Search Results

We take a different turn for this week's Album Of The Week and come to one which is fifteen years old this year. For the first time, we take a look at some punk-rock with Green Day's American Idiot, hailing from 2004. Now, I haven't listened to an awful lot of Green Day and they've only been a semi-recent discovery. However, it quickly headed to the top of my playlist. I'd been oblivious to some of their harder stuff and so, this acted as a marvellous introduction. I'd heard the likes of Jesus Of Suburbia beforehand, which is what I'd define as a "punk-prog track" - it's got the length and multiple parts, like a progressive rock song does, but the actual substance of it is more punk-orientated. Even as a standalone song, it's superb. American Idiot is a perfect example of a concept album and it's fantastic. Described as a "punk rock opera" by many, telling the story of the Jesus Of Suburbia, a lower-middle class adolescent anti-hero and his journey through a metropolitan city, being influenced by the first man he meets, St. Jimmy. The energetic introduction of St. Jimmy from the self-titled song comes in like an aggressive kick in the teeth. Opening title track, American Idiot sets a punk-driven political scene for the rest of the album. It's a fast-paced, reckless and attacks coverage of the Iraq War by what lead-singer, Billie Joe Armstrong called these "Geraldo-like journalists in the tanks with the soldiers, getting the play-by-play", critiquing the line that American journalists crossed between impartial reporting and reality-television. The juxtaposition of "faggot" and "America" is also particularly interesting, with the song giving a voice to the disenfranchised, according to Mike Dirnt. The suite of Holiday/Boulevard Of Broken Dreams is one of the best parts of the album. Holiday is especially aggressive in both the powerful riff and blunt vocal delivery. It's another politically-driven song, poking at the American apathy of world situations going on around them and moreover, the principles behind American conservatism. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams is musically similar to Wonderwall by Oasis according to some, but it's sombre and a much darker track than its predecessor. Green Day themselves describe it as a 'hangover" from the "party" of Holiday. The album isn't without its much darker, more emotional sections either with Wake Me Up When September Ends taking centre-stage. It chronicles the ten year old Armstrong's traumatic and difficult time after the passing of his father in September 1982. The song bears little relation to the central plot-line of American Idiot but it's one of Green Day's most signature efforts and it's a song you can't really help but get emotional over. We've all been there with family losses and this is one of the most relatable in their back catalogue. It's one to be proud of. Overall, American Idiot is a truly wonderful album that pokes fun at the American politics of the time, the Iraq War and the menial nature of inner-city life. It's an LP that details the idea of coming-of-age and since it all flows from one into the other, a bad track is absolutely nowhere to be seen. For those who like this genre and haven't yet given it a listen, I'd highly recommend they do. An absolute masterpiece. If you want to pick up a copy, I’ll leave an Amazon link here: https://amzn.to/3hWoK8X Or, if you’d prefer, here’s a Spotify link: More musical magnificence to come next week! UNTITLED may earn an affiliate commission when you purchase through the links on our site. Find out more here.

As you'll see from some of our other technology posts here at UNTITLED, we're avid Apple users and it appeared that Apple had been going the right way with regards to the USB-C cable switchover on their new iPads. However, news reached us of a slowdown in Apple sales as demand in particularly the Chinese market has not been performing up to its usual standards. Apple hold a rather large market share in China, as they do worldwide and so, for them to lose out on a large sector in China could prove detrimental to the valuation of the business. The forecasted sales of $89 billion may seem like a large amount to the average consumer for a business, but for Apple's investors, they are proving to be rather hard people to please. The three months up to the 29th December, the festive period, is usually one the strongest for Apple as people wish to buy new iPhones or iPads for example for their friends or family. Apple, towards the back end of 2018, had share prices drop a further 7%, which is a rather large amount. The meteoric rise of the smartphone contributed to Apple's massive successes and with the stagnation of the market, Apple will slow down with it. People do not necessarily wish to upgrade incessantly, as they would have done a few years ago. To be honest, the prices of iPhones now are absolutely ridiculous and so constant upgrading isn't as economically viable as it once was. Moreover, with the rise of Android-based firms such as Huawei, Apple's market share in China specifically has decreased rather a lot. In the first three quarters of 2018, Apple's market share dwindled from around 8% to just below 5%, whilst Huawei's was on the rise, and at the time of the report being published, sat at around 16%. The trade war between the USA and China has most likely caused this as Chinese consumers boycott US products. This is despite the fact that Apple products are made in China by Foxconn, along with some of the other colossal American tech-giants, such as Intel and Google. The issues Apple have faced are not just in China itself; they're also in the Greater China area, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. Apple CEO Tim Cook in his letter to investors stated that "most of our [Apple's] revenue shortfall to our guidance, and over 100 percent of our year-over-year worldwide revenue decline, occurred in Greater China across iPhone, Mac and iPad." Apple, in my opinion, needs to lessen its rather aggressive pricing strategy. This would be in order to compete with the likes of Android-based firms such as Huawei who hold some competitive advantages over Apple's iconic iPhones. Their new effort, the P20 Pro, hailed by Stuff as "the best phone in the world right now" shows that Android phones are catching up and bettering their iOS-based counterparts. I've been an Android fan for a hell of a long time; currently sitting by me is a Google Pixel Two. Don't get me wrong, it's a great phone, but it's the closest I've ever come to an iPhone. There's no expandable memory, nor does it come with a headphone jack. This, to me, is a hardship, especially because I listen to a lot of music and need the storage. iPhones have always suffered from the pitfall of having a fixed memory capacity and it's not something I could really live with, knowing the phone's cost is in excess of a thousand pounds. The fact that Huawei have practically double the market share that Apple does in China shows that people are moving away from the brand conformity associated with Apple, to newer and potentially superior smartphones. So, where do Apple go next? In recent news, Apple are trying to improve their service side to the business, with Tim Cook in his open letter stating that trading phones into Apple stores will be made easier, along with the assistance of data transfer from current models to new when consumers wish to change. Cook described it as "great for the environment....,great for the consumer...and great for developers". It appears that Apple are using a tripartite system of support and satisfaction, by helping the environment, consumers and developers all in one go. Of course, all of this helps Apple, their brand image and above all, continues to enhance their already colossal popularity as a business. Despite the massive macroeconomic implications on Apple's business activity, they know that the business will come out of this mess soon. This debacle is only temporary. Apple will just continue to do what they're doing. It's all brand loyalty. Some things never change.

