Here are my tunes for August. I’ve spent this month full-time travelling and doing some aupairing so the vibes are much vibier than usual. Unfortunately, my AirPods have died while in Italy, so did not listen to as much music as I would have liked. They still work a little, but my right AirPod is full of static. Awesome, I know. I run through these AirPods in a most unsustainable fashion. Damn you, dynamic obsolescence!
#5 “Wrong Impression” – Natalie Imbruglia, White Lilies Island
A funny one to start. First of all, is this not the most 2000s music video you’ve ever seen? This is Natalie’s whole vibe I fear. I like her music because it’s silly fun music for the car ride on a nice day and you’re pretending you are in a movie filmed in 2007. Back when the weather was a lot more normal than it is now and we also weren’t so full of microplastics, the good old times. I was of course not old enough to remember this era; however, this is why I have the Internet and these oh so perfectly 2000s historical artifact music videos. Like if you are ever in a bad mood just play this banger and all the sudden you are just a girl skipping around on a nice summer day.
#4 “Let Go” – Sharon Van Etten, Let Go/Some Things Last a Long Time
The beginning of this song reminds me so much of the beach. I think there are some wave noises but also the light airiness of it makes me think of glistening waves. Since I am currently living in a sea town with glistening waves, this song is appropriate. Also appropriate because the entire premise of the song is about letting go, and I have both let go of everything and everyone I have ever known to come live in Italy for the summer, and I also now realize that in a few day’s time I will also be letting go of all of this to go back to normal university-puttinggasincar-work-eatingpotatoes life (Atlantic Canada all summed up). Have to let go of a lot this summer.
Because I think about the ocean when I listen to this song and I think of letting go of things, I then in turn also think about climate change. Because we are effectively letting go of beautiful landscapes every day. I am aware that I may never ever see Venice the way I saw it last week ever again in my life. I am aware that if I do not go see the Canadian Rockies and forests sometime in the next couple of years I may never be able to see that beauty. This is a whole new type of tourism I’ve come to learn. People are visiting melting icebergs to see them before they are gone but in the process they are worsening the conditions of the icebergs by travelling over there and disturbing that environment. So I’m really conflicted. I worry that I will miss so much of nature’s beauty if I wait to visit these places but at the same time if Jasper National Park is vulnerable right now because of wildfires it is really not the best time to have the place flocked with tourists. Even after the fires are done it takes years for a forest to rehabilitate and Jasper won’t have that if next June brings even more fires. …Well now I’m sad, great.
#3 “Boons” – Zach Bryan, The Great American Bar Scene
Yep, this is embarrassing. Actually, I am convinced the whole top tunes is embarrassing. No one on the internet needs to know what music I listen to. Especially since I listen to like 2000s rom-com pop, emo alternative, old man music, and Taylor Swift.This part of my blog is really just for me to go back and see what songs I liked two years ago. Anyways, new category has been added to my music library: country. And while this pains me to say because I quite frankly hate the affiliation, this Zach Bryan dude isn’t messing around. Not sure how to explain it, but this music is less country that most of the country music I’ve heard. It kinda has a barefoot in the field type of country and not the big buckle and cowboy boots type vibe. Gosh I sound insane. I think that me liking this music is partly because of the fact that I am living in Italy and they are OBSESSED with cowboys and yeehaw culture. There is a Cowboy themed amusement park here that kids go to with their schools, it’s called Cowboyland. It’s got a theme song and everything.
See but there’s also one thing I’ve been thinking about lately and maybe it’s because I’ve been watching too much Heartland with my sister, but I’d really like to go work on a ranch. And you know there’s like this americana west rancher vibe. Well that is cool but they are probably also super religious, borderline alcoholic, and support Trump. I need to find a woke ranch that will take me in for a summer. I don’t really want to work with cows but working with horses would be awesome. Also probably someplace in Canada because middle of nowhere USA sounds cool but also terrifying. Anyways, I firmly believe that the Italian fascination with country cowboys is getting to my head, which explains why I have been playing The Great American Bar Scene for the past week. But also… next summer should I go work on a ranch??? Spend the day stacking hay bales and the evening going for a trail ride/swim in the river that all ranches seem to have? Man. I’m constantly conflicted between girlboss life and “simpleton” life. Like I want a PhD but I also just want to tend to the garden on my family ranch. Both sound awesome but I know if I did one I’d always long for the other. So here I am doing a job I am overqualified for in Italy for the summer so that I can ponder on the beach and aimlessly peruse small towns even though I have to apply for graduate school and also have five scholarships and two research jobs waiting for me in my fourth year of university. I feel like a double agent. Am I meant to just vibe or should I change the world? Part of me wants to be as educated as possible just so I can go F off in the middle of nowhere and skip around odd but cool jobs but then people would call me wasted potential. I guess I’m not supposed to care what others think. Okay, maybe I’ll be writing from a ranch at this time next summer.
Back to the point, I don’t really like listening to country music and I invite you to knock me out cold if you ever find me at the YQM country fest in a cowboy hat. But man, there’s something about this dude that is so low-fi yeehaw and I appreciate it.
#2 “1979” – The Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Some of my friends have told me I’ve ascended to garage dad music. I’m not sure how I got here this is just what Apple Music suggests for me based off the artists I listen to. Either way, this song was so handy during my roadtrips across northern Italy. I was listening to some Smashing Pumpkins in July, but the repertoire is getting bigger. Maybe I’ll have more in September, I don’t know. Again, I wish I knew more about music because I have trouble explaining why I like these songs other than the fact that the sounds work nicely together. I can’t even tell you what instrument is being played in most songs I listen to unless it’s really obvious. I really just do my assessments straight off of general vibes and how good of a song it is for a daydream or ponder session.
#1 “Tile by Tile” – Alvvays, Blue Rev
Diabolical is what this song is. My most played song of the month and also up in the plays in July. This song was my go-to when I was staying in the Italian alps. It’s so good to daydream to. I love how dreamy it is at the beginning and how serious it gets at the end. I also just love so many songs on Blue Rev this was great. I unfortunately may have over played it because it’s loosing its spark (might also be due to the fact that it was on repeat for about a week). Yes, I know it’s not normal. When I find a song I like I just play it over and over until it becomes insufferable. Don’t ask be about “Don’t Delete the Kisses” by Wolf Alice please.
Honorable Mentions:
- “My Favorite Game” – The Cardigans, Gran Turismo
- ”Judy” – Jenn Grant, Champagne Problems
- ”Cool” – Soccer Mommy, Clean
- “Lucky Enough (Poem)” – Zach Bryan, The Great American Bar Scene
- “American Nights” – Zach Bryan, The Great American Bar Scene