-needed act of unholy divine intervention. Packing 10 tracks worth of shouted rapping over chugging guitar-driven production into an under 20 minute package, Toxic Boogaloo is a deadly efficient blast of cathartic rage from NYC's most sinister hip hop duo that might as well have been called Chicken Soup for the Discontent Soul.  

Standout Tracks: 1.Crank 2.The Electric Experience 3.Buakaw 

19.Venom Prison-Primeval:

Re-recording old material often feels like a gimmick used by acts to make a quick buck off the material only a small amount of people have heard once they achieve some degree of breakout success, but in the case of Venom Prison-it was a very smart move. Primeval sees the Welsh outfit cleaning and beefing up the material from their first two EP's (Defy the Tyrant, The Primal Chaos) with crisper production that puts additional emphasis on the guitars that drive their riff/breakdown-driven attack and vocalist Larissa Stupar upping the intensity of her screams. Cap things off with a pair of killer new tracks ("Defiant to the Will of God, "Slayer of Holofernes") and you have an excellent LP that cements them as one of the most promising acts coming up right now in the extreme metal ranks.   

Standout Tracks: 1.Usurper of the Throne 2.Narcotic 3.Defiant to the Will of God

18.Yves Tumor-Heaven to a Tortured Mind:

Whatever planet or galaxy Yves Tumor descended from must be a WILD place. Heaven to a Tortured Mind is a hazy yet soulful creation that features a level of genre-bending experimentation (glam rock funk and psychedelia are just a few of the little musical niches that are explored here) that no one from Earth could possibly cook up and while not everything works (particularly on the back third when the tempo starts to slow down), it's non-stop risk taking makes it a uniquely invigorating listen that demands to be revisited.

Standout Tracks: 1.Gospel for a New Century 2.Kerosene! (feat. Diana Gordon) 3.Super Stars

17.Mac Miller-Circles:

What a legacy capper for the late Mac Miller. Circles, which was just about completed before the rapper/singer's death in September 2018, is an appropriately bittersweet sendoff for Miller that celebrates the confident vision and mature artistic groove he settled into with the somber soul-driven sound he started exploring on his previous record Swimming. Miller was just starting to really come into his own as an artist and it really sucks that we'll never get to see where he would've gone from here.

Standout Tracks: 1.I Can See 2.Everybody 3.Circles

16.Gulch-Impentrable Cerebral Fortress:

No record made me miss live music more in 2020 than Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress. Gulch has the type of fast, raw and unapologetically unpolished sound that can only be cultivated from years of  attending shows in dirtball venues. You can basically visualize the sea of moving bodies and discarded beer cans occupying a (likely) Asbestos-ridden warehouse or basement with every snare hit, slam riff and throaty scream they deliver over the course of this pummeling DIY -core special that runs for an entirely on brand 15 minutes. Hopefully I'll get to see them play in the type of venue that bred their sound once the 'Rona subsides.

Standout Tracks: 1.Cries of Pleasure, Heavenly Pain 2.All Fall Down the Well 3.Fucking Towards Salvation

15.Ariana Grande-Positions:

While Grande's return to the trap pop well isn't quite as consistently rewarding as thank u, next, Positions still features enough dazzling moments standouts ("Love Language", "Safety Net", the trio below) full of smooth hooks and addictive lowkey melodies to go down as another cohesive, accomplished effort in her rock solid discography.

Standout Tracks: 1.Positions 2.My Hair 3.Motive (feat. Doja Cat)

14.Taylor Swift-Folklore:

Much debate has broken out in the social media realms of late about which of Swift's surprise 2020 folk pop albums is better. For me, the answer is Folklore and it's not particularly close. While Evermore has many of the same strengths (cohesive sound, great downtempo production from Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, Swift's hauntingly beautiful vocals), the whimsical, fable-like atmosphere that adds a layer of wonder to the largely third person narratives spun in the lyrics and stirring magic of the run of songs from "Mirrorball" to "Invisible String" puts Folklore on another level of greatness.    

Standout Tracks: 1.Seven 2.August 3.Mirrorball

13.Kali Uchis-Sin mideo (del amor y otros demonios)

Colombian-American singer Uchis' first predominantly Spanish language release is an impassioned, intoxicating journey through the wide array of Latin music genres that influenced her artistry growing up as well as another stunning showcase of her exceptional versatility that I've enjoyed more with each listen and possibly would've contended for a top 10 spot if it hadn't been released so late in the year.

