Archive | January, 2012

hungry geographer

30 Jan

I got home from a magical week in Panama last night, where I left some of my heart out on the sand. It is a warm and beautiful (see photo) country, and I can only hope to make my way back there someday. Unfortunately, I’ve found myself starting my first day back at the grind wide eyed this morning at 5 am. On the bright side, plenty of time for a post!

Note: if you travel around Central America with your dad who is a young looking 60, and you are a 26 year old lady, everyone will suspect you are dating and/or his misstress, and give you concerned scowls. Thus my awkward incorporation of “PADRE!!” early into most conversations with locals and fellow tourists.

Today’s Emo: Original Sin / Geographer

‘eyes moving like flashlights under sheets / up until the morning hours we / are set free’

This song came on my boyfriend’s ipod during our ride into the city after a happy reunion at SFO, and as soon as I heard that arcing, eery ‘this is an original sin’ roll through the chorus, I had a drop everything who is this band moment. The answer: Geographer, a group I have been hearing a lot about but haven’t taken the time to explore. No more! I have had this song, and many others by the SF trio on repeat during this sleepy but awake morning on my couch, waiting for the sun to come up.

I foolishly missed Geographer at Treasure Island last fall, but hope to catch my neighbors as soon as possible. The band calls their sound ‘soulful music from outer space.’ Yep. #emo

Today’s Untz: Hungry Hearts / DWNTWN

The perfect welcome back track to Californ-i-a, this track is drenched with West Coast revelry and dreamy sun soaked beats from the first few pings of sound to its rolling, echoed end.  The LA electro pop duo DWTWN also offers up a hipster saturated music video of pigeon chasing, retro glasses, distant gazes, smudges of tribal face paint, side braids, and skinny jeans on both our male and female protagonists. I want to back on the beach. #untz

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love den

20 Jan

I am leaving rainy San Francisco to fly off to Panama tomorrow morning, where I will be off the grid for the next eight days amidst surf and sand and sea and little to no contact with the outside world. TUATE will be back in a week or so, in the meantime two great songs to tide you over.

Today’s Emo: Brains / Lower Dens

‘don’t be afraid / everything will change while you’re asleep’

Brains begins with a sprawling intro, like you are going to be taken on some journey with the song a la Arcade Fire. And then you are, driving forward with every layer upon layer of sound. The track is the first release off of Baltimore foursome Lower Dens’ sophomore album, Nootropics, and its discovery left me wondering how the hell I managed to miss these guys (and girl) the first time around. I suppose all’s well that ends well– I am spending the morning getting lost in their debut, and now have something to look forward to come May. Download the track for free on the band’s site. #emo

Today’s Untz: Somebody to Love / Rusko

‘everybody’s looking for that somebody to love’

It is rare that I can take spoonfuls of dubstep with my coffee and manage to keep it down, but this song has created the perfect morning (or anytime) blend. Palatable with the right mix of classy vocals and epic drops, Somebody to Love has me back on the Rusko bandwagon. Also, the music video of an elderly couple rocking out in a club is pretty sweet in its own right. Maybe I should blast this when I wake up at 4:30 am to to head off to SFO tomorrow. #untz

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roman holiday

18 Jan

And the beat goes on and on and on and on.

Today’s Emo: Rome / Phoenix (Neighbours remix w/ Devendra Banhart)

‘I thought I couldn’t do this without you / single in this bed somewhere / ashes til it fall fall falls’

Last week I posted a song from a new band that sounds just like Phoenix, this week it is a sweet remix of my favorite Phoenix song. Phoenix, are you out there? Please?

In the meantime, digging this drawn out, slowed down version of Rome featured on the How to Make it in America soundtrack and featuring slivers of Devendra Banhart. Like most good remixes, it has me hitting repeat and then eagerly revisiting the original for another go. To position the fall of a relationship against the fall of an Empire is a pretty lofty comparison, which makes the song all the more gripping. Rome Rome Rome. #emo

Today’s Untz: Holidays / Miami Horror (Lenno & Jesse Oliver remix)

‘I don’t know just where you came from but I need you now’

Crank up the speakers and let’s make it through Wednesday with this playful little remix of one of Miami Horror’s biggest tracks, brought to us by Finnish sixteen year old Lenno and his pal Jesse. It is almost too tasty for a midweek post because it has me prematurely pining for Friday. Hold tight, listen loud, coffee. #untz

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reaching close

16 Jan

Today The Untz and the Emo turns one! Get out the champagne! Keeping the blog up for the last year has been a challenge, but a labor of love, and TUATE has come a long way since my very first post. Here’s to another year of dancing your face off, and chilling.