Following from last week's recent indie rock, comes an album that is one of the most complete I've ever heard. For this week's 'Album Of The Week', we return to the progressive rock genre this time for Genesis' 1976 masterpiece A Trick Of The Tail. Continuing on from the departure of Peter Gabriel and the successes of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway in 1975, Genesis decided to take their music in a new, more refined direction whilst also keeping the quirky nature of the tracks themselves. Squonk in particular, details the famous Pennsylvanian legend of a hunter catching this mythical creature. It's rather sinister with Steve Hackett's lead guitar notes and the vocal from Phil Collins is crisp and crystal-clear. The brilliant ending track Los Endos, a particular favourite of the die-hard Genesis fans, was a live staple for Genesis for many years. Even on their 'reunion' tour in 2007, Los Endos was played almost every night. It's an exceptional track and in my opinion, is one of the best progressive-rock tracks full-stop. Despite albums such as Selling England By The Pound receiving acclaim by fans, by comparison A Trick Of The Tail doesn’t really get much of a look-in. That’s a shame. It’s my favourite Genesis album as it’s one of the best collections of their work I’ve ever heard. Songs like the wonderfully-named Robbery Assault & Battery are more of a comedy record than anything else but despite their lighter feel by comparison to some of the drudgery on other bands' albums, its absurdity is what makes it so tremendous. There are the more emotional elements, as is the case with some prog-rock albums (see Marillion's Script For A Jester's Tear) on numbers such as Entangled and its delicate and sumptuous guitar notes give it such a brilliant foundation for the vocal to be built upon, like a magnificent gothic cathedral spire. Ripples is also a highlight with its resemblance to the work of Jethro Tull and moreover, it's a softer track by comparison to Dance On A Volcano, the album's opener. As an album, A Trick Of The Tail is one that I would recommend to both the die-hard progressive rock fans and also those looking for something a tad left-field to try. There's really not much to pick up on in the way of criticisms either; Phil Collins' vocals are outstanding and the instrumentation makes the album one of the most complete of all time. If you want to pick up a copy, I’ll leave an Amazon link here: https://amzn.to/304YjYl Or, if you’d prefer, here’s a Spotify link: More musical magnificence to come next week! UNTITLED may earn an affiliate commission when you purchase through the links on our site. Find out more here.

Following on from yesterday's Part One, here is the second part of the January transfer window round-up from Leicester to Wolves. Let's get into it! Leicester - Only the one incoming transfer for the Foxes this window with the loan signings of future star Youri Tielemans from AS Monaco. Tielemans was hyped up during his time at Anderlecht in Belgium but has very much failed to live up to expectations since moving to Monaco. Hopefully he can gain a fresh start in the Premier League. This deal has seen Adrien Silva move the other way to AS Monaco on loan, along with permanent departures for Vicente Iborra (Villareal) and Yohan Benalouane (Notts Forest). Other departures for Leicester were loan deals for youth and fringe players such as Callum Elder and Andy King. Liverpool - Much like their Merseyside rivals, Jurgen Klopp's men have no incoming signings and have only sold or loaned players out. Most notably is the £19 million sale of Dominic Solanke to Bournemouth that was covered yesterday and the sale of Lazar Markovic to Fulham. Other fringe players have been loaned out, such as Nathaniel Clyne to Bournemouth and Ovie Ejaria to Reading. Manchester City - The Citizens have made the one long-term signing this window with the £7 million acquisition of Ante Palaversa from Hadjuk Split in Croatia. He's an eighteen year old prospect who can play as a midfielder and has been capped at youth level from the Under-14s right up to the Under-19s, where he has achieved 11 caps and scored three goals. Palaversa has gone straight back to Hadjuk Split. There's also been a permanent departure in the way of wonderkid Brahim Diaz to Spanish giants Real Madrid for £22 million - hopefully he will be able to continue his development and gain useful experience. Other than that, City have loaned out youth talents such Anthony Caceres and Yangel Herrera. Manchester United - No new arrivals at Old Trafford for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first Premier League transfer window and there's only loan departures to speak of, most notably for Regan Poole to Notts County and Zak Dearnley to Oldham Athletic. Newcastle - Mike Ashley's men have been our busiest side so far, making two rather good signings. First comes the loan deal for Italian left-back Antonio Barreca from AS Monaco to bolster their defensive capablilities. He seems like a good fit for Newcastle, being able to be deployed as a wing-back with good vision, pace and crossing ability. This window also saw the Magpies break their club transfer record with the £21 million signing of Paraguayan attacking midfielder Miguel Almiron from MLS side Atlanta United. Almiron comes highly-rated from the USA and was apparently courted by the likes of Arsenal earlier in the window. I bet Rafa Benitez is happy that Newcastle have got their man and he should be able to add that flair and creativity that they have often lacked in the last few years. As always, departures are all loans for fringe players such as Jacob Murphy to West Brom and the