NFL Position Rankings: Top 25 Quarterbacks

A few weeks ago, I was reading through infamous sports site Bleacher Report's individual position rankings for the NFL. Pretty much without fail, every position list rankings pissed me off (I'm all for differing opinions, but the rationale behind each pick were poorly thought-out and ridiculous.) This discontent with Bleacher Report's lists inspired to be make my own. Over the next few weeks, I will be unveiling my position rankings for every position on both sides of the ball (I may do kickers as well, but I will not be doing punters.) To kick things off, here are my picks for the top 25 quarterbacks in the NFL going into the 2013 season

Notes:
1.I will not be including rookies on any of these lists.
2.Each player is listed as a member of their current team, not the team they played for in 2012.
3. There is only one tie on any of these lists. I know ties are kind of cop-outs, but I believe there are four quarterbacks in the league tied for the honor of being the best.
Now onto the list....

25.Matt Moore (Dolphins)

24.Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins)

23.Josh Freeman (Buccaneers)

22.Michael Vick (Eagles)

21.Phillip Rivers (Chargers)

20.Carson Palmer (Cardinals)

19.Alex Smith (Chiefs)

18.Jay Cutler (Bears)

17.Tony Romo (Cowboys)

16.Andy Dalton (Bengals)

15.Matt Schaub (Texans)

14.Joe Flacco (Ravens)

13.Matthew Stafford (Lions)

12.Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)

11.Andrew Luck (Colts)

10.Colin Kapernick (49ers)

9.Russell Wilson (Seahawks)

8.Eli Manning (Giants)

7.Cam Newton (Panthers)

6.Robert Griffin III (Redskins)

5.Matt Ryan (Falcons)

1.Tie Tom Brady (Patriots), Drew Brees (Saints), Peyton Manning (Broncos), Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

Album Review: The Ocean-Pelagial

European prog/sludge metal act The Ocean have always had a flair for creating an immense atmosphere with their music. Though they've created many memorable musical landscapes with their previous material, but none are more striking or memorable than the ones on their latest record Pelagial, which is undoubtedly their finest work to-date.

Like the rest of The Ocean's music, Pelagial is a concept album about the different layers of the ocean. The music is meant to reflect these different layers starting with a soft, piano-driven intro ("Epipelagic") to represent the surface, the middle of the record representing the chaos and eventual calming of the mid-layers and finishing with a gloomy, heavy track to represent the ocean floor ("Benthic: The Origin of Our Wishes".)It's an ultra-complex, behemoth of a concept, but The Ocean pulls it off. This record was originally supposed to be instrumental (the strictly instrumental version is the second disc of the album) which means The Ocean put more of a focus on complexity and experimentation in the music and the results are simply stunning. The Ocean have always had a lot of wide-ranging influences and layers to their music, but they've never created music that use these elements more chaotically or brilliantly than on Pelagial. The frequent tonal shifts this record has could've been jarring going from a soothing orchestral piece to an incredibly heavy sludge section on a whim, but none of it sounds forced or inorganic in the slightest. The Ocean are just fantastic songwriters and everything flows together incredibly well making for a truly special listening experience.

Though there are many different genres and tempo-changes on this record, I have to say that the sludge elements standout above the rest. The riffs are absolutely monstrous throughout the record. I'm an absolute sucker for a good sludge riff and Pelagial has an abundance of them. The Bathyalpelagic trilogy ("Impasses", "The Wish in Dreams", "Disequilibriated") had my jaw on the floor. The riff work is amazing and I was shocked at how heavy some of the portions were. Don't get me wrong, The Ocean have never strayed from having heavy sections in their music, but they've never had anything as skull-crushing as the Bathyalpelagic trilogy in the past.

The record also makes for the best vocal performance from Loic Rossetti to-date. Rossetti had been battling a slew of health problems during the initial writing process of this record (hence why the album was originally supposed to be instrumental), but he clearly recovered for the recording process and he returned to the band with a vengeance. His clean vocals are more crisp and emotional while his screams have a lot more power than before. Overall Rossetti has improved substantially as a vocalist from Helio/Anthropocentric and his work here elevates the immense musical landscape the rest of the band provided in his absence.

