The Useless Critic 2.0

I'm here today to share a beautiful little indie pop song I recently heard called "Beautiful Country" by Helen Ganya. The song is some atmospheric pop by way of a Beach House type sound, which manages to be warm and distinct at the same time.  Ganya calls the song itself "a little tongue-in-cheek heartbreak on the illusion of meritocracy. It was a joy to write a sax line for this which was then reinterpreted with wondrous flair from fellow Brit-Thai musician Rittipo." Ganya, a Brit-Thai musician herself, will release the four-song EP "Heart to Heart Mirage" on May 13th, and I personally am looking forward to checking out more work by this promising young artist.

  The track "Killing Feels" - just released by German-by-way-of-Canadian band Monako featuring their friends in Bibi Club - is a nice slice of dream-pop goodness. It is deeply evocative of a Grizzly Bear for the 2020s - surreal, hazy, and full of longing. The accompanying music video is just as haunting as the song itself, kind of like a project you expect to see in an art student's thesis.  it's all really gorgeous, perfect late-night listening (and watching)! Monako is a pretty unique act by contemporary standards with a sound that is equal parts indie, R&B, folk, and neo-jazz. Following two well-received albums, Monako is set to drop their three-track EP "In Shapes I-III" in April featuring appearances from Laetitia Tamko aka Vagabon and Bibi Club.

From the very first few seconds of Ramesh Srivastava (former lead singer of Voxtrot)'s long-awaited follow-up solo album "Eternal Spring," I was hooked. The production is immaculate and so clean! The album itself is permeated with sweet melancholia, but there's a sense of hope lingering around as well. In fact, it's not too far off to imagine this album as the soundtrack for some beautiful queer coming-of-age film. There's also a remarkable evolution in his sound I touched on in my previous post . The opening track "Redemption" has a sort of Arcade Fire-like epicness to it that sets the stage for what is a powerful album reflecting sounds of rock, pop (modern and classic alike), soul, electronica, and a dash of folk in places.  "Like everyone else on Earth, I know you're searching for the hidden face of God," he sings on the track "Revolution." This is something I have enjoyed about Ramesh's work for years - his whip-smart

I'm happy today to be writing about one of my favorite male voices in indie music, Ramesh (Srivastava), formerly of the band Voxtrot. Austin-based Ramesh has been doing his own thing for a while now, which is amazing because the guy is incredibly talented! He's just released his first new solo music since 2014 - a bit of a hiatus, which makes his "comeback" (so to speak) all the more rewarding.  The sound of "Eternal Spring" (the name of his second album, to be released later this week on Cult Hero Records) as well as one of the singles off said album is uplifting, powerful, like a more pop-informed Sufjan Stevens. It's a departure from his work with Voxtrot, but a welcome departure and a maturation/evolution that's quite lovely to witness. The album's themes deal with Ramesh's self-exploration, particularly in regards to fame and his sexuality.  "Eternal Spring" drops March 11th. 

Uffie is back and I am too! One of my favorite "electroclash" artists ever is releasing her first album in a 12-year absence. It's been too long Uffie! I missed you! I love her new, slicker, and matured sound, plus this song is a lot of poptastic fun. Something about how she says "Italian espresso" I adore. Sorry I will try not to fangirl too hard, but please remember I fished a bottle out of a crowd she threw into her 2016/2017 Phoenix concert and I still have it in my storage. This is probably the weirdest fact I will admit about myself; don't worry, that's the extent of my weirdness in this respect (this respect, but I prefer the term "eccentric.") Also Toro y Moi helped on this album - which is a terrific asset; you know anything he's involved with is definitely a banger! "Sunshine Factory" will be out May 20th, the best birthday gift I could ever have and the perfect way to welcome 2022's Gemini season.

If there's anything people take away from my piss-poor legacy, I hope it's what a huge, unabashed fan of "Emily in Paris" I am and will continue to be. People love "90 Day Fiancee," "The Bachelor," and other garbage - allow me "Emily," which is at least harmless, kind of goofy fluff (which does, unfortunately, lean into some stereotypes, as the country of Ukraine knows ). I have already watched Season 2 twice. And honestly my favorite part of this show (despite my crush on Camille Razart and Lily Collins channeling Audrey Hepburn hardcore ) is Ashley Park. This woman has superstar written all over her. She's a bona fide Broadway star, and "Emily in Paris" has served as her pivot into the zeitgeist.  "Emily in Paris" is also showcasing her vocal prowess front and center this season, with her covering BTS, "All By Myself," "Sympathtique," and Marilyn Monroe. But the real standout performance is th