Today’s Emo: Feel So Close / Jenna Garcia (Calvin Harris remix)

‘and there’s no stopping us right now / I feel so close to you right now’

Sleepy Monday morning stripped down slow jam… Jenna Garcia takes Calvin Harris’ don’t stop moving Feel So Close and turns it into something to curl up into. I came across Jenna and this track via earmilk, where I was surprised to learn she is a seventeen year old who has never stepped into a recording studio but is doing the whole YouTube thing. Even though this song is extremely simple, I see a lot of promise here just like in another young cover songstress, Birdy. #emo

Today’s Untz: Reaching Out / Nero (Fred Falke remix)

‘reaching out / for something to hold’

The boyfriend has ditched tumblr and carried out a relaunch of his own blog, thetrashjuice.com. It is in a word celestial. Check it out, I am totally not biased. Today’s untz is pulled right from its opening week:

‘Fred Falke is a falkeing genius… sorry had to. He takes Nero’s mashup up of an old Kano tune + a Hall and Oats tune and turns a dubstep song into a french house masterpiece.  This is such an uplifting tune. Nero’s version isn’t bad, but I guarantee if you dropped both on the d floor, Fred Falke’s would send the crowd into a sweaty frenzy. Epic sunsets all around.’ #untz

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scribbled sound

13 Jan

Today’s emo comes as a guest post from my coworker, friend, and toughest music critic, Erik. Music comes to the rescue on a daily if not hourly basis during the 9-5, and I love bouncing songs off Erik, even if only about 5% of them stick. I’m down for the challenge, and the wins are big. Oh and Erik is really good at writing.

Today’s Emo: Scribbled Paper / Little Dragon

‘recalling a piercing voice in old dreams / and ghostly images of black trains’

The fluffy static of a brushed drum hangs like mist; a corpulent bass morosely plucks out its line; the soft pop of congas in the background plays counterpoint to a piano, and at one point, an electric organ. Subtle touches and traces reign in the eclectic sonic habitat of Little Dragon’s “Scribbled Paper,” not least of all lead singer Yukimi Nagano’s spectral voice. For me, the song’s a séance conjuring a blend of noir-film farewells and flash-bulb memories from my own emotional history. Just as the unknown words scribbled on a note to the singer make her shiver, the song makes me flutter with the feeling I’m about to bump into the lover who jilted me last, with the uncanny goosebumps of her palpable absence.  And for all this condensed sentiment, I have only our Master of Ceremonies to thank. Thanks for turning me onto Little Dragon, Tor. Sorry for being so tough to please. Viva Le Emo! #emo – Erik

Today’s Untz: Safe and Sound / Capital Cities (Discotech remix)

‘I could show you love / in a tidal wave of mystery / you’ll still be standing next to me’

One of my favorite songs of 2011? Safe and Sound. A sweet remix of it that has me wanting to blow trumpets off of rooftops? Yes please. I like to have the original version of this song queued up on my ipod to wake me up in the morning to help me rally to take on the day, but this version makes me want to get down to it at night. Happy Friday. #untz

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all the eastern girls dance

11 Jan

Today’s post comes from our sponsors at the San Francisco Municipal Courthouse, where I just earned a whopping $17.50 to conduct my civic duty and go through jury duty yesterday. As a girl who watched so much Law and Order as a kid that I would echo that “dun-dun” noise in my sleep, and who used to devour John Grisham books like gummy bears, I found it all pretty cool. Especially the part about me not actually being selected.

Today’s emo is a little untzy, and the untz is a little emo, but don’t judge. All is fair in love and music.

Today’s Emo: D-D-Dance / The Concept

‘always on the go / keep your head up now / dance dance dance til you get it right’

OMG new Phoenix?! Oh wait just kidding, these are some other Euros that sound exactly like my favorite French foursome. They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and since Phoenix has been off radar working on new stuff, I will gladly soak in this instant dance party track from Sweden’s The Concept. D-D-Dance is so dance worthy that it took considerable restraint not to hop up on the lunch table in the jury break room and dance my face off. Can I get arrested for that? Dancey #emo

Today’s Untz: All the Eastern Girls / Chapel Club (RAC remix) 

‘only just getting to know you / running the flag up to claim it’

This remix drives me nuts. An echoed intro reminds us that this is a love song amidst trickling beats meshed with drop everything now tastes of bass. Chapel Club’s vocals sound delightfully 80’ish, but RAC’s playful twists and terms make the sound fresh, and I can’t bring myself to turn it off. I am a Pacific Northwestern girl with Norwegian heritage, which probably makes me as far from Eastern as I can get, but I still wish this song could be about me. #untz

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windy garden

9 Jan

I spent the weekend exploring all that is wonderful about the North Coast: Timber Cove, Lagunitas, Tomales Bay… I learned I am not good at shucking oysters but very good at eating them. And the rumors are true.