Pelagial is a damn near close to perfect album. This is basically a prog/sludge metal fans' wet dream: There's heavy riffs galore, plenty of beautiful, subtle progressive passages, brilliant musicianship across the board and a spectacular vocal performance from Loic Rossetti. The concept of this record lets The Ocean run wild with all of their influences being prominently featured on the record, which provides the listener with constant excitement as the various twists and turns all the songs have play out. The Ocean's are Europe's resident metal mad-scientists and Pelagial is their finest experiment thus far.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Bathyalpelagic III: Disequilibriated
2.Bathyalpelagic I: Impasses
3.Bathyalpelagic II: The Wish in Dreams

Concert Review: Danny Brown-- Cambridge, MA-- May 9th, 2013

Yesterday was an absolutely fantastic day for me. Not only did I finish my spring semester at school, but I also got to see the one and only Danny Brown tear it up at a sold-out show at The Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge last night.

The show started up at 9:30 with Miami/Boston rapper Stu Cat. I'm not overly familiar with the Boston hip-hop scene and from what I've heard I wasn't expecting much, but this dude can definitely rap pretty well. He got the crowd into it and his first few songs were actually really good. I will say his set did hit a bit of a roadblock when be brought out this clown rapper named MC Chucklehead to come out and rap with him. This guy was just awful, his style was like if Riff Raff took himself seriously. Judging from his between song banter he seems like a pretty good dude, he just isn't a gifted rapper. Stu Cat was still pretty good on his own, but the presence of MC Chuklehead definitely brought the energy and quality of his performance. Side-note: Stu Cat sort of looks like Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and came out with a towel on his head like Newton does when he is on the sidelines, which caused me to laugh very hard.

Kitty came out next and she put on a very entertaining show. For those who don't know, she's a 20-year old white-girl rapper and her music is just a fucking blast. Her rapping came off more fluid and intense in a live setting opposed to the laid-back style she uses on records which was gave her performance a gritty edge that I wasn't expecting. I also have to give her props for playing with so much energy when she had a illness, she give it 100% even though she was sick (a few of the faster parts she couldn't rap because her throat was clearly fucked up, but she gave it her best shot which is all that matters.) Some people might give her shit for being a white-girl rapper, but people need to drop their ignorant biases and stop writing her off: this chick can rap and it's time people starting taking her seriously as an artist. Kitty got shit going and she is a natural-born performer that I would love to see again.

DJ Skywlkr, the DJ for Danny Brown, came out and spun for about 25 minutes to hype the crowd up. I normally don't like DJ's, but he actually rolled out some pretty good beats and he definitely succeeded in getting the crowd pumped up for Danny Brown. As I expected, Danny came running out when Skywlker dropped the beat for "Jealousy" and rapidly launched into the best hip-hop show I've ever seen. If there was any doubt that Danny Brown is amongst hip-hop's elite artists, that was shattered by his performance last night. This dude just flat-out killed it for an hour. Unlike most rappers I've seen, Brown finished every song perfectly. For hip-hop outsiders, that doesn't sound like an accomplishment, but most rappers are lazy and about half of the time don't even finish the whole song so it was refreshing to see a rapper complete their songs flawlessly in a live setting. He also did some cool things like cut the beats out and just rap acappela, which was amazing and showed just how gifted of an MC he is. On top of his precision with the songs, Brown is just an incredible performer. He gave off insane energy and the sold-out crowd gave every ounce of that energy back, which made for an awesome vibe and it's always badass to see a crowd and the artist so into a performance. He was clearly stoked to be on-stage and was extremely appreciative for the reception he got. The setlist was pretty damn solid with a lot of lesser-known, older songs and a good amount of material from his breakout mixtape XXX  as well a few new ones from his upcoming record Old (which judging from the stuff he played last night is going to be another slam-dunk for him.) My only complaint is I would've liked to hear songs like "XXX", "Outer Space" and "Adreall Admiral", but the set was completely fine as is so I can't really bitch too much. Danny Brown is the best live rapper I've seen by leaps and bounds and I urge any hip-hop fan to go see him when he plays in your city, you will not be disappointed

Scores
Stu Cat 7/10 (would've been higher if it wasn't for MC Chucklehead)
Kitty 8/10
DJ Skywlker 7/10
Danny Brown 9/10

