A Tribute to the World Cup Losers #2: England & Mexico

We are currently featuring a special series on the World Cup and will return to our normal schedule including "This Week's Picks" and "Wednesday's Reader Picks" when the series is finished. We do hope you enjoy the current series. 

Alright, so maybe calling them "losers" is a little harsh seeing as they made their way into the final 16, but this new series will focus on the countries who are eliminated during the final stage of the World Cup. As the 2010 World Cup in South Africa moves into the elimination stage, Nomad's Playlist will be showcasing our favorite picks from the countries unfortunate enough to be thrown out of the running.


England

England saw itself absolutely battered by Germany yesterday to the disappointment of their countrymen and won their way into the third spot on our series. 



"The Testimony of Patience Kershaw" by The Unthanks


This is a beautiful track off their recent album, Here's the Tender Coming (2009). This duo of sisters, Rachel and Becky Unthanks, from Northumberland, have aimed for "a warmer, calmer shade of sad" in this album than their first album Bairns. This song makes sense of that statement. The lyrics tell a sad story, but the music plays a piece that's eloquent in it's melancholy. A few English fans might even say this song, about a girl trying to make it in a man's world, seems the appropriate send off for the team.


Mexico

Mexico had the bad luck of being paired with Argentina, who have proved they'll go far this year, for it's first game in the final stage of the World Cup.





"Paloma Negra" by Chavela Vargas


Chavela Vargas was actually born in Costa Rica, but fleeing to Mexico at an early age she became one of the most famous singers of the Mexican ranchera genre. This track "The Black Dove" beautifully demonstrates the ranchera style. It's a sad song with a single voice accompanied by guitar. Vargas seems to almost be crying in parts of the song which may reflect the feelings of the Mexicans who had high hopes for their football team.