this is the theatre where i watched it, also with a packed crowd, and it was absolutely incredible. i started going to Carlton (instead of the arguably nicer Market Square, which we used to go to when my ex worked nearby) because it's the closest, but i think it's my favourite now too.
absolutely correct take on the Tragically Hip and "Nautical Disaster" imo
that's one of my favourite things about it/them! "Grace, Too" gets treated like it's a pop song up here! "people get too weird about this band but they are actually very good" is absolutely correct
apologies to Switzerland and Ivory Coast, but my bonus is going here. just have to decide between Tunisia's extremely compelling, totally revamped take on the classic "synthpop" offense or my pre-existing love for Tove Styrke's classic fundamentals. 1-1 draw, but very fun; great day of matches.
the Netherlands are going to get some "I'm sorry, I wasn't familiar with your game"s from the crowd after this one; the Japanese side is solid defensively but get steamrolled a bit (and I bet Dio would sound great rapping over the Hino track). 4-2, the Dutch take the lead early and don't look back.
yellow card to Germany for delaying the restart of play here. great passing, beautiful passing, but even at the 17-minute mark you're waiting for them to do more with the ball. Curaçao only need to get lucky once; their off-kilter offense lets them capitalize on the chances they're able to create.
ultimately this really is a game of two halves; in the first it really seemed like Toto & Arii could overwhelm LaTorre's canny, subtle play with sheer energy, but it turns out they misjudged and play the second half gassed (having already used their subs), and the 1-0 result feels inevitable
really hard to see in advance how two such different but strong play styles will react to each other; you can imagine LaTorre coolly fending off the offensive surges of the Ivorian squad, but equally so them darting right around the Ecuadorian defense.
hard to imagine the rest of the day 2 matches equaling the effervescent energy of this one. both young squads show off stellar offensive nous and play, the crowd going nuts as they trade goals. Sahera goes up 5-4 just before time, but there's a possibly dodgy offsides ruling, could be a draw.
* this is not nearly as true in music as it is in football; there are plenty of Brazilian songs I've heard here I like or even love, but the big names, especially from the 60s, often leave me cold.
in football as in music, i simply do not root for Brazil no matter how successful or popular they are.* here it's moot, as a fun fuzz guitar can't lift the plodding tune enough to effectively counter the extremely fleet and fun to watch passing of the underdog Moroccan side
"Better in Blak" has solid previous form and still moves deftly here, but "Laziko" shows off a commendable amount of energy on its first appearance. its consistent, needling attack gives it an early lead and although Plum fights back, in the second half Aykol gets a hat trick to seal it 3-1.
this one was tough to call right down to the end, especially for those of us with a fondness for the "synthpop" style offense used by Scotland. "The Magician" earning the first Golden Beat of the tourney lets it slip past after an exciting 90 minutes, though
given how her novels made me wish i could look up political/historical/social/etc context on her future world, i can only imagine this one is great, yeah
facing the injury-plagued but formidable US squad, Paraguay has made a canny pick here, playing an intricate and harmonious defensive game to blunt whatever the Yanks field. it almost works, but Caton and co. pile on the fireworks to get a late 2-1 result.
the metaphor breaks down a bit in that 1. the rapped bits of "To Me Radi" just make me want to go listen to "Kdo??" again 2. I am obviously irretrievably biased for all three Canadian songs 3. it's my nom innit. I'm giving "Nautical Disaster" my vote and bonus but let's say 5-4 on penalties
South Korea is feared and loved for good reason, and they've got lots of flashy big-name players, but the Czech side are surprisingly, fearlessly unintimidated and start strong, just clinching an exciting opener 4-3.
the beat of Soweto is indeed indestructible, but does that mean it's unbeatable? could have gone either way, a tense and compelling match, but Mexico edges it 1-0 in injury time
ok, so if you're confirming that it doesn't go some places I _really_ didn't expect, then it's very odd to see it here
huh. I really love her novels and I want to read Inventing the Renaissance, but it does seem a bit out of place here.
Love this from @passionweiss.bsky.social ‘s announcement
the sound i just made was not dignified
so were the missing pages in the manual deliberate, or was that just luck?
ffs
look it's no "welcome to my life" by simple plan
funnily(?) enough, the experience that really made this sink in for me was working at the university newspaper, getting the equivalent of a Bad President, and realizing all of the rules we had presumed good intent from all involved (and how easily bad actors could therefore fuck things up)
AT THE HEART OF MODERN CULTURE, A NIGHTMARISH VOID
Me, in @currentaffairs.bsky.social
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-ban...
i think it's just my algorithms since i interact w feminist content and this stuff often cloaks itself in that philosophy, but the fatalistic gender essentialism being fed to young women on social media rn is SO bleak
my contribution: