The Useless Critic 2.0

Here's a nice breezy, almost sensual song from AM Higgins (the solo project of musician Annie Toth) to start your Tuesday off right.  Her debut album "Hymning" will be out November 5th on Victorialand Records. The album was mixed by Casey Foubert, a frequent collaborator of Sufjan Stevens. The album "captures the first years of moving from an American city to rural France." Sounds like "Hymning" will be a welcome escape from the world we live in right now, especially considering that Annie Toth counts poets Mary Oliver and Thomas Merton as influences.

Once in a while, Instagram actually proves useful for discovering new music. In the most recent case, I heard this song "Lost" by Phoenix-based gnarz while scrolling the other night - and wow, I was taken aback with how good it is. The production, the vocals, the overall feel of it. If there was any musical justice in the world, this song would be everywhere!  What do we need to do to make this song big?! Get it on Tik Tok? Anyway I sincerely hope you listen to this song, it's so good and it deserves to be played repeatedly and loudly.  I don't have much more to share about gnarz, but here are his social media platforms: YouTube Instagram Facebook

Photo Cred: Ian McNally I'm back today with some very catchy, harmless pop music (with a garage rock/punk touch) to share with the world. The band is My Son The Doctor, a name that is, well, interesting. But it's fun music - kind of goofy, but like I said before, ultimately harmless. It vaguely reminds me of some American riff on The Fratellis, but the band describes their music as a mix of Pavement and The Offspring. They also describe themselves as "like Spoon, but younger and hotter." Let's go with that!  The best part of this song is when they shout out seasonings. If my depressed ass can manage a laugh,  you can too. Enjoy: My Son The Doctor · Rubber Hands My Son The Doctor released their EP "Taste Those Dreams" this past Friday, mastered by Jeff Lipton, who has worked with the likes of Wilco, LCD Soundsystem, and yes, Stephen Malkmus. 

I first heard of First to Eleven a few years ago thanks to the powers of social media. They are a talented young band straight out of my hometown (Erie, PA). Since I've first heard of them, First To Eleven - which primarily were a social media-based cover band - has revealed an original music incarnation, Concrete Castles.  No matter if they're covering songs or releasing their own music, one thing is evident: Concrete Castles is MASSIVELY talented. Anchored by Audra Miller's powerhouse vocals that are vaguely reminiscent of Hayley Williams, Concrete Castles demand your attention. Although they can fall in that sort of amorphous "indie pop" umbrella, I don't think their sound would be amiss on mainstream radio - top 40 or alternative.  "Wish I Missed U" - their debut album - came out earlier this September, and it's an enjoyable, invigorating listen that would probably make those who were raised on emo or fans of CHVRCHES feel at home. Hell, Anth...

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. 

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

Earlier this month, Norwegian singer-songwriter Annie released another EP, "Neon Lights." And "Neon Lights" sounds every bit like its name would indicate. It's upbeat, it's poppy, it's danceable, and it's powerful. It's a great next step following her critically acclaimed album "Dark Hearts," released in 2020, for which she won a Norwegian Grammy Award and Fans' Favorite Pop Music (a crowdsourced honor) from Billboard Magazine . But "Neon Lights" is definitely the alter ego of "Dark Hearts," which is as evident as the contrary nature of the albums' names. If "Dark Hearts" was a season of "Twin Peaks," this feels a little like its "Baywatch" counterpart. The EP features a guest collab with  Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters' fame (who has embarked on a solo career since) as well as covers a la The Jesus and Mary Chain …  and Patrick Swayze ("She's Like the Wind.")  ...