Music

On Tuesday the FIFA 21 soundtrack was revealed. Like the previous edition, there are separate tracklists for the regular mode and the Volta street mode, but we’ll be focusing on the 36 tracks that comprise the one that people actually play.

I’m happy to report that while I initially recognized some of the artists — LA Priest, Louis the Child and Tame Impala among them – I hadn’t yet heard a single track off this playlist, which amounts to roughly two hours of listening time.

Until our top thinkers figure out how to break our current understanding of physics and develop time travel, the only real way to go visit the past is through music. Listen to an old album and you’ll immediately be transported back to when you first heard the music.

In this way, FIFA has always been my barometer for the passage of time, having been playing the series regularly for over 20 years. 

Barcelona is reportedly close to announcing the signing of Dutch striker and worldwide rap artist Memphis Depay. The full-time footballer, part-time rapper caught the eye of the Catalan club after helping Olympique Lyonnais reach the 2019 Champions League semifinal. We know he’s a talented footballer, but is Memphis Depay a good rapper?

He’s definitely not the most popular rapper, that’s for sure. His monthly listener count on Spotify isn’t anything to gawk at.

Hamburg-based St. Pauli's new signing Kofi Kyereh became one of the latest players to undergo the traditional initiation ritual of serenading his new teammates on Saturday. 

Kyereh, signed from Wiesbaden on a free transfer, treated the club to a rendition of the classic song "Stand by Me" as St. Pauli prepares for the new season with a training camp in Herzlake. 

It was a tense week in Minnesota. While the vast majority of our thoughts and actions were centered around peacefully protesting the death of George Floyd in police custody, it was impossible to shake the sense of apprehension that came with reports of arson, opportunistic looting, outside agitators (white supremacists? anarchists?) and suspicious unmarked vehicles tooling around town, all under the shadow of a global pandemic. 

Despite the fact that no soccer is being played right now, our annual pre-game playlist is now ready for when the sport returns. The Fall 2019 playlist served us well, but 2020 has already produced some quality songs.