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.
Ryan Allen has been at the top of our Gimme 5 wantlist for a while now. Ever since he dropped Heart String Soul and Basement Punk in the mid-2010s, we’ve been hooked, keeping tabs on his various projects—from his solo work and wall-of-sound (and incredibly fun!) powerpop/rock with Extra Arms to the Dag Nasty/Revolution Summer-inspired Big Life and, most recently, the alt-rocking, classic-infused sounds of Speed Circuit. If you’re a regular around here, you already know he’s a fixture on our site.
So, we’re thrilled to have Ryan on board for this edition of Gimme 5! His picks hit that sweet spot between “Oh man, I forget how much I loved that record, time to give it another spin!” and “Wait, how did I miss this? This is incredible and needs to in my collection ASAP!” Thanks, Ryan!
Ryan Allen: “As an underrated songwriter myself (my words, not theirs) I tend to favor songsmiths that, while flying relatively under the radar, should be selling out stadiums (or at least tiny bars) around the world. Considering the amount of music in the world – both now and historically – and the fact that the music I’m drawn to (rock) has long-since lost it’s stranglehold on popular culture, it feels impossible to narrow this list down to 5 records, but that was the assignment. So, without further blabbering, here’s my 5 favorite records written by songwriters that are in my own personal hall of fame.”
1. Lilys || The 3 Way
“While Lilys leader Kurt Heasley may have gotten his start in the early 90s abusing his Jazzmaster’s whammy bar and aping shoegazers like My Bloody Valentine, it wasn’t until 1996’s Better Can’t Make Your Life Better that his songwriting knife was truly sharpened. A complete 180 from what came before, Better… traded delay pedals for Kinks-y licks and British accents. While a killer record, I really fell for the band on the follow up – 1999’s The 3 Way. It’s a beatnik, hep cat, sock hop of a record, designed for you and your friends to practice the Twist and the Jive to. While it was somehow financed by Sire Records, The 3 Way failed to catch on and suffered the fate of being a few years too early for the garage rock boom that the Strokes and White Stripes ushered in a few years later. Still, there’s no denying that Heasley’s genius songwriting skills are on full display, aided by 60s-era tones, beautiful arrangements and thoughtful production flourishes (organs, strings, castanets…which just sound like 1965 to me). The 3 Way is one of those records that make you want to understand what influenced it and dig into those sounds, too. At least it did for me in 1999. The top track, for me, on The 3 Way is Socs Hip, which was also my AOL screen name in 1999.”
2. The Flashing Lights || Sweet Release
“Ever since I heard Sloan’s Take It In on the radio in the early 90s, I’ve been a huge fan of Canadian artists not named Bryan Adams or The Tragically Hip (no disrespect, the Hip rock and I did like Adams’ Robinhood song). One such Canadian songwriter who, in my opinion, has never truly gotten his due is Matt Murphy. Murphy first landed on my radar as one of the singer/guitarists of The Superfriendz – a band that had multiple songwriters that managed to somehow sew together the guitar interplay of Television with the songwriting prowess of Elvis Costello. After the ‘Friendz called it quits, Murphy moved on to be the main songwriter in the crash-bang combo known as The Flashing Lights. Taking inspiration from mod-ish 60s bands like The Who and The Creation, Murphy channeled his acrobatic vocal and guitar work into undeniably great, compact power pop songs. Sweet Release is the 2001 follow up to 1999’s Where the Change Is, and one-ups that record’s energetic approach with more fleshed out and thoughtful songwriting that solidifies Murphy as a talent that deserves more credit. My favorite tune on Sweet Release is the lo-fi, acoustic driven Friends You Learn to Hate.”
3. Bill Fox || Shelter From the Smoke
“It’s not necessarily rare for punk rockers to put down their electric guitars and pick up an acoustic to write more contemplative, personal ruminations on life, but maybe it’s not often that the songwriter is able to best what they did before. One such case of this happening is with reclusive Cleveland songwriter Bill Fox. Fox lead poppy punk outfit The Mice back in the 80s, and put out a couple of phenomenal releases that imagined what the Ramones would sound like if they were Beatles fans instead of The Ronettes. Like all things that are truly great, the band never caught on and broke up before they could finish their final recordings. Instead of starting up again with another rocking combo, Fox grabbed his Dylan records, an acoustic guitar, and laid down his folk-y laments onto his 4-track. What you get is a raw, heartfelt collection of somewhat political songs on Shelter From the Smoke, that owes more to Woody Guthrie than Joey Ramone. While Shelter didn’t catch on either, there’s little doubt that artists like Elliott Smith or Bright Eyes would exist without Fox choosing to favor his 4-track over his previous band’s ragged rock. It’s hard to choose a “best” track from this record, but I’m going to go with Lonesome Pride, mostly because I can hear it as a full-band power pop song in my head, but am glad it’s this instead.”
4. Harvey Danger || King James Version
“If you were tuned into alternative rock radio in the 1990s, there was no escaping Harvey Danger’s Flagpole Sitta – a wordy, tuneful jam about self-loathing and losing your mind. It was thrown in the Buzz Bin and the band were deemed a one-hit wonder, not dissimilar to Nada Surf or Superdrag (we’ll get to them in a second). And while most people liked the song, probably bought Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? (The album Flagpole resides on), listened to it a few times and then sold it back to the CD store, the joke is on THEM, my friend. Why? Because Sean Nelson – Harvey’s lead songwriter – and his band never deserved the fate of being a novelty. Again, why? Because their follow up – King James Version – absolutely rules. Chock full of power-pop leaning, Pacific Northwest rock, King James… builds on the strong template that was left on Merrymakers, and cranks everything up a notch. Slinky, melodic basslines collide with chunky guitars, all wrapped around Nelson’s masterful melodies and whip smart spit takes about the world around him. The best song on King James Version is unquestionably Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which matches bendy chords and a tasty bassline with a triumphant chorus that, once you hear it, will have you wondering why this wasn’t a massive hit.”
5. Superdrag || In the Valley of Dying Stars
“”I want rock n’ roll but I don’t wanna feel like an asshole” is probably the best way I can think of to start what is, in my opinion, the best rock and roll record ever made. I know, fighting words for sure considering that Revolver and Nevermind also exist, but for my money there isn’t another album that distills everything I love about rock music into one easy to consume, catchy-as-hell, chunky slab of goodness as Superdrag’s In the Valley of Dying Stars. Lead songwriter John Davis is essentially a songwriting technician, with an amazing ability to at once combine AC/DC, the Beatles, Teenage Fanclub, Husker Du, Big Star, Dinosaur Jr, and an endless list of other top-tier influences into something that sounds unique to him. While most might remember this band for the same reason they remember Flagpole Sitta. Superdrag was only getting started when they released their debut single Sucked Out upon the world. After taking all the record label’s money and making 1998’s Head Trip In Every Key (a masterpiece in it’s own right, which failed to get a fair shake due to lack of label support), they responded by putting their heads down and creating an album that at once punches you directly in the nose, and then apologies for overreacting and wipes the blood off your face. Honestly, I could go on and on about how great this record is – from the fuzzy guitar tones to the crispy hugeness of the drums – but in reality it all comes down to the songs. They’re just perfect – all 13 of them. Luckily Davis is still making music with Lees of Memory and as a solo artist, but for my money, this is his crowning achievement. The best of these songs has got to be Pine Away, which is the best Teenage Fanclub song they never wrote.”
Add to wantlist: Extra Arms || Speed Circuit || Big Life || Discogs