Apparently when I'm at a real loss for a title, I resort to celebrating arguably fake holidays. How exciting,exhilarating,intoxicating,invigorating,action-packed, thrilling!! Hope you make the most of all the synonyms out there today.
The First: Travellin' Soldier by Dixie Chicks
Umm so these unicorn women do. not. age. Look at 'em! Listen to 'em! Love 'em!
This is one of my all-time favourite DC songs and for good reason. When you blend their beautiful voices and harmonies, stage presence, and a heartache of a story all together, what do you expect other than a masterpiece? So grateful that they got together to grace us with their musical talent once again.
The Second: Woman, Amen by Dierks Bentley
Some thoughts:
1. Those are some beautiful scenic shots.
2. Dierks' beard has become quite wild. It now rivals the beards of the boys in The Washboard Union.
3. It's about time for a decent new one from this fellow. I'm always happy with a strong drum beat.
The Third and Final: Playing With Fire by Jennifer Nettles
According to the internet, this song came out a YEAR ago and I'm only just finding it now. What?! Why didn't anybody tell me?! Y'all really have to get better at having my back on these things. Step up, please.
Looking forward to a few days off to spend with friends and books (aka my other friends). Here's hoping you've got fun things planned too!
I'm really sorry to be the one to break this news to you, but yeah. It will be September next week. Is that not crazy? The good news is that I love fall and the beginning of a new school year and the beauty of the season and halloween packs of Reese cups and walks over crunchy leaves. The bad news is that summer is nearly over and I've got a few busy-bee weeks between now and enjoying all the bounty (get it? Because Thanksgiving?) that fall has to offer.
What better way to enjoy the remainder of summer than with country music?
The First: There's A Girl by Trent Harmon
I have never met a more hipster cowboy in my life (neither in person nor via the internet) than this dude. But the reality is that I like his sound so no harm, no foul, ya know?
Let me tell you, every scene of him driving/singing in his car is exactly me when I'm driving/singing this song in my car. Specifically 0:58. My steering wheel probably thinks I'm mad at it for the number of times I'll hit it while singing. It's for effect and punctuation, obviously.
PS this guy won this past (and final?) season of American Idol, says the internet.
The Second: Different For Girls by Dierks Bentley ft. Elle King
Just go ahead and file this one under "Songs I Wasn't Into Until I Was Forced To Listen To Them A Million Times On The Radio And Now I Turn Them Up And Sing Along Whenever They Come On."
The Third and Final: Bury Me In Blue Jeans by Granger Smith
I like the brightness in this song. I don't know how else to describe it.
Contentedness maybe? Is that a word? Doesn't matter, you know what I mean.
There's something about those first few lines and the way he sings, "couldn't be a cowboy, I'm a hundred years late" while the drummer kicks out the bass. I could listen to it all day. (And have, if I'm being honest).
Just listen to it and you'll understand.
Enjoy this sunshine-y weekend, lovelies! I'm spending mine hopefully relaxing a bit before the madness of orientation kicks in next week - wish me luck.
Sooo... have you completed the Canada census yet? I have, as I was only a mere half notch below these people on the excitement scale.
My favourite tweet so far? "Based on tweets in my feed, Wayne R. Smith, Chief Statistician of Canada, is Canada's Beyonce. #Census" (@ALL_CAPS). He's not wrong.
It's important. Fill it out, plz.
The First: H.O.L.Y. by Florida Georgia Line
People are freaking out about the new FGL album *almost* as much as they're freaking out about the long form census. It's gonna be a good one. And in case you're wondering, H.O.L.Y. (for some weird artistic reason) stands for "high on loving you." I just saved you approximately 27 seconds on a google search which is what I had to do to figure that out. So hey, make good use of those saved seconds, will you? Time is precious.
The Second: Pick Up by Dierks Bentley
How do I feel about this video/the storyline Dierks is telling with his short film series so far? Super lukewarm. Like when I make tea and am super excited about it but then it's too hot to drink right away and then I become so good at being patient that I kind of actually just forget about it and then an hour later I'm like "oh yeah, I made tea" but by then it's barely warmer than room temperature and I have to either suck it up or boil water again which inevitably means that I go through the whole involved ordeal all over again. That run-on sentence is how I feel about it.
