Archive | August, 2011

scattered indians

8 Aug

Don’t tell Tiesto, but I have started trading in his sets for an occasional podcast of This American Life during my recent runs, just to mix things up. Heard a great one titled Break-Up the other day, featuring a contributor who decides to write a break up song to help her get over her own, and ends up consulting Phil Collins who has some surprisingly thoughtful commentary on the matter of love lost. Highly recommend squeezing in, between the untz and the emo.

Today’s Emo: Four Days Straight / Scattered Trees

‘first your heart beats me and then your church bells ring / oh I cannot wait for you to touch down’

Scattered Trees is a five piece indie rock group hailing from Chicago who I stumbled upon the other week. I found myself mesmerized by this quiet masterpiece on first listen, with lots of melancholy and wistful thinking stirred up from the sound.

The group has been together since 2006, but went on hiatus for the past several years until the passing of frontman Nate Eiseland’s father caused him to start writing music again. The track is off the group’s recent resulting album, aptly titled Sympathy, and is interesting because if you listen from the obvious angle, it sounds to be about the broken hearts residing from an epic breakup. However, upon further listen and with the context on when/why it was written, it’s more likely intended to be  about something entirely different. Give it a close listen and hear for yourself. #emo

Today’s Untz: Polish Girl / Neon Indian

‘was this only in my head / just like most things go misread / when over thought’

A bit of a chill untz, but it is Monday and I want things a little slower. Besides, these beats are righteous. I got excited about this song because of its name – one of my favorite people is Polish, and I promptly sent this her way. Another blog described this as a glowing jam, and I couldn’t agree more. The perfect background music for just about anything.

Neon Indian is fronted by Texan chillwaver Alan Palomo, and have a new album out, Era Extrana, which could be translated to she was weird, or strange era. Hmm. #untz

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nicest hook

5 Aug

I brought along my ipod and plugged into my favorite The National album to drown out the sound of the drill during three hours of terrible dental work a few weeks ago, and now my favorite band is making me cringe. Never again. Next time I get attacked at the dentist (god forbid), I am bringing along Rebecca Black. Speaking of… it’s FRIDAY.

Today’s Emo: Nicest Thing / Kate Nash

Nicest Thing / Kate Nash

‘I wish that you needed me / I wish that you knew when I said two sugars / actually I meant three’

All aboard the emo express, because this one is a doozy. Kate Nash has a fragile but firm, innocent but polished kind of sound to her, which serves as the perfect platform to deliver this knee buckling song of want. The young British songbird reminds me of a more subtle Lilly Allen, and I enjoy all of her music, although some of her tracks can come off a bite trite.

Not Nicest Thing. Simple and aching, it basically says all the things we wish we could say but can’t… beautifully brutally honest to a point where it makes me a little uncomfortable, in a good way. As someone I know put it, this song is love. #emo

Today’s Untz: Take You Higher (club mix) / Goodwill & Hook N Sling

‘she said “hello mister, please to meet ya” / I wanna hold her, I wanna kiss her’

Play time! Sleepy folk siblings Angus and Julia Stone’s Big Jet Plane gets woken up by what sounds like Laidback Luke’s You Used to Hold Me? Wha? Never thought I would hear the day, but wow does this work. Take You Higher has been the number one song on Hypem the past couple of days and I can see why… I have been riding this wave throughout Thursday and now into the weekend. #untz

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last midnight

3 Aug

Capped off my Oregon trip with three days in the house I grew up in, hiking in the woods, drinking micro brews, and saying what might be a final goodbye to my loyal yellow lab of twelves years, Callie. I also spent a lot of time 11-hour-a-night hibernating in my old bedroom, which is oozing with the emo of a younger self.  Dried prom corsages, a signed Matt Nathanson stub, a battered ticket from a 2001 Dashboard Confessional show at the Salem Armory, and most noticeably, sharpied lyrics etched onto the wall, from Third Eye Blind’s Background to Ben Harper’s “not talking ’bout a year, no not three or four” to an abrupt ending halfway down the wall at “Enrique Ig” because I never did look up how to finish spelling the Hero singer’s name before I lost the sharpie.

Eight years later, and it is all still there, right next to my shining disco ball. I, however, am back at the grind in SF.

Today’s Emo: Last Night / The Morning Benders (Strokes cover)

‘see, people they don’t understand / no, girlfriends, they can’t understand’

The Morning Benders put a refreshing spin on a classic, injecting coy vocals, smooth guitar and playful synth into their take of Strokes’ Last Night. The Berkeley turned Brooklyn indie quartet pay tribute to that angsty rush of a ‘no one understands me – I am better off alone’ feeling, where you are suddenly ready to kthxbai yourself out of something. They make it sound good. #emo

Today’s Untz: Midnight City / M83 (Christian Strobe remix)

French electro-dream poppers M83 named themselves after a spiral galaxy, Messiar 83, a perfect name for such celestial sounds. Waves of electro, ambiguous noises melded together, soft indiscernible vocals over rolling beats… shoegazing ‘tro at its best. Wish I could gaze my way through Wednesday instead of facing catch up crunch time. #untz

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sonic sound

1 Aug

A brief presentation because I am still on vacation in the wonderland that is Oregon.

Today’s Emo: Three Rounds and a Sound / Blind Pilot

Blind Pilot / 3 Rounds and a Sound

‘I was sleeping /  my eyes were dark til you woke me / and told me that opening / is just the start / it was’

A favorite track from some of my favorite Oregonian indie rockers, Blind Pilot. I was reminded of BP by the playing of another one of their tracks in a shitty indie movie we rented at our Portland hotel after the epicness that was brew fest because all the mainstream stuff looked too blah. Should have gone with Jennifer Aniston, but at least I was reminded of this gem… a blurry installation of hope amidst silvery sweet vocals, gentle guitar, and yes, rounds. Not worth forgetting again. #emo

Today’s Untz: Sonic 2 -Chemical Plant Zone / RAC

I was sliding through song after song my Hypem Latest list last week, plugged into work and not paying attention to what was going into my ears when I heard the playful electro start to build in this song, and tuned back in. I was not surprised to find it was the remix mastermind that is RAC that caught my ear, but was surprised to find this whole jingle is not original untz but a SONIC remix. I am Nintendo 4 lyfe, and barely touched Sega and the hedgehog, but this track has me wanting to roll through some golden hoops. #untz

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