The Useless Critic 2.0

Kind of forcing myself to post a little more due to a long absence! Life and work were/are busy, but not writing for long periods of time makes me feel incredibly unwell, so here I am. Do you remember when I did this a lot in like 2009? To be young again lol. First up, The Beatles have a new-ish song out, "Now and Then," which is apparently The Beatles' final song. I did not know The Beatles were releasing new music, but AI is a very interesting (if not quite scary) thing. If you haven't listened to it yet, I recommend checking it out. It does not sound out of place in 2023 while managing to sound straight out of a time capsule.  Other music tidbits to share: I saw the "Eras" movie over this last weekend. Pretty good, considering I did not want to dish out an arm and a leg for the concert itself. Taylor Swift has gone very impressively far since I interviewed her in 2011 . "1989" Taylor's version is continuing to shatter records, arguably as it...

My favorite band I've really gotten into this past year is the LA-based synthpop act Cannons. Fronted by lead singer Michelle Joy and rounded out with the likes of drummer Paul Davis and guitarist Ryan Clapham, I've been pretty obsessed since I heard "Fire for You" this past spring. I believe that song gained some virality on social media due to its pretty irresistible and kind of seductive vibe - like a Lana Del Rey on acid. The band has been around for more than a decade, but it seems like they've been picking up interest in the past few years (and especially this one). I seriously hope this band sells out stadiums someday; they are arguably one of my favorite acts I've heard in ages. (In Arizona? You can catch Cannons in Mesa alongside Lovejoy and Little Image on December 13th.) A few years ago, they even covered Harry Styles' hit "Golden," and did a wistful stripped-down version of it (listen below). Their new album "Heartbeat Highway...