The Useless Critic 2.0

I haven't written a blog post on movies in probably a decade-ish, but since 2020 I've actively taken it upon myself (lol) to watch more films. The site Letterboxd has been an incredible help with that! I am by no means a huge film buff or cinephile - I like movies way more than TV series (the messy but also gay recent season of "Emily in Paris" aside) so I tend to watch them more than anything else. With all that being said, I watched 40+ films this year, which also proves I don't have much of a personal life. In no particular order, here are my favorites. And to get this out of the way, the worst films I watched were "Disenchanted" (disappointingly) and "The Poughkeepsie Tapes." NOTE: I still haven't watched a lot of films I've wanted to, like "Babylon," but I doubt I'll be able to get to them before the year ends. Womp womp.  NOTE NOTE: I am sure better lists exist! NOTE NOTE NOTE: Not all of these films came out in 2022...

"Eclectic one-man band" Tom Vek has been pretty prolific about creating music over the last few decades. And much to our benefit! You might not hear a lot about him these days at least stateside (unless you're Florence ) but rest assured he's still an extremely active guy. Case in point, I checked out his latest album, "Newer Symbols." As the name may imply, it's a reimagining of his 2020 album, "New Symbols." Reimagining or not though, this album (just a little more than 30 minutes) stands quite well on its own. Check out the 2022 version of "Washed Up on the Beach" - my personal favorite - here; I would urge you to check out this release if you like electronic music in any variety. It feels like some of his finest work I've heard; experimental yet approachable. Warm while still fairly cool. Some tracks don't quite land but on the whole it's a very good listen, one of my favorites of this past year.

If you're looking for some sunny indie pop, I am happy to tell you that "Made of Sugar" lives up to its name. This new single from the duo Jacklen Ro clocks in at under 3 minutes of pure joy. And not shockingly, the twee-esque song is off their debut LP which is also titled "Sunshine I'm Counting on You." Although the song might seem like a light and feel-good throwback, don't be deceived! The band explained what they intended with the song, saying "'Made of Sugar' is about an on-and-off relationship from the perspective of someone who wants to get to the next level and be committed. It's the feeling of being let down by someone you thought you knew and could trust. It's the cycle of addiction to empty validation." We've all been there, I'm sure! I know I have.  "Sunshine I'm Counting on You" is out now on Lollipop Records.

This is by far a vastly different track than what I normally share, but it's a fun one. I'm not the biggest D&B/jungle fan in the world, but "Don't Be Late for the End of the World" is pretty chill. Listen to it below:  Jin Woo has certainly had one hell of a trajectory in his current work as a DJ. A former soccer and football player who played the violin as a child, he got interested in becoming a DJ partially thanks to a chance encounter (involving gambling) with producer Justin Raisen, who has previously collaborated with Sky Ferreira. His debut single "Don't Be Late for the End of the World" is intended to save the kids, and after a few listens, you'll figure it out. Expect more from Jin Woo later this fall! 

Just wanted to give a quick nod to a song that's been out for a while now I've enjoyed. I didn't actually realize Suki Waterhouse had a musical career until I saw she was opening for Father John Misty when he came through Phoenix this past summer. Then I checked out the wonderfully melancholic "Nostalgia," which didn't let me down (listen and watch the video below!)  She's got a nice folk touch, which makes sense as to why Father John chose her as an opener. Definitely one of my favorite tracks of 2022 (so far!), and an artist I'm keeping more of an eye on these days as she's clearly talented with a memorable voice. Her debut album, "I Can't Let Go," was released earlier this year. 

Step into another world with dream pop duo Portland's "Sensational" (despite their name, Portland is NOT from Portland, and actually Belgian!) The single is off their sophomore album "Departures," slated for a March 2023 release.  And although Portland is primarily a dreampop act, I definitely hear twee snippets come across, at least in "Sensational." The band themselves acknowledged the song can sound melancholic, but as member Sarah Pepels explained, "If you listen to the lyrics, they're quite hopeful. It's the ideal combination of a modern song. It's about not giving up." The song is reminscient a bit of bands like Kisses and In Coma, with maybe a touch of Wild Nothing thrown in for good measure.  As for the band's name, that comes from the duo Pepels and Jente Pironet's love of Portland-based singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Their debum album, "Your Colours Will Stain," was released in 2019 to much critical a...