double swoop from Sheffield Wednesday for Rolando Aarons and Achraf Lazaar. Southampton - Ralph Hassenhuttl's side made no signings this window and didn't just allow for loans by way of departures. Italian forward Manolo Gabbiadini has returned to his home nation to Sampdoria for an undisclosed fee and both Ryan Seager and Adam Parkes have left on free transfers, to Yeovil and Watford respectively. There have been loan deals for first-teamers Wesley Hoedt and Cedric Soares to Celta Vigo and Inter Milan. Tottenham - With their lack of signings at either opportunity this season, Spurs become the first team in Premier League history to go through a season without making any additions to their team. In terms of outgoings, prospect Jaden Brown has left to Huddersfield for an undisclosed fee and there's loan deals for Kaziah Sterling to Sunderland and outcast winger Georges-Kevin N'Koudou to AS Monaco for some first-team action. Watford - The Hornets made one addition to their side this January with the free signing of Adam Parkes from Southampton. Parkes is a nineteen-year-old goalkeeper who has come through the Southampton youth system and made appearances in the Premier League's development league - Premier League 2. Other than that, there's little about him online and he'll continue his development in the Watford Under-23s side. By way of outgoings, a double set of loan departures to Udinese for Stefano Okaka and Marvin Zeegelaar to give them some minutes and build their match fitness. Other departures include the permanent sale of Dion Pereira to Atalanta United in America and a loan deal for Ben Wilmot, also to Udinese. West Ham - One signing for Manuel Pellegrini on his return to the Premier League with the free acquisition of former Arsenal and Manchester City man Samir Nasri. The Hammers are Nasri's first club for the best part of eighteen months after serving a doping ban. Nasri can provide some needed squad depth for West Ham and step into the first team if needed. The usual departures of loan deals are also present here with Reece Oxford leaving back to Germany, this time with Augsburg and Vashon Neufville and Moses Makasi also left. Wolves - Wolves are the big spenders in the second-half of this breakdown with the now-permanent deal for defender Jonny Otto from Atletico Madrid for an estimated £18 million after a loan deal in the summer. Jonny was a long-term servant for Celta Vigo, making a total of 221 appearances since the age of 18; he is now 24. Youth prospect David Wang has been signed from Estudiantes in Argentina and has immediately been loaned out to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. There have been departures aplenty for the Wanderers too with the £12 million sale of former Arsenal forward Benik Afobe, along with servant Danny Batth to Stoke City and Dominic Iorfa to Sheffield Wednesday for £500,000. There have also been a few loan deals for youth and fringe players such as Michael Folivi and Ethan Ebanks-Landell. So, there we are - the Premier League January transfer window roundup is finished! All clubs now need to get cracking on scouting summer signings and getting to see if their new signings will sink or swim.

Another year goes by and another January transfer window comes and goes in a flash. An entire month for clubs to strengthen and supplement their sides at the midway point of the season. Of course, there isn't as much fuss with the January window as with the Summer one but it still has a certain degree of importance. Clubs are given a chance to reflect on the first-half of a season and spend a month deciding on whether to carry on with the current side or sell off the 'dead wood' and make space for new arrivals. In this article, we shall briefly go through all the done-deals and signings that the Premier League clubs made with a little bit of discussion too. In this one, it's the first half of the table, from Arsenal to Huddersfield. Arsenal - My beloved Arsenal made one signing this window in the form of a loan deal with Barcelona for outcast midfielder Denis Suarez. He wasn't playing much at Barcelona and has been sent to Arsenal to get more game time; however, with the midfield we have currently, I do think it'll be a tough ask. Whilst Ramsey may be leaving on a free in the Summer window, he can still be used so I just see Suarez as a bench-warmer for the next four months or so. He's a player of flair and class and has worked under Unai Emery before during his Sevilla tenure. In terms of departures, Emiliano Martinez has gone out on loan to Reading for some game-time and Emile Smith Rowe to RB Leipzig; he will be sadly missed. Bournemouth - The Cherries have been busy making a total of three signings. First up is the £12 million signing of Chris Mepham from Brentford. In my reading about Mepham, he's a Welsh international, which at the age of 21, is a feat in itself. 