Standout Tracks: 1.//Aguradente y limon 2.telepatia 3.Vaya con dios

12.Black Crown Initiate-Violent Portraits of a Doomed Escape:

With its impressively nuanced songwriting, generally epic tone and nice balance of heavy/melodic moments, Violent Portraits of a Doomed Escape marks another notable step forward from this steadily improving progressive death metal quartet.

Standout Tracks: 1.Invatation 2.Trauma Bonds 3.Holy Silence

11.Dua Lipa-Future Nostalgia:

It only took two albums for Lipa to cement herself as a pop juggernaut. By going all in on infectious energy, big choruses and bouncy disco meets modern synthpop production, she creates a bubbly, glossy sugar rush of a record that serves as a very potent (not to mention, consistently effective) antidote to a shit mood. 

Standout Tracks: 1.Hallucinate 2.Levitating 3.Cool

10.21 Savage and Metro Boomin-Savage Mode II:

Hip hop's most prolific moden rapper/producer duo reunited after a little bit of time apart (their last full project together was 2017's Without Warning) and that 3-year gap did nothing to erode their deep artistic connection. 21 continues to up his confidence/technical prowess on the mic without shaking the deadpan aesthetic that makes his gangsta rap bars cut particularly deep while Metro takes advantage of 21's improvement to add some more upbeat textures and tempos (the almost soulful "Mr. Right Now", the old school west coast tribute "Steppin on N***as") to the beats without skimping on the cold, ominous cuts ("Glock in my Lap", "Runnin", "Snitches & Rats") that their musical partnership was built on. If these guys continue to remain in sync like this, I hope we get a dozen more entries in the Savage Mode series.    

Standout Tracks: 1.Glock in My Lap 2.Runnin 3.Brand New Draco

9.The Black Dahlia Murder-Verminous:

A bit of a cooldown after 2017's relentlessly blistering Nightbringers seemed inevitable for The Black Dahlia Murder and that's exactly what Verminous provides. Black Dahlia dives back into the eerily atmospheric sound they showcased on past efforts including 2013's Everblack and their 2007 classic Nocturnal with the type of unwavering giddiness, clinical songwriting precision and filler-free tracklist that have become so synonymous with their band that they feel practically guaranteed at this point.  

Standout Tracks: 1.The Leather Apron's Scorn 2.The Wereworm's Feast 3.Removal of the Oaken Stake

8.End-Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face:

Big shoutout to End-whose lineup includes Counterparts vocalist Brendan Murphy, Fit for an Autopsy guitarist Will Putney and Structures drummer Andrew McEnaney-for not only being the only metal supergroup that put something out in 2020 that lived up to the talent level of its members, but releasing one of the best heavy music records of the year period in Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face. This laser-focused debut LP (!) conjures up a vicious metalcore storm that dispenses a tidal wave of punishing, hopelessness-fueled chaos for 40 straight minutes and displays plenty of proof that its members-particularly Murphy and Putney-can excel outside of the established comfort zones of their primary groups. 

Standout Tracks: 1.Reach of Resurrection 2.Fear for Me Now 3.Covet Not

7.Halsey-Manic:

Although Badlands and Tragic Fountain Kingdom were middling records plagued with huge consistency issues, Halsey's huge potential always managed to shine through. On her third LP Manic, she (mostly) puts her past weaknesses to bed and capitalizes on her talent. From both a thematic and musical perspective, this record covers a lot of ground and that variety establishes a loose vibe that allows Halsey to be more vulnerable as a lyricist and dynamic as a vocalist-which results in a honest, lively and thoroughly memorable record that will hopefully go down as just the first great thing she puts out.   

Standout Tracks: 1.3AM 2.Graveyard 3.Still Learning

6.Kvelertak-Splid:

Since their inception, vocalist Erlend Hjelvik has been the focal point of Kvelertak. From his distinct shriek/growl/singing combo to the glowing eyed owl mask he sported at every live show, he made their unique hardcore punk/black metal/hard rock hybrid sound mesh and is the perfect spokesman for an act that positioned themselves as the guardians of all things cheesy and excessive. In a truly stunning turn of events, Hjelvik's departure ended up leading to the best material they've recorded since their groundbreaking 2010 self-titled debut. Not only does Hjelvik's replacement Ivar Nikoalisen do a great job of fitting Kvelertak's '80s rocker from hell vocal mold, his fiery presence provided their core guitarist/songwriting braintrust (Vidar Landa, Bjarte Lund Rolland, Maciek Ofstad) with a needed jolt of inspiration that resulted in them coming out of the riff lab with some of the meatiest, shamelessly over-the-top guitarlines they've ever written.  

