The Useless Critic 2.0

Garbage have released a new single and it's absolutely fantastic! The industrial-tinged electro-rock tune "No Horses" is dark and atmospheric, built on driving beats, crunching guitars and distorted electronics,  while featuring some bleak, dystopian lyrics. It might be a little early to be talking about a new album, considering the band's latest, Strange Little Birds , came out just over a year ago. But if "No Horses" is any indication of what their next offering will sound like, I'm all for it! All of the band's profits from sales and streaming of the single will be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Garbage are currently co-headlining a North American tour with Blondie (which included special guest Sky Ferreira at the Hollywood Bowl last Sunday), and have recently released their first book, the autobiography  This Is the Noise That Keeps Me Awake .

Yesterday, Garbage released a music video for "Magnetized," which, in my humble opinion, is hands down the best song from the band's latest album, Strange Little Birds . The video was directed by Scott Stuckey, the creator of the cult children's TV show Pancake Mountain (on which frontwoman Shirley Manson has guest-starred ), and is filled with amazingly eerie visuals just in time for the Halloween season. Manson herself has described it as an ode to "the magic of science and the mysteries of love." Despite its thrilling clip, the colossal electro-rock number features some soul-crushing lyrics about an unrequited crush. "There's nothing I can do / It's all a fantasy," Manson laments. Even if I feel like literally dying sometimes, I'm happy to find solace in Garbage's music. By the way, I'm really trying not to stall you guys, but I have a special post in the making. If everything works as expected, it may be posted ...

Call me jaded or cynical, but I've never got the big fuss over Valentine's Day. Probably because I've never been in a serious, monogamous relationship before, but I don't really care about those either. To me it's just like any other day of the year. I 'm not one to sit at home in my PJs crying, drinking wine, and miming to Celine Dion like Bridget Jones (I do love that movie, though). Instead, I could be having mindless sex with some hottie I just met on Tinder, lighting a doobie, rewatching my precious Gossip Girl DVDs for the millionth time, treating myself to a shopping spree... Really, the possibilities are infinite. Alright, let's get to the point. Valentine's Day reminds me of a Garbage song titled "I Hate Love," off of the band's latest studio release, 2012's Not Your Kind of People , which is excellent – as are their other albums. Despite the song's somewhat upbeat instrumentation, the lyrics are quite dark and...

Episode 9: Everybody Wants to Rule the World This is my favorite episode of the season so far. It’s a shame they took so long to hit their creative stride, though. This one was all about the women of True Blood in a way: awesome women, batshit crazy women, scheming women. I’ve always been a fan of women kicking ass and taking names, and this show rarely disappoints. And I have a feeling our favorite characters are going to go to some dark places in the near future. (also potentially NSFW Sam ass)