6ft 3 inches in size, he looks like a commanding centre-half who can partner alongside the likes of Nathan Ake to give Bournemouth a formidable defence. Next comes the £19 million spent on Liverpool forward Dominic Solanke. I've heard an awful lot about Solanke and he does seem like a good fit for Bournemouth to provide a partner for either Callum Wilson or Josh King, or a new lone-striking option. They've also raided Liverpool for the loan signing of right-back Nathaniel Clyne who can provide some valuable cover for Adam Smith, or even Ake if he's tasked with playing out there. In the way of departures, a few loans - most notably, Jermain Defoe leaving to Steven Gerrard's Rangers side and prospect Tyrone Mings is now away at Aston Villa. Brighton - The Seagulls have also been rather active in this window, signing three players. Their first signing comes in the form of Alexis Mac Allister from Argentinos Juniors on a four-and-a-half year deal, although he is being loaned back to Argentinos until the end of the season. He's an attacking midfielder with a lot of promise and for a fee rumoured to be £7 million, looks like a pretty good signing. Next up is Jan Mlakar, a Slovenian forward from Maribor who's scored 10 goals in 20 appearances and is twenty years old. That's a good goal-to-game ratio. As is evident for the above and for their last signing, Tudor-Cristian Baluta from FC Viitorul Constanta, Brighton are building for the future and for a long-term place in the Premier League. The only permanent departure came in the form of Oliver Norwood to Sheffield for an undisclosed fee, along with a couple of loans for Ben White and Markus Suttner, among other fringe or youth players. Burnley - One permanent signing for the Clarets this window with the unorthodox signing of Peter Crouch from Stoke City, with Sam Vokes going the other way. Personally, I see this as a lack of judgment from Sean Dyche as Vokes in younger and, in my opinion, better that Peter Crouch. There's little to report from Turf Moor other than this deal, apart from another couple of loan departures in James Dunne and Ali Koiki. Cardiff - The first newly promoted side in our rundown and the Bluebirds have, like a couple of teams here, made three signings. The first one to address is Argentine striker Emiliano Sala. His story is really rather heartbreaking. As news has reported, Sala has been missing for the past fortnight or so after his Piper Malibu aircraft went missing off the coast of Alderney on the 22nd January. It's unknown as to whether he is still alive or not, but the latest news is that a body has been found and there's an ongoing investigation into whose body is trapped inside the aircraft. Other signings include Oumar Niasse from Everton on an undisclosed fee, along with the £3 million arrival of Leandro Bacuna from Reading. In terms of outgoings, again, there's loan deals for a few fringe players. Chelsea - Some big news from the Blues as Maurizio Sarri brought back old compatriot Gonzalo Higuain whom he managed during his tenure at Napoli. Higuain could solve the current striking crisis that Chelsea have with the fact that none of their forwards seem able to finish their chances, especially Alvaro Morata. Along with Higuain, Sarri has purchased starlet Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund but will be loaned back to them for the remainder of the season. Pulisic will provide some competition for the right-wing spot alongside Willian and is indeed a long term signing. Some clever business from Maurizio Sarri. Leaving the club this month are most notably Alvaro Morata on loan to Atletico Madrid and Cesc Fabregas joining AS Monaco on a free transfer, along with a few more. Crystal Palace - No club so far hasn't been dormant so to speak and the Eagles carry on the trend with three signings of their own. Winger Bakary Sako has returned for a second stint at the club, alongside Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea to give him some valuable game time. There's also the loan arrival of goalkeeper Luca Perri from Sao Paulo in Brazil. Palace are experiencing a goalkeeping injury crisis with both Wayne Hennessey and Vicente Guaita out on the sidelines. Long-time servant Jason Puncheon has left on loan to Huddersfield along with some other loan deals and Jonny Williams has left to Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed amount. Everton - There's no new arrivals at Goodison Park for Marco Silva's side and only loan departures to speak of. Kieran Dowell has gone to Sheffield United and the most notable is Yannick Bolasie going to Anderlecht in the hope of gaining some valuable minutes. Fulham - Craven Cottage has seen the arrival of three new players, including two former Liverpool wingers, who have joined Claudio Ranieri's set up, both on permanent deals. The Dutchman Ryan Babel has joined from Besiktas in Turkey to provide a quick option on the left-hand-side, whilst Serbian Lazar Markovic has finally been let go by Liverpool after numerous failed loan moves in the past few years. The other signing the Cottagers have made is a loan move of centre-half Havard Nordtveit of TSG Hoffenheim, formerly of West Ham United and Arsenal many years ago. After their large spending spree in the summer, Fulham have looked to increase first-team quality and appear to have done so with these deals. By way of departures, both Aboubakar Kamara and Elijah Adebayo have left on loan. Huddersfield - Our final club for today, the Terriers, have made three signings, two of which are permanent. The only loan deal is for Crystal Palace stalwart and attacking midfielder Jason Puncheon who could provide some use if Huddersfield decide to change from their current 4-3-3 system, or if they push one of the flat midfielders forward, they could operate with a more attacking three-pronged system. Their two paid deals are for Karlan Grant from Charlton Athletic and Jaden Brown from Spurs; both players are young talents with Grant a striker and Brown an England Under-19s left back. As has become the common theme in this window, most clubs seem to be building for the not-too-distant future. Their outgoings are, like always seemingly, loan deals with Jaden Brown spending the rest of the season at Exeter and first-teamers Ramadan Sobhi and Rajiv Van La Parra going to Al Ahly and Middlesbrough respectively. That's the first half of our transfer round-up complete! Be sure to come back tomorrow for the second half that will span from Leicester to Wolves!