Standout Tracks: 1.Discord. 2.Uglas Hegemoni 3.Crack of Doom (feat. Troy Sanders)

5.Bring Me the Horizon-POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR:

Bring Me the Horizon's unexpected return to the world of metal takes the essence of the multiple 90's/00's genre trends (metalcore, nu metal, industrial metal) that shaped their early works and sprinkles in the hookiness/heavy electronic programming use they picked up during their recent pivot to synthpop to create a preposterously catchy, fun release that manages to hit all of the nostalgic pleasure centers while also sneakily morphing into something completely fresh. If the rest of this planned series of releases is in even the same stratosphere of quality as this, I'll happily stop actively slandering their first three albums.   

Standout Tracks: 1.Kingslayer (feat. BABYMETAL) 2.Obey (feat. Yungblud) 3.Ludens

4.Deftones-Ohms:

Apology accepted for Gore, Deftones. Reuniting with iconic producer Terry Date and actually letting guitarist Stephen Carpenter into the studio to drop some heavy riffs to put alongside the mellow ones they've favored in recent years not only atoned for the sins of its disturbingly lifeless predecessor, but allowed Deftones to churn out their most stunning, well-balanced and generally crisp-sounding group of tunes since their 2010 masterpiece Diamond Eyes.  

Standout Tracks: 1.Radiant City 2.Urantia 3.Genesis 

3.Run the Jewels-RTJ4:

Undeniably benefiting from an eerily timely release just a week after the killing of George Floyd, the latest tremendous collection of hardcore political hip hop anthems from Killer Mike and El-P provided catharsis, motivation and even some distractions for a world that needs their art now more than ever.    

Standout Tracks: 1.out of sight (feat. 2 Chainz) 2.walking in the snow (feat. Gangsta Boo) 3.the ground below

2.Rina Sawayama-Sawayama:

There are artists who bend the rules of a genre, then there artists like Rina Sawayama that actively destroy the concept of conventions entirely. Every time it seems like Sawayama is settling into a specific sound (Gaga-esque theatrical pop, Eurohouse, nu metal), it heads down a path that is completely unlike the one (and often more exciting) that came before it while retaining a preposterous level of catchiness at every rollicking, unpredictable turn. Having the courage, confidence and musical tools to pull off so many different styles over the course of one album without it ever feeling disjointed or half assed takes the work of a special artist and even after only two major releases, it's clear that Sawayama is in that rarefied air.  

Standout Tracks: 1.XS 2.Love Me 4 Me 3.Who's Gonna Save U Now?

1.The Weeknd-After Hours:

Starring down the barrel of 30 during the writing process for his much-anticipated seventh full length release put The Weeknd in a reflective headspace and the regrets that stemmed from that soul searching fueled a much different type of record from him. By creating a loose concept album centered around how he hurt himself and the people he cared about with the shallow, nihilistic antics of his 20's that  successfully combines the garage rawness of his early mixtapes with the infectious 80s-inspired pop of his recent offerings, The Weeknd is able to put together the most mature, dazzling release since his breakthrough 2011 effort House of Balloons.

Standout Tracks: 1.After Hours 2.Too Late 3.In Your Eyes       

2020 NFL All-Pro Team

 Quarterback

1st team: Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

2nd team: Josh Allen (Bills)

Running Back

1st team: Derrick Henry (Titans), Dalvin Cook (Vikings)

2nd team: Alvin Kamara (Saints), Aaron Jones (Packers)

Wide Receiver 

1st team: Davante Adams (Packers), Stefon Diggs (Bills)

2nd team: DeAndre Hopkins (Cardinals), Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)

Tight End

1st team: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

2nd team: Darren Waller (Raiders)

Tackle

1st team: Garett Bolles (Broncos), Jack Conklin (Browns)

2nd team: David Bakhitiari (Packers), Ryan Ramcyzk (Saints)

