The Useless Critic 2.0

Yesterday, the third volume of the soundtrack to the HBO series Girls was released digitally , including songs that have been featured in seasons three and four, as well as songs exclusive to season five, which premieres tomorrow. Among these previously unreleased cuts is Ellie Goulding's "Here's to Us," a bittersweet break-up number that intersperses somber piano chords with sweeping synths, harking back to her first two albums, Lights and Halcyon . "And I know that your love wasn't here to stay / I gave you all of mine but you gave it away / And now you're the one who hurts / You had to love someone else just to know your worth," she sings in the chorus, possibly addressing an unfaithful ex. If you're a longtime reader of our blog, you probably remember that I used to vouch a lot for Ellie – pretty much like I do for Sky Ferreira nowadays. I even reviewed Halcyon and its subsequent Halcyon Days re-release. Her mix of synthpop, folk...

Call me jaded or cynical, but I've never got the big fuss over Valentine's Day. Probably because I've never been in a serious, monogamous relationship before, but I don't really care about those either. To me it's just like any other day of the year. I 'm not one to sit at home in my PJs crying, drinking wine, and miming to Celine Dion like Bridget Jones (I do love that movie, though). Instead, I could be having mindless sex with some hottie I just met on Tinder, lighting a doobie, rewatching my precious Gossip Girl DVDs for the millionth time, treating myself to a shopping spree... Really, the possibilities are infinite. Alright, let's get to the point. Valentine's Day reminds me of a Garbage song titled "I Hate Love," off of the band's latest studio release, 2012's Not Your Kind of People , which is excellent – as are their other albums. Despite the song's somewhat upbeat instrumentation, the lyrics are quite dark and...

Every so often, I find myself fortunate enough to receive pre-release copies of albums. Doesn't happen super often and not every time do I get a chance to listen to the albums sent my way. I'm a weekend blogger - much like a weekend warrior, but significantly less cool. However, when I was offered a chance to listen to the new EMMY THE GREAT (!!!!) (or Emma-Lee Moss as is her real name), my heart soared. I believe in this girl in a way I do few other artists, despite not being a huge fan of her music (I am definitely a fan , but I'm not going to lie and group myself among her most ardent supporters). I remember her, Laura Marling, and Lightspeed Champion emerging all at the same time, and me being a fan of all of them to various degrees (it was the mid-to-late 2000s British anti-folk scene, I suppose).   Her third album, "Second Love," is pretty much perfect. I rarely adore something so much following an apprehensive first listen. But sitting at a Phoenix...

Attention everyone: Supreme goddess Gwen Stefani has unveiled the title, release date, cover art, and track listing for her highly anticipated third solo album!! The album is titled This Is What the Truth Feels Like , and it's due out March 18. Ugh, the bitch doesn't age Update ( 2/ 12): Here's the standard, non-Targe t cover for the album. 1. Misery 2. You’re My Favorite 3. Where Would I Be? 4. Make Me Like You 5. Truth 6. Used to Love You 7. Send Me a Picture 8. Red Flag 9. Asking f or It 10. Naughty 11. Me Without You 12. Rare An exclusive Target deluxe edition – which you can pre-order here – includes four bonus tracks. Following " Used to Love You ," the album's second single, "Make Me Like You ," is set to impact mainstream radio next Tuesday, February 16. Stefani is also teaming up with Target to produce the video for the song, to be directed by Sophie Muller, who helmed several of Stefani's videos. The...

  Wow, School of Seven Bells. I was just talking about them like a month or so ago, saying it's been forever since I heard from them. What were they doing? Were they okay? I knew one of the members had left the band - which is a band I hold dear to my heart, because I've seen them live several times and connected to their music very intimately when I was a college student.   Flash forward to yesterday, when I read an NPR feature about the fact School of Seven Bells had indeed lost yet another member to illness (Ben Curtis), and only one member remained, Alejandra Deheza.  She is releasing the last bit of music she worked with Curtis on - right up until his death in late 2013 - in the final School of Seven Bells album, "SVIIB."   This song couldn't be a more beautiful tribute to the relationship at the band's core, that of Ben and Alejandra's. It's remarkably positive and harkens back to the band's classic sound, except it's much mo...

Yesterday, Primal Scream unveiled the glitzy, '80s-tastic video for their collaboration with Sky Ferreira, the vampy synth-rock jam "Where the Light Gets In." The song will be included on the Scottish band's forthcoming album Chaosmosis , due out March 18. Her first major work since her critically acclaimed debut album Night Time, My Time , the video has Ferreira looking and sounding every bit like the goddess she is. Last month, she announced that the first song from her long-awaited second album Masochism will be released early this year. Ugh, stop teasing us!