Following on from last week's alternative masterclass comes a rather up-to-date entry for our Album Of The Week feature - it's indie rock outfit Wolf Alice's seminal 2017 album Visions Of A Life. Now, I'd been introduced to the wonderful Wolf Alice around eighteen months ago by my best friend when this second album dropped. They'd recommended them to me as I'd been listening to Green Day and Arctic Monkeys by this point and in my view, Wolf Alice fit somewhere in-between those two rock giants. This album is a perfect mix of attitude, punch and contemporary art rock. Opener Heavenward presents Ellie Rowsell as this dreamy, laid-back lead singer and the song itself features some wonderful drum-work from Joel Amey behind the kit. His work on the rest of the album is simply brilliant and this track in particular highlights his ability. The vocal is high, like a one-woman choir and I have to commend Ellie's vocals on the rest of the album too. Beautifully Unconventional is an amazing song with its crisp feel and ominous, yet jazzy bass tones. There's emotion aplenty that can be found too, with Don't Delete The Kisses being the stand-out track of the entire album and the conversational delivery is reminiscent of Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys. Formidable Cool is raunchy in delivery and the work from Joff Oddie on lead guitar is absolutely admirable. The vocal is cold-hearted but packs plenty of punch on the refrain and towards the end of the track, Rowsell really does go for it. It's my favourite track on the album with its sinister feel and haunting lyrical delivery. What's great about this album is the variety of songs. Stompers such as the wonderfully abusive Yuk Foo, which I would describe as an idyllic, modern punk record, are balanced out by the closing title track that I would put under more of the progressive banner, both in terms of length and variation within the song itself. It carries attitude in its instrumentation and in particular, the dark guitar notes that are juxtaposed by a lighter vocal from Rowsell. It culminates in this large wall of noise that is also there when played live. Moreover, there's some real energy to be found with tracks such as Space And Time which is an outstanding song to hear played live and their performance at TRNSMT Festival last year was especially brilliant. I completely run out of superlatives when describing this album to people and wish for everyone to heap as much praise as is physically possible onto these guys from Islington. Many artists in the past have suffered from what the music industry calls second-album-syndrome where their second effort is by no means as good as their first. Artists such as The Strokes (Room On Fire) and Franz Ferdinand (You Could Have It So Much Better) have suffered with this affliction and Wolf Alice have only got better in my book with this masterpiece. It's one I'd recommend to all our readers if you want something fresh, new and, in my eyes, absolutely perfect. Great work guys! If you want to pick up a copy, I’ll leave an Amazon link here: https://amzn.to/2CMvZRV Or, if you’d prefer, here’s a Spotify link: More musical magnificence to come next week! UNTITLED may earn an affiliate commission when you purchase through the links on our site. Find out more here.

Being an Arsenal supporter, it was rather amusing to watch the downfall of Jose Mourinho at Manchester United just before the turn of the New Year. My dislike for Jose Mourinho, because I find him an arrogant man, has been deeply rooted for a good few years, so to be honest I wasn't sad to see the back of him. Interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has since stepped in and that begs the question, has he solved the Man United crisis? Manchester United's start to the 2018/19 season was their worst for twenty-six years and featured Mourinho's heaviest home defeat in history - a 3-0 demolition job at the hands of a clinical Tottenham Hotspur side. The calls for his departure were ringing around social media and the supposed replacement was former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, but this was just a pipe-dream. Form soon recovered with back-to-back away wins against Burnley and Watford, although judging by the scorelines of the Mourinho-era games, performances weren't convincing. Exit Mourinho, enter Solskjaer. Since his appointment, Manchester United have won all of their games barring their latest draw against Burnley. The 5-1 thrashing of Cardiff City set a precedent for the rest of his tenure thus far and it's the first time that United had scored five goals since the the time of Sir Alex Ferguson. This came during Fergie's final game in-charge in May 2013 with a 5-5 draw with West Bromwich Albion. It appears Solskjaer has got more out of star midfielder Paul Pogba in his limited time as manager, than Jose ever managed in over two years. Since the start of the 2018/19 season, Pogba has scored nine goals, which isn't bad for a midfielder. However, of those nine goals, six have come under the guidance of Solskjaer, including two braces against Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth. Moreover, Marcus Rashford has been given a new lease of life with a four-game consecutive scoring run. Alexis Sanchez, after a rather slow start to life at United, has started scoring with a clever, round-the-keeper effort against Arsenal in the FA Cup being his first goal for United since October. Despite him being plagued by injury, Sanchez may be starting to find his place in Solskjaer's side. During the Mourinho-era, Sanchez was deployed more defensively, as more of a wing-back than a winger, which does not suit his play style at all. During his time at Arsenal, Sanchez was used as an out-and-out winger which is where Solskjaer is looking to play him at the moment. Solskjaer's tactical decisions are perhaps what's setting him apart from Mourinho. His training camp in Dubai recently allowed him to experiment with a new system and this has given the current United side a new lease of life. Extended training sessions in the heat allowed Solskjaer to stop and start at will to discuss the finer details of his tactical visions. This allowed players to fully understand the roles he expects of them and the direction he wishes to take the team in. He chooses to operate with a 4-4-2 diamond in some instances, playing Jesse Lingard as a 'false-nine' with Rashford and either Martial or Lukaku on the other side. Lukaku as a right winger is an intriguing choice and it's one that has befuddled reporters in the past. However, by playing Lukaku as more of an advanced, forward playmaker, it allows him to make full use of his strength and power. He's been instructed to stay wide and forward, much like Sanchez. This results in some quick, counter-attacking football that can punish the opposition. Solskjaer chooses to operate with more attacking full-backs to aid the attacking efforts, unlike the Mourinho-era defence that was pretty flat and boring. Players weren't fluid and stuck to their designated roles. The higher-pushing full backs provide the midfield with a couple more offensive options and utilising both the pace and technical ability of modern full-backs is a key part of the game these days. With this more attacking philosophy, United are looking to create more chances and in theory, more goals should come. Attention given to younger talents, such as Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard, has helped United too. Solskjaer, unlike Mourinho, seems to be able to 'connect' with them and get through to them. My personal footballing philosophy is to give the youth as much of a chance as possible and in both Lingard and Rashford, we have two of the best young talents in England today. Using established starlets is a key part of managing in the twenty-first century and the plaudits that England won at the 2018 World Cup under Gareth Southgate proved that. Solskjaer isn't necessarily in line for the permanent position come the end of the season, which to Manchester United fans, is a shame. The times with Mourinho are obviously long-gone with stale and rather defensive football being replaced by a more intuitive and entertaining brand. There's been a tactical revelation at Manchester United since Solskjaer's arrival and he's on-course to become a saint at United if he carries on in the way he is. Therefore, has Ole Gunnar Solskjaer solved the Man United crisis? In short, and although it may be early days, I'd say he has.