Guard

1st team: Quenton Nelson (Colts), Wyatt Teller (Browns)

2nd team: Ali Marpet (Buccaneers), Shaq Mason (Patriots) 

Center

1st team: Corey Linsley (Packers)

2nd team: Frank Ragnow (Lions) 

Defensive End

1st team: Myles Garrett (Browns), Leonard Williams (Giants)

2nd team: Chase Young (Washington Football Team), Joey Bosa (Chargers)

Defensive Tackle

1st team: Aaron Donald (Rams), DeForest Buckner (Colts)

2nd team: Cameron Heyward (Steelers), Chris Jones (Chiefs)

Outside Linebacker

1st team: T.J. Watt (Steelers), Khalil Mack (Bears)

2nd team: Hasson Reddick (Cardinals), Za'Darius Smith (Packers)

Inside Linebacker

1st team: Bobby Wagner (Seahawks), Fred Warner (49ers)

2nd team: Lavonte David (Buccaneers), Blake Martinez (Giants)

Cornerback

1st team: Jaire Alexander (Packers), Xavien Howard (Dolphins)

2nd team: Jalen Ramsey (Rams), Darious Williams (Rams)

Safety

1st team: Jessie Bates (Bengals), John Johnson III (Rams)

2nd team: Justin Simmons (Broncos), Marcus Maye (Jets)

Kicker

1st team: Jason Sanders (Dolphins)

2nd team: Younghoe Koo (Falcons)

Punter

1st team: Jake Bailey (Patriots)

2nd team: Jack Fox (Lions)

Return Specialist

1st team: Cordarrelle Patterson (Bears), Gunner Olzewski (Patriots)

2nd team: Andre Roberts (Bills), Jakeem Grant (Dolphins)

Special Teamer

1st team: Matthew Slater (Patriots)

2nd team: George Odum (Colts)  

NFL Wild Card Predictions

Buffalo Bills over Indianapolis Colts: Despite coming in as the hottest team in the AFC and maybe even the entire league, a perspective Bills playoff run is hard to have faith in or even comprehend. This franchise seemingly has a hex on them that allows them to lose playoffs games in the most painful, jaw-dropping ways imaginable (all 4 Super Bowls in the 90's, the Music City Miracle, whatever the hell happened in Houston last season) and even in a season where he's shown tremendous growth in terms of consistency, accuracy and decisionmaking, Josh Allen has proven he's still capable of spectacular, turnover-filled implosions that can abruptly derail a game. As skeptical as I am about the Bills' odds of making a run, I'd still be pretty surprised if a Colts team led by an ailing, notoriously cold weather-challenged Philip Rivers ended up being the team that knocked them out.  

Seattle Seahawks over Los Angeles Rams: Divisional foes meeting in the playoffs usually result in close, low-scoring slugfests and since that's exactly what we got when these two teams squared off in Week 16, I expect the same to happen on Saturday afternoon. While the Rams have the deeper and more proven defense that would traditionally give them the edge in this type of matchup, the Seahawks superior offensive firepower and questionable at best health of Jared Goff (if he's deemed healthy enough to play after having thumb surgery last Monday) makes Seattle the slight favorite here. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Washington Football Team: I'm very tempted to pick Washington here. Ron Rivera is one of the only head coaches in the league that can claim that they've had any degree of success against a Tom Brady-led team (he went 2-0 against Brady's Patriots during his time with the Panthers), the Bucs as a collective are exactly the type of undisciplined, mentally soft team that could overlook an opponent because of their record and most importantly, Washington's defense has the vicious pass rush/strong corner combo that has given Brady fits all 5 times he had to face teams that possessed those qualities during the Bucs creampuff 2020 schedule. However, Alex Smith is seriously banged up and their skill position players have been pretty terrible in recent weeks and Tampa's defense is good enough for them to win a low scoring game against a hampered offense. 

Baltimore Ravens over Tennessee Titans: The Titans stunned the entire NFL world last January when they went into Baltimore and manhandled a 14-2 Ravens team that was the top seed in the AFC. Despite a worthy effort, the Ravens attempt to avenge that humiliating loss earlier this season failed when they fell 30-24 in OT after Derrick Henry ripped off a 29-YD walkoff TD run. I believe the 3rd time facing the Titans in the last calendar year will be the charm for the Ravens. The Titans porous defense is going to a very hard time keeping up with the deep rotation of rushers the Ravens utilize (Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Mark Ingram), the Ravens are playing significantly better now than they were they narrowly lost to the Titans in November and as difficult as Henry and A.J. Brown are to matchup with, the Ravens aggressive, physical defense should be able to slow them down just enough to secure Jackson his 1st career playoff win.    