You'd quite literally have to be owning a compound under a rock to miss the nonstop constant saturation of Taylor Swift's "Midnights" the past week. Hell, I'm a Taylor fan, and even I was overwhelmed! And of course by now most pop music fans have either streamed it nonstop ( testifying to the recent streaming records ), listened to some of it out of spite, or skipped over it completely. "Midnights" showcased a return to Taylor's penchant for strong power-ish pop mastery, like the kind she made explicitly known on "1989" (another collaboration with "Midnights" producer Jack Antonoff, who has gone on to work with Taylor numerous times, the Chicks, Florence and the Machine, Lorde, St. Vincent, and Lana Del Rey on my favorite album of all time "Norman Fucking Rockwell!")  Speaking of Lana, there was a much-hyped (and anticipated definitely for me) collab with her on the album. Titled "Snow on the Beach," the lyrics...

A few weeks back after it originally came out, I checked out the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, "Cool It Down." I have to be honest, I didn't expect to hear anything new from this band for a long, long while (although every dance party I've been to in the past decade has played "Heads Will Roll" at least once.) And largely speaking I pretty much bypassed any buzz about their return. But when it popped up in my Apple Music, I decided to listen to it - like a lot of indie/alt kids of my era, I was a huge fan of YYYs growing up.  "Cool It Down" was a bit of a departure from what I'd grown to expect from the YYYs in prior releases. This being said, it was a solid, to-the-point, and enjoyable album. (Also, it's rad to see it's from Secretly Canadian, one of my all-time favorite labels!) And despite feeling a bit more downtempo (to me at least) for them, there was some optimism that shined through the lyrics and melodies, and plus you can't d...

A new Skinshape LP is on the way as of October 28th! "Nostalgia" promises to delve into the world of motives and motifs. Will Dorey (AKA Skinshape) has described this particular track "High Tide, Storm Rising" as "the main theme song of a movie." And if you have read any of my prior posts, you know I'm a sucker for anything cinematic.  Here's a full look at the Skinshape "Nostalgia" track listing: 01. Theme For Lazarus 02. Better Chances 03. Dreams of Panama 04. Moonlight Walk  05. Albion 06. High Tide, Storm Rising 07. Turn Away 08. Bohanon's Cornucopia 09. Bad Dreams 10. Fish & Chips 11. Dawn I would try to include something about live shows, but the soulful likes of Skinahape simply prefer to record and NOT perform live, which is an interesting choice in today's world.  Once again, "Nostalgia" is out everywhere as of Oct. 28th.

Phoenix-based singer-songwriter gnarz just released his latest track, "Take It Easy." I fell in love with his voice last year when I heard the sweetly melancholic "Lost," and although I have a cursory knowledge of the local music scene, I've kept him on my radar since. This song is a little more upbeat, and has a country-esque feel to it in places. I had to love the shoutouts to Gwen Stefani and David Bowie, two of gnarz's inspirations. In some places, it comes off almost like spoken word. It's definitely unique, and gives a glimpse into gnarz's promise as a musician. And his voice is great - rich and warm, it makes for very pleasant listening. Check out this fun little track below! And if I see any shows pop up for gnarz in the Phoenix region (and beyond), I'll definitely share the details. 

Zella Day releases a fair amount of music, and I can barely keep up with it! But honestly, I'm hopeful for the future of this singer-songwriter from Pinetop, Arizona. I posted last year about how much I enjoyed "Golden" - and what a giddy, fun, disco-infused pop song it was! - and this year she's kept things going as she builds up to her new album, "Sunday in Heaven" (out October 14th). Her latest track, "Mushroom Punch," is another solid testament to her talent. She's pretty amazing at a variety of styles; it's rare to hear a mainstream-ish singer-songwriter who embraces such an eclectic approach. And as you can probably deduce by the title, "Mushroom Punch" has a decidedly psychedelic pop vibe to it.  Earlier this summer, Zella released "Radio Silence," an angstier rock song that found her screaming in a way that reminded me of The Cranberries' late Dolores O'Riordan.  TL;DR I am PUMPED for "Sunday in Heav...

