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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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vampire heartbeats

29 Dec

I am back in San Francisco and in the midst of a forced staycation – the office is closed for the week and we have to take the days off as vacation. Accordingly, I am making the most of it by taking over this ghost town, spending last night playing heated games of liars dice and prowling in the Mission into early hours. And lots of Animal Planet.

Today’s Emo: Heartbeats / Ellie Goulding (The Knife cover)

‘ten days of perfect tunes / the colors, red and blue / we had a promise made / we were in love

I came across EG’s cover of this classic last night and immediately buckled in the knees… my admiration for this lady is only growing, and it is hard not to love hearing her voice sing one of the most romantic songs of my time. Heartbeats technically started with The Knife’s untz original, but her version is easily traceable back to Jose Gonzalez’ stripped down emo take.

There are so many gems nestled in the lyrics that I had a hard time picking a single string for italics above. I ultimately opted for the part of the song about perfect tunes, because when you are smitten hard, music just sounds so much better. #emo

Today’s Untz: The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance / Vampire Weekend (Chromeo remix)

‘your pillow feels so soft now / but still you must advance’

While I have never been a die hard Vampire Weekend fan, their debut album and I did spend a magical spring break together back in college, amidst the sand and surf. This remix has me back on that beach, Corona in hand. #untz

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fire in your eyes

26 Dec

Listening to music and slipping into a peaceful post Christmas holiday coma.

Today’s Emo: Open Eyes (demo) / the xx

‘and my sky / don’t seem so bright / with you by my side / everything will be alright’

Drop everything now – or actually slow everything down – a new xx track  has hit the interwaves. The trio posted the song for free download on their blog yesterday, saying “Open eyes is a demo we did whilst creating our new album, we just wanted to share it with you. xx”

While there is not a lot to this one and I have to turn my speakers on full blast to capture the whispering sound, I am still happily soaking in hints of their signature bass and Romy’s soft as snow vocals, her cooing ‘whoooo” here reminding me of old school Tori Amos. I am left with bated breath for their new album and a fully fleshed out track. #emo

Today’s Untz: Fire in Your New Shoes / Kaskade ft. Dragonette

‘while I light a fire in your new shoes / if you should smile / look so surprised’

A lot of the best songs of the year are already starting to surface in the blogosphere in people’s top 10 of 2011 lists, and while Fire in Your New Shoes came out in 2010, both of it’s artists definitely had big years, and it is great to see it resurfacing. More poppy and playful than most of Kaskade’s new Fire and Ice, and with the perfect slice of Dragonette sass, the song still gets me going. Annnnd the intro makes me want to dance in place, hard, a la Flashdance / Jennifer Beals. #untz

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final holiday

24 Dec

I should be wrapping presents and grabbing a couple last minute gifts, but music can’t wait for Santa tonight. These cookies can though, with a side of milk. Happiest of holidays.

Today’s Emo: Holiday / Capital Cities (Madonna cover)

‘we’re gonna have a celebration / all across the world / in every nation’

Capital Cities are two heavily bearded guys from Los Angeles who know how to command a crowd and stole my heart with their single Safe and Sound earlier this year. I saw them open for Wait What over at Public Works during the fall and they turned the room in the matter of a song or two, transforming a peaceful upstairs who had never heard of them into a sweaty epic dance party. No better way to spend a Thursday.

Here is the boys’ new take on Madonna’s classic, a toasty warm track that is a great listen for anyone taking the week off of work for stretches of white sand and margaritas or douglas firs, stockings and spiked cider around the fire. Holiday. Celebrate. Merry #emo

Today’s Untz: F.A.R.E.W.E.L.L / Final DJS

I found this gem on one of my favorite blogs, LA’s Binary, and have been playing it on repeat since I arrived home to Oregon for the holidays, much to the chagrin of my family who just doesn’t get “the untz” (pronounced in all different fashions).

F.A.R.E..W.E.L.L starts strong and keeps it up, with unexpected twists and turns carved along the way while still driving you straight forward throughout. Perhaps it is unfitting to start the day with a song about farewells, but this is the kind of music I want to listen to nestled up in bed on a quiet Sunday morning, awake but unwilling to fully wake and leave the warm comforts of bed, sleepily letting its pieces sink in. Merry #untz-mas

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mystery candles

21 Dec

‘Tis the season to be jolly, frost sugar cookies, hug the family, realize that two glasses of eggnog is immediately one too many and switch back to red wine, sit around the fire playing cards, and unplug a bit. And then dance one’s face off to ring in the new year. Happy holidays to all.

Today’s Emo: Candles / Daughter 

‘just a young heart confusing my mind / but we’re both in silence / wide-eyed ‘

Sorry for such a wistful melody amidst all of this holiday cheer, but look no further than today’s untz to warm you right up, and let this beautiful track settle into your winter bones. I came across Daughter via Daytrotter, and was instantly bewitched by singer Elena Tonra’s whispy sliver of a voice and her tale of letting yourself take whatever you can get from someone you know you can never really have, even though you are old enough to know better. Elena’s voice reminds me of some of my favorite female vocalists, and Candles strikes me like Kate Nash’s Nicest Thing or Cat Power’s take on I Found a Reason. And don’t worry, whatever tragedy that caused such a beautiful mess has lifted –Elena is dating her guitarist. #emo

Today’s Untz: When I’m With You / Mystery Skulls 

’cause when I’m with you / I never get enough’

Found this gem via blahblahblahscience, and they put it so simply and so well: ‘Mr. Skulls’ top shelf synth pop jam “When I’m With You” just became your new favorite song.’ It doesn’t hurt that the sound perfectly matches how I feel. Repeat repeat repeat. #untz

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