New Orleans Saints over Chicago Bears: If any heavyweight contender is capable of losing to a mediocre at best Bears team that went 3-7 to end the regular season, it's a Saints team that's headed up by the covert all time choke artist duo of Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Since their lone Super Bowl run in 2009, they've suffered a string of inexplicable playoff losses (Wild Card Round in 2010 to a Seahawks team that went 7-9, Minneapolis Miracle in 2016, NFC Championship Game in 2018 against the Rams where they were outscored 26-10 after taking a 13-0 lead into the 2nd quarter), Wild Card last year to the Kirk Cousins-led Vikings), missed the playoffs four times and made it past the divisional round just once (the aforementioned debacle in 2018). Even though gagging is embedded in their DNA, a Mitch Trubisky-led Bears team that is down 2 of their top 3 corners (rookie Jaylon Johnson, Buster Skrine) and possibly more key additional starters (inside linebacker Roquan Smith, emerging rookie wideout Darnell Mooney) paired with the fact that this game is in the weather-proof confines of New Orleans should prevent the Saints seasonal diarrhea from popping up this week.   

Pittsburgh Steelers over Cleveland Browns: You have to feel for the Browns. They make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and lose their head coach/offensive playcaller, multiple starters (star guard Joel Bitonio, safety Ronnie Harrison, possibly more as the week goes) and all of their practice time due to a COVID outbreak within their facility right before the game. Making matter worse, they have a matchup on Sunday against a physically-drained Steelers team that is basically begging to get knocked off so they can finally get some rest after playing 13 straight weeks that would've been very winnable if they were at full strength. Absolutely brutal break for a long suffering franchise and hopefully they'll get a crack at playoff glory again soon after the pandemic has subsided. 

Way Too Early Oscar Predictions: 2020-21 Edition

It's very odd to start thinking about the upcoming Hollywood award season at a time where they're typically already starting handing out statues (last year's Golden Globes took place on January 5th), but thanks to the COVID-driven shifts in the eligibility window (all titles have to be released via theaters, streaming, VOD or a public drive-in screening by February 26th instead of the typical December 31st cutoff), the kickoff of the season has been pushed back to late February with the Oscars currently slated for April 25th. While studios were mostly forced to shift whatever they had scheduled for theatrical release during this period (The French Dispatch, West Side Story, The Last Duel), this year's field of potential contenders in all major categories is still very strong thanks to robust slates from the streaming juggernauts and a few entries (Nomadland, Minari, The Father) from the specialty distributors that have already met the qualification requirements as they await their TBD planned theatrical releases. 

Although it's not as prevalent as usual this year for obvious reasons, it does need to be noted that there are still a handful of potential contending titles that critics/members of the voting bodies haven't seen yet (Malcolm & Marie, Judas and the Black Messiah, The United States vs. Billie Holliday, The Dig, The Little Things) that could throw a late wrench in the field of presumed frontrunners and radically change the predicted nominees below. Now that the obligatory preamble and caveats are out of the way, here are my current projections for the individuals and movies that will be up for the film industry's most prestigious awards three and a half months from now.

(Note: * indidcates projected winner)

Best Picture:

The Father

Mank

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Minari

News of the World

Nomadland* 

One Night in Miami

Soul

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Director:

Lee Issac Chung (Minari)

David Fincher (Mank)

Regina King (One Night in Miami)

Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7)

Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)*

Best Actor:

Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal)

Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)*

Anthony Hopkins (The Father)

Gary Oldman (Mank)

Steven Yeun (Minari) 

Best Actress:

Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)

Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman)

Frances McDormand (Nomadland)*

Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)

Zendaya (Malcom & Marie)

Best Supporting Actor:

Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7)

Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)

Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami)*

Paul Raci (Sound of Metal)

Mark Rylance (The Trial of the Chicago 7)

Best Supporting Actress:

Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)

Ellen Burstyn (Pieces of a Woman)

Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy) 

Olivia Coleman (The Father)

Amanda Seyfried (Mank)*

Best Original Screenplay:

Mank

Minari 

Promising Young Woman

Soul

The Trial of the Chicago 7*

Best Adapted Screenplay:

The Father

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

News of the World

Nomadland* 

One Night in Miami

Best Animated Feature:

The Croods: A New Age

Onward

Over the Moon

Soul*

Wolfwalkers

Best International Feature:

Another Round*

The Mole Agent

Night of the Kings

Sun Children 

Two of Us

George Clooney Ranked

Welcome to the latest edition of "Ranked"-where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out related accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of George Clooney-whose latest project "The Midnight Sky" is now streaming on Netflix. 

