The Useless Critic 2.0

Here's another blast from the past as we teeter and totter in uncertain times. This beloved Brooklyn indie pop duo (and my former neighbors, heh) is back with a new single: "Glad I Tried." The impetus of the song's inspiration? Kim's traumatic on-stage injury last year, which resulted in one of the most personal albums released by the band to date.  Now I have to admit I was skeptical at first, because I'm not really a big Matt and Kim fan, but this song is an instant winner - so infectious! Try not to feel like clapping along by the end of the track. Matt and Kim's new album, "Almost Everyday," is out May 4th on the Fader label. 

Have you ever heard of matrimony rock? Me neither, until recently. Enter Austin's the Long Tangles , a band you need to hear/pay attention to. This is how the band formed, way back in January of 2010: Earl  and  Courtney  met on a sultry evening in New Orleans in a seedy bar. Neither one of them would have guessed that they would eventually form a rock band, especially by the way Courtney treated Earl with undeserved disdain. The Long Tangles formed in January of 2010 as a drums/keys/vox Indie Rock/Indie Pop/Matrimony Rock duo. God had other plans for these guys! (Or Xenu, if you're so inclined).  So I talked to Courtney of the Long Tangles recently about things to do if music doesn't work out, NOLA and SXSW. Also:  how precisely it was they came into being. read on! UC: So what were you up to in New Orleans? Courtney: We went to a friend’s wedding! We second line’d, ate a lot, danced a lot, and enjoyed the splendors of walking around the Quarter wi...

There are so many good tours hitting the area when I'm not here. Jamie Lidell will be in Cleveland, Jenny and Johnny will be at Beachland ... I would love to see J. Lidell live. Unlike Scissor Sisters who think they are just too damn good for this area, he's making an appearance! gah. oh well. I won't be around. Sea Wolf and Ra Ra Riot will both be in Pittsburgh, though. thank god. relatively cheap too. there are times I feel like I should be listening to RRR, but then I realize Vampire Weekend exists, so I don't. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Matt and Kim and Efterklang I will also miss. DAMN Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are playing a free show at the Rock Hall in August, as are Deer Tick. go see 'em if you are in the area- that's a really great opportunity. for FREE. ---- new music that is absolutely fantastic/amazing: - KYLIE, HOLY CRAP. can she ever do any wrong? probably not. I wish she was more popular here in the States. that woman is class (ev...

TICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY MATT AND KIM, CHROMEO, MIA, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, PAVEMENT, NEON INDIAN, LUDACRIS, JIMMY EAT WORLD, GOD I CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT JUST LOOK THIS UP ONLINE I LOVE YOU AND I AM GOING TO THIS, HELL OR HIGHWATER, IF IT IS FREE

First things first, last night I swung into Pittsburgh after my classes had finished and saw The Books (with Lymbc System, and there's not much more to be said about them then they seemed kind of interesting and were polite) at my new favorite venue, the Warhol. which makes me sound awful douchey but WHATEV . The Books were pretty good! not like, a band I could ever become fanatical about, but I appreciate them and enjoy them ("Be Good to Them Always," "Enjoy Your Worries You May Never Have Them Again"). Glad I at least got the opportunity to watch them. They put on one hell of a visually-rich live show. They played their guitar and cello in front of a collage of constantly-changing film. Didn't expect that at all so it was cool. Kept things very interesting, otherwise I'm sure I would have gotten bored after a while. But yeah. Good! They played some stuff of their new album, which will be out next year. And I was a little drunk so I started falling a...