The Useless Critic 2.0

It's not exceptionally rare I hear new music I really like, but sometimes because life is a lot and I don't have a ton of time to voraciously go through new releases like I once did, I get stuck in the "music as comfort" cycle. So I end up listening to a LOT of Cannons, Meltt, and Lana Del Rey to get me through the day. I also am really into Wolf Alice at the moment, and some random discoveries I've made via internet radio. Plus I am in love with Suki Waterhouse so there is that. (I also am enjoying Addison Rae because I am a woman of taste and with the times.) Anyway, the internet radio suggested to me the UK-based Ruby Roberts a few weeks ago, and boy howdy! I was pleasantly impressed by this dynamic, wrapped-in-nostalgia single. I know "the next Lana Del Rey" gets thrown around quite a lot but I think Ruby has that potential. Seriously. You might also like her if you're a fan of Weyes Blood or even just 1960s-1970s singer-songwriter stuff. She has...

 There's a strong argument for the Quavo-Lana single "Tough" to be crowned the coveted "SONG OF THE SUMMER." Do I think they hold a candle to "Espresso?" Uh no, but for me this is the song of the summer (no hate to Sabrina! It's-a me, Espresso!")  Lana returns to the trap elements she's touched on in the past, and maybe this is the first time I've said trap in that context in the history of this blog. And Quavo goes a little bit country! Some people are complaining he ruins the song on the Lana subreddits but I have no issue with his part, even though I hate autotune 9/10 times.  Here's the visualizer of the song. The actual video is a typical old school Lana video - meaning it's kind of over the top in the best way. She hasn't done something like this in a minute, unless you want to count "Chemtrails Over the Country Club." Now honestly I was hooked on this song from the first snippets I heard back a few months...

You can expect a new CAS (Cigarettes After Sex) album in the coming weeks! I almost saw them last year but they ended up selling out which I absolutely did not expect to happen. I guess I underestimated the appeal of moody aesthetic music. Maybe everyone got hooked when they took over YouTube for that one year (2018? 2019?)  They'll be doing an ARENA tour (!!!!!!) this year - hitting Phoenix on October 8th (maybe won't sell out? Doubtful) - also Lana doing is an arena tour?! What is this year even? I feel like 2024 is the bleaker sequel to 2012 no one asked for. (Just kidding I liked 2012! I moved to Phoenix! Big year in my life. 2011 and 2013 can kick rocks though.)  Anyway here's the song, which is distinctly CAS, but it also reminds me a lot of the Xx in places. It really hits all the notes that they are known for, but I like how Greg Gonzalez's voice is almost softer here? It feels more developed and melodious, or it just might be a case of clearer production. Gonza...

A quick glimpse into some of my favorite more mainstream songs of 2023 so far! The National's new album "First Two Pages of Frankenstein" dropped this past Friday, and features guest spots from the likes of Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers. Although I haven't really been into the last few National albums (I enjoyed "Sleep Well Beast" but could take or leave "I Am Easy to Find") I'm relieved to hear that "First Two Pages" is a return to form, and the collabs work wonderfully. "Alcott" with Taylor Swift is my favorite track off the album by far. I am almost surprised by how well Matt and Taylor's voices mesh well together. The National is touring this summer, and you KNOW Taylor Swift is currently on tour. Listen below: And I really haven't written much about the overall album "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard" by Lana Del Rey, but it's another stunning achievement by one of th...

Hi! Sorry for the long hiatus between posts - something something John Lennon "life happens when you're making other plans" blah blah blah. TL;DR I've been busy with not a lot of time for hobbies, except for today when I'm consciously carving out a little bit of time to do some light music writing (and if I'm feeling esp. daring, creative writing, but let's not get CRAZY). And what perfect timing, as two of my favorite singers - Annie and Lana Del Rey - have new projects bubbling. I try to highlight lesser-known artists when I can on this blog (I have tried for years) but sometimes you must feature well-known artists that you nonetheless love. So here we are.  First up, the new Annie single is actually a collaboration with Alan Braxe. I honestly had no clue who Alan Braxe was until "Never Coming Back" dropped about a week ago. He is a French electronic musician responsible for plenty of remixes over the years, such as one for Annie's arguab...

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...

 It's truly the little things in life that make a world of difference. And for me, that means my summer playlist! Behold, I have put together 2022's edition. It includes cuts from artists like: - Mitski - Uffie - Johnny Orlando - Kylie Minogue + Jessie Ware - Florence and the Machine (who put out a fantastic album this year after a long dry spell of kind of "meh" records. Her pairing with Jack Antonoff worked out quite well!)  - Bilal - Harry Styles (he has some catchy music!)  - KATE BUSH DUH - And of course, Lana. It's also available on Apple Music, but since I recognize a lot of folks use Spotify, here's that link. Enjoy!

