City and Colour will be playing at Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Friday, November 12th at noon, and then Saturday, November 13th, at 11p.
City and Colour, also known as Dallas Green, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has been active in the music scene since 2001. Green is also known for being a part of Alexisonfire. City and Colour debuted his first album, sometimes in 2005, receiving platinum certification in 2006. With 8 albums under his belt, the repertoire of City and Colour has plenty of good tunes to offer. So, following suit with my past articles. I thought it would be fun to play best song and most fun song. A game where I give my opinion on what I think a band (in this case, City and Colour) best song and most fun song are.
The first time I was introduced to City and Colour was in grade 9. It was summer and I was trying to get my learners so that by the time I was in grade 11 I could be one of the cool kids that rolled up to school in my mom’s minivan… back then just having any kind of vehicle and being able to drive it made you slightly cooler…Now I have no car and I’m less cool. It was summer and myself, my mom, my brother, and my sister ended up going to Canmore, Alberta for a little getaway vacation in Kananaskis country. We went on hikes and enjoyed being out in nature and catching some much-needed vitamin D.
When we went back to where we were staying in Canmore, I put my headphones on and relaxed. I was watching videos on YouTube and the good ‘ol YouTube algorithm kicked in suggesting a song by City and Colour. This song was Comin’ home. I clicked on the song and immediately came entranced by it. Perhaps having the mountains as my backdrop, sun rays shinning through my log-cabin window frame and being away from home helped really set the tone for this gorgeous song. The acoustic guitar takes the lead with a fantastic melody that has a melancholy feeling to it that stretches out making each new line of lyrics feel like a journey. It feels endless in a good way.
‘Cause I’m comin’ home
Comin’ home
Comin’ home
Comin’ home
Comin’ home
Comin’ home.
This acoustic guitar melody is complimented with an electric guitar creating amazing rifts that echo along making the progression of Dallas Green saying he is “coming home” feel both exciting and somewhat hopeless. This song instantly resonated with me. I often would find myself pondering on where I thought I would end up when I was older. I thought that I would be able to call anywhere my home that or my home would be having someone I loved. So far, I would say I have not been able to say I have found my home. Funny how when you are younger answers can come so easily, but the actual weight of the answer itself does not sink in until you get older. Comin’ home is City and Colour’s best song to me because it has been able to keep me asking the same question to myself since I was 15…Where is home?
When it comes to the most fun song City and Colour has to offer, I’d say, Mizzy C, from the 2015 album, If I should Go Before You. Mizzy C starts out strong with an electric guitar that strums hard with a catchy melody that leads into Green’s great voice. The song has sass. It talks about changing direction and being in the search of something. But for me the reason this song is the most fun is because of the guitar…The guitar is the personality of this song. It brings life to the lyrics of the song. I highly recommend giving it a listen and if the guitar at the start of the song does not get you interested, I’d be surprised.
City and Colour plays at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, November 12th and 13th, 2021!