The Useless Critic 2.0

Just when you needed more music to cry to while you have sex, here comes Lykke Li, who is the undisputed queen of that niche.  Her new album, "so sad so sexy," (yes that's really the title), is out on June 8th. So far a lot of the hubbub around it has been mixed, with a lot of die-hard fans pushing back on her "new sound." Honestly, it's not a dramatic stretch for her. I'm not a huge fan of it (let me live in "I Never Learn" forever) but I'm sure I will warm up to it soon enough. In the meantime, I'll warn you that there is autotune involved, which seems like a special kind of punishment from God. Here's a link to the NSFW video for "Hard Rain", which is visually fantastic. AND FEATURES AT LEAST ONE SCENE OF SOMEONE RUNNING. Enjoy! And you know I love Lykke, I wouldn't trade her different genius for anything. Welcome home, sweet Swedish angel! 

I finally made my dreams come TF true Wednesday evening and caught Phantogram on their co-headling tour with Tycho at the Van Buren! Four years after I first really became an ardent fan, and WOW.  It was well worth the ridiculous wait. They blew me away. I can't recommend them enough. See them if you get the chance. Just do it. They are so much fun.  THESE VIDEOS ARE NOT MINE. I FOUND THEM ON YOUTUBE.  And at the end, there was a dog who came out briefly. I loved it, I loved every moment of it. It was one of those concerts - much like Andrew Bird and St. Vincent, much like No Doubt, much like the Xx, much like Metric - that i wish I could go back and live in. Of course, hearing one of my favorite songs ever ("Fall in Love") live was a life highlight. Just awesome, etc.  Also, they performed "Someday," their new song I posted a few days ago. It was inspired by the suicide of Sarah's sister, Becky. The performance of it was incredibly emo

I thought the live ticket event Trent Reznor organized for the Nine Inch Nails/Jesus and Mary Chain tour was pretty cool. I heard it was very crowded in locations across the country.  "God Break Down the Door" sounds a bit like the Reznor/Ross collaborations in the past, but with a distinctly darker - and in places, almost jazz-like feel. And the breakdown near the end, IMHO, MAKES the track. Take a listen! WB, dudes!

NEW GOOD BAND ALERT.  Toted by their biography as being in the same genre as bands like Phantogram (see previous post!), Purity Ring, and Beach House, Tiny Deaths are deserving of your time and attention. They are a lovely little dreampop group that I can see going great places. Check out "Survivor," which seems to be some kind of ode to survivors of domestic violence: Interview en route shortly.

Starts as a ballad, gets more soulful as it goes on. Happy to announce I'm FINALLY seeing these talented folks live next week: Proceeds from this single, as the YouTube video says, go to suicide prevention. <3 font="" nbsp="">

Greetings! I'm in Austin this week and I bring new music. New to me, maybe not to you, but I am digging the garage rock/almost Jesus and Mary Chain feel of this band. They are called "Cash For Gold," like every questionable pawn shop across the country. This song is apparently four years old, so it's not really new, but I heard a song from them on UT Austin's radio station last night and REALLY enjoyed it.