Otamatone is my new favourite instrument

I stumbled upon this strange contraption and I think it's my new favourite thing!! The otamatone is a quirky little musical instrument/toy developed by Maywa Denki and toy company CUBE in 1998. The otamatone looks like an eighth note or tadpole with a face. It's played by sliding one of your hands on the controller to control the pitch while squeezing the otamatone's head with your other hand. Watching Otamatone covers bring me such joy - and I'm always amazed by the people that have mastered this instrument! They make it look so easy... If i were to get it (and I probably will), it will probably sound like a crying seal. I LOVE weird things so this is right up my alley.

Check out more covers below!

My Cat Is Weird Episode 1: Imaginary Friend

It's a known fact that cats are weird. What I want to know is why are they so weird and why do they do the things they do? KitKat here often does this thing where he kicks himself in the face and tries to catch his tail as if it weren't attached to his body. It looks like he's a Schizophrenic and is hallucinating, as his pupils dilate and he has this look or paranoia - he would attack me if i were to approach him while he is in this trance. I googled this phenomenon, "why do cats kick themselves in the face" and it turns out it's a pretty common cat thing... But WHY? I still don't know the scientific explanation but it seems like it's a reflex. It's probable there's a nerve in the foot and once triggered, it causes the foot to twitch (uncontrollably into the cat's face)... and the only way to stop the twitching is to then bite the foot to suppress it. Whatever the reason, it's quite funny to watch!

Stay tuned for episode 2 of "My Cat Is Weird": where we discuss if cats are actually aliens sent to spy on the human race in order to collect useful information for their plan for world domination (lol just kidding...)

New Killers and Death From Above

Two new songs by two of my favourite artists were released today - Death From Above 1979 released "Freeze Me" and The Killers released "The Man"... check them out below!


After several teaser videos on Instagram, Death From Above 1979 (now back to their original name "Death From Above") have officially released "Freeze Me" - get ready to juuuump around because this track is a beast!!!! I've always admired this band's ability to fuse dance and punk together so effortlessly and this track is a prime example.


"The Man" is gonna be the first single off The Killers' new album "Wonderful Wonderful", the follow-up to 2012's "Battle Born". It's a groovy disco jam that takes you back to the Bee Gees era but with a modern twist.

Although both songs are different in style, they both make you wanna get up and dance - Bring on the new albums, my body is ready!

Japan Haul 2017 - kawaii x 10

I recently got back from a 1 week trip to Japan where I bought a LOT of stuff... everything's just so cute there, I wanted to buy everything!

Here's everything laid out on my bed:

Patiently waiting for Does It Offend You, Yeah's new album

I was devastated when Does It Offend You, Yeah? announced they were going on an "indefinite hiatus" back in 2012 - they are one of my favourite bands after all! Their first two albums were complete gems, each different in their own way yet distinctively DIOYY. If I had to describe their musical style, I'd say it's electronic meets punk (but it's so much more than that) - they blend different styles together flawlessly to create a truly unique sound. I held onto hope that they would make a comeback somewhere down the line and it looks like 2017 is going to be the year for new material (an EP titled "We Do Our Own Stunts")... I can't wait!!

The band tweeted this video in 2015 and it's supposed to be part 2 of "With a Heavy Heart (I Regret To Inform You)" but from the girl's perspective. I've been obsessed with this song ever since and if the new EP sounds anything close to this, I'll take it!

Spotify helped me discover Empathy Test

I love Spotify's Discover Weekly playlist - it's like the musical soulmate I never had. You know when you listen to a song by an artist/band and you immediately know you're going to like most of their songs? It's like an instant connection - as soon as you hear that one song, your gut is like "I SEE A FUTURE WITH YOU, [insert band/artist]!" That's the feeling I got when I first heard "Seeing Stars" by Empathy Test play on my Discover Weekly playlist. Thank you Spotify - you know me so well! This is beautifully crafted synthpop - dreamy, melodic and seductive. After hearing this song, I just had to check out more Empathy Test songs and I'm so glad I did. Their music is reminiscent of synthpop pioneers Depeche Mode but with more of a futuristic vibe. Check out some of my favourites below!

CRYSTAL CASTLES AT THE HOXTON

💡 Feels like a seizure but in the best way possible 💡 #CrystalCastles

A video posted by Amy (@amychophobia) on Oct 15, 2016 at 9:00am PDT

On Friday night, I went to see Crystal Castles at The Hoxton! If you don't know Crystal Castles, Wikipedia describes their musical style the best:


About the band: Crystal Castles is kind of an acquired taste - their style is a mixture of noisy/distorted punk, dark and heavy electronic, with some gothic elements and 8-bit mixed in. I don't even know where to start when somebody asks me to describe what genre they are. Basically, it's the perfect music for a rave. It's the kind of music you kind of need to experience live at least once. It's not for everyone but that's what I love about it - different in a good way. I put together a playlist below of my personal favs (3 songs from each album).