Setlists:
Kitty:
Dead Island
$killionare
NO OFFENSE!!!!
New Song
Ay Shawty 3.0
Scout Finch Bitch
UNfollowed
?
Okay Cupid

Danny Brown:
Jealousy
Witit
Molly Ringwald
Black Brad Pitt
Toxic
Blueberry (Pills and Cocaine)
Radio Song
Lie4
I Will
Dip (new song)
Dope Song (new song)
Baseline
Terrorist Threats
Bruiser Brigade
Piss Test
Monopoly
Blunt After Bunt
Kush Coma
Express Yourself

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

It's the first weekend of May, which means Marvel has a major film coming out. 2013's entry is Iron Man 3, which does Marvel proud and manages to be one of their best films to-date.

After a relatively disappointing second entry, the Iron Man franchise manages to get completely back on track with the third installment. This film is your prototypical Marvel film loaded with brilliant action sequences, humor and visual effects galore. It's goal is to entertain the audience for two hours and it succeeds big time. This film follows a similar blueprint as the previous films with some surprises to keep things fresh. First off, this is easily the funniest superhero film ever made. Co-writer/director Shane Black has a background in comedy (the last film he did prior to this was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which was amongst the first films Robert Downey Jr. did when he came back into acting after becoming sober in 2004) and flexes his comedy muscles on the biggest stage he's ever had with great success. The humor works incredibly well and while it's over-the-top at times, the jokes never stop being enjoyable (aka there is no sad attempts at humor like the Tony Stark/Colonel Rhodes house fight scene in Iron Man 2.) There is also a different approach to the villains in this film which I liked a lot. The first two films were essentially just Iron Man fighting people in similar suits as him, but this time around we get two non-suited villains in The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), which was refreshing. Both make great foes for Iron Man and although a lot of comic book fans disagree, I really liked the direction they took The Mandarin in. The characterization of The Mandarin was an unexpected twist that hasn't been done in any other comic book film and Kingsley absolutely nails the role with a lot of energy and his typical grand demeanor . Though some things are different,  the beating heart of the film is still Robert Downey Jr. His portrayal of Tony Stark is excellent as always. Stark is an arrogant, sarcastic, wealthy jackass who Downey gives an inherit likability and makes him one of the most memorable heroes in superhero movie history. Downey was born to play this role and his pitch-perfect performance as Stark is at the root of his triumphant comeback over the past five years. Iron Man 3 is a thrilling, surprisingly hilarious, action-packed ride that kicks the summer of 2013 off with one of the most fun blockbusters in years.

4.5/5 Stars  

R.I.P Jeff Hanneman

I'm still in shock over the sudden passing of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman yesterday. Hanneman is responsible for some of the greatest music ever made in my humble opinion and he was a large part of why Slayer is such a great band. I was fortunate enough to see him play live once in 2009 and that performance is particularly special due to his untimely death. Jeff's immense contributions to the genre will never be forgotten and his music will continue to influence newer bands for generations to come. Be sure to blast some Slayer to honor the life of this heavy metal icon. R.I.P Jeff and be sure to say hi to Dimebag and Dio for us.

Album Review: Kid Cudi-Indicud

Kid Cudi never fails to frustrate. His third full-length record, Indicud, like the rest of his material, shows flashes of promise, but ultimately fails to get off the ground.

Indicud has many of the same problems as his previous work while simultaneously introducing new ones. Cudi's biggest issue is his continued lyrical problems. He just simply can not produce good lyrics. Although he thankfully for the most part gets away from the stupid weed lyrics that dominated his older material, he fails to bring anything interesting to the table lyrically. His half-assed observations on love and brag raps are just plain weak and self-indulgent. I do commend him for changing it up a bit lyrically on this record, unfortunately he still falls short in that department. Indicud also sees Kid Cudi trying to branch out in a poppier direction by incorporating more singing into his music. Although it's a nice idea, the execution isn't particularly strong. Don't get me wrong, he has a half-decent voice, but it's not nearly strong enough to carry an entire song (tracks like "Immortal" and "Unfuckwittable" were tedious as all hell due to the amount of singing on them.) His last record, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr.Rager made much better use of his singing without overdoing to the point where it just became bland.