Today’s Emo: Warm Wind / Mia and Jonah

‘we set sail tonight / and we’re sailing on a warm wind’

I have been a fan of the americana soaked sound of Mia and Jonah for a few years now, and keep waiting for them to make it big (or at least bigger). Beautiful harmonies, subtle but stirring lyrics, and an escapable feeling of calm makes Warm Wind one of my favorites, even if it is about sailing on rocky water. If you like the sound, be sure to check out a much more uplifiting Sunset In My Soul. The duo just got married, and if you listen to that track you can hear why. #emo

Today’s Untz: Garden / Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs 

‘looking over your shoulder girl / thinking you should have let me have it all’

I settled into this song somewhere just over the Golden Gate Bridge and off the 101, getting lost in backroads and sunset on Friday night. It served as the perfect mood music for a quiet drive taking me further away from it all, so a revisit seems like a good way to fight the Monday blues and return to the grind. TEED continues to blow me away with his sound, and his lady friend here serves as a perfect counterpart. #untz

born to miss you

6 Jan

I am finally starting to feel more like myself after being stuck somewhere under the weather all week, just in time to head up to the Sonoma Coast after work for some much needed R&R, fresh air, ocean views and brewery visits. Happy first Friday of the year!

Today’s Emo: Born to Die / Lana del Rey

‘let me kiss you out in the pouring rain / you like your girls insane’

Bold lyrics, a knee weakening voice, those eyes, those lips… ah the bewitching (if somewhat fictitious) world of Lana del Rey. I can see what search engine terms trigger the most blog views each week, and ‘lana del rey’ and ‘lana del rey hair’ both have garnered plenty of hits in the past few months, right next to the highest searched term, ‘does Avicci have a girlfriend.’ Sigh.

I am dying for Ms. Rey (less sexily known as Lake Placid New York’s Elizabeth Grant) to get herself back stateside to play some shows, even though I hear she is still a little wobbly on her stage legs. Born to Die is the title track off January 31st’s highly anticipated debut, but most of the album can already easily be found and enjoyed, scattered across the web. #emo

Today’s Untz: Miss You / Foster the People (ESTAW remix)

‘smile at the chance just to see you again / I really miss you, miss you I said’

Surprise! Another Foster the People remix. But instead of taking their poprocks up a notch, ESTAW smooths Miss You out with ambient little trickles of sound that somehow sound like they belong. Brilliant. And the part at the end that says ‘take a look at me now before I walk away’ always makes me think (fondly) of Phil Collins. #untz

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you make me daydream

4 Jan

2012 has started with a bang. I’ve been sidelined with a fever since Monday, somebody spent $100 with my debit card in a Texas Walmart and I have to go two weeks without access to cash, and I spent a frustrating (and hazy) day at work analyzing the wrong data set. When it rains it pours. Despite these minor setbacks, I still enter this year with a brighter outlook than I could hope for. In the meantime, Advil.

Today’s Emo: Daydream / Youth Lagoon

‘so I’ll daydream about you / and I’ll think happy thoughts’

The internet is still suffering from a new music draught after the holidays, and I have been forced to revisit earlier gems to hold me over. One of my favorite artists to re-devour how been Youth Lagoon. Despite having pretty similar sounding tracks, all of YL’s The Year of Hibernation has me captivated. I shared Montana earlier in the year, but here is my second favorite, a song about daydreaming away your fears. It makes me feel peaceful and happy… hard not to like. #emo

Today’s Untz: You Make Me Feel / Cobra Starship (DJ Getdown remix)

‘and if I listen I can hear you through my radio / in that bright white noise’

Epic dance pop to get the gears going again, DJ Getdown squirrels some French House into the catchiest track (and guiltiest pleasure) I have heard in a while, and after a couple listens I feel ready to get off the couch and dance. Not an easy feat. #untz

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need you plankton

2 Jan

The New Year! A time for resolutions, reflection and taking stock at where you are at and where you want to be. But I am too tired for all of that quite yet after a weekend of serious celebration and living in the now. In the meantime, a couple of tracks to settle into with the wake of 2011.

Today’s Emo: Ceiling of Plankton / Givers

‘and when you notice all your stars are in line / yes, yes you’ll find me’

Here is a hug of a song from one of my favorite band discoveries of the year. I have always had some strange affection for minute sea creatures (perhaps an artifact of one too many school field trips to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in my youth) and the idea of someone making you feel like there is a ceiling of invisible zooplankton floating up above you, watching over you without you being able to see it, is an awesome premise for a song. I am not even sure that’s the intent here, but that is the beauty of music, it is the image that gets stirred up in me on each listen. I love the music box chiming and shear happiness rolling throughout this track, and it echos similar sentiment to my own world on land. #emo

Today’s Untz: Need You Now / Cut Copy

‘I know we’re going crazy / but I need you now’

Here is a track that has been hitting a lot of the year’s Top 10, 20 and 50 lists, and that brought me to pinnacle dance your face off bliss on Saturday shortly before (or after?) midnight. Going to Treasure Island Fest for the first time and seeing these guys live was one of the highlights of the year, and the best way to turn 26. Smoldering 80’s prance music… feet never touch the ground. #untz

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