On The Record with Tyler Parkford from Mini Mansions

The first tape I ever bought was The Cranberries’ No Need To Argue. I was in love with that ‘Zombie’ single at the time and had a huge crush on Dolores O’Riordan. I remember playing it over and over and over for months on end, imagining her singing to me. I still think ‘Ode To My Family’ is one of the most brilliantly melancholy songs ever despite it being turned into a ’90s radio cliché.

2. The Last Record I Bought

The last record I bought was a couple weeks ago at this little shop I frequent called Jacknife Records. The record was Neurovision by this ’80s French synthpop band, Telex. There’s this track on it called ‘My Time’ that I think is one of the sexiest slow jam songs ever. I’m a huge sucker for most of that coldwave, minimal synth and synthpop that came out in the late ’70s and early ’80s, so anything in that realm I’ll usually swoop compulsively. Telex is kind of on the brighter side of that dark world without disassociating themselves from it; they sort of cloak their subversive intentions under a thick layer of catchy hooks and sparkly production.

3. The First Thing I Recorded

I started recording my own songs in freshman year in high school with an old Tascam Portastudio, mostly alone. It was a boarding school, so every minute of the day was strictly regimented. I had to literally hide under the covers when I recorded so the proctors wouldn’t see me. I look back on those days very, very fondly. I think a lot of that creative clarity gets all fogged up when you start having to turn a passionate habit into a total hustle. I love writing music, just as I did then, but I despise everything about what gets lost when transitioning the music you make into a music-making industry. It’s sad.

4. The Last Thing I Recorded

Our latest record is called The Great Pretenders. It’s sort of a buffet of modern pop, even though we recorded the whole thing in one of the oldest studios in LA. We’re a three-piece, so the live versions are much more raw and confrontational, without losing the etherealness from the record. I’m told people either totally love it or totally hate it, which I think is a good spot to be in.

5. The Record That Changed My Life

Probably Weezer’s Pinkerton. That basically made me want to write music. It changed everything for me. My whole perspective on what modern rock’n’roll was capable of portraying had flipped at that point. It also got me through high school, which says a lot. I’ll always have a deep admiration for what Rivers Cuomo accomplished on those first two records. I still blast The Blue Album and Pinkerton on the road when we tour the States; it’s a perfect mid-afternoon road record.

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