I haven't posted anything about my thoughts on the "Blue Banisters" album, but I really think it's a strong body of work from Lana. She's one of those rare modern artists who barely have a weak link in their discography. The closest she has to a not-that-great album is "Lust for Life," which still delivers some stellar cuts ("Heroin," "Tomorrow Never Comes," even "Summer Bummer" is pretty good.)  I would put "Blue Banisters" somewhere above "Chemtrails Over the Country Club" from earlier this year, but below some of her defining works, like "Norman Fucking Rockwell" and "Born to Die." My biggest gripe with the album is it's slightly all over the place, but that makes sense when you consider a lot of the tracks are B-sides from her earlier works.  My personal favorite on the album is the above "If You Lie Down With Me," which works as a melancholic song with a playful twis...

Yes of course this was coming! I once again was too lazy to write about this particular song, so I once more took the mini podcast route. I would like to preface this with saying that I recorded this before Lana took down all her social media accounts, so I no longer can rely on her Instagram for my updates. :D EDIT: Here's the song itself - And here's my mini-podcast - Britt Kemp · The Useless Critic #2

I know I didn't post anything about "Call Me By Your Name" by Lil Nas X when it came out earlier this year; by the time I got a chance to write about it there wasn't much more to be said. Lil Nas X is awesome - it's great to see an unapologetically queer rapper, for starters, and it's also awesome he continues to defy expectations, esp. considering a lot of folks likely considered him a one hit wonder following the mega success of "Old Town Road."  Speaking of "Call Me By Your Name," I couldn't help but feel like the beat reminded me of "More Than a Woman" by Aaliyah and lo and behold someone did a mash-up for me: Last week the video for Lil Nas X's new song "Industry Baby" dropped, and it's a pretty campy, over the top, and quintessentially homoerotic affair. Honestly this is shaping up to be another YEAR for Lil Nas X and I am very much here for it. Plus, have to be honest, the song is what I believe the ki...

Not even that far off from "Chemtrails Over The Country Club" being released this past March, Lana Del Rey dropped three new singles off her upcoming project, "Blue Banisters." They include the title track, "Text Book," and "Wildflower Wildfire." All three songs seem to merge the worlds of "COCC" with "Norman Fucking Rockwell," specifically Lana's mouthful of a track "Hope is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me To Have But I Have It." They also seem uncharacteristically more confessional than most of Lana's catalog to date, specifically "Wildflower Wildfire," which alludes to a conflict with her mother. She even starts the track with "Here's the deal," readying to show more of her backstory than she ever has in her decade-plus-long career. The three songs are gorgeous - especially "Text Book," which has a haunting quality to it (she mentions "Black Lives Matter" i...

There have only been a handful of albums in my life I've loved as much as "Norman Fucking Rockwell," Lana Del Rey's 2019 magnum opus produced by wunderkind producer and fun/Bleachers musician Jack Antonoff. To give you an idea of how much I fullheartedly loved that album, I really had stopped paying attention to LDR at this point. The period between "Honeymoon" and "NFR" Is a lost time for me. I've since gone back and revisited it, but while it was actually happening, I could have cared less. "NFR" was this album that BLEW me away on my first listen. I hadn't heard an album so cohesively good in a minute. I spent the rest of 2019 listening to "NFR," on bus trips and plane rides and nights at home, and half of my first quarantine listening to it, too. It powered me through that phase of my life - it just hit home with me, on a deep level where music rarely resonates anymore. And I would classify it as my favorite album of...

Want something sleepy and gentle to listen to this Valentine's Day? Do I have the song for you; it's "Holocene" by Arizona-bred Zella Day featuring Weyes Blood. It's a step back into the lush folk of the '60s and '70s; their voices blend together almost magically. The refrain of the song is haunting: "Time forgets no one." Also, despite having the same title, this not a Bon Iver cover. Zella Day and Weyes Blood are formidable talents on their own though, and worth listening to. Below are my favorite songs by each singer: ' Both singers will be featured on Lana Del Rey's upcoming "Chemtrails Over the Country Club," due out on March 19th. They'll all be covering Joni Mitchell's classic "For Free," and see below for a taste of things to come back from when live concerts were a thing . Remember those days?  

First of all, what a year it has been to be a Lana Del Rey fan. I don't mean this in a positive way - it's the same sort of feeling I have about enjoying ice cream from time to time while having some latent lactose intolerance going on. I remember some moments around the "Ultraviolence" era felt a bit eyerolly, but nothing quite at the level like what she's been up to since "Norman Fucking Rockwell" positioned her at a career high. From "question for the culture" to the mesh not-really-a-mask ... there has been no shortage of frustrating moments lately. I'm not sure what else to say here - I'm a fan, but the music and the person are at odds for me.  I haven't really dug into "Violent Bent Backwards Over the Grass," but what I have read/heard has had some promise. Largely speaking though, I think her songs outshine her poetry dramatically.  Anyway, let's just get to the music. "Let Me Love You Like a Woman" is...