Indicud is not without it's strengths though. The production, as always, is top-notch. Cudi's handles all of the production (save for one collaboration with Hit-Boy on the incredibly catchy "Red Eye".) himself and this is definitely where he shines as an artist. He has a flair for making interesting, psychedelic beats that create a really nice atmosphere. Every beat on this album catches your attention and keeps you listening even when the songs fall short. Cudi may not be a gifted lyricist, but he sure as hell is a gifted producer. There is also some points on this record where Cudi's lofty ambitions outside of hip-hop actually work out. The guest spots from indie acts Father John Misty (a.k.a J.Tillman) and Haim on "Young Lady" and the aforementioned "Red Eye" are amongst the brightest moments of the entire album. Their styles are completely opposite from Cudi's, but they somehow mesh incredibly well and make for some unexpected fun moments that standout above the majority of the record. Although these guest spots are great, the best guest spot (and moment) on the record is from hip-hop's current torchbearer Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick never fails to deliver 110% fury on each and every track he appears on. No matter how big or small the verse, he delivers the goods and proves once again why he is amongst hip-hop's elite. Not to be completely outdone by the young gun, hip-hop icon RZA manages to spit a couple of quality verses on "Beez", which is essentially just his song as the grizzled veteran pulls the rhyming weight while Cudi only provides support singing the hook.

Indicud is unfortunately just another run-of-the-mill effort from Kid Cudi. The beats are proficient as always and there's some solid guest spots, but Cudi doesn't do anything thing to fix the lingering lyrical problems that have haunted his music for his entire career. The pop elements and enhanced focus on singing instead of rapping doesn't do him any favors either. I will admit that save for "Girls", "Unfuckwittable" and "Immortal", none of these tracks are god awful, but they sadly only rarely rise above average. Cudi continues to waste his potential and the lack of progress in his music is incredibly frustrating, his easygoing flow and production are far too good to keep consistently churning out such mediocre albums.

2.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Solo Dolo, Part II (ft.Kendrick Lamar)
2.Young Lady (ft.Father John Misty)
3.Beez (ft.RZA)     

May in Film

The Summer movie season is officially upon us! May, as usual, is mostly comprised of major tentpole films that sets the tone for the next 4 months in the world of cinema. Here are my thoughts on the entire slate of May films.

Films I want to see:
5.Now You See Me (5/31)-The idea of a magician heist movie is very original and intriguing to me. The cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher and Michael Caine is absolutely phenomenal. Hopefully it doesn't drop the ball with its cool concept.

4.The Hangover Part III (5/24)-Yes Part II wasn't as good as the first. Yes Part II was essentially the same concept as the first. That being said, Part II was still very amusing and more than enough to get me to want to spend another round with the wolf pack. The concept this go-round is a bit different as they don't get drunk and loose someone and the trailer is undoubtedly funny and looks a bit darker in it's humor than the other two installments. I'm very excited to see how Todd Philips decides to wrap-up this franchise.

3.Iron Man 3 (5/3)-Marvel again kicks off the summer movie season with Iron Man 3. Iron Man 2 was a bit disappointing after the excellent first installment, but I am pretty confident that writer/director Shane Black will get the franchise back on track. The early reception has been very positive and the film looks like it could be in the top tier of Marvel films.

2.Fast and Furious 6 (5/24)-Fast Five was easily the best of the franchise and was my 2nd favorite film of 2011. Coming off that triumph with the same writer and director in tow and a explosive trailer, Fast and Furious 6 has all the making of another potential top-notch action flick.

1.Star Trek: Into Darkness (5/17)-My most anticipated film of the entire summer. The initial remake came out of nowhere and blew me away and became one of my favorite films of all-time after multiple viewings. With J.J Abrams, screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and most of the cast still on board, this film could very well repeat that magic again.

Film I'm not sure on:
After Earth (5/31)- With M.Night Shyamalan behind the camera and a mediocre trailer, I'm a bit wary to see this. However, the presence of Will Smith and screenwriter Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli) peeks my interest enough to probably check it out at some point in time.

Film I have zero interest in seeing:
The Great Gatsby (5/10)- I despise the book and director Baz Luhrmann, even a solid cast with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton doesn't pique my interest towards the film.

Peeples (5/10)-Craig Robinson is the man, but Tyler Perry's involvement in the production all but assures that this will a forgettable film.

Epic (5/24)-A kid's movies that just simply doesn't look like my thing.