And before I call it a day, I'm happy to share the latest single from Phoenix-based new wave band Paper Foxes, "Heart-Strings." The band - named by AP as the best unsigned band in Arizona in 2020 - is capable of producing one hell of a catchy track. This atmospheric (but extremely danceable) track only further proves this point. I'm quite a fan of the band as I'm sure my previous posts have made evident. It's definitely one of the best songs I've heard this summer; every summer, no matter how generally bleh it is, deserves a good soundtrack. I'm bummed I missed their show at the Rebel Lounge but I look forward to seeing them soon. 

Sorry it's been a minute - I don't really think I have any regular readers at this point, but that's okay. I just like talking about music and the opportunity is often lost on me. Earlier this summer though, I had the great fortune to see one of my favorite bands Still Corners at the Rebel Lounge. As I expected, it was a fantastic show by this dreampop duo. (older show, but still a great song) Still Corners is one of those bands that puts out soooo much music it can be hard to keep track of, quite honestly. One of the tracks they dropped this year, "Far Rider," has quickly become one of my favorites by them. It's dreamy, inviting, and the perfect backdrop for a night drive (if you're not like me and actually drive.) Check it out!

It seems incredibly fitting for Pride Month that Nation of Language released the track "Androgynous," originally by legendary rock band The Replacements. Nation of Language is coming off a whirlwind (and well deserved!) year with the success of their album "A Way Forward." Honestly, they are one of the most exciting young bands I've heard in recent memory, with a new wave-tinged sound that is part Joy Division yet has an inkling of The National thrown in for good measure. Listen to their cover here . Although not a newer song of theirs, I'd like to share "September Again" by Nation of Language, which is a tremendously good song IMHO. It's angsty but in a rhythmic way that makes for hypnotic (and repeat!) listening, with the subject matter dealing with (what I gather) ennui. Nation of Language will be doing a U.S. tour this autumn ... but with no dates in Phoenix. See below for their stops: 8/28 - Port Townsend, WA - Thing 9/14 - Washington, D.C...

Earlier this year, a fantastic piece of 1980s-influenced indie pop dropped (and I didn't cover it until now!) Caroline Kingsbury's debut album "Heaven's Just a Flight" came out last year and she will release "Remixes from Heaven," the companion remix album, on June 10th. "Strawberry Sheets" entered the world several months ago, and it's an atmospheric irresistible piece of dream pop. She's earned comparisons to Cocteau Twins previously, and you can definitely hear why on this track.  Her debut album last year drew much acclaim, even being named one of PopMatter's best indie pop albums of 2021. And the entire month of June she will be doing a residency at Berlin in NYC - so if you live in the area, I would recommend stopping by!

Just wanted to give some quick love to the new Uffie album that dropped this past Friday, "Sunshine Factory." It's been a minute since we've heard from Uffie, and this album sure lives up to its name - the album is overall a very joyful experience. Some of the highlights include "Anna Jetson," "Dominos" (which I wrote about before), and what I think might be her best song ever, "Sophia." Seriously, this song is so damn catchy, I don't think it's left my head in months. And you can hear the Toro y Moi influence heavily on this track in particular. There are some spoken word interludes scattered throughout the album, and albeit I'm not the hugest fan of those types of things, they're pretty funny in context (featuring Peaches and Teddy Geiger). Peaches especially is very appropo for Peaches. The only part where I feel this album falls kind of short is on the slower tracks - they aren't awful, but Uffie is at her peak whe...

Today I'd like to quickly share a song by the dreampop/shoegaze band Letting Up Despite Great Faults I have really enjoyed. It reminds me a bit of the apex of chillwave/dreampop we had back in the early 2010s - kind of vaguely like Wild Nothing (one of my favorites). This track is off the album "IV," which is their first in eight years.  On April 27th, they'll be playing with indie band Blushing at Linger Longer Lounge in Phoenix. See you there!

I'm here today to share a beautiful little indie pop song I recently heard called "Beautiful Country" by Helen Ganya. The song is some atmospheric pop by way of a Beach House type sound, which manages to be warm and distinct at the same time.  Ganya calls the song itself "a little tongue-in-cheek heartbreak on the illusion of meritocracy. It was a joy to write a sax line for this which was then reinterpreted with wondrous flair from fellow Brit-Thai musician Rittipo." Ganya, a Brit-Thai musician herself, will release the four-song EP "Heart to Heart Mirage" on May 13th, and I personally am looking forward to checking out more work by this promising young artist.

  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...