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.
Best mark May 29 on your calendar, because that’s when Cool If We Split? drops. It’s already the fifth Local Drags record from Lanny Durbin, one of our favorite contemporary songwriters from the Midwest, and someone who has steadily carved out his own lane with a distinct kind of power pop. Cool If We Split? looks set to be another W in Durbin’s songbook. Plenty of reason to have Lanny over for a feature on the site.
One of the things that keeps pulling me back to Local Drags is the balance between dark and light. Not to go all Darth Vader and Yoda about it, but Lanny has a knack for finding an uplifting hook or a line that sticks, even when the songs are circling heavier stuff. The first phrase that always comes to mind is Shit’s Looking Up, the title of his first album back in 2019 and the line repeated throughout its opening track.
So it makes perfect sense that Lanny went vibes-only for this Gimme 5.
Start by checking out Novellete, the first song on the new LP which comes with a Replacements-like video. After that, keep scrolling and enjoy discovering Lanny’s picks. And go pre-order Cool If We Split? from Stardumb (NL/EU), Brassneck (UK), Endless Detention (AU), or The Machine Shop Rocks (US). Trust me, it’s really great.
Lanny Durbin: “These records have never and hopefully never will fail to brighten things up for me. Which means they’re probably my top 5 favorite records too. And also my most influential, if I think about it, but we’ll go with the feel good theme.”
Lost Balloons || Hey Summer
“I was late to find out about Dirtnap Records, but when I did, I found about a dozen records that seemed to be made with me in mind. I found Hey Summer blind cruising Bandcamp at my one and only office job. So it had its benefits. I had no frame of reference for the band or who Jeff Burke was, so I worked backwards to Radioactivity and Marked Men, and he became one of my favorite songwriters (along with Yusuke Okada of Suspicious Beasts, who deserves his credit as well). Other than the baked-in influences like the Ramones and the Replacements, this record might have the most influence on my own music. Sounds great, feels great.
They called it that, but it really feels like summer to me, a better summer, a before-the-current-times summer.”
Dinosaur Jr || Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not
“I’m a dyed in the wool Dino Jr guy. I own two of J Mascis’ signature guitars. Complete DORK. I love every Dinosaur Jr era, but my personal favorite is the post-reunion era. The records are tighter, the production is perfect, Lou Barlow’s contributions are on par with J’s. Distilled Dino Jr. This one from 2016 is my favorite of the reunion records. Every song absolutely rips. The guitars, obviously. Also, the drums are huge. There’s a transition in the middle of Knocked Around that I implore everyone to sit and listen to. It makes me wanna punch a hole in the wall but in a good way.
This one makes me feel like I should have tried harder to learn to skate when I was young, like maybe I still could.”
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers || Long After Dark
“Even the big man himself didn’t rate this record highly in his own catalog, but I never understood the muted rating for it. It may not be his very best if we’re counting highest highs but it might be his most consistent and him at his most stripped down power pop rock, in my opinion. I love his first three records, like any rocker with a working brain, but this record and its predecessor Hard Promises work better for me because he started getting more introspective with the lyrics. Wasted Life and Straight into Darkness hit me just right. Would sell my soul if I could call Change of Heart my own songs.
Feels like I’m in love and sitting at a patio outside a cool bar.”
Son Volt || Trace
“I found this record when I was 21, so it was a very formative record. I learned that there was a wide world of music out there! It wasn’t just Danzig! Probably the most important record as far as opening my ears to other genres. Led me to country, to Neil Young, to REM, to the Faces. Shouted it into the ether many times that this is the true masterpiece of 90s alt country and the current giant wave of indie country-type bands should know it too! It’s not flashy, it’s just GOOD. May the wind take your troubles away is the type of lyric that picks me right up.
Feels like I’m driving out of town with the windows down after something really not good just happened but I’m gonna get through it.”
Squeeze || Singles- 45’s and Under
“This could be cheating because it’s a compilation but I’m not worried about rules. In my twenties, a buddy gave me this album because he knew I loved Elvis Costello. That’s when I went from wanting to sing like Elvis to wanting to sing like Glenn Tillbrook. I need more lessons. Incredible, simple but not really that simple pop songs. Coolest possible melodies, clever and funny lyrics that, as a midwestern american, I often haven’t got a clue about.
Feels like I’ve had a couple extra drinks and I’m annoying my wife by putting this record on again.”