With ‘Gimme 5!’ we take a peek into the collections of artists we admire. The premise is simple: artists WE like share five records THEY love.
Tom Brown has many talents. He knows chords, has a knack for great band names (Rural France, Teenage Tom Petties), knows how and when to press record on what I assume to be a primitive recording device, he is funny, and has a black belt in working a green screen. Teenage Tom Petties (TTP) is Brown’s semi-autobiographical solo project where he ruminates and reflects on his teenage years and tastes. In Brown’s case, those years were in the ’90s. Remember singing along to ’90s guitar music in the front of your mirror pretending to become a rock star? That is exactly what TTP is all about. Add in a healthy dose of melancholia and self deprecation and you start to get what makes TTP such a likeable act. The throwaway spontaneity of his lo-fi indie rock gems helps as well. This is perhaps Brown’s biggest talent: turning imperfections into something valuable and worthwhile. [post continues below]
This week, TTP released a new two track single on Repeating Cloud and Safe Suburban Home. It builds on the hype that last year’s excellent self-titled debut garnered. First song on the new single is Posters, a super catchy song that is about the posters teenagers hung on their wall in the ’90s. For those in their forties, the video will be a feast of recognition. Second song is My First Beer, a super catchy song that is about, well, the title is self-explanatory. Both songs are scrappy, instantly likeable, and highly recommended. Did I mention both songs are catchy?
Our excitement about the new TTP single, and with the news that TTP will record a new full length this June inspired us to breathe new life in our infrequent Gimme 5 feature by reaching out to Tom who was kind enough to take us back to some of his favorite records of his teenage years. Enjoy checking out the new TTP tracks below and scroll further down to read Tom’s Gimme 5!
Tom Brown: “Fittingly for Teenage Tom Petties, I’ve chosen five records that hit me hard in my teenage years. I could have chosen a completely different five on another day, but these popped out my brain today.”
Dinosaur Jr || Where You Been
“True story: I bought this album blind on cassette because of the cover. When I first put it on, I struggled massively with J’s voice. I actually wanted to return it, but I was too scared of the cool record shop people (Way Ahead) to do it. I was an idiot.”
Dr Octagon || Dr. Octagonecologyst
“Weird, cool…and kind of terrifying. It sounded like it came from another planet. My friend Russ made a tape and we’d often stick it in the tape deck of the one car we had in our friendship group as we cruised aimlessly around suburban Derby. It made everything feel a bit more exciting.”
Smudge || Manilow
“I loved the Lemonheads. When I discovered Tom Morgan, who had co-written lots of the songs, had his own band I had to check them out. I instantly fell in love with his laconic voice and witty lyrics. It felt like every line was designed to make you laugh while braking your heart (I stole that). ‘Impractical Joke’ is a perfect song IMO.”
Weezer || Blue Album
“Look, I have a very problematic and toxic history with Weezer. I don’t want to go into it here, I’d need about 10,000 words. But I’d be lying to myself and rewriting history if I didn’t include them in this list.”
Fastbacks || …And His Orchestra
“I found this CD in the bargain bin of an Our Price (what a terrible record store) when on a family canal boat holiday. I think I’d heard Eddie Vedder mention them. When I stuck it on I was blown away by the energy and melodies. I still am. An overlooked band (in the UK at least).”
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp