The Useless Critic 2.0

QUEEN QUEEN QUEEN This past Friday brought with it the release of the much-anticipated Feist album, "Pleasure."  Of course, this was a major deal, because "Metals " came out in the dark age that was 2011.  So that's six years, Fiona  Leslie. She has hinted via social media that this may be her final album. She's also back to the Broken Social Scene bizness, so it's logical.  No one wants to spread themselves too thin. "Pleasure" is just that - a pleasure. It's Feist at her most raw and therefore her most powerful. Her greatest asset is her voice, which is unbelievably beautiful and strong.  You have singers like Adele and then you have singers like Feist. I prefer the latter. It even contains a duet with the legendary Jarvis Cocker, but oddly it's not an album highlight. For me, the first half of the album is superior to the last half. All of it, though, is amazing - and fits together seamlessly. Make no mistake...

i brunch alone by Lindsay Lelivelt Nothing so lonely and nothing so liberating as bellying up to the bar, in the single stool between the coupled couples and enjoying weekend libations and luxuries ahead of the wait. Nothing so bold or so brave as sitting, sipping, savoring solo at a table for two. A regular Carrie Bradshaw, I brunch alone. SOURCE No friends with benefits, just me and benedicts. --- It’s a silly, fine line of faltering between “Hell Yeah” proud of myself and “What if I just look at my phone and scroll Instagram forever” as I wait impatiently for the Bloody Mary to reach me. I fidget a little, or I did back when I first started this ritual. I would constantly check my hair or play with the hem of my shirt — anything to distract me from feeling exposed. Because that line is there, drawn between my self-confidence and societal pressures. A line that tries to separate me from mimosas. Of course, that’s really the only line you experience bec...