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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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national treasure

12 Dec

A late and abbreviated post because the internet has been out in my apartment all weekend. And we have mice. And half our lights went out. And (thankfully) SantaCon happened.

Today’s Emo: I Need My Girl / The National

‘I can’t get my head around it / I keep feeling smaller and smaller / I need my girl’ 

The National show last week was so fantastic that I have been replaying bits and pieces in my mind since, trying to relive a bit of what it made me feel. So fitting for Matt Berninger to have an glass of red wine with him on stage all night, amazing that he hopped off the stage and weaved his way through the crowd of Bill Graham rocking out to Mr. November. That venue is so vast it is almost impossible to feel intimate in, and they pulled it off, closing the show with Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks acoustically, with all of us singing along to fill the space.

I was delighted (and jealous) that the band debuted two new songs in a following performance in Canada. Both are awesome, but I Need My Girl is my favorite. Steady guitar strings, an echoed chorus, and sweet but not syrupy lyrics expressing that void you experience when you have to be away from someone and you know they are the only thing that is going to make you feel better. #emo

Today’s Untz: Call it What You Want / Foster the People (Treasure Fingers remix)

‘you say, “now what’s your style and who do you listen to?”‘

Despite aggressive over listening abuse, I still haven’t gotten my fill of FTP’s addictive sound. Thankfully Atlanta based dj/producer Treasure Fingers weaves in some nice variety to one of my favorites. #untz

broken gossip

5 Dec

A short post after an amazingly music filled weekend.

Today’s Emo: Broken Jaw / Foster the People

‘then you take it away / and I come back down’

Foster the People’s Torches has been fueling my winter runs, and surprisingly one of my favorite songs is only on the bonus track version of the album. Broken Jaw drips of MGMT with a slow intro rolling up into an opus of a chorus, and even though it is much softer than most of FTP’s stuff it is so epic and emo it really gets me going. #emo

Today’s Untz: Heavy Cross / Gossip (Fred Falke remix)

‘it’s a cruel cruel world, to face on your own / a heavy cross, to carry alone’

I caught a clip of Heavy Cross on TV this weekend in a perfume ad featuring a smashing Charlize Theron, and was reminded of how awesome this song is. Throw in the handiwork of Mr. Falke and you have the perfect antidote to Monday morning blues. #untz

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wash and waste

13 May

One of my favorite San Francisco holidays is only days away, making this a very squirmy, hard to focus work week. The 100th annual Bay to Breakers arrives this Sunday, swarming the streets of the city by the bay with unicorns, beer floats, barbarians, Care Bears, a few actual professional runners, contact highs, and men in diapers or a lot less.

This will be my third Bay to Breakers but instead of entering it with the confidence of a pro, I am worried the fun police hired by new corporate sponsor Zazzle may rain on the parade more than the weather forecast. During years past, I have gotten nothing but smiles and thumbs up from the city’s finest as I’ve pranced down streets in blonde wigs, furry cat hats and lots of fishnet, but sadly this year threats for legally stopping the mayhem seem more serious… literately the slogan from Zazzle is “we’re serious.” Ugh. They are promising drunk tents for detainment of the obliterated. Time to go camping!

Anyhow I have a fun house party to attend off of the Panhandle to hide from the rain and the feds, but I truly hope that San Fran does not find itself stripped of another one of the events that makes it so great. RIP Lovefest. Long live B2B!

Today’s Emo: Waste / Foster the People

‘you know it’s funny / how freedom can make us feel contained’

Another track dropped off of Foster the People’s upcoming full length debut, and I am loving it. Like Helena Beats and Pumped Up Kicks, this song drips of good old MGMT from years past, and it is nice to have that void filled with fresh young talent. Hopefully unlike MGMT, Foster the P can actually carry a live performance, because I will be seeing them at Outside Lands this August.

I like the sentiment behind the song, about sitting next to someone you love while they sort out some shit in their head, about letting them know you aren’t going anywhere while they do. Heavy stuff expressed with simple lyrics and set to a happy, more lighthearted backdrop. FTP for FTW. Again. #emo

Today’s Untz: Eyes Be Closed / Washed Out (SposhRock remix)

Lately I am discovering that chillwave is the perfect genre for me: untz and emo majestically rolled into one. While the wave’s signature sleepy beats are not ideal for dancing my face off, they hit the spot for most of life’s other moments… leisurely runs, long hours at work, driving with the windows down, semi-conscious early AM muni commutes, and everyone’s favorite time behind closed doors. Toro y Moi, Teen Daze, and Blackbird Blackbird are all finding themselves on heavy rotation as the soundtrack to my life.

This remixed Washed Out song is the perfect addition, oozing with sleepy happiness and a touch of Enya. The track is off Washed Out’s upcoming Sub Pop release in July, Within and Without, and the LP’s cover leaves little to the imagination for which of the above listed activities it is best suited for. Just saying. #untz



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foster the funeral

16 Mar

Despite the shitty weather (or perhaps because of it, it’s San Francisco) it is starting to feel like spring. On Monday’s evening run I caught the surfers bobbing about in the water at the base of the bridge for the first time since last fall, taking advantage of the extra hour of light. Love is in the air with spring romances and engagements in full bloom a la Bambi. And yet, rain rain rain. Accordingly a surprisingly upbeat emo for the season, and a more somber untz for the weather.

Today’s Emo: Helena Beat / Foster the People

‘yeah yeah and I’m alright/ I took a sip of something poison but I’ll hold on tight’

Heralded as the perfect replacement for MGMT’s mismanagement, with a bit of Gorillaz sass and a hint of Adam Levine’s chops, LA born Foster the People are having a moment. The band’s EP, Pumped Up Kicks, debuted to internet acclaim in January, and will be followed by a full length album, Torches, at the end of May.

Like Cults, the indie trio has steadily garnered a crew of faithful online followers via lots of hearting on Hypem, and will be showcasing their stuff live at some of the season’s top festivals before the debut. Torches will come with perfect timing for summer… this music makes me want to kick my shoes off, sprawl out in the grass at Fort Mason and a sip on a cold one.  #emo

Today’s Untz: Funeral (Butch Clancy remix) / Band of Horses


‘I’m coming up only to hold you under / I’m coming up only to show you wrong‘

The original version of Funeral has been following me around everywhere I go lately, to the point where I feel it in my bones. The release of this remix seems like a sign… I don’t know how I feel about it, but I know it’s worth sharing. A pretty amazing feat to inject dubstep into one of the most emo/haunting songs of all time, but I think Butch Clancy does a good job of doing it, considering what a hard task he is taking on. I am just not sure if a song like Funeral should be tampered with.

During the intro I always picture two people in a pool of water, someone emerging up to pull the other down with them. There is something so eerily beautiful about the song, and this isn’t lost here, it’s just different. #untz

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