The Useless Critic 2.0

Twin Shadow for me has been an a hit-or-miss artist. Like some of his music deeply resonates with me, and other songs I'm fine never hearing again. I've never personally been a huge fan of his, but what I like I really like. But "Golden Light" - a single he released earlier this decade (for some reason I thought earlier this year? Not sure how that came about). Wow . What a tour de force this track is, showcasing his finest features - his uncannily strong voice, his top-tier production, the almost operatic quality of his flavor of indie pop at times. If you haven't heard this song before, I implore you take some time to listen. You won't regret it. 

I went ahead and made my Best of 2021 playlist a little early this year. It's a work in progress, as you can imagine, but here's what I got so far: School of X (whom I will be writing about soon!) Lana (duh) Lil Nas X Lorde Normani and Cardi B. We Were Promised Jetpacks Will Stratton Twin Shadow Inhaler Keaton Henson Anna Akana Surfer Blood Bartees Strange  And many more! Here's the full playlist, which can also be found on Apple Music. Because I didn't feel up to writing a lot tonight, I did a mini-podcast as an experiment to describe the playlist and my thoughts on Lil Nas X, Jack Antonoff, the slow decline of one of my once favorite bands, and more! I learned from this experiment I need to not lean on "that being said" and "um" so much, so I apologize in advance. Britt Kemp · Useless Critic #1

Hey, sorry I've been dormant for some time. Adult life has taken over, and I've really been focusing elsewhere. However, it appears time for my bi-yearly update.  So January was rough, but here are some tunes I've been enjoying in the past month or so period: "Nine Is God" by Wavves. I'm not a huge enthusiast of this sound, but it sounds like a more melodic (and tolerable) grunge/surf rock song to me. It's pretty catchy, and originates from the "Grand Theft Auto" soundtrack. Believe. "Higher Love" by James Vincent McMorrow. Sure, it's a Steve Winwood cover, but I always thought the original version was bland and heartless. This has a heck of a whole lot of soul. Redefines the songs you hear in grocery stores everywhere. "You Will Find a Way" by Maps. It's pretty hopeful, uplifting, and comforting - but not in a saccharine way. "Old Love/New Love" by Twin Shadow. I've never enjoyed his mu...