Tag Archives: washed out

amor video games

8 Jul

After almost six months of blogging and shameless plugging myself via Facebook, Twitter and gchat statuses, as well as several failed url submissions onto the Hypem site,  I officially got TUATE listed on Hype Machine this Tuesday. Beyond floored.

I ordered a Hypem shirt from the site a week or so back, and low and behold it got dropped off on my desk that very same afternoon. Fate! Happiness. Music. Bribery?

Today’s Emo: Video Games / Lana Del Rey

‘he holds me in his big arms / he’s drunk and I am seeing stars / this is all I think of’

Sultry. The harp filled intro makes me feel like I am stepping into Florence + the Machine’s You Got the Love, but Video Games quickly takes a pace and sound all its own. Lana Del Rey’s look and that velvety voice feel from an earlier era: buffed blonde hair, penciled doe eyes, sharp full lips… I could picture her singing this in an old smokey jazz club, all eyes on her. Then she mentions video games and suddenly I find myself on my couch in high school, curled up with an old boyfriend, smuggled beers and a flirtatiously heated game of Mario Kart. The whole vibe and feel of the song is a string of beautiful contradictions to get lost in. A sincere declaration of adoration (‘it’s better than I ever even knew / they say that the world was built for two‘ meets Sonic the Hedgehog? 60’s vibrations meet modern love?

Thoroughly transfixed by this 24 year old emerging starlet from New york, who describes her music as “Hollywood sad core” and herself as a “gangster Nancy Sinatra.” Lana Del Rey  is currently embedded in studio working on her debut album. More video games please. #emo

Today’s Untz: Amor Fati / Washed Out

My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it—all idealism is mendaciousness in the face of what is necessary—but love it.‘ – Ecce Homo / Friedrich Nietzsche

I know this is a little quiet for a Friday, but turn the dial to the right and ride this chill-wave straight into the weekend. Another great track off Washed Out’s upcoming album, Within and Without. Everything I have heard thus far screams Santa Cruz, surf, sand and a simpler life, and I am eagerly awaiting the official debut. Happily accepting my fate to listen and listen and listen.  #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