The Useless Critic 2.0

Arrange is just one person: Malcom Lacey. And he, for being as young as he is, makes some great, dreamy music a la Maps or Ulrich Schnauss. Odds are you may not be familiar with him, so here you go: Before my family emergency & hiatus, I got to ask Malcom several questions. He responded while I was in Erie, hence the delay. Read on to get a better understanding of Arrange/Malcom Lacey (as well as a film suggestion). UC:  What compelled you to start creating music? What inspired you to start? Malcom:  Hurt. There was so much going on in my life when I decided to pick up the guitar. I had just gotten back from a four-month stint at the wilderness therapy program my mother had sent me to. My lens had changed. I saw things a lot differently. It was jarring even having to navigate all of the pain I still felt even then after all of the help the program was to me. I needed a way to talk about it. I needed to be able to scream and to whisper and to bang around on...

This exists, but it's kind of cool and happened in Los Angeles last night: Tegan & Sara > > > Fall Out Boy

Song of the Day I wrestled with posting this song since it's so cliche now (thanks, animal cruelty awareness commercials). However, there really was no better song for today. I wanted to post perhaps something in my Dad's memory (AC/DC, The Doors, not Bruce Springsteen) but I couldn't think of a song? Maybe "Back in Black" which we played 10 years ago at his birthday part.  What happened was my father finally succumbed to his medical conditions today. He just turned 6o a few weeks ago. He had a stroke Monday and passed away this morning in his sleep. My parents have their 38th anniversary tomorrow. I'm coming home on the cheapest flight available...it's a miserable thing. Our parents are so mortal but it's not something we want to think about. And it's just weird knowing he will never be there and I will never talk to him again. The silver lining is he's free of his pain, and in these last years there's been a whole lot of pain. I...

Song of the Day It's a grower, this one.

Lady Gaga has finally dropped the first single from her upcoming album, yay!!! Well, she was pretty much forced to release it earlier than expected due to hackers leaking it over the weekend, so yeah. "Applause" is an '80s-tastic, synth-heavy number that somehow harkens back to Gaga's debut album The Fame . Other than that, I feel like it's still a bit early for me to fully form an opinion. It didn't get me all bothered and hot like "Bad Romance" did back in 2009 (oh, the memories), but as far as I can tell, it's a grower. Being a longtime Gaga fan, it's needless to say that I'm dying to listen to ARTPOP . Although her previous offering, Born This Way , was somewhat polarizing, it still had some sick cuts—namely "Government Hooker," "Bad Kids," "Scheiße," "Heavy Metal Lover," and "Electric Chapel." Does anyone know if "Burqa"/"Aura"/whatever-the-name-is will rea...

Song of the Day Scene: Erie Winter 2002 I was hanging out with my older sister in her car. We were going to hang out with a few of her friends that day, and possibly just drive around Erie - the Peninsula, more or less. Before we could do any of that, however, my sister had to go to her friend's trailer to meet her. It was the first time I'd ever seen a trailer up close; I'm not saying it was a bad thing; it was what it was. I was kind of fascinated. However, overshadowing the day's festivities was my period. I was getting it big-time. I had horrible cramps growing up; I went to a religious retreat one weekend and had to lie down on a pew because I was in so much pain ("what's wrong with you? I'M MENSTRUATING.") I was clutching my stomach, keeled over in the car. My sister had ran inside the trailer and the snow was falling down outside. I was keeping warm near the dashboard, my eyes surveying the collection of CDs my sister had tossed on t...

I am now happily listening to Annie's newly released "A & R" EP. And holy mother of GOD shit LADY this is pop music at its finest!  Sorry for ranting, but this album is everything artists like Icona Pop should aspire to be! Even Lady Gaga should blush because so far, this is one immaculate EP.    It doesn't hide from its retro influences and it doesn't seem the least bit ironic, tongue-in-cheek- it's unabashed in its goodness. "Mixed Emotions" and "Invisible" are the stand-outs for me. Annie and Richard X probably should collaborate on everything.  LISTEN TO THIS EP!!!!!

Album of the Day "Actor" by St. Vincent is a wistful experience of an album I'll never get over. Each song is based on a movie, but I'm not sure which or what. Anyway, it's perfect for languid bus stop stays. Annie, I love you. Never change.  For real- I can't believe this album has been out for FOUR years. I played it to death from 2009 - late 2010.  p.s. put out new music ASAP Annie. David Byrne or no David Byrne. Thanks, Britt

Song of the Day Dude, on Aug. 6 2013 Oh Land put out the video to her new single, "Renaissance Girls." OH LAND. In a culture saturated with bland singers who blend right into the next, Oh Land is a hurricane of fresh air.

Song of the Day You know that I'll be here Wishing I could be there. BONUS and

Ben Stiller's upcoming movie (Christmas Day, so I guess not that upcoming) looks awesome. Actually, it looks awesome, but it could either be awesome or it could suck. Kristen Wiig stars in it as well. Take a look here:  I read the short story a long time ago, but this is most definitely an updated version!

I have no idea how I became friends with Zach Owen. I think we had mutual friends at Edinboro and I think it had something to do with me constantly doing stories on the Edinboro Film Series. Anyway. We became friends via Facebook and have managed to keep tabs on each other through the years, even though I have seen him maybe three times in person. I remember when I was temping at the college bookstore before I went to Sweden and he came in and was like "BK!" And I was very tired, and flustered because college students are generally annoying, so I was like WHAT . Zach is a writer and he's a good writer, which is a rare thing (believe you me). He's also celebrating the arrival of his first published book, " Beauties in the Deep ." This is big! It's an engaging book I truly enjoyed when he let me read it not too long ago (twice- one updated, one original). And as I know (because I also have a book out, you sons of bitches), having a book to your name is...

By Guest Writer  Taylor Birk There are two words that can accurately describe Tom Hiddleston, a British actor most known for playing Loki in "Thor" and "The Avengers": Life Ruiner.  That’s exactly what he does. He ruins lives. He ruined mine back in May of 2012. As usual, I’m late on the bandwagon. I didn’t see "Thor" when it was actually in theaters. I didn’t even see it until after I had seen "The Avengers." Which, by that point, I was already in love with Loki. Seeing Thor just made my love for him even worse. Until more recently, Hiddleston hasn’t been a household name, as far as actors go. His popularity has grown greatly since he teamed up with Marvel, and I expect that he will just keep going up from here. He’s not just another pretty face (although his face is beautiful. Seriously. Look at it). He has the talent to keep his career skyrocketing even further. After I had seen all the work he’s done for Marvel, I knew I had to se...

Episode 7 In The Evening    Sookie —In post-coital faerieland, Sookie and Warlow bask in the soft focus afterglow. Until Warlow ruins everything by getting all “me man, you woman, traditional genders roles good.”  Sookie is about to go all suffragette on him when she hears a voice on the other side—Arlene’s. Knowing Bill will just summon him again once he’s in the harsh light of the real world, Warlow opts to stay put. Sookie uses her fae light (ugh) to teleport back. Arlene is in the cemetery, reeling from the loss of Terry last episode. Did they put him in the ground awful fast? I don’t know how much time has passed between episodes. Anyway, Sookie finds Arlene, and it is fucking heartbreaking. I was worried it would be over the top, but Carrie Preston gives a fantastic performance. This scene also harkens back to earlier seasons, when Sookie was actually involved in other people’s lives. She takes Arlene back home, where Andy...