The Useless Critic 2.0

Another song I enjoyed from 2023 was the throwback banger "Blame Brett" by the Canadian band The Beaches. How this song didn't get ANY bigger, I don't know. (Apparently, it was quite big on TikTok but for me I didn't get that full effect.) The garage rock and even faint "Riot GRRL" vibes are strong in this one.  This song is so much blissful fun and a considerable hit from The Beaches, who followed up with a great album: "Blame My Ex." There are some other standout tracks on their second album, like "Edge of the Earth." But also isn't it great that Brett is a REAL guy who dated the lead singer and is in the band The Glorious Sons? (Actually, it's really not that bad. One time I texted a girl I liked who I got into it with - and she was very environmentally conscious - that I really loved straws, so. Um. We all have our moments.) Happy listening! I hope to share a few more songs before 2024 arrives.

So if you know me at all even an iota you'll know how much I enjoyed "Barbie" this year. I knew I would because I love Greta Gerwig stuff, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. And become totally enamored with Margot Robbie. Feels weird to be in my mid-30s and crushing on a celeb so hard but here we are.  ANYWAY, there's nothing I can say about this film that hasn't already been said. I loved every aspect of it and will likely watch it during my holiday downtime. But I wanted to share the "Ken" EP news from this past week and my personal favorite cut from that "I'm Just Ken"-centric collection. In it Ryan Gosling really gets to shine once again with the help of Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. I'm sure you can write off this whole effort as a cash grab but IDC. It's a very bleak end of year so a little frivolous joy and Ryan Gosling being as unserious as ever - but also somehow very serious and leaning into his power bal

Hi! So to write more and share music that I've kept to myself all year, I'm going to sort through some of my favorite songs from the haze that was 2023. I have a few other things I need to write about... but I will sprinkle that in with everything else.  I'm starting with M83, who is not a huge favorite of mine, but I've been a fan of their music for years (peaking in the early 2010s, with what I guess is the rest of the world.)  M83 released "Fantasy" earlier this year and went on tour to support their ninth album, which was relatively well-received. I finally got to see M83 this year and it was well worth the wait at the Van Buren in Phoenix this April. To be transparent, I haven't listened to this album in-depth, but there are some tracks I've really enjoyed. And one being the dreamy, lovesick "Laura." If this hasn't been used on a soundtrack YET it absolutely NEEDS TO BE.  Although it sounds like a love song, based off the internet