The Useless Critic 2.0

Just doing my yearly little music recap! As I get older it does get harder to stay on top of new things. But I did do marginally okay this year. Here's my entire playlist on Apple Music FYI. Would be remiss to say "Brat" was clearly the biggest thing that happened this year in music: I'm not a huge Billie Eilish fan (I think she's quite talented, and I like a few of her songs a lot), but I really thought this collab was the best thing she has done to date. I kind of hope she continues in this direction! I am still waiting on the Uffie renaissance. At the *very* least, I think Uffie deserves a documentary at this point. If you were on MySpace circa 2008, you know . Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter obviously had banner years. They are both pretty talented - I think I have a mental block with Sabrina though, since some of her music is so bland . But she's still catchy. You can't deny Chappell is incredibly talented, and I do applaud her for sticking up for...

You guys, Viva Phoenix this year. Let's talk about it. There was honestly too much for me to do to hone in on the several bands I wanted to see (Bogan Via, Pure Bathing Culture, Temples among other). So I concentrated on the crown jewels for me - GIRL TALK and UFFIE. If you have been reading the UC for many years, you will know I was obsessed with Uffie in 2010 - 2011. You will realize the circle has then become full.  I saw the Mowglis and Mystikal, too. I've seen the former before, and they are fun, but the audio quality was terrible. So terrible I ended up wandering out halfway through. Weirdly enough as well, I saw The Maine? Not my cup of tea, but they played a good show. I will give them an A for keeping their audience engaged.  GIRL TALK was on another level. I don't know where he has been for the past several years, but he hasn't changed at all. Even now that the DJ has become a mainstream staple of pop music; Greg Gillis was everything I've heard and ...

Ellie Goulding, "Love Me Like You Do" / "Something in the Way You Move" I must admit it took me a few listens to realize how grand and majestic "Love Me Like You Do" is. The song is so tender and ethereal, but it's also brooding and has an underlying darkness to it. Plus I think it was a perfect fit for the scene in Fifty Shades of Grey where Christian takes Anastasia on a helicopter ride overlooking Seattle's night skyline (I actually enjoyed the movie, judge me). "Something in the Way You Move"—from Goulding's latest LP Delirium —marries a shimmering synthpop backdrop with foreboding, somewhat dark lyrics, which document the singer's dooming attraction to a nameless guy who is bad for her, but she can't help it even if it's bound to end in heartbreak: "When our eyes meet, I can only see the end / But tonight I'm here, yours again." Thematically, it wouldn't sound really out of place in the Fifty Sh...