The Useless Critic 2.0

Most of you know that I adore Gwen Stefani. I have most of my life! Even at the end of the day while I stand bewildered by her current choices, I still very much am a fan. Perhaps not as fervently as I once was; I think that time might be over. I think my Twitter bio has been updated to reflect this sentiment.  The last year has been ... trying for us OG Gwen/No Doubt fans. A lot of us fell in love with her because she was punk lite, the quirky girl next door who was kind of a badass but also kind of a dork. She was sweet but she was powerful. And as she got older, she became more of a badass, more defined in her own confidence. Remember "Rock Steady" era Gwen or when she dueted with Eve? Fuck yes, for lack of a better term.  But somewhere in the past year she has gone into soccer mom on steroids mode. And I mean, at first I was like, whatever. I should be supportive, you know? Okay, so maybe "This Is What the Truth Feels Like" wasn't the best album ever, bu...

Not Just Because He's Dead - I think this is an okay Christmas song- certainly not my first choice. My sister adores this song, though. And, considering the anniversary of his death (33 years), I figured this was a fair choice. Not Celine Dion's heartless slaughter of it: Also, here is a John Lennon song I love, which came out roughly the same time he was killed: Oh, Yoko!

I included some Christmas music as well as secular music. That M.I.A/Weeknd song? Wow. She really can't sing but there is something entirely intoxicating about it. I'm not sure what to make of the new stuff by the Sounds; "Sweet Tooth" by Blue Hawaii is something you MUST hear, as is Arcade Fire's "Joan of Arc." "Let Me Back In" and "Memoir" are more somber than the rest of the tracks. However, the holidays are proving to be a bit hard for me this year. I really don't think the Flaming Lips' version of "Just Like Starting Over" compares to John Lennon, but Spotify sucks about anything Beatles-related. It will do, pig, it will do.

I t's the politically correct holiday season again! Lest we forget, there are a ton of holiday songs out there. Some much harder-to-listen-to than the others.   Wah wah wah So I'm going to use the next 25 days to bring you the best in holiday music. Let's start with a song I posted last year. I heard it when I was shopping yesterday, which was weird but awesome. It's "I Was Born on Christmas Day" by Saint Etienne.

Summer Camp is a very cool duo of a boy and a girl (English indie pop stars Jeremy Warmsley and cool, almost Saint Etienne-voiced Elizabeth Hartney) that seems popular this time of year especially, due to their abundance of Christmas songs. I think a lot of people shy away from making holiday music, especially those folks in the indieverse. Not these guys! They welcome it and do a mighty fine job of it, too. So, as procedure, I tried to get to interview them and lo and behold, they were fast responders. Thus, my interview with a band you should be listening to, ESPECIALLY if you want to be cool with your Christmas music, Summer Camp! How did you guys join forces originally? Summer Camp:  In October 2009, Elizabeth gave Jeremy a mix-tape which included the song "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos. They thought it might be fun to record a cover version - Jeremy had his own studio, although Elizabeth had never sung before. We  recorded it and pu...

In that last post, Al threw the gauntlet down and asked us all (aka me) to contribute our favorite Christmas carol. Well, "Last Christmas" isn't really traditional, but let me show you what I have in mind: (apologies to the peeps I took dese from)  Last Christmas I gave you my heart THE VERY NEXT DAY YOU GAVE IT AWAY This year To save me from tears I'll give it to someone special Once bitten and twice shy I keep my distance But you still catch my eye Well It's been a year It doesn't surprise me HAPPY CHRISTMAS I wrapped it up and sent it With a note saying "I love you" I meant it I think you all get the point.

Every year, Sofia Talvik treats her fans to a free Christmas MP3.  Well, not completely free. Sofia states on her website, that instead of her fans forking over cash for the track, her wish is that they "do a good deed instead." And, in spirit with her message at the holiday season, Sofia has teamed up with a charity to sponsor her track, "Winter Canon." This year it's ActionAid . ActionAid is run by UNICEF and operates under the guiding principle "to end poverty together." A commendable effort, by any means. "Winter Canon" has a very old-fashioned American Christmas feel to it....I recommend giving it a listen, downloading it and going out of your way to do something for someone else. Sofia is currently touring around the States as I type. 

Yes, I have become the person that is promoting Christmas Carols in the Springtime, and although, there is no chance of Jack Frost nipping at your nose, I have the chance to promote one of my favorite singers yet again. I could not wait until November to write this. And of course there is " Davis Gaines Ol Man River on The Useless Critic ." I really became a fan of Davis Gaines during my 2009 fascination with Broadway music. This video has been on the internet for a few months, but I had only recently discovered it. This is a studio recording, and I will admit that I much rather prefer to listen to Davis Gaines when he is live on stage, but this is still fun. His studio voice and his live voice are quite different. To be honest this sounds nothing like him, but it has a lot of his qualities. QATFYG: Who has the best studio voice?