The Useless Critic 2.0

Here is one of the more interesting things to slide across my digital "desk" in a while. Slept to Death by Zaq Pariah This is by Zaq Pariah- who is the sole member of Zaq Pariah. Based out of Akron, OH, at times it has glimmers of David Bowie and/or Pixies, but mostly scream-based experimental punk music. Anyway- check him out! 

We lost a legend today.

HEY if you are in Edinboro, you should stop by the Pogue Student Center's third floor lounge tonight at 7 p.m. Sigma Tau Delta is organizing an open mic night. Come read poetry or play music or whatever. WHATEVER. food will be on sale (cheap) and it's lasting til 9. I WILL BE THERE AND I AM READING AS WELL COME STALK ME BYE

So lately, I caught a Marvin Hamlisch interview, and I was shocked at how good it was. I didn't even know his name, but I knew his music........... Creating the Music for "A Chorus Line," or doing piano work for Babara Striesand in "Funny Girl," which I am so watching this weekend. That's just the frickin start of his life. As well as a bazillion other songs that are commonly heard in movies, theatre, and on the tv. This guy just had such a fascinating life. He's won 12 Oscars, and is one of only two people to win 3 Oscars in a single evening. Also he is in the EGOT club. (For people who have won the Emmy Grammy Oscar and Tony). It's crazy how talented he is. He even went to the Juiliard Pre College program at the age of 7. This is part of the interview, and I find it so inspirational to hear the stories from people who are just accomplished, but not total douchebags..... There are more interviews from him online, and I'd like to find the rest of...

Freelance Whales is my current music obsession. They're sort of experimental folk-pop. Every song is joyous and uplifting, even when it's about death and dying. The lyrics are catchy, the music is ethereal and beautiful - I don't even know how to explain it. They remind me of a sort of mash-up of The Boy Least Likely To, The Arcade Fire, and Beirut. Check 'em out! Generator ^ First Floor And in our native language we are chanting ancient songs And when we quiet down the house chants on without us Generator ^ Second Floor So as you pull me from the bed Tell me I look stunning and cadaverous

most of these songs I've discussed already, so I'm skipping the ones I have for the most part and a few that I feel are just blah blah blah: "Boat Behind"- Kings of Convenience "1901"- Phoenix "Treat Me Like Your Mother"- The Dead Weather "Dog Days Are Over"- Florence and the Machine "I Don't Like Your Band"- Annie " Relator "- Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johannson "Laughing With a Mouth of Blood"- St. Vincent "Crystallized"- The Xx "You and I"- Wilco featuring Feist "If Only"- Sondre Lerche "Daniel"- Bat For Lashes I think Natasha Khan is one of the coolest girls ever. in my mind, I AM her. She's like a revamped Kate Bush. love it. "Seven"- Fever Ray I haven't yet fully sat down and indulged in Fever Ray, but this song has struck a chord with me. eerie and yet ... POIGNANT. it reminds me of on Christmas Eve when my grandma and I watched "White...

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...

I first heard Florence and the Machine over a year ago, back when the band has less than 1600 plays on last.fm. First I came across "Girl With One Eye" on the Hype Machine, then I listened to "Kiss With A Fist," and then the acoustic cover of Cold War Kids' "Hospital Beds". Every song was amazing. I searched the Hype Machine every week for new tracks - and never found them. Then a combination of events occurred, I forgot about the band, and I only just got hold of Florence's new album, "Lungs," earlier this week. The band now has over 1.6 million plays on last.fm, a #2 album in the UK (just behind Michael Jackson - damn him for dying and messing up Flo's chances of getting to #1!), and every single released has charted, with "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" the highest at #12 in the UK. My, how things have changed! Let's put it like this: I've listened to the album non-stop for the last three days. "Rabbit Heart (Ra...