The Useless Critic 2.0

  Liela Moss - a singer-songwriter well known for her work with the garage rock band The Duke Spirit - is set to put forth her most recent solo effort, "Internal Working Model," on January 13th. The album features collaborations with the legendary Gary Numan as well as musician Jenny Beth (probably best recognized as the lead singer of Savages). The track "Come and Find Me" - the most recent single off the album - is gritty, dark, hypnotic, and sexy (which is a word I cringe to use, but it works here.) It has a distinct swagger that plays off the vibe of "Internal Working Model." Says Moss about the album's ethos, "We see the beneficiaries of the status quo suppress realness and well-being by selling you a banal alternative that upholds their agenda. I want to add to the firepower to burn that old house down." You can read an interview I did with Liela Moss a few years ago here . 

I haven't written a blog post on movies in probably a decade-ish, but since 2020 I've actively taken it upon myself (lol) to watch more films. The site Letterboxd has been an incredible help with that! I am by no means a huge film buff or cinephile - I like movies way more than TV series (the messy but also gay recent season of "Emily in Paris" aside) so I tend to watch them more than anything else. With all that being said, I watched 40+ films this year, which also proves I don't have much of a personal life. In no particular order, here are my favorites. And to get this out of the way, the worst films I watched were "Disenchanted" (disappointingly) and "The Poughkeepsie Tapes." NOTE: I still haven't watched a lot of films I've wanted to, like "Babylon," but I doubt I'll be able to get to them before the year ends. Womp womp.  NOTE NOTE: I am sure better lists exist! NOTE NOTE NOTE: Not all of these films came out in 2022...

"Eclectic one-man band" Tom Vek has been pretty prolific about creating music over the last few decades. And much to our benefit! You might not hear a lot about him these days at least stateside (unless you're Florence ) but rest assured he's still an extremely active guy. Case in point, I checked out his latest album, "Newer Symbols." As the name may imply, it's a reimagining of his 2020 album, "New Symbols." Reimagining or not though, this album (just a little more than 30 minutes) stands quite well on its own. Check out the 2022 version of "Washed Up on the Beach" - my personal favorite - here; I would urge you to check out this release if you like electronic music in any variety. It feels like some of his finest work I've heard; experimental yet approachable. Warm while still fairly cool. Some tracks don't quite land but on the whole it's a very good listen, one of my favorites of this past year.

If you're looking for some sunny indie pop, I am happy to tell you that "Made of Sugar" lives up to its name. This new single from the duo Jacklen Ro clocks in at under 3 minutes of pure joy. And not shockingly, the twee-esque song is off their debut LP which is also titled "Sunshine I'm Counting on You." Although the song might seem like a light and feel-good throwback, don't be deceived! The band explained what they intended with the song, saying "'Made of Sugar' is about an on-and-off relationship from the perspective of someone who wants to get to the next level and be committed. It's the feeling of being let down by someone you thought you knew and could trust. It's the cycle of addiction to empty validation." We've all been there, I'm sure! I know I have.  "Sunshine I'm Counting on You" is out now on Lollipop Records.

This is by far a vastly different track than what I normally share, but it's a fun one. I'm not the biggest D&B/jungle fan in the world, but "Don't Be Late for the End of the World" is pretty chill. Listen to it below:  Jin Woo has certainly had one hell of a trajectory in his current work as a DJ. A former soccer and football player who played the violin as a child, he got interested in becoming a DJ partially thanks to a chance encounter (involving gambling) with producer Justin Raisen, who has previously collaborated with Sky Ferreira. His debut single "Don't Be Late for the End of the World" is intended to save the kids, and after a few listens, you'll figure it out. Expect more from Jin Woo later this fall! 

Just wanted to give a quick nod to a song that's been out for a while now I've enjoyed. I didn't actually realize Suki Waterhouse had a musical career until I saw she was opening for Father John Misty when he came through Phoenix this past summer. Then I checked out the wonderfully melancholic "Nostalgia," which didn't let me down (listen and watch the video below!)  She's got a nice folk touch, which makes sense as to why Father John chose her as an opener. Definitely one of my favorite tracks of 2022 (so far!), and an artist I'm keeping more of an eye on these days as she's clearly talented with a memorable voice. Her debut album, "I Can't Let Go," was released earlier this year. 

Step into another world with dream pop duo Portland's "Sensational" (despite their name, Portland is NOT from Portland, and actually Belgian!) The single is off their sophomore album "Departures," slated for a March 2023 release.  And although Portland is primarily a dreampop act, I definitely hear twee snippets come across, at least in "Sensational." The band themselves acknowledged the song can sound melancholic, but as member Sarah Pepels explained, "If you listen to the lyrics, they're quite hopeful. It's the ideal combination of a modern song. It's about not giving up." The song is reminscient a bit of bands like Kisses and In Coma, with maybe a touch of Wild Nothing thrown in for good measure.  As for the band's name, that comes from the duo Pepels and Jente Pironet's love of Portland-based singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Their debum album, "Your Colours Will Stain," was released in 2019 to much critical a...