Our third Album Of The Week comes in the form of a much underrated LP courtesy of one of my favourites, Oasis. Their 2005 effort Don't Believe The Truth was slated by NME fourteen years ago, but personally, it really doesn't warrant much criticism at all and has produced some of my favourite Oasis tracks. Ten years on from the successes of their smash hit (What's The Story?) Morning Glory, Oasis are a different animal. The punch here is more refined yet slower. However, that doesn't mean it carries any less grunt. In fact, it probably carries even more. Opener Turn Up The Sun is especially fantastic since it reminds me of the later records from The Jam and bears a certain similarity to Set The House Ablaze from 1980's Sound Affects. It did produce some superb live tracks, such as A Bell Will Ring, written by Gem Archer and the performance from the City Of Manchester Stadium from 2005 is particularly wonderful; it's energetic and the riff is haunting. Other highlights include obscurity Keep The Dream Alive, the only Andy Bell written song on the album and one that was never played live - it's one I could have seen blowing up in popularity if it had ever been performed. All band members barring drummer, Zak Starkey, get a writing credit. With some great instrumentation, this is one album that even the most well-informed Oasis fans should delve into once again to find yet more hidden gems. As an Oasis fan, I'm a lover of their first two albums especially and there's a certain something about Don't Believe The Truth that's reminiscent of their earlier work. It's filled with some amazing songs and clever, but surreal lyrics. Noel Gallagher has been labelled one of the best songwriters of his generation, along with the likes of Richard Ashcroft and Chris Martin and it's easy to see why here. Like last week's Urban Hymns, it's difficult to find a bad, or even an average track. All the songs are standouts in their own right. It serves as an eclectic mix of different parts to the rock genre. Despite Don't Believe The Truth being slammed by some critics, it stands as one of the best albums of the decade from one of the best bands of all-time. It's certainly worth a listen some fourteen years later in 2019 and stands up well against its contemporaries. If you want to pick up a copy, I’ll leave an Amazon link here: https://amzn.to/3f8zYW3 Or, if you’d prefer, here’s a Spotify link: More musical magnificence to come next week! UNTITLED may earn an affiliate commission when you purchase through the links on our site. Find out more here.

It's now been a few days since the crushing defeat on May's Brexit Deal in the Commons and we've all had some time to consider the pressing question - What the hell do we do now? May's Brexit Deal has had two chances to get through Parliament and it's been stopped dead in its tracks both times. This has now dragged on for two and a half years and we appear to have gotten absolutely nowhere in that time. As far as I can see and from my reading around, there are seven potential outcomes for Brexit. Let's take a look at them all: No Deal - The most simplistic, yet scariest prospect is that of Britain crashing out of the European Union with a lack of direction. The No Deal principle is a situation that, in my opinion, we should avoid at all costs. According to a Bank of England report, GDP could fall by around 8% and unemployment could rise by the same amount with No Deal. It's reliant upon us getting a deal elsewhere with allies such as the United States and despite David Davis' talk of rather positive negotiations from across the Atlantic, it'll take a lot more than just the USA for Britain to become a successful trading partner. We cannot sever ties with the EU in such a drastic way as they need us as much as we need them with regards to foreign investment from the likes of Germany and Japan. Another Deal - As it looks like May's deal is dead in the water, there have been talks of an alternative proposal around for a good while. Options such as a Norway-style arrangement have been discussed but none have been put forward fully. The Norway-style proposal asks for lessened payments to the EU, staying in the single market and customs union. Those campaigning for a 'softer' Brexit may also be supporters of this agreement, if it ever comes to fruition. However, Brexiteers may not be content with this arrangement, as it doesn't address the immigration issue which they have been so vocal about. It makes sense personally as we have the economic benefits of the EU along with lower payment rates for the privilege of being inside the European clique. Renegotiation With Parliament - Despite May's best efforts, this seems rather unlikely. As said previously, she's had two goes at getting her Deal through and a victory third time around seems highly improbable. May has made amendments to her Deal and her meetings with other party leaders will aim to find a form of common ground if they ever happen. With Corbyn refusing to negotiate unless No Deal is removed from the table, this is currently an unlikely scenario. Renegotiation is also very reliant on the EU willing to compromise, which they've categorically stated they will not. General Election - Another option brainstormed, a General Election would result in a personnel change, possibly to Labour, who would in their opinion be able to negotiate a better deal than May's current one. Much like the above, a General Election is going on the assumption that the EU are willing to renegotiate the current proposals and of course, they are not. Ironically speaking, a Labour-proposed deal is pretty similar to May's deal and so, would a General Election really