Match of the Season

The stage is set for the biggest match of the Premier League season so far. The red and blue halves of Manchester will face each other tonight in a confrontation that will have a huge impact on who wins the title this year.

The match was always going to be a big occasion, but its taken on a new significance since Man United's unexpected and uncharacteristic 4-4 draw with Everton last Sunday; a result that let City move back to just three points behind United, and gave the Sky Blues renewed hope that they could still be crowned champions for the first time since 1968.

Pundits and journalists are calling this the biggest game in the Premier League's history, and although I don't agree with that (Personally I think Man United and Arsenal have probably had the biggest matches), no football fan can deny the excitement and anticipation that has been building throughout the last week.

Whatever happens, its sure to be interesting. As well as the football, I'm looking forward to seeing what video montages Sky Sports have come up with. I know its bound to be something suitably epic that expresses the gravity and importance of the match; my money's on some kind of gladiator theme (the Roman kind, not the John Fashanu "Awooga"/rubbish Sky revival version). I'm also waiting to see whether Gary Neville will better his 'goalgasm' from last week's Chelsea-Barcelona match if United manage to get a killer winning goal.

The game itself is a tough one to call; City are in great form, and have scored 12 goals in their last three matches since losing 1-0 to Arsenal on 8 April. Man United's defence has been questioned after that draw with Everton, and everything will rest on whether it can hold up against the strike partnership of Sergio Aguero, a striker in top form who has had a blinding first season in the Premier League, and Carlos Tevez, who has come back from exile and gone straight back to being an integral part of the team.

Despite City's firepower however, I have a sneaking suspicion that Man United will come away with a result. United don't need to win, whereas City do. A draw would be good for United, keeping them three points clear, with only two games to go.

Manchester United have all the experience of being in this position at the end of the season, I've seen them hold off rivals when it matters for the last 20 years; its what United do. I won't be surprised at all to see Fergie smiling at the end of 90 minutes.

6 Star Albums

Once in a while, an album comes along that is quality all the way through. There aren't many better things in life for me than discovering a new favourite album. I want to share that feeling, and so I want to make some personal recommendations, from me, to you, of albums you might not have heard. On iTunes, ratings go up to 5 stars, but these... I call them 6 Star Albums...

Part 1: Total Life Forever - Foals

Total Life Forever was released in 2010 by Oxford's finest export, Foals; the second studio album from the group. Fittingly described by the band as sounding "like the dream of an eagle dying", it has an emotional vibe running through it that really appeals to me.

The album opens with the excellent 'Blue Blood'; a hymn to the angst of adolescence, tinged with both sadness and hope, with an accompanying video that sums up all the feelings the track attempts to convey.

Another stand-out song is 'Black Gold'; personally my favourite track on the album, with its unorthodox structure that takes the listener on a journey from a relatively upbeat beginning, through an instrumental breakdown, to an atmospheric and slightly dark conclusion.

The album as a whole carries the feeling of teenage life and its agonies and ecstasies, with another song, 'This Orient', striking me as a song dedicated to the joy of new love. 

This is an an album that is well worth a listen by anyone who remembers the awkwardness of their teenage years. Its thoughtful and well crafted, and an excellent listen from start to finish. Cop it.

Classico KO?

Well... hands up who was expecting that? The first leg of the Champions League semi-finals are done, and Chelsea and Bayern Munich, the two teams most people would have seen as underdogs, ended up with unexpected wins. I was expecting a Barcelona-Real Madrid classico final, but that may not be on the cards any more.

Bayern gave a strong performance against Real on Tuesday, spurred on by their fans and by the fact that the final is in their home stadium. They do have the ability and the players to win this tie, but Real have their away goal and I expect them to score at home. Jose Mourinho will be quietly confident of robbing Bayern of their fairytale final.

Chelsea beat Barca with a goal that came from good work by Ramires, who did well to make a pass to Drogba while falling over, with Drogba finishing calmly first time and showing more of the recent good form that Chelsea will miss if he leaves this summer.

From there, Chelsea's stubborn defending won it for them, shown by the fact they didn't have a single shot in the entire second half. Barcelona should definitely have scored, hitting the post and crossbar, and having several other good chances they would expect to put away. Lionel Messi was kept locked down for most of the match and continued a run of never having scored against Chelsea.

For Chelsea to get anything in this match they needed their senators, Terry, Drogba, and Lampard to have good games, and they did that. Ashley Cole and Petr Cech also gave solid performances, with Cech making some important saves. Chelsea will need that same solidarity next week, when they can look forward to a siege in Barca's Nou Camp. I expect them to face an onslaught, but I wouldn't put it past them to nick an away goal that I don't think Barcelona would be able to overcome.

The Beginning

Welcome to BlogLife, a window on music, football, and whatever else I find worthy of writing about. I'm probably more interested than anyone to see what I come up with, so come with me, lets find out.