The Useless Critic 2.0

Inspired in equal parts by Pitchfork, my love of useless lists, and all the other useless lists that are bound to circulate before 2020 dawns upon us ... I have compiled my Best Albums of 2010s list. Is it the penultimate one? God no. Do I care? Also, no. For example, I'm not including any Radiohead or Kanye West, and I know some people will be bewildered by that choice - but sans The Throne and Kids See Ghosts, I can't think of much I found too memorable by Kanye this past decade (I guess "Black Jesus?") But it would be insincere to call that one of my top albums since I barely listened to it. Radiohead - to be honest, I haven't enjoyed anything Radiohead has churned out since "In Rainbows." And even "The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire was a hard sell for me. I'm talking about albums I connected with or found memorable in one way or another. And by all means, my opinion isn't end-all be-all, so feel free to disagree.  Somewhat related but m...

In 2013, I messaged Maps for the first time and requested a Useless Critic interview with him. Maps is just about one of the nicest musicians I've ever spoken with, and through neither of our own faults (perhaps mine, because I'm forgetful AF) the interview never happened. But six years later, here we are - and James Chapman (Maps) and I have finally touched base. Also, if you've never heard of Maps and you love that wonderful kind of atmospheric stuff M83 and Sigur Ros do so well, I highly recommend giving him a listen. His debut album "We Can Create" is a well-kept secret of mainstream music - a modest modern classic that was nominated for the Mercury Prize upon its release. "Both Sides" - his lead single from this year's "Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss." is the best of Maps - it's a happy, glitchy tune that soars. If a song could propel you through the clouds, it'd sound like this. Below are the questions I asked to Ja...