The Useless Critic 2.0

Banks, Goddess LA siren Jillian Banks is much more than a product of the recent crop of minimal, futuristic "alt-R&B." Paired with her dusky vocals, Banks' entrancing debut album employs woozy beats, pulsating bass shudders, and distorted electronic effects to create a soundscape that is dark, moody, sultry, enigmatic, and brooding. The raw, confessional tales of seduction, scorned love, and heartbreak showcase Banks as both empowering ("Fucking with a goddess and you get a little colder," on the shadowy title track ) and vulnerable ("Please, give me something to convince me that I am not a monster," on album opener " Alibi "), but there's also room for playfully sinister lyricism ("My words can come out as a pistol / And I'm no good at aiming / But I can aim it at you," on the menacing "Beggin for Thread"). Top tracks: "Beggin for Thread" • " This Is What It Feels Like " • ...

I do not like this. I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

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...

The music video for La Roux's new single "I'm Not Your Toy" has been released and... I like it. La Roux is a British electropop synth band composed of Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid, singer and producer respectively. They work in the same milieu as Little Boots, Ladyhawke, and Passion Pit, so if you're into the indie electronic music that has been so popular recently, you'll probably like La Roux. I've been listening to La Roux on and off for a while now and I haven't exactly been blown away. Their songs are all good - catchy and interesting - but they just don't quite hit the spot. I like " Fascination " enough to let it play all the way through when it comes up on my iPod, but not enough to put it on repeat. Same with " Bulletproof " and " In For The Kill ." In contrast, I think that "I'm Not Your Toy," their new single, is better than their previous songs. When I first listened to it I didn't parti...