So this would have been my fifth week of doing this, but I totally blanked on it last week. So it has been five weeks since starting this and y'all have been great about it, so I decided to make two mixtapes for y'all this week.

Kinda sorta country, but not really edition:

I hate country music, at least as it exists today. Something about a dude making millions of dollars a year preaching to a stadium full of people about how much he loves his fucking truck and his red solo cup in the most pandering way possible makes me want to vomit all over their American flag sleeveless button-down shirts. Fuck jingoism, fuck this rampant breed of patriotism born out of the Bush/Reagan era policies. Fuck 'em all to hell. That aside, country music has influenced a lot of my favorite artists and bands, so I figured I'd share some of that with y'all today.

"When You Decided to Leave" - Lucero

If you know me, you probably know how much I love emo music. So it makes a lot of sense that Lucero was my first introduction to country-esque music that I really enjoyed. Fronted by Ben Nichols, it's clear that he's the kind of guy that wears his heart on his sleeve and I mean that in good way. It's part of what makes his music so accessible, he puts himself out there. It's a huge part of why I listen to music at all.

"Cavalier" - Shovels & Rope

Shovels & Rope is a husband and wife outfit that reeks of South Carolina. They live in Charleston, so pretty spot on there. I actually discovered these guys when they were opening for Lucero back in 2012. I showed up late and immediately regretted. I don't think I've ever been so blown away by an act I knew nothing about before. Can't say I'm a huge fan of their two most recent albums, but they put on a fantastic show. Highly recommend.

"Roll the Bones" - Shakey Graves

As fortune would have it, I discovered Shakey Graves, when he was opening for Shovels & Rope back in 2013. I was actually punctual this time around and boy did Shakey put on a great show. One man, one guitar, one kick drum. Fucking great music. You gotta look deeper than the stuff that's on spotify to get to his good music--not that his "debut" LP was bad--just check out his bandcamp.

"If I Wanted Someone" - Dawes

I actually don't have a lot to say about Dawes, but I swear I'm going somewhere with this. They're not super consistently country-ish, but they have a few songs with that Southern twang in them. You should also check "When My Time Comes" and "Time Spent in Los Angeles" if you like that kind of stuff.

"Main Street" - Deer Tick

I'm sure the video is probably enough of an indicator, but if the guys on Jackass were in a band, it'd probably be Deer Tick. They're fucking foul and filthy, but a fuck ton of fun. And they make some fantastic music. Got to see them live back in 2014 and they put on an interesting show. I saw their frontman, John McCauley, spit a fuckin' loogie 10-20 feet up in the air and then swallow it in the middle of a song. So, yeah...

"911" - Delta Spirit

In sharp contrast to the jingoist horseshit most mainstream Country stars are pumping out these days, Delta Spirit produced a fantastic country-esque album called History from Below including the song I linked that clearly protests the entire quagmire of the United State's engagement in the Middle East.

"Blue Eyes" - Middle Brother

The Frontmen of the last three bands I listed got together to form the "supergroup" Middle Brother. I really only like this song I think, but it's a pretty great song though. Kinda rides that border of country and folk in a nice way. Bonus live video in which they're all fucking goobers.

"She Lit a Fire" - Lord Huron

I think the guy who came up with the name for this band came up with it while tripping balls in the woods around the Great Lakes. Which is pretty hilarious, too lazy to look for a link right now. That aside, Lord Huron puts on an amazing show. One of the most masterful uses of lighting I've seen and it's so energetic. The Singer, who I think doesn't play an instrument (or at least not all the time) has this huge drum that he'll pound on at the appropriate times and I just have to say that Lord Huron put on one of the most memorable shows of my lifetime thus far.

"Shake" - The Head and the Heart

These guys are from Seattle. If that doesn't totally make sense, know that the front man is originally from Virginia. He actually went to the same high school as one of my exes. A decade apart, but still. Don't listen to their newest album, just don't.

Un-unified and vaguely Electronic/synthetic Edition

I forgot to come up with something earlier this week, so I just threw this together right now. Though it might not show super well, I do actually like a lot of electronic and synth-pop music. Here are some of my highlights from that collection of genres.

"Summer Music" - Advance Base

Formerly Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Advance Base makes lofi synth tracks to accompany his almost jarring baritone (maybe even bass, I don't know I'm not qualified to make that judgement) voice. If this song doesn't make you almost cry, you have no soul.

"I Never Wanted You" - Headphones

Post-Pedro the Lion, David Bazan went on to form Headphones, a synth-rock group that somehow managed to make the most bitter soul in music seem even more bitter. The bass tones are harsh, but powerful, almost as powerful as the lyrics. I actually have a hard time listening to this song with headphones on ironically enough.

"Girl!" - Terror Pigeon

On pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum from David Bazan you have Terror Pigeon. You'd think they'd be on the same side given the name, but Terror Pigeon is all about the radical dissemination of Love. To everyone. All the time. It's fucking beautiful. They're currently on tour (in the last month or so of it) and I want to explain it to you, but I'll just link it. Their website is fucking great.

"Mal à L'aise" - Vagabon

In contrast to Vagabon's other twinkly-guitar-ladened, heart-wrenching songs, she included this incredibly chill (for lack of a better word, because am tired right now) lo-fi electronic song. It just provides a nice interlude to constantly getting your heart torn out in the middle of her album, Infinite Worlds.

"Divinia" - Toro Y Moi

There is something totally entrancing and hypnotic about this song. I don't know what it is exactly. When I'm in the mood to listen to this song, I don't listen to it once, I listen to it on repeat for hours and you should too.

"How to Never Stop Being Sad" - dandelion hands

This song makes me feel things. I don't know what else to say. It's very powerful, the combination of spoken word and the minimalist quality of the music itself. I don't know how exactly, but this songs seems to perfectly capture how I feel during a depressive episode. Not necessarily the specific content but rather the sensation that the song provides.

"Leave a Trace" - Chvrches

I really don't like their use of a 'v' in place of a 'u', but they do make some good music. I honestly can't understand what any of their songs are about, which is incredibly frustrating for me. But there's some perverted part of me that wants to think this is entirely about sex, but then I just read the lyrics two seconds ago and now I know it's not. God damn it.

"715 - CR∑∑KS" - Bon Iver

Bon Iver shocked the world with the release of 22, A Million. I just don't think anyone was expecting this from him. And yet, it fits his mold so well. The only instrument in this song is Justin Vernon's voice and the synthesizer he modulates it with. It's so simple and elegant and I believe that's what makes this song so beautiful. Something that you come back to time and time again.

If y'all somehow managed to make it to the end of this double-take edition of Mixtape Monday, I just want to say thank you. I hope you all have some wonderful music to share with us today. Hopefully something in here makes your Monday a little bit brighter.