George Clooney's Filmography Ranked:

23.Tomorrowland (D-)

22.Ocean's Twelve (D-)

21.Hail, Caesar! (D+)

20.Batman & Robin (C-)

19.The Monuments Men (C)

18.Good Night, and Good Luck (C)

17.The Perfect Storm (C+)

16.Spy Kids (C+)

15.Burn After Reading (C+)

14.Money Monster (C+)

13.Intolerable Cruelty (B-)

12.Up in the Air (B)

11.O Brother, Where Art Thou? (B)

10.The Ides of March (B)

9.Gravity (B+)

8.Ocean's Thirteen (B+)

7.Michael Clayton (B+)

6.Three Kings (B+)

5.From Dusk till Dawn (B+)

4.South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (A-)

3.Out of Sight (A-)

2.The Descendants (A-) 

1.Ocean's Eleven (A)

Top Dog: Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Powered by a charismatic ensemble cast, clever heist and cool, confident style of filmmaking, Steven Soderbergh's remake of Ocean's Eleven manages to be an invigorating blast of pure entertainment. 

Lowlight: Tomorrowland (2015)

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (at least the first two) and even something harmlessly goofy like The Haunted Mansion proved that being based on a Disney theme park attraction wasn't a kiss of death for the quality of a movie. Then Tommorowland came along and reinforced why it can be a horrible idea to flesh out the premise behind something that's designed to provide purely visceral entertainment for a short period of time. Not only is the messy "adaptation" that Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof cooked up feature a silly, convoluted plot, it betrays its wonder-fueled entertainment origins by being aggressively dull and needlessly long.       

Most Overrated: Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

Iconic broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow is a figure from American history that deserves to be propped up more in the present day f-particularly for his efforts to dismiss McCarthyism for the erroneous witch hunt that it was and Good Night, and Good Luck is an adequately made/acted production that accomplishes all of its storytelling goals. However, Murrow's efforts to expose the injustices of McCarthyism through pursuing various stories of people who've had their careers or lives ruined by baseless accusations of being supporters of the Communist Soviet Union and subsequent clashes with network executives/government officials that stemmed from his reporting is the type of important yet dry material that's better suited for a history classroom than the silver screen.  

Most Underrated: The Descendants (2011)

Re-watching this recently for the first time since my initial viewing in 2012 has only solidified my stance that The Descendants is an exceptionally underrated movie. It handles complicated themes (grief, infidelity, impending death of a loved one) in a graceful, even-handed manner, deploys humor at the perfect times to break up the immense sadness that is at the center of the narrative and features extraordinary performances from Clooney and Shailene Woodley that sell every nuance of a morally and emotionally complex story.    

Best Pre- Super Stardom Vehicle: From Dusk till Dawn (1996)

Outside of Danny Ocean, I don't think Clooney has played a character that's made better use of his natural charisma and smart-ass attitude than Seth Gecko. The way that he utilizes those gifts makes him the ideal anchor for the unhinged B-movie insanity that occurs in both halves of this crime saga turned vampire hunting schlockfest as well as a terrific vessel for the plethora of sharp dialogue Quentin Tarantino's script delivers.   

Most Insane Superhero Movie: Batman & Robin (1997)

As superhero movies have evolved into billion dollar empires that are micro managed down to the smallest details, the ill-conceived, balls-out ridiculousness of Batman & Robin has become kind of a charming relic of a bygone era where these movies weren't part of intricate shared universes. The head-scratching ineptitude and bizarre creative choices (Nipples on the Bat Suit, Mr. Freeze rocking ice skates, etc) on display here resulted in the fun kind of bad movie that the 90's churned out with regularity and unlike like a lot of things from that era in entertainment, hasn't really returned in the present day.