@brandonspeck

The end may be where we begin, but the beginning of TFK’s “End Is Where We Begin is a riff-filled and catchy intro suited to open a set the right way. 

And following “Wr Are,” things rarely let up.

“Light Up The Sky” doesn’t, with Trevor McNevan’s under-appreciated hip-hopsy vocals that precede an ending that leaves you wanting more of the song. 

The title track’s opening riff is as clean as you’ll hear and “Let The Sparks Fly” borders on hardcore anthem, but fits in perfect modern rock form.

The disc will have you drumming to the riffs that are unmistakeable TFK and McNevan’s vocals are a perfect complement. 

“Wicked” combines all the above  with melodies that bounce off the speakers. 

“Be Somebody” lets the foot off the gas, but only briefly as a :48 second intro runs you right into violin and violent cords and more of patented Trevor.

“War of Change” pretends like it’s going to give you a break, before another catchy chorus and beat that will have my elderly Baptist brethren tapping even their feet. 

“Down” opens with McNevan’s best of the disc, a combo of the rap, rock vocal styles not many can pull off.

“All I Need To Know,” like “Be Somebody,”  does give your neck a break, but will have you singing along even if you didn’t want a break. 

“Kings and Queens” isn’t  all that heavy either, but like  “All I Need To Know,” has you hooked by the time the hook hits at 104.  

“So Far Gone” closes it out with an acoustic picking that the speakers are probably thankful for. The chorus may be the most powerful lyrics on the record. “I wanna be so far gone in you.”

Track 15’s “Outroduction” blockades back into the intro and makes you want it all over again.

15 tracks … 48 minutes … longest song is “So Far Gone” at 4:29 … Don’t buy this record. Buy the TFK catalog.

@brandonspeck

FULTON, Miss. – Every number on Brian Dozier’s stat line improved in 2013, his second season as a Twins infielder and first at second base.

Minnesota is expecting nothing less this season, but don’t expect the 26-year-old to give too many straight answers about his progress.

Dozier has a list of priorities; Brian is last on the list.

“We’ve made a lot of acquisitions to better our team. That’s the first thing. We want to win baseball games,” said Dozier, who spoke at Friday’s Leadoff Banquet at Itawamba (Miss.) Community College in his hometown of Fulton. “(General manager) Terry (Ryan) did a lot of good things to help us better our team. That’s No. 1. Personally, I’m kind of over the stage of being a rookie, kind of got more experience, but all-in-all I want to win baseball games and I feel like we’ll do that.”

Of course he wants to be as personally successful as he can, but only because that will make the Twins better. But Dozier will proudly tell you his greatest mission doesn’t lie in his stats, or the Twins’. And that may be the secret to his success.

He’s doing more than his offseason share of baseball work to continue a steady climb — last season Dozier was named the Twins’ Most Improved Player. But for more than a week in Nicaragua, his workout included a shovel, not a bat.

In November, Dozier and now-wife Renee went to the Central American country on a mission trip, digging trenches to give locals a clean water supply.

“I recommend it to anybody,” Dozier said. “It was kind of a life-changing thing, put things in perspective. It was really awesome.”

As a 2012 call-up at shortstop, Dozier hit .234 in 84 games. Last season with a move to second, his average, slugging and on-base percentages rose (123 points to .726). He hit a career-high 18 home runs, a club record for a second baseman.

Dozier said he and hitting coach Tom Brunansky worked last offseason and especially into the early part of the season on adjustments to get more power out of his swing.

“He didn’t see that I was using my full potential out of my swing,” Dozier said. “That was a huge adjustment for me. I think one of the biggest things is you’ve got to realize what kind of hitter you are in the major leagues. I think I did that last season. No big adjustments this season.”

Dozier’s 55 extra-base hits ranked third among the position in the American League. He found his swing and is expressing a desire to steal more than 2013’s total of 14 bases – now that a bone bruise in his left knee is healed.

“You always hear, it’s so hard to get there, but it really is harder to stay,” Dozier said. “The amount of work that I see each and every day from guys that have 15-20 years in the major leagues, the amount that they put in, outworking rookies, that’s what’s special to see.”

Dozier’s defense improved last season as well, a leap worthy of long-term status, going from 15 errors as a rookie to six in 2013. His .992 fielding percentage was tied for second-best among major league second basemen. His 5.22 range factor ranked first in the majors at his position. The Twins named him Defensive Player of the Year.

Those numbers put more space between Dozier and prospect Eddie Rosario, who will start the 2014 season with a 50-game suspension for a second violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Dozier seemingly has the sky as his limit, but there’s more to him than a bat and glove and a side of him he’d probably rather talk to you about. Nicaragua may not have done anything to promote his career, or make him better at fielding a short hop. But it did improve a Christian faith he holds higher than the game he loves.

“That’s what my life’s all about,” Dozier said. “I tell all the time, I’m a Christian just playing baseball on the side. That’s what I stand for and we have a lot of guys the same way up there.”