Including another 2 songs to make up for the fact that I won't be updating posts in awhile. Also, I just feel extra nice today. Song number 22 is Guster's "Do You Love Me." This is the kind of song I would listen to on a road trip stop, while passed out on the hood of a car under the constellations.
Song number 23 is The Spinto Band's "Summer Grof." Because it is during the summer that you'll be the more absurd you've ever been and experience more fun than you've ever known.
I know I've been neglecting Summer Music series and I am sorry. To make up for it, I will include 2 songs in this post. Song number 20 is "Good Time" by Owl City featuring Carly Rae Jepsen. I didn't like it the first time I heard it, but it's kind of warmed up to me a bit. Why? Because I decided I would stop being a pretentious dip shit. And also, I genuinely like the fact that this song is about being happy in life regardless of "life." Watching the video changed my perspective on the song as well. I mean, you gotta admit, it's pretty much camping porn. And who doesn't like shots of bonfires and trees and kites and marshmallows?
Song number 21 is "All The Pretty Girls" by fun. I feel like this song has basically defined this particular summer for me. In the best way. Although my version is more like "Look At All The Pretty Girls I Can't Get."
Also, since I mentioned Joseph Arthur's "Honey and the Moon," that is song number 19 in our series! How convenient, eh?
I once wrote a short story based on this song. It was about a lonely guitar player who would perform on the Trans Canada highway for no one in particular. He would just keep playing, to the trees and the mountains. Cars would drive by but no one would pick him up, so it was just him and his guitar. I was very proud of that story when I first wrote it. I thought it captured Canadian sensibilities.
Song number 18 is Birdy's cover of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love." You know, for the days when summer is a little sad, looking less like the picture above and more like the picture below.
Not that this isn't beautiful in its own way. Like the song.
I tell my love to wreck it all Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
This is a special edition of Summer Music Series entitled Summer Fling, brought to you by none other than k.d. lang's "Summer Fling"
We've all been through it before. Those hot summer days that are so boring you end up eye-fucking every breathing person in the vicinity just to stimulate a brain that's been over-stimulated by a school year filled with academics and useless examinations. You get where I'm going here.
Here are 9 other songs that define the phases of a summer fling:
The "I think you're kind of hot, are you single/available/easy/flexible?" phase
"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen
The "do you like me, check yes/no/maybe" phase
"Surfer Girl" by The Beach Boys
The "all I want to do is sleep with you" phase
"Kiss You Inside Out" by Hedley
The "I don't give a fuck, I'm just gonna fall in love with you" phase
"Friday I'm In Love" by The Cure
The "oh shit, I may actually be in actual love with you" phase
"The Best Thing" by Relient K
The "it's mid-August, let's just finish this and move on" phase
"Summer Is Over" by Jon McLaughlin & Sara Bareilles
The "break-up" phase
"Summertime Sadness" by Lana Del Rey
The "I hate summer, I wish this never happened" phase
"Cruel Summer" by Bananarama
The "let's look back at how stupid we were" phase
"Summer Nights" performed by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
Summer affairs tend to happen quickly and almost never tend to last. They're like allergies, a seasonal disorder ignited by high humidity, the smell of sunscreen and the sound of flip flops on the sidewalk. Once the tan fades and the sand gets washed out of your hair, it's over.
The question arises, "Do we fall in love during the summer? Or do we simply fall in love with summer?"
Whatever it is, summer affairs can be confusing ordeals that leave us face down drunk on the road crying about a person that we really couldn't care less about. Only it's summer, the one season where everything matters yet nothing matters. And we wake up in the autumn feeling like we've aged a decade, and summer is but a distant hangover.
That's the great thing about summer. Once those 2-ish months are over, there's another season just around the corner.
Song number 7 in this series is Bryan Adams "Summer of '69." Because no compilation of summer music is complete without this classic. Whatever you think it's about, whether it's the landing on the moon, sex, the break-up of the Beatles, or the debut of Sesame Street, we can all agree that it's a frigging catchy song that brings to mind nostalgia and memories and having everything you once wanted.
To go along with the post below, song number 6 is my local girl Carly Rae Jepsen's "Bucket," from her debut album Tug of War.
She's like summer fun bubble gum sunflower seeds frozen yogurt cotton candy gummy bears all wrapped up in one person.
Also, Vancouver looks amazing in this video. As do the Vancouver hipsters. And by Vancouver hipsters I mean everyone who lives in Vancouver. We dress terribly, I know. Our scenery makes up for it.
I don't know how we're gonna build a castle now. Do you want to start again somehow?
Due to my school and work schedule, I was not able to attend all of the concerts, but I did manage to catch Carly Rae Jepsen and Marianas Trench on Friday, as well as OneRepublic on Saturday. Lots of kids and parents and teenagers and people like me who don't really ever want to grow up.
In case anyone reading does not know, Playland is Vancouver's biggest amusement park and the oldest in all of Canada. Located in northeast Vancouver, it is open from April until October and during the month of August, hosts a fair with the Pacific National Exhibition. During this fair, the number of rides at the park doubles and there are additional shows and exhibits for visitors to enjoy.
