We recently featured Skinny Blonde‘s new song “King” for our daily MP3 At 3PM, and today we’ve got a specially compiled mix tape from the songwriter. Michael Turzilli, the mastermind behind Skinny Blonde, is getting ready for a big summer. His new EP, City Girls, comes out June 3. Take a peep below to get a glimpse into his songwriting inspirations.
Pavement “Transport Is Arranged”
My music taste is constantly changing, but Pavement is one of those bands that I constantly find myself going back to. I love Malkmus’ writing. There’s a line on this track where he says, “A voice coach taught me to sing but couldn’t teach me to love,” and he delivers “voice coach” slightly off-key. It’s brilliant. I get self-conscious about my voice from time to time, and when I do, I refer to this interview with Malkmus where he talks about his voice being the way it is and learning to just sing his own way; I’m paraphrasing, but it’s great. I also just love this song instrumentally. What is that instrument in the beginning? A pan flute? It’s great. Video
UGK “Ridin’ Dirty”
I think I listened to this entire album every day for like a year. I had this period where I became so fascinated with Southern rap, specifically from Houston. I fell in love with DJ Screw, Screwed Up Click and UGK. I ended up getting a DJ Screw tattoo. I knew I wanted to include something from that area on this list, but it was hard to pick just one song. “Ridin’ Dirty” is so great because I feel like it perfectly transmits what life in Houston was like for them. The song is gritty, but beautiful. There is this minute-long speech that is backed by these screeching synths, and it cuts off and falls into that amazing guitar riff that I’ve tried to replicate too many times. R.I.P. Pimp C. Video
Colleen Green “Deeper Than Love”
First off, I have a huge crush on Colleen Green. As for the song, I love the simplicity of the instrumental components of this track. It allows me to focus on her songwriting, which is incredibly straightforward and honest. She has no problem exposing her fears to us, which is something I sometimes struggle with in my own writing. There is a song on my upcoming EP that was very much inspired by this song. It doesn’t sound the same, but the writing is similar. Video
Elliott Smith “Speed Trials”
This is another scenario where I could have picked any song from the album and it would have been just as good/meaningful. I love Elliott Smith so much. I used to have arguments with people when we discussed his music. People seem to think Elliott Smith makes sad music, I don’t think that. I feel like his songwriting has this tone of acceptance and honesty that negate the sadness. Almost as if he is saying, “The way things are aren’t great, but that’s how they are.” I get chills when I hear the line, “You little child, what makes you think you’re tough?” When I was just getting sober from my heroin addiction, I had this mentality of “I’m a badass, don’t mess with me.” But as I started to learn more about myself, I discovered that I was basically just a baby who had no idea how to live life. Video
Ween “Mutilated Lips”
Ween is the band that got me interested in recording my own music. The first album I ever recorded was essentially structured the same way their earlier albums were. I love “Mutilated Lips” because it uses this guitar tuning that I started to use in my own music. I remember watching this tutorial that was made by Dean Ween where he taught the viewers how to play this song. When I tuned the guitar the way he demonstrated, I fell in love and started messing around. I also love the quirkiness of the song. It’s just great. Video
Butthole Surfers “Who Was In My Room Last Night?”
This song has such incredible energy. I want to cover this in a live setting. I love that guitar riff that carries through the intro and the chorus; even more than that, I love that brief noise section toward the end. Noise rock is one of my favorite genres. I wish I was better at controlling my guitar feedback. I should work on that. Video
Decker “Our Values Are Under Attack”
I just love Tim Heidecker. He has had a huge influence on me as a comedian. I suppose this song is strange taken out of context, but to me this is satire at it’s finest. I admire Tim’s ability to create genuine music while still maintaining his sense of humour. Tim, if you’re reading this, I am looking forward to the LP! Video