I think I promised some Lana-related blabbing, so here it goes. I've been traveling a lot these past several days, which has left me quite some time to enjoy music. And by music I mean 90 percent "Norman Fucking Rockwell." This and "Cinnamon Girl" are, to me, the standout tracks off this album. There's really not a dud among the group - some songs are a little more subdued than others, I will say - but the songs that stand out are like, shit people will be listening to in 20 plus years.  Now, for "Mariners Apartment Complex," there's two reasons it is - without a doubt - one of her top tracks. First of all, it's a classic throwback ballad dressed up in modern production (the help of Jack Antonoff.) This sounds like something that emerged directly for radio play in the '70s. Without the production that is undeniably contemporary - imagine a stripped-down acoustic version - "Mariners" would not be out of place in the singe...

Memo to self for the future: DO NOT LET DOMAINS EXPIRE DURING PERSONAL CRISES. Get your self TOGETHER and renew that damn domain. Geezus. Not dead, internet, not dead. I got royally screwed by this whole situation, and now my OG domain - theuselesscritic.com - is worth a whole boatload of money. Please learn from my errors, and never do such things. So we have entered the part of my life where this is no longer actually "The Useless Critic" but "Useless Critics." This largely does not matter, but I prefer to be candid. Just realized apparently I am wearing part of my bath bomb on my face. This is a good look. As a brief recap, I've been swamped all summer, so I've been putting off bringing back the UC for oh quite a while. Summertimes in Phoenix are uniquely hard due to the unbearable heat, so I did indulge in the "summertime sads" a bit. But September is a good month for me. I'm fresh off from seeing THE NATIONAL and will soon be seeing Ph...

One thing I'm happy to admit is that I spend a lot of money on music. This is often a Herculean struggle for me internally - as much as I absolutely love the experience of live music, I hate crowds, and I hate the absurd wait times some artists inflict on their audiences. I went to a lottttttt of shows in 2017, cut back some in 2018, and this year looks like it'll be modest but worth it.  I'm not seeking to hit an exact # here - I've been to somewhere between 30 - 50 shows at this point, and probably hundreds of smaller, lesser known bands. I chose 13 for now because that just seems like the fair way to do things.  Is this the best use of money?! For me, YES. I rather collect experiences than things, and look forward to purging myself of some of the junk that I've accumulated the last several years (it does not bring me joy!)  I invite you to comment about any specifically memorable shows you've been to, and what makes them so grand in retrospect.  Honor...

Brilliantly moody, brilliantly wistful, brilliantly Lana. This song pays tribute to David Bowie's "Space Oddity," which you've probably read by now. I'm late to the game on this one. I KNOW I'M SORRY.  It sounds a lot like lost love - the kind of love that is painfully slow to move on - but I've read theories it's about David Bowie's late brother. You can read about Terry, David's deceased brother, here . I'm honestly not sure what this song is about, but the sad image of someone sitting in front of a radio or a TV or a computer (really) pining for someone long gone - by choice or by death or by whatever - is a pretty lonely, tender thing to ponder.  As "Honeymoon" approaches, I get more and more excited about Lana's third (really fourth) album. This song just stoked the flames more.

Just some quick updates before the weekend comes to a halt- 1.) Ryan Adams has announced he's covering all of Taylor Swift's "1989" album. "1989" is pretty much the best pop album of the decade. Let's not try to deny that, okay? It's a good album. It took me forever to listen to it (no offense to Taylor, I had some emotional baggage at the time) but once I did, WOW. Ryan? Ryan is one of the best singer-songwriters of his generation. And he can do a powerful cover: To add sprinkles on top of that sundae of awesomeness, he also is doing it IN THE STYLE OF THE SMITHS. Like, let that one sink in for a while. *fans self* 2.) Taylor Swift's next single off "1989" will be "Wildest Dreams." Not a bad pick, IMO, but a little too Lana-esque for me. God, I see Lana in everything. I'm like one of those people who see images of Tom Selleck in Cheetos. I'd link you to a video, but it's not out yet, so here's ...

There is a new LDR track in town. A ballad, that is. And many people are claiming it is her best - absolute best, creme de la creme - to date. It's fantastically noir-ish, fantastically melodramatic, fantastically wistful - the qualities I have come to adore the most about today's most off-kilter pop star. It's easy to imagine Bette Davis - pre-"Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" Bette Davis, because let's not kid ourselves here - driving around the Californian shore at sunset and smoking a long cigarette (probably one in a holder, a la Cruella DeVille) and mourning over losing Gary Cooper. I don't even know if they were an item, but let's pretend they were. And keep in mind, in this mental image, Bette Davis still has it all. NO "BABY JANE." I wouldn't say this ballad is as good as "Born to Die" or "Young and Beautiful," but it's still haunting and it's still exquisite. Probably would put it on her top ...