help? Second Referendum/People's Vote - There's another article about this on the site already, but I'll try to condense it down into a small paragraph. The idea of a People's Vote stems from the poor decisions and misleading actions from the 'Leave' camp during 2016's initial Brexit referendum. This Second Referendum has gathered significant momentum in the last few months and supporters wish to give the people another chance to vote. Some commentators have claimed that this process would be undemocratic and that the initial will of the people is not being respected. Having a People's Vote could add up to 24 weeks to the whole Brexit process, which some have said is far too long. The People's Vote option is a very mixed bag amongst the public but there's a possibility it could happen. May's Resignation - One of the other options would be to call for May's resignation and have a change of personnel within the Conservative Party itself. Brexiteers majorly are calling for it so that a staunch Leaver can take over and carry the Deal through, such as Dominic Raab. Those wishing for her departure want a 'harder' Brexit than is currently being offered - a No Deal scenario could suit these people. However, May won the motion of no confidence on 16th January (by 52% to 48% - the irony!) and her job seems safe. For now... Remain - The final option is to scrap Brexit entirely and undo all of the (seemingly) hard work of politicians. This is one that supporters of a Second Referendum are also in agreement with. Moreover, the principle of a People's Vote, from what I can see, is a push for a Remain victory and if that doesn't happen, then where do you go? The Remain principle is undoing the hard work of politicians over the last two-and-a-half years and to me, it just seems a tad strange to go back on a decision that has been decided by the will of the people. This makes a mockery of democracy though... Therefore, in conclusion, there are a myriad of solutions to this Brexit mess and it's ultimately up to those in the House Of Commons and Lords to decide on a viable solution. May keeps talking about 'the will of the people' being respected and that is what it boils down to more or less. Personally speaking, the 'will of the people' was to leave the EU and that's got to be respected. Undoing the work of bureaucrats and politicians seems a waste of time to me and so, Brexit should be carried out with a Norway-style agreement of some form and then if we get a few years down the line and everything crashes and burns, then have a People's Vote. How's that sound?

Last week, we had some neo-progressive rock from the 1980s; this week we're moving it on to some alternative rock from the 1990s. This week's Album Of The Week is The Verve's masterpiece Urban Hymns from 1997. Much like last week's Misplaced Childhood, Urban Hymns is one I grew up on and is, in a multitude of ways, pretty perfect. It features some absolutely fantastic tracks such as Sonnet and The Rolling People, plus The Verve's most famous number Bittersweet Symphony. The latter has been subject to much controversy in the last twenty or so years. All of the royalties are the property of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones thanks to famed music executive Allen Klein. Klein had managed the Rolling Stones with Andrew Oldham. The Verve sampled strings from an Andrew Oldham orchestral version of The Stones' The Last Time. Klein didn't allow sampling of any ABCKO-owned music and so the resulting agreement was that Bittersweet Symphony would fall into his hands. Therefore, Richard Ashcroft makes pretty much no money from any time the song is played; it seems pretty ironic considering how Klein used the track in adverts by corporations such as Nike. Urban Hymns is the album that people know The Verve for - it's a great compilation of well-written and well-instrumented songs. Sonnet is one of my all-time favourites and even some of the deeper-cuts such as Weeping Willow prove that Ashcroft is one of the most gifted songwriters of his generation, along with the likes of Noel Gallagher and Chris Martin. It's the combined work of Richard Ashcroft and Nick McCabe that make Urban Hymns so great. McCabe's guitar work is subtle brilliance on most of the tracks, but his work on Lucky Man is really something to be proud of. The more jovial notes on the bridge combine with the grit in Ashcroft's voice to create something truly spectacular. Personal touches run deep in tracks such as The Drugs Don't Work, that according to some, details his bedside experiences with his father who passed away when he was eleven. Others claim it's to do with Ashcroft's recreational drug usage, but regardless, it's a song that invokes pure passion, especially when performed live with just Ashcroft and an acoustic guitar. In terms of nineties alternative rock, it is rather difficult to look for anything better than Urban Hymns. It's a perfect blend of fantastic guitar-work, masterful songwriting and results in one of the best-sounding albums of the last thirty years. There's not a weak track on Urban Hymns and I'd be hard-pressed to find one. People who know this album will appreciate its magnificence and for those who haven't delved into it, I strongly recommend it if you're looking for some emotionally-driven lyrics, soulful guitar notes and a portfolio of one of the best songwriters of the generation. If you want to pick up a copy, I’ll leave an Amazon link here: https://amzn.to/331OY5r Or, if you’d prefer, here’s a Spotify link: More musical magnificence to come next week! UNTITLED may earn an affiliate commission when you purchase through the links on our site. Find out more here.

