Back in Blue

"Whatever it Takes." That's the motto of the St. Louis Blues. Owner John Davidson has done just that to get Blues fans back. And it has worked. Hockey is big in St. Louis again, and that is quite a feat. The Lou is a/the baseball town. There have been few times in my lifetime that the Cardinals have not been the main focus on the STL sports page. The Blues' effort on and off the ice made fans watch. Especially after the last piece of the puzzle was put in place--a playoff team. The end of the Blues season actually overshadowed Cardinals opening day. What led to this unimaginable accomplishment? For the first time since the NHL lockout, the Blues had what it took. Thanks to a wave of youth, the Blues were one of the (if not the) hottest team in the NHL in the second half of the season. T.J. Oshie quickly became a fan favorite with his big hits, highlight reel goals and two-night thrashing of Rick Nash. David Backes' astonishing four-goal effort led to a W in a crucial game against the Red Wings. Even without Erik Johnson, Paul Kariya and Eric Brewer, the Blues were able to cook up a playoff appearance with the help of the youngsters Oshie, Backes, Patrik Berglund and David Perron mixed with some stellar goaltending by Chris Mason. Yes, they got swept by the Canucks in the first round of playoffs, but the club has a bright future. It has solid goaltending, a suberb young cast and, once again, an enthusiastic fanbase. This could be what it takes to earn the first Stanley Cup for the Blue Note.

Caution: Gruesome Pimple Metaphor Ahead

Dear Reader(s),

I am here to pop the blogless zit that has rested for far too many days on my journalistic face. Oozing out will be some hockey commentary (a first for HBLB), a CD review (subject TBA) and a new series entitled: "Alphabetical Awesomeness," in which I will decide for each letter which band/artist is the best of the bunch whose names begin with that letter.

Blogging: my Proactiv. (take that, Jessica Simpson)

REVIEW: "Even If It Kills Me" - Motion City Soundtrack

Here's what you've all been waiting for: the long-awaited review of Motion City Soundtrack's "Even If It Kills Me" (or maybe I'm just flattering myself). The CD gets off to a surprisingly weak start with "Fell In Love Without You." This is a decent pop song and even gives a great lyric: "only time will tell if violins will swell in memory of what we used to call in love." The problem? A gut wrenching key change towards the end of the track. Personally, I had to to restrain myself from slamming my iPod against my forehead. Luckily, the song is salvaged in the infinitely better acoustic version of the song (sans key change), which is included in bonus track version of the CD. Batting second is "This Is For Real," a weak track that demands comparisons to (wince) Plain White T's. After these two bumps in the road, however, EIIKM morphs into an above average pop album. There's no doubt this record is saturated with pop, but unlike the T's, Motion City manages to create pop songs with soul and substance. Lead singer Justin Pierre's incredible range mixes with poignant lyrics to produce soaring melodies soaked in sugary pop goodness. There's nothing quite as catchy as "Everything Is Alright" (MCS's hit from their album "Commit This To Memory), but "Broken Heart" comes dang close. That is perhaps this album's biggest flaw. Not enough of the songs are instantly catchy, which is usually the goal of the pop genre. However, unlike most pop bands, Motion City Soundtrack has something to fall back on; be it Pierre's vocals, the poetically ironic lyrics (i.e. "You're too afraid to face the outcome. Quite likely, you're a failure. It's a sh*tty thing to say, but hey man, the clock is ticking") or the driving, hand-clapping beats. Overall this is a very good, but not great CD. Its better than most pop out there, but its not quite at the same level as Motion City's other material.

CD I'M LISTENING TO: (see above)

CD I NEED TO GET: "Incredibad" - The Lonely Island

CD I WANT TO GET: "Fashion Nugget" - Cake

CD I'M INTERESTED IN: "NOW That's What I Call Power Ballads"

Taking a Dive Into the Swamp of Addiction That I Am Assuming Is Fantasy Baseball

I've decided to try fantasy baseball for the upcoming season. I created my own league and am currently attempting to enlist friends. This is my first ever stab at the fantasy game. I am representing Isaac Bruce Springsteen with my team, mostly because I'm the only person who would...but nonetheless, I will do my best to represent my reader(s) with Team7. No pressure. More updates should be coming your way throughout the '09 MLB season, so keep on reading, por favor.

MOVIE TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS: The Haunting of Molly Hartley. This movie concludes with everyone becoming demons fated for eternal damnation--AND THEY'RE HAPPY ABOUT IT!!! Sorry to spoil the already spoiled ending, but no scary movie (if you can even categorize this film as such) should end with a graduation scene backed by happy music.