The Useless Critic 2.0

I'm on a roll lately! I wouldn't expect this to last. But back with another new single, "My Reflection" by the London-born and LA-based dance duo Eli & Fur. I had honestly never heard of them before, but they've been in the business for over a decade now. And at first listen I was pretty intrigued. It's an icy cool yet warm sound - a very untouchable electronic vibe. "My Reflection" is from their upcoming "Dreamscapes" album, which will be out on September 27th via the PIAS Electronique label. They are also doing a VERY limited tour run for "Dreamscapes," with three shows in total announced. 'The shows are as follows: October 12th at the Fonda in LA, October 19th at Brooklyn Steel in NYC, and November 16th at the Village Underground in London. 

And now for something a bit more chill that might bring you back to bobbing your head circa 2010, check out "How Ya Been?" by London-based producer Modern Modern Life (aka Frank Colucci).  "How Ya Been?" is about missing someone, and was recorded during the beginning of the COVID lockdowns … when we were all probably missing someone(s) in some way or another. Modern Modern Life has earned comparisons to electronic artists like Bonobo and Caribou, and only a few seconds into this track proves why.  You can expect Modern Modern Life's debut EP "The Hard Copy" to enter the world June 3rd. 

Nause is a Swedish electronic group that just made themselves known to me. But you know, I can get behind things that are both Swedish and electronic (combining two of my great loves in this life). Check out a preview of their new track, "Hungry Heart", HERE. that's right! we have a preview of a song before several other sources. hot damn! NEED MORE PROOF? SEE HERE: anyway, check it out! and keep an eye on these Swedish boys in the future!

Okay: what Pogo does is craft songs out of samples from movies and stuff like that. in the past he's done a lot of Disney movies. with this song however, we find him mixing up MIDDLE EARTH i.e. LOTR. check it out hurr a lot of his stuff is available for free on last.fm. worth checking out! he's doing a brief tour of North America in a few weeks...playing DC on March 2! rating: A but I still won't watch the movies. would rather watch that new Matt Damon/Emily Blunt thing that looks stupid.

So one of those studies where they analyze the most exuberant countries in the world was just undertaken again. I was not surprised by the results, although I would have liked to see Sweden on the list. 5.) NEW ZEALAND why: because it is nicknamed "the World's Youngest Country" it is pretty it is right next to Australia 4.) AUSTRALIA why: because all those spawn of British rejects are really quite pleased with themselves! it is kind of warm nobody lives in the middle! it IS Australia "I'm moving to Australia!"- Alexander they have great electronic music (i.e. Cut Copy and the Presets) they are attractive and also tan. WHY ELSE, SIMON 3.) FINLAND why: because Finland is awesome? because they are near Sweden. I love you Finland, you are our 4th or 5th largest group of readers. they have Moomin their government doesn't suck FORBES WAS TALKING SHIT ON YOU FINLAND they make good design IDK what else to say except that a group of Finns told me I l...

first of all, I saw School of Seven Bells last night in a revamped church and it was THE MOST BONE-CHILLING COLD CONCERT OF MY LIFE. good god! they were great ("I L U" was the highlight for me; considering one of the sisters is gone it was a terrific show!) despite the endless supply of openers. I will say the Show weren't bad, but. the others I cannot speak of. it was 6 degrees Fahrenheit btw . WEAR A BIG OLD COAT

If you like: - Lady Gaga - Tiga - LCD Soundsystem then you might like: Toronto-based electronic artist DIAMOND RINGS who was introduced to me via the lovely Kurt LISTEN:

I've just taken notice of Aeroplane. as in this morning. an electronica duo, I kind of fell in love with their reworking of Friendly Fires' "Paris." here, listen for yourself: and Also, Kele from Bloc Party released his solo album. I'm not such a fan of Bloc Party these days, but I like what I heard from his lone venture so far. very electronic-focused! nice, it's a good niche for him: good workout music, at the very least.

Lovely little song (ABOUT LOVE OMFGZ ISN'T VALENTINE'S DAY RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER) in the vein of Tunng and the Books. Warning: this video may make you feel bad.

Chromeo is an electronic/dance duo comprised of P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) and Dave 1 (David Macklovitch). As their Wikipedia entry so astutely states, "The two childhood friends jokingly describe themselves as "the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture." They became relatively well-known with the release of their second album, Fancy Footwork, which featured the singles "Fancy Footwork", " Tenderoni ", and " Bonafied Lovin' ". I personally discovered them via their song "Opening Up (Ce Soir On Danse)". "Night by Night" is the first single off Chromeo's third studio album, to be released in the summer of 2010. I don't really know how to describe it. The song is almost an '80s throw-back while simultaneously building on their discography in an organic, interesting way. It fits well in the electronic/dance genre that is becoming relatively popular (see La Roux, Ladyhawke). F...