Tag Archives: wolf gang

enormous dinosaurs and mansions on the moon

7 Dec

I got so excited about today’s artists that my post has turned into a novella. Let the surplus count towards future Cliff Note-esque musings.

Today’s Emo: Leaves Fall / Mansions on the Moon

‘I think of you when the leaves change / and I remember what it is I had’

Mansions on the Moon: this week’s stellar discovery in the internet galaxy. Leaves Fall has the beautiful vocals and lyrics of the traditional singer/songwriter world, but the silvery synth and beat carrying it forward make it its own thing – a little indi-tronic, a hint of bedroom pop. However you define it, it is the kind of song that settles into you and let’s you settle into it. We all have things in life that remind us of people, for better or worse, and leaves are pretty unavoidable, making the song all the more poignant.

Mansions on the Moon is a trio from Atlanta who are releasing their new Lightyears EP track by track on their site. With Pharrell Williams as their executive producer and this amazing sound, it is only a matter of when not if they get some serious buzz. I am reallly excited to see where these guys go. #emo

Today’s Untz: The King and all of his Men / Wolf Gang (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs remix)

‘and if you’re dealing in a trick and a lie / I need to see her face for one last time’

I’ll admit that with a shortlist of nicknames that includes Tor Tor Dinosaur and DinoTor, I was already biased towards Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs by his name alone, but it didn’t take long for him to seal the deal with his sound. TEED is the solo project of Oxford’s Orlando Higginbottom, and Orlando is is the type of artist that makes blogging fun. He rocks an array of epic dinosaur costumes on the stage on a regular basis, takes press photos in an indian headdress, and comes across as totally enormously fun (and bright) in his interviews. Whenever I listen to his tracks I feel like I am transported back to the stone age, Land of the Lost style, but with only friendly, peaceful herbivores roaming amongst the palm trees, accompanied by a booze filled coconut and a little umbrella.

TEED also has great taste in his material – I loved this Wolf Gang track before he went pre-historic on it, and when I woke up to this remix Sunday morning to the start of a great day in the midst of a great weekend, it seemed fitting to share the good vibes. Enjoy. #untz

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back on a train

6 Jun

‘the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.’ – not Mark Twain

Summer is starting to arrive in San Francisco, with rolling afternoon fog slipping into rainy nights and puddle filled mornings on repeat. And with this the yearly grumblings and mentioning of above frequently mis-attributed quotation. I love listening to the rain in bed, and the Oregonian in me can handle the gloom, but it is hard having the rest of the nation begin to celebrate sun kissed skin, champagne picnics at the park, and warm summer nights, while we are bracing ourselves for three months of  hoodies, wellies and space heaters.

So it goes. Drive one hour outside of the city in any direction – Napa, South Bay, East Bay, and you can get weekend windows of sunshine, and come November when snowstorms start rattling the Midwest and Northeast, I will go out running in a tank and shorts and smile. Like most of life, perspective.

Today’s Emo: Back to Back / Wolf Gang

‘the whole world is sleeping / I still lie awake up in my bed / as I came around to thinking / that I don’t want nobody else’

London’s Wolf Gang reminds me of MGMT meets XX meets a Yeasayer type vibe… a slightly sleepy, trippy sound with high pitched vocals and little trickles of electronics, bundled up into a simple and refreshing sound. The song lyrics have me thinking cuddle logistics… as a restless sleeper, back to back is kind of my MO, but I think the song is referring to being back to back with a friend that you want something more with, and wanting to turn things around.  #emo

Today’s Untz: On a Train / Yusek (the Magician remix)

I love the Magician’s take on Lykke Li’s Rivers, and am almost equally impressed with this rendition of Yusek’s On a Train. The song itself is pretty depressing, more or less about having nothing to lose in life (in a bad way) and wanting to leave (on a train). The sound wakes me up and makes me happy though, and I like the contrast. Haven’t heard much from French DJ/producer Yusek, but adding him to my watch list. #untz

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