The Useless Critic 2.0

  The track "Killing Feels" - just released by German-by-way-of-Canadian band Monako featuring their friends in Bibi Club - is a nice slice of dream-pop goodness. It is deeply evocative of a Grizzly Bear for the 2020s - surreal, hazy, and full of longing. The accompanying music video is just as haunting as the song itself, kind of like a project you expect to see in an art student's thesis.  it's all really gorgeous, perfect late-night listening (and watching)! Monako is a pretty unique act by contemporary standards with a sound that is equal parts indie, R&B, folk, and neo-jazz. Following two well-received albums, Monako is set to drop their three-track EP "In Shapes I-III" in April featuring appearances from Laetitia Tamko aka Vagabon and Bibi Club.

From the very first few seconds of Ramesh Srivastava (former lead singer of Voxtrot)'s long-awaited follow-up solo album "Eternal Spring," I was hooked. The production is immaculate and so clean! The album itself is permeated with sweet melancholia, but there's a sense of hope lingering around as well. In fact, it's not too far off to imagine this album as the soundtrack for some beautiful queer coming-of-age film. There's also a remarkable evolution in his sound I touched on in my previous post . The opening track "Redemption" has a sort of Arcade Fire-like epicness to it that sets the stage for what is a powerful album reflecting sounds of rock, pop (modern and classic alike), soul, electronica, and a dash of folk in places.  "Like everyone else on Earth, I know you're searching for the hidden face of God," he sings on the track "Revolution." This is something I have enjoyed about Ramesh's work for years - his whip-smart...

I'm happy today to be writing about one of my favorite male voices in indie music, Ramesh (Srivastava), formerly of the band Voxtrot. Austin-based Ramesh has been doing his own thing for a while now, which is amazing because the guy is incredibly talented! He's just released his first new solo music since 2014 - a bit of a hiatus, which makes his "comeback" (so to speak) all the more rewarding.  The sound of "Eternal Spring" (the name of his second album, to be released later this week on Cult Hero Records) as well as one of the singles off said album is uplifting, powerful, like a more pop-informed Sufjan Stevens. It's a departure from his work with Voxtrot, but a welcome departure and a maturation/evolution that's quite lovely to witness. The album's themes deal with Ramesh's self-exploration, particularly in regards to fame and his sexuality.  "Eternal Spring" drops March 11th.