Me, You, and The Internet #3

I'm nothing if not consistent when it comes to scouring the internet for things that make me laugh, for things that warm my heart, and for things that inspire my existence. On this week's post, I give you all of the above and a little bit more.

Read below the jump to hear about a specific podcast episode that remains saved onto my phone despite my the limited memory space. Further down the list, you'll come across an Elvis cover, and even a royalty free tune I happen to be obsessed with. Let me sidetrack you from whatever you're supposed to be doing for a moment and let's pretend I'm sitting next to you (my dear old pal) as I hold out my phone for you to see some cool things on the interwebz.

INK IN MOTION

To start things off, I've got a video for you to mesmerize over. I'm positive I'm not the only one that has fixated over the movement of ink whenever dirty paintbrushes are dipped in water. The fluid motion, the mixing of the colors -- it's all very relaxing. Now take that feeling and put it on acid (figuratively speaking. Obviously), and then multiply that by 2341432. The product of all of that is this video of ink and water that is more interesting than my words can begin to explain. Trust me, click through and you'll likely end up hypnotized, or at the very least, you'll be put to ease (which is really what we all need more of during these trying times).

ASK A GROWN UP - THIS AMERICAN LIFE 

My phone's 16GB limit is the bane of my existence on most days. I have too many pictures, too many podcasts, too many songs at any given day. I even have to delete and redownload Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram on the regular to clear their caches. And although some days, I go on a rampant deleting spree to make room for new bits, I haven't quite gotten myself to swipe delete on this particular podcast episode. It makes no sense because it's not like I've revisited it since I first heard it. 

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what made me enjoy it so much yet somehow, I still rest easy knowing that it's there if I ever need it. From the moment Ira Glass started talking about Rookie Mag's Ask A Grown series where famous people (rappers, musicians, actors) give advice to teenage girls, all the way to the last soundbyte -- I was enthralled by the entirety of the episode.

THE BALLAD OF CLEOPATRA - THE LUMINEERS

Set some time aside for this one. The Lumineers hits it out of the park when it came to their batch of short-film-esque music video series for their tunes off their most recent album: Cleopatra. At first, it wasn't obvious that the videos were tied together but the more that got released, the more people began to recognize the ties between each one. This was up until the conclusion of the series where the band released it altogether in a package along with the final video. 

More than just their great songs, the concept behind the music videos took audiences in a delightfully melancholic and poignant journey that left many scouring for theories and explanations in the YouTube comments sections. I could spend ages talking about this masterpiece, but that might bore you to death - or influence your own take on the storyline. It's best I leave you to your own devices to check it out. Just know that the Sleep On The Floor might have one of my favorite romantic montages to date.

BURNING LOVE (COVER) - INTO THE ARK

If we're being completely honest, my very first introduction to Elvis (not literally) was the movie Lilo and Stitch. No, it wasn't some romanticized scene of me spinning my parents old vinyls like in the movies. It was a good ol' Disney film featuring an alien rife with behavioural issues that learns to love when he becomes part of a family. Brilliant.

Because I was a kid, I obsessed over Can't Help Falling In Love because the A*Teens did a cover of it. I didn't fully start appreciating the original up until I was an early teen. Now, however, I still get excited when I hear a good Elvis cover. True, his music is classic and timeless, but I do love a good alternate version to add to my ever expanding music library. This version came unexpectedly in the form of the blind auditions on The Voice UK. From hearing Burnin Love in its true head-boppin form for the first time on Lilo and Stitch, to the slow and heartstring-pullin version by Into The Ark, the difference is pretty night and day. Nothing will get you to realize the true meaning of pop song better than when it's slowed to a ballad.

OWEN WILSON IMPESSION - ASMR

I didn't realize I needed to hear Owen Wilson doing ASMR in my life up until I stumbled upon this stupidly silly impression video by Peter Gilroy on my Twitter feed. You'll never read 'wow' or 'kachow' in the same way ever again. From here on after, trusty ol' Owen Wilson will be voicing those words in your head whether your a fan of him or not.

ROAD TO SOMETHING NEW - SEBASTIAN FORSLUND 

If you thought that your standard royalty free music is just a variety of soulless bells and whistles, you thought wrong. There's a whole genre of artists that have devoted their careers to creating tunes that won't trigger an auto-copyright infringement flag. 

 Somhehow, I wasn't aware of this up until several months ago when a YouTube video I was watching was uploaded with a song that I couldn't find anywhere mainstream. It took me days to eventually track down the title and artist only to find that the tune wasn't even on iTunes or Spotify. Eventually, I traced it to a royalty free music site. 

I almost facepalmed -- of course, I'd become obsessed with a song that is so 'hispter' (eyeroll), it's royalty free. As luck would have it, I somehow stumbled upon it on YouTube. Score! Truthfully, I'm in disbelief at my own ability to creep through the internet so hard just to find a song. Pretty sure I expelled more time and effort on this than some of my old university papers (kidding... or am I?). Anyway, besides the figurative trophy for my sleuthing skills, I also get to now listen to this perfect for summer sunsets, Kings of Leon-esque track. Truly a modern day happy ending.

That pretty much sums up this round of Me, You, and the Internet. Here's hoping that at the very least, one of these made you feel something. 

Stay gold,

Kimberly