“Alt-country” seems to weed out the crap. I’m sure that psychobilly also counts.
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Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of country music, probably because this is where country music comes from:
Does that look like it’s a place that’s country anything?
Now, this is music that came from the country:
The product of people who grew up listening to old English, Irish, and Scottish fiddle tunes, along with jazz and blues.
And this is a product of the country, too:
I put Kansas Joe McCoy even though he was from Jackson, MS, which isn’t exactly country. I wanted to link to “When The Levee Breaks”, but of course Led Zeppelin’s label DMCA’d it. Because they’re totally the only people to ever record that song, ever. 
I’m just amazed Eric Clapton’s label hasn’t put the smackdown on this one.
The fascinating thing about listening to early examples of both is how much cross-pollination there is between the two. Now, I know “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo’” has deeply racist roots, but I’ve seen Wendell Hall’s recording of the song in old country compilations, when it clearly sounds, well, very bluesy. You can hear delta blues licks in Bill Monroe recordings. Early jazz had some pretty good banjo pickers.
If I had a point to this rant, I guess it’s that I think country music is pretty terrible, probably because it’s just pop music that gets named “country” to try to convince folks like me that that music somehow represents them…
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Why don’t you ever call it by its name?
I always liked this one:
From the video’s creator, in his caption to the YouTube video:
I was inspired to make this supercut after posting my 10 Best Country Albums of 2013 list for EW. A few commenters told me that my choices weren’t mainstream enough, and I thought, “Well, yeah, because so much of what’s on the radio these days sounds exactly the same!” So I decided to make a video to prove my point.
I hope country fans will stop settling for this derivative junk. I love a dumb party song every once in a while (including some of these!), but when they’re the only flavor available, they get old very, very fast. Here’s to better music in 2014.
In other words, yeah, the acts you mention are very good. The video was made in response to people complaining that the “best country of 2013” list contained too many of them.
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The problem is terminology, which should be “Pop Country”, but the industry has so much say-so over the genre anything outside that circle isn’t coming across radio waves or promoted on iTunes(This last bit is speculation. All the country I listen to is ancient or coming from very small local groups).
Mojo Nixon and Jello Biafra nailed the solution a few years back…
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Normally I wouldn’t count The Tragically Hip as country, but there’s something about I’ll Believe In You (Or I’ll Be Leaving You Tonight) that has a country flair to it. Up to 1989 with that.
or Boots and Hearts. Both from the same album Up To Here.
she was probably going to look for her painted-on jeans, the better to catch the eye of a passing man with a pickup truck.
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you do realize that they only used one music video from each artist to build the examples like the whole album didn’t matter at all, right? pathetic.
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Salon.com recently posted an article that all y’all might find interesting: 14 amazing country songs for people who hate country. The songs aren’t from 2013, but they’re still interesting, especially Bubba Sparxxx.
And, if you’re into comfort music, there’s always Mindy Smith…
Umm. Corn Lund http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pDY6bWT5oTM&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DpDY6bWT5oTM
Dislike chicks
And really, anything by
I dissent. My earnest thing happened way later than your joke.
Is it possible country music–at least mainstream country music–has become a collection of cultural signifiers because those who appreciate it need to feel connected to a culture (and, let’s admit it, a demographic reality) they feel is disappearing? Doesn’t that make this as sad as the chants of cargo cults?
the trick is to put the url in a separate line. I’ve noticed sometimes you have to put an empty space in there, too. i.e
it took me forever to remember to do it every time, and I kept insisting it was broken in the bug thread, which pissed @codinghorror off eventually. but hey, I learned 
eh, Hank III’s Risin’ Outlaw was breddy good, but I feel ya.
“the last good country song was written in 1969”
STRONGLY disagree with that. You’re just not listening in the right places. Get out of Nashville. Case in point, from 2007, I Hear Them All by Old Crow Medicine Show:
1990: John Prine, Angel From Montgomery
1993: Townes van Zandt, Pancho and Lefty
1995: Steve Earle, Mystery Train Pt. 2:
1998: Gillian Welch, Caleb Meyer:
Thus endeth the lesson.
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That dude had a really low voice.
Hey thanks for this! I live in Denver and had heard the name but never followed up. I like what I heard on the site. Going to pick some up.
" the last good country song was written in 1969: Merle Haggard’s The Fightin’ Side of Me."
As long as we’re dealing with nationalist claptrap, I have always had a thing for Horst Wessel lied. Of course I would not mention that in civil society. You yanks of course have a different angle to that. Must be easier when you live in a country that is de facto part fascist.
