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departure

6 Jun

Today’s Indie: Departure / Germany Germany

I love Germany Germany and was delighted to come across a new single by him this morning off his upcoming album, Blank Mind Empty Heart, out this July. Instead of washing the song with rain like in Take Me Home Tonight, Drew Harris wraps Departure with chirping birds… you can almost see the sunshine pouring in with its sound. While the word departure can evoke a sense of loss with leaving, this kind of departure feels like the good kind — off to the quiet, sun soaked sands of Mexico, or that feeling of releif that comes with getting away from something (or someone) you need to get away from. Looking forward to more next month. #indie / tory

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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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just go girlfriend

9 May

Things were getting anti-climatic and very chilly on the bleachers at the Giants game on Friday, so we cut out at the bottom of the 8th to beat the cab crowd only to have the Gigantes take back the game during the 9th. Luckily we made up for this by dancing our faces off at a pajama party at the Mezzanine. Some killer untz, and a reminder of why San Fran/the Mezz rocks… the pajama theme did not translate into skanky lingerie but rather fluffy bathrobes and lots of boxers, flannel and plaid. Cuddle time!

Good that I got some fun in because I spent a lot of the weekend working. The plus side of working at home is headphones get traded in for Bose. That’s the only plus side.

Today’s Emo: Girlfriend / We are Trees

‘talk to me girl / I never wanted it to end this way with you’

First came the Boyfriend EP, and now comes le Girlfriend EP from We Are Trees, a bedroom pop duo that resembles a slightly less funky Beach House with a side of Long Walks on the Beach. Dreamy vocals and teenage heartache dripping in every word. I like. #emo

Today’s Untz: Just Go / Germany Germany ft. Steffaloo


‘if you think you’re better off alone / just go’

Beautiful. Germany Germany becomes my most posted artist with today’s third appearance on TUATE. Everything I come across from Canadian Drew Harris, I adore, but I have had a really hard time classifying this one…. untzy emo, or emoy untz? Opting for untz due to the beautiful beats passing through my speakers right now, but there is definitely something simple and sad in the vocals amidst the deceivingly upbeat synth.  An age old question we have all asked ourselves at some point or another…. as Alice Deejay put it- do you think you’re better off alone? #untz

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freelance home

20 Apr

Three days later and I can still feel the presence of the desert lingering on my skin. Acclimating back to regular life has made me realize just how much I needed a break from it. For the first time in weeks I popped in both earbuds and lost myself on Hypem and Pandora for a few hours on Tuesday afternoon at work. Having a terrible cold (a well earned souvenir from this weekend) has kept people at arm’s length since my return, and it has been a peaceful way to sift through the several hundred emails waiting for me.

Music keeps me sane.

Today’s Emo: Girl U Want (Devo cover) / Freelance Whales


‘but the words get stuck on the tip of your tongue / and she’s the real thing but you knew it all along’

Nice to hear some strong American talent after so many European and Australian bands have made their way into these posts. Freelance Whales is an indie rock quintet hailing from Queens that is building a steady fan base since they formed in 2008. Sadly, I missed the group at Coachella, but I am loving what they have done here with an almost unrecognizable cover of Devo’s 80’s hit Girl U Want. First, props to Devo for spelling ‘you’ ‘u’ before the rise of text messages. They were clearly before their time. Second, if you haven’t heard the original version yet, don’t bother. It is pretty terrible.

Freelance Whale’s take, however, is something to settle into. Calming vocals, gentle piano, and a lazy, simple take on the lyrics. It’s one of those songs that can’t help but cause a quick pang of ‘I want someone to feel this way about me.’ #emo

Today’s Untz: Take Me Home / Germany Germany


Someday, when I have made it big in life, I will invest in a room with amazingly plush, soft carpet, floor to ceiling windows, and an epic sound system. And then I will lie on the ground on my back for hours and listen to and feel songs like this. Trickles of rain beads slip into something steady, with beat built upon layer of beat, and a beautiful flourish at the end. I am loving this song even more than Germany Germany’s Take Your Time… my only complaint is that it ends too soon. Gentle #untz

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