The Third and Final: Singing Me Home by Lady Antebellum
Let's lighten things up a little bit with this old favourite that has recently made its way back into my life. I just can't get enough of those beautiful harmonies.
Hope you have a marvellous weekend! Don't forget to send some prayers to the people of Fort McMurray or to tell your mamma you love her.
I think there are three things I can really count on each week when I sit down to write CMF.
First off, coming up with a title is legitimately half the battle. It also happens to take half the time. And the sad, pathetic reality is that they're never any good (as you all well know).
The second is that a minimum of one of the music videos will inevitably make me roll my eyes into the back of my head so hard that I sometimes get nervous they'll get stuck like that.
The third is that, despite these two minor annoyances, writing CMF and searching for new music is always something I look forward to doing. So mostly I just wanted to say thanks for reading. Because otherwise I'd just be rounding up country music and sending it to myself... which would likely be considered weird.
And we all know I don't need any additional help in the weird department.
The First: I Know Somebody by LoCash
Spoiler alert: that "somebody" he's singing about mayyy be himself. What a sneak, hey?
The Second: Somewhere On A Beach by Dierks Bentley
I'm not entirely sure what it is with Dierks always getting on planes and flying off to beaches as a form of breakup revenge, but apparently it's his M.O. All that said, I like this song. Unrelated: anyone else have the overwhelming urge to go on vacation now?
The Third and Final: Bow Chicka Wow Wow by Meghan Patrick
Mostly including this one because I think it's a little ridiculous in a humourous kind of way. I am also entirely aware that I think the two reasons I love this song are:
1) That twang (and from Ontario of all places).
2) Those glorious older women who are really just living it up in the video.
I wish you all an excellent weekend! I have the pleasure of celebrating two dear friends at their engagement dinner tomorrow night and am very excited.
To be honest I don't know what's new in country this week. So we're sticking to oldies but goodies because a) they need love too, b) when else am I going to showcase them? and finally c) it's the safest option considering my current lack of awareness.
The First: Bourbon in Kentucky by Dierks Bentley ft. some vocal love from Kacey Musgraves
How appropriate is this video right now amidst all this Alaskan rain? (That's right: it's a weather system that's come on down from Alaska. I like to do my weather-related research, thank you). But actually 1:57 is basically all of Vancouver right now. Thanks, Sarah Palin.
This song is an old favourite when I'm in a rainy moody mood. That's a phrase I just came up with, although the concept is not new at all. Essentially it just involves cozying up on the couch with a fluffy blanket near a window that I've opened just a tiny bit so that I can hear the rain, while a glass of wine, a book, and Dierks keep me company. Rainy moody moods are actually super pleasant, despite what the name may lead you to believe.
The Second: Hip To My Heart by The Band Perry
Ahhh TBP. I linked a live-in-studio version of this song that I think is incredible and a little funkier and a little banjo-ier than the recorded version, which is also great but different. I'm in love with this version and am really sad that I've lost out on five years of not knowing it existed. Ugh.
In other news, can we take uno momento to talk about how fun it would be to just start emphasizing sentences by saying "brother man"? I think it would be awesome. Just picture this with me:
"Excuse me, brother man! Can you please pass me the hot sauce?"
"Hi. I'd like a ticket for one to Sleepless in Seattle. Yes, that's right, just the one... brother man."
"Dear Santa, I would like a Princess Unicorn doll under the tree this year. BROTHER MAN!"
PS Kimberly Perry: I want your outfit. Thanks.
The Third and Final: On Fire Tonight by Little Big Town
Hey... have I mentioned at all that LBT is in concert in the greater Vancouver area next week? Probably not... I've been trying to be super subtle and quiet about it over the last few months.
I AM VERY EXCITED. And I anticipate that this song is basically a description of what will happen in real life next Thursday. Get ready to hear all about it.
It's the weekend in a few short hours and I hope it's a good one for you. I also hope that you are able to keep dry out there and take care when puddle-jumping.
