The Useless Critic 2.0

This song is a throwback from 2019, but I absolutely love it and think more way people need to be aware of its existence. I guess Netflix featured it on a show or movie a while ago, but it's likely been a minute and so. Check it out! This is like a "Wicked Games" by way of dreampop with some shoegaze-y elements.  It looks like the Denver-based group remains active, so go shoot their other stuff a listen if you have some time today! I hope to be back with more contemporary stuff very soon - just went through my 2024 playlist and it's like if Lilith Fair came back and was repopulated with female pop singers. It was hard not to add the entire "Brat" album!

I don't trust a soul who does not like Glass Animals. They are certainly one of the more interesting mainstream indie acts to emerge this decade. And this fun duet with the rapper Denzel Curry (who is also on a recent track w/ Flying Lotus) keeps their nearly immaculate track record alive. Also, this video is delightful for anyone who grew up playing games like "Street Fighter," which I surprisingly did.

If you live in Phoenix and haven't listened to Paper Foxes or caught a show by them, then what is wrong with you? This talented new-wave/synthpop band released their debut album,"Popular Confessions," this past fall, and damn. With vocals that are vaguely reminiscent of Brian Molko from Placebo and clear influences from the world of New Order, they are a band to keep an eye on. Plus they do so many live shows in the Valley, you're bound to bump into them at some point.  It's a good time to live in Phoenix if you like music. I would strongly suggest listening to Panic Baby as well. 

Looking for some chill music for a weird Monday night? That retrograde is (thankfully) almost over on Wednesday. Forever ago, I edited content for a marketing agency, and we had a psychic service as a client. I'd read all their articles about retrogrades and ish. It never struck me as true until I signed a lease during a retrograde, and you know, the rest went to hell. And every Mercury retrograde since then ... something weird has happened.  Lanterns on the Lake is VERY chill - an atmospheric but groovy band. It kind of reminds me if Sigur Ros, Cocteau Twins, and Aimee Mann all got together. This is what would come out of that.  Their new album, "Spook the Herd," is available this coming February. 

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...

I think I promised some Lana-related blabbing, so here it goes. I've been traveling a lot these past several days, which has left me quite some time to enjoy music. And by music I mean 90 percent "Norman Fucking Rockwell." This and "Cinnamon Girl" are, to me, the standout tracks off this album. There's really not a dud among the group - some songs are a little more subdued than others, I will say - but the songs that stand out are like, shit people will be listening to in 20 plus years.  Now, for "Mariners Apartment Complex," there's two reasons it is - without a doubt - one of her top tracks. First of all, it's a classic throwback ballad dressed up in modern production (the help of Jack Antonoff.) This sounds like something that emerged directly for radio play in the '70s. Without the production that is undeniably contemporary - imagine a stripped-down acoustic version - "Mariners" would not be out of place in the singe...

Memo to self for the future: DO NOT LET DOMAINS EXPIRE DURING PERSONAL CRISES. Get your self TOGETHER and renew that damn domain. Geezus. Not dead, internet, not dead. I got royally screwed by this whole situation, and now my OG domain - theuselesscritic.com - is worth a whole boatload of money. Please learn from my errors, and never do such things. So we have entered the part of my life where this is no longer actually "The Useless Critic" but "Useless Critics." This largely does not matter, but I prefer to be candid. Just realized apparently I am wearing part of my bath bomb on my face. This is a good look. As a brief recap, I've been swamped all summer, so I've been putting off bringing back the UC for oh quite a while. Summertimes in Phoenix are uniquely hard due to the unbearable heat, so I did indulge in the "summertime sads" a bit. But September is a good month for me. I'm fresh off from seeing THE NATIONAL and will soon be seeing Ph...

"Without even a prompt from us, the public voted our record number 1 album of the year. It’s those kinds of things I remember, and I will always remember. And it’s those highlights that have brought us to where we are today." - Charles Cave, White Lies  Photo by Steve Gullick  A while ago, I meant to post this interview. But to paraphrase John Lennon, life happened while I was attempting to make other plans.  So White Lies released "Five" earlier this year - their fifth (duh) album in a decade. And "Five" is up there with their debut in terms of my favorite White Lies albums. It's worth a listen. Here are a few questions I asked Charles Cave of White Lies about the band's musical career thus far, "Five," and touring. Also: ABBA makes an appearance. Enjoy!  "Five" marks a decade of White Lies. How have things evolved over the past decade?  We’ve grown into ourselves, and have found a lot more comfort in our own ski...

In this new ongoing series that I have been meaning to do for years but have never done ... I will be comparing songs with the same/similar name and determining which one is better. Utterly a useless exercise, but did you read the blog name?! Yeah ... it's a reoccurring theme ...  This week, we've got in one corner, indie queen Jenny Lewis! Her latest album "On the Line" just dropped this past Friday and Lewis is riding an impressively large wave of media coverage at the moment. And honestly, she deserves it.  And in the OTHER corner, we have that beloved indie rock band from the turn of the century - Yeah Yeah Yeahs! Karen O has been up to a bit lately, but I have only followed from a distance and thus feel unqualified to pontificate on it.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The songs that are duking it out today? "Heads Gonna Roll" vs. "Heads Will Roll." Let's look at "Heads Gonna Roll" first - a lead single off Jenny Lewis's "On t...

