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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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happy lights

12 Sep

The lineup for Neil Young’s 25th annual Bridge School Benefit Concert was released last week, and I could not be more floored. Arcade Fire, Mumford and Sons, Foo Fighters… yes please. The only time my dad makes it down to San Francisco each year is not to visit two of his three lovely daughters but rather to see Neil’s (first name basis) annual production as one of his most loyal fans… clearly music runs in my veins.

We make it a family affair with lawn tickets, the perfect picnic, and craftily smuggled in bottles of wine (my mom looks very innocent to security guards). Looking forward to this year more than ever – tickets go on sale Friday on LiveNation so don’t miss out.

Today’s Emo: Junk of the Heart (Happy) / The Kooks

‘I wanna make you happy / I wanna make you feel alive’

I had an epic love affair with The Kook’s first album, Inside In/Inside Out, circling the CD on repeat for days on end while circling the San Francisco streets with my current love at the time, but alas, like most young love, my feelings for the Kooks fizzled with their second release, Konk.

The verdict is still out on their upcoming album release on Tuesday, but if it sounds anything like this syrupy title track, its looking like fluff… feel good puppy fluff. I like that this song openly embraces its sap factor, and its reminding me of simple Beetles love songs. Too many listens, and you are sure to get a toothache, but with moderation the perfect treat. #emo

Today’s Untz: Lights / Ellie Goulding (RAC remix)

‘I had a way then losing it all on my own / I had a heart then but the queen has been overthrown’

The Remix Artist Collective weaves their signature magic with a softer take on one of the most remixed songs of year. I have been rocking out hard to the Bassnector version, but the RAC spins Lights into something you can take with your morning coffee.  I love the flute sounding spirals interspersed throughout, and the preservation of Ellie’s original take. RAC is great at remixing songs without changing their core, just showing them to us from a different angle. #untz

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sonic sound

1 Aug

A brief presentation because I am still on vacation in the wonderland that is Oregon.

Today’s Emo: Three Rounds and a Sound / Blind Pilot

Blind Pilot / 3 Rounds and a Sound

‘I was sleeping /  my eyes were dark til you woke me / and told me that opening / is just the start / it was’

A favorite track from some of my favorite Oregonian indie rockers, Blind Pilot. I was reminded of BP by the playing of another one of their tracks in a shitty indie movie we rented at our Portland hotel after the epicness that was brew fest because all the mainstream stuff looked too blah. Should have gone with Jennifer Aniston, but at least I was reminded of this gem… a blurry installation of hope amidst silvery sweet vocals, gentle guitar, and yes, rounds. Not worth forgetting again. #emo

Today’s Untz: Sonic 2 -Chemical Plant Zone / RAC

I was sliding through song after song my Hypem Latest list last week, plugged into work and not paying attention to what was going into my ears when I heard the playful electro start to build in this song, and tuned back in. I was not surprised to find it was the remix mastermind that is RAC that caught my ear, but was surprised to find this whole jingle is not original untz but a SONIC remix. I am Nintendo 4 lyfe, and barely touched Sega and the hedgehog, but this track has me wanting to roll through some golden hoops. #untz

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naked whale

1 Jul

The first of July brings an onslaught of U-Hauls, for free signs on battered couches on corners and for rent signs throughout city windows as people come and go with the changing of a summer month. I have moved the past three summers, spending July surfing craiglist, battling for real estate away from crackheads, cable cars and preschools, and miserably folding my life into boxes to Katy Perry (tough times call for terrible music). This will be my first summer of being settled, and it feels great to stay home.

Happy 4th of July! Signing out til Wednesday for some much needed R&R and playtime.

Today’s Emo: Tonight’s the Kind of Night / Noah and the Whale (RAC remix)

‘on his lips the perfect smile / his eyes begin to flood’

English folksters Noah and the Whale got RAC’ed, and the result is indie pop happiness. Once again, the threesome behind the Remix Artist Collective take a great track and keep it great… not an easy feat. I love that this version isn’t overdone… the original holds its own without cheap thrills tossed in for fanfare. Instead, just jubilant sounds woven throughout to wash something warm over Noah and the Whale’s already standout track off their new album, Last Night on Earth.

It is Friday, and tonight’s the kind of night where everything could change. #emo

Today’s Untz: Young Blood / The Naked and the Famous (White Sea remix)

‘the mood it changes like the wind / hard to control when it begins’

Surprisingly not mis-categorized as untz. White Sea’s version of Young Blood starts even slower than the original version, emitting ethereal emo with whispy, echoing vocals amidst hushed sounds, but then electro hijinx kick in at around 1:51 and do their thing for the rest of the track. Things sound off and on at the same time, with playful drums, discordant beats, and lots of ‘yeah yeah yeaaaahs’ sprinkled throughout. Love kiwis The Naked and the Famous’ original version of the song, loving this trippy, hopped up version as well. #untz

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sleeping dragons

14 Mar

Last fall I was excited for the extra sleep daylight savings provided when we all fell back an hour. Then it got dark at 5, and that hour stopped feeling so sweet. This morning’s alarm was brutal, but I am thankful for the opportunity to take my end of day commute and evening runs out from under the cover of darkness. Make light.

Today’s Emo: Sleeping Lessons (RAC remix) / The Shins


‘and glow / glow / melt and flow / eviscerate your fragile frame / and spill it out on ragged floor / a thousand different versions of yourself’

RAC gently folds in something warm into the Shin’s already fantastic Sleeping Lessons, crafting a remix that awakens my soul while drifting me away into sleepy musical bliss. Known for capitalizing on a song’s subtle nuances, Remix Artist Collective takes a fresh approach on the art of the remix: “I strive to create remixes for music lovers who want to hear the song re-invented, not just re-interpreted and chopped up,” RAC founder Andre Anjos says, “I hope people experience the original songs in a different way that not only complements the original, but takes them somewhere else.”

Andre is originally from Portugal but currently resides in Portland, Oregon, and has enlisted Andrew Maury and Karl Kling into the collective. The group of twenty somethings have worked magic on Phoenix’s Armistice, Chromeo’s Fancy Footwork and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s Home. All refreshing, but Sleeping Lessons takes me somewhere else. #emo

Today’s Untz: Hello / Martin Solveig & Dragonette

‘you’re alright but I’m here darling to enjoy the party’

The perfect weekend anthem, Hello captures those nights when you are out dancing with your girlfriends and aren’t interested in getting distracted by engaging with the opposite sex. I believe Dane Cook said it best with, “…let’s go dance tonight! Fuck guys tonight. Let’s just stand in a circle around our shoes and our pocketbooks and lets just dance. And if guys come near us we’ll tazer them. No guys.”

Dragonette is an indie band from Canada that has also done some killer collaborations with Kaskade, and Martin Solveig is dj gold from Paris. There are dozens of Hello remixes out there, but I keep going back to the original. The song’s music video is also a treat – Solveig takes on Bob Sinclair in a tennis match. Lycra, short shorts, bad pony tails… #untz


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