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rebellion in the air

21 Oct

Right when I was slipping into mourning that Treasure Island was over (approximately 10:55 pm Sunday night) I remembered the Bridge School Benefit Concert is this Saturday. The parentals have flown in from Oregon and we are heading down to South Bay this afternoon with my sister in tow. Excited to see my dad lose his shit over Neil Young (again), hear Mumford and Sons and Arcade Fire stripped down to acoustics, and, however shameful to admit, for my first ever Dave Matthews experience (teenage dream?)

 Today’s Emo: Rebellion (Lies) / Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Arcade Fire cover)

‘sleeping is giving in / no matter what the time is / sleeping is giving in / so lift those heavy eyelids’

In tribute to Saturday’s lineup, a pleasant female take on an Arcade Fire classic. Nothing crazy or novel here, just a chill, steady cover of one of my favorite songs. This is the first I have heard of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, but the tune appears to be a departure from her typical flare as a ‘cult discopopstar,’ crafted in contribution to a charity album.  I get a lot of flack from my friends for playing hard and then consistently crashing early, but this song always gets me stirring to dance all night… until I close my eyes. #emo

Today’s Untz: In the Air / Morgan Page (Mord Fustang remix)

I’m feeling a / feeling a change / in the air’

Playtime. Estonian producer and product of the 90’s Mord Fustang rattles Morgan Page’s In the Air into something inescapably dance inducing. The lyrics are emo and longing laced, but the steady builds and beats have my feet off the ground. Great work from such a youngster.  Happy weekend. #untz

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castles and suburbs

19 Aug

Friday. Yes please. This is rare for me, but I am ever so ready to settle into a restful weekend.

Today’s Emo: The Suburbs / Mr. Little Jeans (Arcade Fire cover)

‘kids wanna be so hard / but in my dreams we’re still screamin’ and runnin’ through the yard’

The original Suburbs is a kind of song that manages to cause shivers despite warm, upbeat tones, making you pine for home and sprinklers and simpler times, while simultaneously making you realize you can’t go back. Norwegian born songstress Mr. Little Jean slows it down here, smooths it out and adds some weight, making the sound match the scene it paints. Chills.

With silvery vocals and rolling bass, she practically sighs her way through the chorus, letting the words speak for themselves without trying to overly emote anything. The result, as with most things that make me feel nostalgic, is that kind of quiet comfort found in allowing yourself to really miss something. SO #emo

Today’s Untz: Baptism / Crystal Castles (Germany Germany remix)

One of my favorite Canadian untz crafters, Germany Germany has produced a sprawling take on Crystal Castles’ gem, Baptism. It’s not a new track, but there is nothing like a good Nintendo-esque indie pop remix to smooth out the end of a long work week, and I am tracing these sounds in zigzags around my head, dreaming of dance beats in a dark place far far away from powerpoints. I love musically inclined geeky bros, so am delighted Drew is producing these tracks while studying engineering at the University of Victoria. Hope he keeps them coming steady between studies.

Since it is Friday, a bonus untz with this hot mess of a Hood Internet mash up of Baptism and RihRih’s Rude Boy.  #untz

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feeling fire

25 May

Today marks TUATE’s 51st post! Very nice. When I started this back in January, I didn’t know if I would have the focus or time to keep it up, and while at times it has felt like a self-inflicted and silly burden, for the most part I have really enjoyed this project and the opportunity to share one of the things that makes me the happiest.

WordPress collects the search engine terms that lead to referrals to your blog, and since I launched there have been some real gems. Beyond lots of creative iterations of the words untz and emo and lots of sappy song lyrics, there have been some additional awesome searches like “untzbury” “neil young license plates” “untz.ca dating friends” “robyn call your girlfriend not gentle” and my all time favorite from two weeks ago, “drunk girl bay to breakers panhandle she ok” (clearly I must have been spotted that weekend).

Here is to 101.

Today’s Emo: Speaking In Tongues / Arcade Fire


‘come out of your head / and into my world now’

Arcade Fire made a grumpy, sleepy Tuesday quite a bit better by premiering two new tracks, Speaking in Tongues and Culture Wars, to be in included in a re-release of The Suburbs this summer.  The songs were recorded with the rest of Suburbs and definitely share the melancholy, rolling sound of the neighborhood.

While neither track is causing me to lose my shit like Bon Iver’s new album, both are more than pleasant. Speaking in Tongues, featuring David Byrne of Talking Heads, is my favorite of the two, sounding like a less dreary Suburban War. Can’t wait for Outside Lands. #emo

Today’s Untz: My Feelings for You / Avicii and Sebastien Drums (the Prototypes remix)


Things are about to get a little bit heavy sounding, and a lot bit fun. Came across this take on My Feelings for You on Hypem the other day in the midst of the daily grind, and couldn’t wait to get home, turn the speakers up and free these beats from the my headphones…. this is the type of untz that begs to be played loud.  I have my dancing shoes out and ready for Memorial Day in Vegas and this is the perfect backdrop for a warm up. #untz

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remember the sprawl

18 Feb

It is Friday leading into a three day weekend. Thank you presidents, for the precious gift of time (among other things).  Time to slip out of the workweek and into the land of dancing all night, playing all day, and squeezing in rest along the sides. While today’s first track is a bit of a downer, what a beautiful downer. And the second is sure to cheer you right up. Happy holiday. Tor

Today’s Emo: I Remember / Yeasayer

‘I remember making out on an airplane / still afraid of flying but with you I’d die today / you’re stuck in my mind all the time‘

I love tracing the release of a new remix back to an original song that slipped through the cracks. Brooklyn based experimental rock trio Yeasayer released the track I Remember in 2010’s Odd Blood, but since I’ve barely dabbled in the band, I missed it. Then Yeasayer graciously offered the original track, as well as two new remixes, in an EP for free download on their site for V-Day. The remixes are nice, but its the original that has me floored. Twirling, playful synth sounds intertwined with some of the saddest vocals I have heard in a while. Somehow it works. This song is eerie and mesmerizing and I have it on repeat, listening to it with a dopey grin on muni. My only concern is for any lonely fans that might have had it on repeat on Valentines Day. #emo

Today’s Untz: Sprawl of Glass (Arcade Fire vs. Blondie) / The Hood Internet


’cause on the surface the city lights shine / they’re calling at me, “come and find your kind”‘

Seems fitting to celebrate an Arcade Fire song after their big Grammy win, although I missed it stuck in transit on Sunday night. I heard that watching the wtf faces on everyone else was just as exciting as the indie fans freaking out. The twitter response is nothing short of priceless…. “the grammy people have lost their mind…who are the Suburbs and how in the heck did they win album of the year… smh.” I had to Google smh to figure out it’s basically a more polite way of saying wtf.

To throw in an untz twist, I present The Hood Internet’s mash of Sprawl II with Blondie’s Heart of Glass. Hood Internet is on point – I caught half of the Chicago mash up duo for a show last spring, and will see Hood in its entirety at Rickshaw Stop on Thursday. While some of their stuff is laced with a bit too much rap/hip hop for my taste, it is tracks like this that make me beyond excited to dance my face off to their entire set, even on a school night. #untz

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