About the club: The Hoxton is a small club situated in the Fashion District, Downtown Toronto. It has a very industrial look to it and a small stage that is positioned in a way so that you can see it on all 3 sides (i think - I wasn't sure if it was 3 sides or 2 sides). The atmosphere was very gothic, dark and grungy with candles lit up and Halloween-like omen music playing before the performers started. There were chairs on the side where we sat before Guidance & Crystal Castles. Midway through Crystal Castles, a bouncer told me I wasn't allowed to use my GoPro so I had to put it away - but may I ask why camera phones are allowed but GoPros aren't? They aren't DSLRs and they can't zoom! I never understood why GoPros weren't allowed at some places.

About the show: When Crystal Castles came out and the strobe lights show started, I felt like I was in a daze. The lights were so intense (see above) and it looked like everything was moving in slow-mo. I found this effect really fascinating and I just became immersed in the lights, becoming intoxicated. My eyes started feeling slightly uncomfortable after a while from the flashing lights but all in all, the show was awesome! So much energy.

Crystal Castles Playlist:


Outfit of the night and merch photos after the jump...

FALLing For Doc Martens

Fall is officially here and although it makes me quite sad that summer is over, it also means we can all soon wear cute boots. I recently bought these Dr. Martens 1460's in the Victorian Flowers design. I found out they were being discontinued so I had to find a pair in my size before they were all gone! Unfortunately for my size 5.5 / 6 feet, Union Jack Boots had them on sale for $130CAD but only had size 5 (3UK) left. I went to the Dr. Martens store at my nearest mall but they only had size 5 left as well. I tried them on anyway, hoping that they would fit so I could buy them from Union Jack. As I expected, they were too small so of course I was determined to find them in my size and was willing to pay full price to have them. I stumbled upon this Canadian site called Zelen Shoes that had size 6 (4UK) in stock - and into my shopping cart it went!

What I love about these Doc Martens is the unique vintage-looking floral pattern. Although some may consider it tacky, I think it's tastefully tacky. They would compliment a pair of plain black leggings and would bring some colour into a drab fall day. They're my first pair of docs and I'm loving them so far! The material is a thick canvas rather than leather but I'm not too fussy about it as I was more focused on the design. I'm more drawn to doc martens with cool graphics over the plain ones since they stand out more (although you can't go wrong with a pair of good old black docs...)

More pictures after the jump, featuring KitKat hanging out in the backyard

Hello there, the angel from my nightmare...

Somehow, somewhere along the way this blog became an all-music blog. I'm going to try to post about other things eventually but for now, here's yet another concert post! blink-182 stopped by Toronto last night while on tour for their latest album "California". When I found out they were coming (thanks songkick!), I just knew I had to get tickets. I grew up listening to them and they kept breaking my heart every time they broke up. When I found out they were making another comeback, I knew I had to catch them live when I had the chance! They played at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre and it's a pretty decent-sized venue, not too big like the ACC where the performers looked like ants. We were in the 300 level and I was scared we weren't going to see anything because I didn't realize I had bought "partial view" tickets by mistake. We had aisle seats but the pole wasn't really in the way because it wasn't directly in front of us. I was a bit nervous since Tom's no longer in the band and I felt like his high/whiny voice contrasted nicely with Mark's lower more monotone voice. Now don't get me wrong, Matt from Alkaline Trio is a really talented guy and blink put on a spectacular show BUT it still felt like a piece was missing. With that aside, I had a lot of fun soaking in the nostalgia and reliving my youth - jumping around and yelling along to all the classics

WayHomesick: a recap of WayHome 2016

Last week we attended WayHome in its sophomore year and it was truly magical ♥



It was the first camping music festival I've ever gone to (and actually the first time I've ever gone camping in general). The regular camping sites weren't that big at 20' x 20' but still sufficient enough for our 3 tents and car. I liked the way WayHome scheduled their line-up as we were still able to see most of the artists/bands we wanted to see. There was some overlap but the way it was spaced out, we would just miss either the beginning or end of some of the shows so we were able to stage hop. Also, I liked how they left the headliners (LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, and The Killers) relatively conflict-free! LCD Soundsystem was like a giant dance party, Arcade Fire ended with a spectacular fireworks show, and The Killers were the highlight of my weekend as they had everyone jamming/singing along to all their hits. This year, WayHome went cashless and used NFC technology so attendees were able to buy everything just by scanning their wristbands. You were able to setup auto top-up so that every time you hit $20 or less, $50 would automatically be added. Any balance that you did not use would be refunded back into your credit card. I found this very convenient but I had 2 minor gripes: the wristbands didn't automatically top-up if you still had more than $20 left but not enough left to buy items that costed more than your balance - you would have to buy something that costed the same or less than the balance you currently had to force it into $20 or less so that it would automatically top up; or you would have to manually top up at one of the top-up stations. Also, there was a $5 processing fee for all refunds which I wasn't aware of until after the fact. Other than that, the festival was well organized and enjoyable... like Ontario's own version of Bonnaroo or Coachella :) - My friends and I want to make it a tradition to go every year!