Donald Trump made his first National Address to the USA on the 8th January and demanded $5.7 billion to build his infamous wall, or "steel barrier" as he's now calling it. The name may change but the principle has not; Trump wishes for this monstrosity of a structure to be built along the US-Mexico border. However, it may not be as easy as people perceive. The US Government shutdown staggered into its third week with no real sign of a resolution. During this time, 800,000 Federal employees have been without pay and haven't had a wage packet since just before Christmas when this crisis unravelled. The main issue that stands in the way is Donald's wall. The wall was a key election promise back in 2016 and despite its absurdity, it's a proposition that many Americans have taken him up on. Trump provides simple answers to the biggest domestic issues. It's a key component of right wing populism and it presents Trump as an everyman; a man of the people. It's why he got into power in the first place - these answers put him on the people's side of the fence (or, dare I say, wall) and it's why he went from being an outsider to becoming President Of The United States. However, theorising the absurd and promising it is one thing; actually carrying through those promises is a different one. Currently speaking, the Democrats control the House Of Representatives and they are responsible for creating the new US Budget. Herein lies the issue. Trump has to sign off every single law that is conjured up by the House and if the Democrats' budget does contain 'The Wall' then Trump will not sign the bill off. He knows that the Democrats would never put 'The Wall' on one of the budget sheets and so his National Address urged for the Democrat support to solve the historic border issue with Mexico. Trump described the issue as a "humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul", and his words there are vastly different to what they would usually be. It appears that he is trying to appeal to a wider audience in the hope that the Democrats will give him the budget allocation of that $5.7 billion, or £4.5 billion. This would be paid for by the American taxpayer or if Trump's claims are to be believed, by a revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement. A revamp of this trade agreement would therefore cause Mexico to pay for it indirectly. Some critics have claimed that Trump's presidency has been fraught with lies and deceit. With regards to the wall, Trump stated that the "At the request of the Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall." - there's been no agreement over the structure itself and also whether it will even be built. That's really what this whole issue has been about and at the time of writing, this has now been the longest US Government shutdown in history. In his address, Trump pointed out that Democrats Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton voted in favour of 700 miles of fencing across Mexico's border in 2006 and the Democrats supported the securing of the border then, so why don't they now? It's most likely because Trump is going around the border control issue in the complete wrong way. He's being abusive towards the Mexicans, generalising them as "Drug dealers, criminals, rapists" and the remarks of someone as powerful as the President Of The United States fuel modern-day racial prejudices. However, this is only a small part of the security and Trump's pledge of building the structure "very inexpensively" seems to be wearing pretty thin. Yes, the original cost was supposed to be $25 billion, which is astronomical in itself and even a $19 billion reduction or so is a lot, but this new price is still a fortune to an economy. The border issue with Mexico can't be sorted through the means of a massive structure, whatever it may be, and, if it would satisfy Trump, should be solved through the means of stronger border control, with biometric controls and armed guards. This is the US standard for tourists for one thing and not once in my three trips in and out of the country have I seen any form of illegal entrance or exit. The security is stringent and the guards thorough in checks. A wall, or any form of structure, wouldn't really solve America's illegal immigration issue - strong border control could solve the issue in a better and more humane way. Moreover, this stronger control should be uniform throughout all points of entry across the 2000 mile border. The irony of the matter takes us to a recently discovered video clip from fifteen years ago. In an address to students of Wagner College, New York City, Trump tells students that "If there is a concrete wall in front of you, go through it, go over it, go around it, but get to the other side of that wall.". Trump's comments from 2004 sit in stark contrast to his now infamous election pledge. Here, he's talking about perseverance and not letting any barriers get in your way and the fact you should have no limits in trying to stop you grabbing an opportunity. Yet, for most of the decent people crossing the borders into America from Mexico, they'll pay their taxes, contribute to the economy and assimilate into US society. What's the issue with that? So, is 'The Wall' really a necessary usage of the American taxpayers' money? In my opinion, not really. In the past few years, the USA have spent twenty percent of their GDP on defence, whilst they have crippling domestic issues surrounding healthcare. Trump's wall seems like a waste of public money and there needs to be a massive rethink over the solving of the border issue in Mexico.

Our first Album Of The Week comes in the form of a prog-rock masterpiece and one that is rather close to my heart. Marillion's seminal 1985 concept album, Misplaced Childhood has been a mainstay in my life for many years now and it's one I still go back and listen to rather frequently. Moreover, I've had the pleasure of seeing FISH perform it in its entirety back in April 2016 which proved to be a rather surreal experience. It's a record that I've loved from the moment I first heard it and one I would strongly encourage you to listen to you if you're a fan of storytelling, poetic lyrics and tremendous instrumental work. Whilst it may be dark in places and that's reflected in the rest of Marillion's work of this period, the album goes from strength to strength with every track. It tells a story loosely based on lead singer FISH's childhood and was influenced by a trip he had whilst under the influence of acid. Some tracks entwine personal references such as Heart Of Lothian and its line 'And anarchy smiles on the Royal Mile" . These refer to the region of Scotland where FISH hails from - Midlothian - and also a possible reference to the mosaic heart in the pavement of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. FISH's lyrical brilliance is heard in spades and this album features some of his best songwriting. Particular highlights include Blue Angel, the middle part of Bitter Suite, with its clever symbolism and Childhood's End for its personal references to FISH and direct address that clasps around the hearts of the listeners. In addition, a final highlight is the ending track White Feather. Despite its short length by comparison to some of the album, FISH ekes out his heart and soul both in terms of the vocal and the lyrics too, expressing his own freewill and lack of allegiance to nations. In White Feather and the rest of the album, there's this concurrent theme of the heart and its emblematic nature allows pure passions to seep through the lyrical genius of the Scotsman. Much like the two records that preceded Misplaced Childhood, the instrumentals are second-to-none and in particular, Steve Rothery's guitar work is excellent. The solo on Kayleigh and the dark undertones during Bitter Suite help to shape and craft something truly perfect. It's one that is really worth a listen for those just getting into progressive rock but has more of an artsy feel to it. Even if you're looking for something new and different, you cannot have a better starting point than this. If you want to pick up a copy, I’ll leave an Amazon link here: https://amzn.to/2P5VOPj Or, if you’d prefer, here’s a Spotify link: More musical magnificence to come next week! UNTITLED may earn an affiliate commission when you purchase through the links on our site. Find out more here.