(If this doesn't hit you right in the feels, then I don't want to talk to you!) Sid Sriram just released his debut LP "Entropy" and is currently touring across North America. He's a new find for me - an interesting new find, combining elements of R&B, pop, hip-hop, some soul, and Carnatic music - which is a traditional form of Indian music.  "Entropy" itself is a relatively strong debut, but "Limitless" itself feels like it was custom made for pop radio. This clip of Sriram performing the song features noneother than a choir taught by the singer's own mother. It's a cool way of showing a journey going "full circle" so to speak.  Keep this guy in your periphery vision ... he's got a lot of promise. For more, visit his website:  https://www.sidsriram.com/

With Ringo Starr on drums, Jenny Lewis came BACK. She's touring, heavily promoting her new album, and quite frankly, kicking ASS. May age be this graceful to all of us.  Seriously though, this song sounds like if Fleetwood Mac came out now. Jenny Lewis's solo career has been littered with badass anthems (like "She's Not Me") and this track belongs right there with the best of them. WB, Jenny! I would never order this drink EVER - sounds like a stroke in a glass TBQH. 

As you may know - if you are as big of a National fan as I am -  that there is a new podcast dedicated to dissecting each song the band has ever done. It's called "Coffee and Flowers" per the line in "Conversation 16" and I became aware of the podcast last year when they followed me (and my equally National-enthralled sister) on Instagram. Egads! They just went live with their first season, covering the band's masterpiece, "Boxer."  At first the idea seemed a bit odd to me, but as we know, there are podcasts that serve every purpose now. So why shouldn't this be a thing? The National are a good enough band! Not just good enough - they are AMAZING and probably one of the best mainstream rock bands at the moment (as if you needed me to say this.)  I listened to the majority of Season 1 last night and I have to share - it's pretty great. Despite I often differ from the hosts in my interpretations of the songs (isn't that the beauty...

This is a perfectly trippy little rock song. It's not the same Foals we've come to know (a band that's not completely ever grown on me). This is a more pensive, spaced-out. And I'm pretty sure it's about the end of the world, but to me it feels like a rumination on the waste of adulthood and how exhausting being yourself can be. Especially if you, like me, are plagued by self-loathing. Also, you can take that more dystopian look at it, but whatever.  2019 is shaping up to be an interesting year for music!

This song is going to sound AMAZING live. It reminds me of math rock a bit, but it sounds like a jittier companion piece to "Sleep Well Beast." The duet with Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie's bassist) is unexpected, but works very well. All in all, this song sounds very upbeat for a song regarding a failing relationship. Wah! P.S.: I'm the sole contributor to the blog now. It's been quietly happening for the past two years, but I cemented it this past weekend. This just means more consistency and creative control for me. I, Britt Kemp, have become "Useless Critic." Stay along for an interesting and unexpected journey. 

I will preface this post with the following: I grew up as a huge Ryan Adams fan. I was instantly hooked after 2001 and VH1 playing "New York New York" nonstop. To me, he was everything rock was supposed to be - but I hadn't quite found yet. When I began high school, I bought "Heartbreaker" and vividly remember my first listen in my Mom's SUV in the parking lot of our local grocery store. Snow was falling down and it was dark outside, and his music seemed so perfect for that moment.  I was able to keep up with his career until college. He kept putting out music and I just didn't have the space in my brain to keep pace with each album, especially since I found a few to be rather lackluster. Plus, I was being introduced to other musicians and bands, and was really not as interested in Ryan as I had been. It wasn't until the past few years I began appreciating him again. When he covered Taylor Swift's "1989," I found it to be a ge...

Sounds Like: Shawn Mendes meets Purity Ring on a road trip Doesn't Sound Like: The Portishead song "Roads"  Coming from somewhere that blends singer-songwriter folky aesthetics,  Mark Diamond premieres his new single, "Road." It's not a song that demands your interest at first - it's almost too soft and easygoing for its own good. But repeated listens reveal a comfort and warmth to it, and certainly it indicates (a lot) of promise for future music.  Says Mark, "I have never had more fun making music in my entire life. Music should make people feel good more than it makes them feel bad. Not necessarily ‘happy’ songs, but songs that make you feel better about life than when you started listening to it.” Seems like he's meeting his ... mark! Looking forward to hearing more from this up-and-coming talent.   

White Lies initially appeared in a crop of late '00s bands that made a brief fuss for a while and then slowly disappeared. But unlike a lot of those bands - and unlike other more forgettable post-punk acts (The Cinematics, anyone?) White Lies has managed to stand the test of time with finesse.  Celebrating approximately a decade together as a band, White Lies released the aptly named "Five" this Friday.  Although White Lies have gone off in slightly different directions since 2009's "To Lose My Life" and even 2011's similar-feeling "Ritual," "Five" does feel like their most accomplished work to death. The instrumentals feel more polished; Harry McVeigh's signature voice somehow more mature.  For me, the strongest track is indeed the opener - "Time to Give." While "Time to Give" has the distinctive touch of White Lies, it approaches more arena rock territory, too. Like, it's not out of the questio...

My official favorite song for the beginning of 2019 belongs to noneother than White Lies, who have become a formidable force on their own. This song is what young folks call "a banger" - well, not in the traditional way. It's more anthemic than anything, but it's a lot more danceable than the brooding White Lies of a decade ago.  Also, the end of this video vaguely reminds me of "Mourning Sound" by Grizzly Bear:

So I don't get a chance to post about music made by another member of the LGBTQIA community very often, but Jaimie Wilson recently released this track - which is a duet with him and himself pre-gender transition.  It's a nice folk song, and a super cute video, too. Also, what better way to kick off the New Year on the 10th year of The Useless Critic? See ya with more content soon- Britt