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I will wait for you

20 Aug

Today’s Indie: I Will Wait / Mumford and Sons 

‘now I’ll be whole / as well as strong / and use my head alongside my heart’

I finally got first listen of the first single of Mumford and Son’s upcoming album, and while I am enjoying the fast paced banjo and singalong chorus, I Will Wait can’t help but feel a little bit too easy on the ears, too predictable, too safe. As with many of the tracks on the band’s Sigh No More, I can picture happily dancing to this barefoot in a field somewhere, sun on my back, cold beer in hand, but I don’t feel the heart string pullings I experienced during my earlier enchantment. I suppose it is an age old problem any band must face when gearing up for a sophomore release after a breakout debut – suddenly expectations are folded into the game, and they can weigh a lot.

Expectations aside, the single is still a great accompaniment to any Monday morning, and is only a sliver of what we have coming our way in September. I will wait, breath bated. #indie / tory

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reeling home

15 Jul

I am packing into a minivan with six chicks after work this afternoon and making the three hour drive over to Yosemite where we will set up camp, hike, eat gourmet camp food (happen to have a chef amongst us) and lose ourselves in the dirt and pines for a couple of days. Work has been crazy the past few weeks, and I cannot think of a better way to retreat… even if I will be tugging along the laptop and mifi card. Bears beware, kittehs are in the woods.

Today’s Emo: Home (untitled) / Mumford & Sons

‘you went left and I went right / as the moon hung proud and white / you would of loved it here tonight’

A new sigh inducing melody from the crafters of Sigh No More, Mumford and Sons have me pining for home with this recording off their sophomore album due out late this year. I had the pleasure of seeing the English folk quartet at Coachella in April and was floored by their poise, presence and talent, feeling warm, fuzzy and inspired as they played out track after track during nightfall of the second day.

From the opening strums of banjo to Marcus Mumford’s aching vocals, the song quietly unfolds a tale of longing and regret. Delightfully tragic, beautifully nostalgic – a few listens and I find myself wanting to hop onto Kayak to find the next flight home to Oregon to curl up with my parents and my dog. Alas, the real world… a phone call will have to suffice for now. I’ll be home in a little while. #emo

Today’s Untz: The Reeling / Passion Pit (Calvin Harris remix)

‘now I pray that somebody will quickly come and kidnap me’

I have heard this song a million times, but never like this. Calvin Harris provides the perfect Friday mix to unravel for the weekend and get lost in the woods with. PP is in studio, gearing to release a new album early next year to follow Manners. About time! #untz

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swift first aid

6 Apr

Finishing up training for the Santa Cruz half marathon this coming Sunday. Regardless of what happens, a big thank you to the harem of gentlemen who have helped me train – James, Ted, Travis and Dana, as well as Florence + The Machine’s Dog Days and Born to Run‘s Caballo Blanco for inspiration.

Now it’s time to put together the perfect soundtrack. During my first half last November I made a terrible rookie mistake. At mile 10, when I was gearing up to put on some epic Tiesto for the final 3.1 I popped my nano into the top of my sports bra to secure my ponytail. Suddenly things fell quiet. My boobs broke my ipod… my decrepit player from college was no match to water resist the dew.  Thus the last three miles were ran in silent frustration, and while they were actually the fastest in all my training, they were oh so lonely.

This time I have a new nano that clips onto the side of my shorts, I know that peanut butter and banana on toast is good, coffee is bad, and preventative Advil is a must. And I have decided to take all the Untzes posted in the past few months as company. #bringit

Today’s Emo: White Blank Page (Mumford and Sons cover) / Taylor Swift

‘you desired my attention / but denied my affections / my affections’

We all have our guilty pleasures, and one of mine happens to be a squinty eyed twenty one year old country crooner who won me over in a particularly vulnerable point in my life with her first single, Tim McGraw (Oregon country roots can’t be broken). While I found her recent album release to be a disappointment with an angry rant of a song against John Mayer and another whiny yawn inducing lament about her break up with Taylor Lautner some December (a month that Team Jacob fans will celebrate forever) I am back on Team Swift with this heartfelt cover of Mumford and Sons’ classic White Blank Page.

The emotion is real, a female take on the vocals is sweet, and I will let the fact that she accidentally has a bit of a fake English accent in parts slide because I accidentally have a bit of a fake English accent after listening to too much Mumford. A chilling, beautiful song in its own right, it is refreshing to see Taylor make it her own and emote some of her boy angst in a way that I can still adore. #emo

Today’s Untz: Move for First Aid / Deadmau5 vs. Michael Woods (Kasade Remix)

‘waited all week just to get out’

I know I have posted a lot of Deadmau5 and Kaskade lately but I can’t help myself… I had some ideas for today’s untz, but when my friend Jenn sent this track out on an email thread, I dropped everything. Kaskade fold’s Michael Woods’ First Aid into Move for Me, turning the dreamy trance anthem into something a little more urgent and truly movement inducing.

I have seen Kaskade live a couple times now, and interestingly enough beyond having dashing good looks and mad talent, a young Kaskade practiced his mixing skills in the dorms of BYU. As in Brigham Young. A man who can get any party started was ironically raised as a Mormon and spent two years on a mission in Japan before bringing the untz world to its knees. I am glad that instead of creating a family of ten he is creating spectacular mixes like this to help me through my work week, and am open for consideration to be one of his future wives.  #untz

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