SPF is an outdoor music festival which takes place at the PNE Amphitheatre, located in the north side part of the park, surrounded by bleacher seating that faces the North Shore mountains. The view is absolutely breath-taking and the music was equally beautiful and fitting.
Carly Rae Jepsen performed songs from her album Tug of War as well as her EP Curiosity. She exudes a cuteness that few popular musicians out there have, and her voice is quite impressive live. After releasing one of the most popular songs of 2012, it was a bit strange to see her here at home, basically talking to the audience as if she were in her own living room. Jepsen was accompanied by a group of dancers in the crowd, who seemed to have a choreographed dance to every one of her songs.
Marianas Trench were perhaps the biggest headliner of the weekend, performing to a full crowd that had acted as if they hadn't seen these guys in years. There's definitely something special about performing to your city, and this was something Josh Ramsey constantly reiterated throughout his band's set. Perhaps one of the greatest moments was when Ramsey himself hopped off stage onto the floor. I could feel this collective gasp amongst the crowd, a quarter second of silence and then a rush of people running towards him. Fans were fleeing the bleachers, racing towards the singer as he ran (with bodyguards beside him) through the crowd, all the while singing the lyrics to the band's latest single "Desperate Measures." At one point, he ended up in the bleachers before rushing back to the stage and declaring that he felt as if he "had just gotten to second base with my hometown." I know how that feels, dude. I know how that feels. (no I don't)
OneRepublic serenaded the crowd with cool instrumental ambiance that was pretty perfect for the warm, comforting summer weather that seeped through Vancouver this weekend. Ryan Tedder kept throwing in French words to charm us. It kind of worked. Performing everything from their hit singles to covers of "Stand By Me, "SexyBack" and "Seven Nation Army", these guys squeezed as much variety as they could into an hour long show. I'm not an avid admirer of this band, but I really love it when musicians perform like it's the first show they've ever done and the last show they'll ever do. These guys really enjoy what they're doing, and their energy was very infectious. I was highly impressed with their performance. In addition, they have a cellist, and any band with string instruments gets bonus points in my book.
There is definitely nothing like a summer music concert in the great outdoors of Vancouver. It was nostalgic and fun and heart-pounding and cringe-worthy all at once.
I must say, there's nothing like hearing thousands of kids singing the lyrics "They slap you like a bitch and you take it like a whore" simultaneously in their squeaky little youthful voices.
I am sick and my allergies are getting the better of me.
Not a great time to do homework. Especially over Canada Day weekend.
As a bit of a premature celebration, song number 4 in this series is a little gem by Vancouver band Said the Whale, titled "Lucky," with a video featuring members of the band frolicking in the kind of romantic summer that only really comes from books. And old paintings.
Summer is officially here. Vancouver is officially muggy.
What to do now? Still waiting for the weather to improve? Still waiting for that one pay check that could afford you the first flight to Honolulu? Why be bored while you wait? You live in one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Let's explore it!
Here's my list of things to do in Vancouver over the summer.
ATTRACTIONS
Coo over some baby animals at the Vancouver Aquarium.
Visit the Da Vinci exhibit at Science World (running from April 28th to September 3rd).
Have a donut, ride some roller coasters and watch an animal show or two at the Pacific National Exhibition and Playland.
SPORTS (for when hockey is not around)
Cheer on the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place (matches from March 10th until October 27th).
Check out the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Women (matches from May 13th until July 15th).
Enjoy a ball game with the Vancouver Canadians on Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (games from June 21st until August 26th).
FOOD
Have a gelato at Bella Gelateria on West Cordova.
Buy goodies and eat goodies at the Richmond Night Market (from May 8th to October 8th).
Pick up some seafood at the fishing boats along Steveston Fishing Village.
Share a poutine or war at Belgian Fries on Commercial Drive.
Visit the food carts Downtown.
OUTDOOR/NATURE
Brave the Grouse Grind.
Go on a forest adventure at the Capilano Suspension Bridge (Cliffwalk pictured).
Take a stroll around Burns Bog.
Walk along the grey sands of White Rock Beach.
Get sunburnt at the Vancouver Pride Parade and Dyke March (August 5th).
MUSIC
Buy tickets to Summer Playland Festival 2012 (July 6th until 8th).
Camp out like a hipster up in Squamish for the Live At Squamish musical festival (August 24th until 26th).
Take a date to the Vancouver International Jazz Festival (running June 22nd until July 1st).
Be cultural at the Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival (from June 14th until 24th).
Hang out at Jericho Beach for the Vancouver Folk Music Festival (July 13th until 15th).
THEATRE/MOVIES
Watch some fucking musical theatre (hell yes) at the Granville Island Stage and the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage.
See a Shakespeare play at Bard on the Beach (performances from May 31st until September 22nd).
See the Broadway production of Mary Poppins at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (performances from July 17th to 22nd).
Watch movies galore from all over the world at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival (showtimes from August 16th to 26th).
It's June 12th. Summer is barely here but I thought I'd start early.
Here is the first artist I'm going to feature as part of my summer music series.
Because summer is nothing without the soundtrack that accompanies those lazy days underneath that pale blue sky, getting sunburnt just because you can.
The first song on the list is "I Want You" by Andrew Allen, a BC boy. Hope you enjoy.
.jpg)
