The indie-rock darling behind one of this year’s best records shares the soundtrack of her life.
Nothing seems off-limits:“Ben Franklin"dabbles in squelchy, deadpan hip-hop.
The string-laced acoustic ballad “Light Blue” evokes the Beatles at their most introspective and austere.
Snail Mail (a.k.a. Lindsey Jordan).Tina Tyrell
Jordan’s influences run deep; her tastes trigger the gamut.
I remember it being prominently displayed on the shelf.
My older sister liked pop-punk.
Snail Mail (a.k.a. Lindsey Jordan).Grayson Vaughan
We went to see them on a stacked pop-punk bill.
I remember really loving “So Yesterday.”
We would put that on the Barbie boombox and just go ham.
It’s got a good message: ‘Get your ass up and dust yourself off from this breakup.
Because there’s another one coming in the future.'”
I’d just gotten a car and remember driving everywhere listening to that CD.
I think the lyrics are really beautiful and deep, and I love the grunge cello in it.
It’s not really part of what makes that time cool it’s emulating it.
But it’s really good."
I love most pop music, like pretty shamelessly.
I think it’s fun."
And the Joan Baez cover, the way she arranges it, is just so heartbreaking.
We got to pay respect to the ultimate songwriters’ songs, to the kings and queens.
You know what I mean?"
The album that wrecks me
“I keep a copy of Sufjan Stevens’Carrie & Lowellhandy.
I go back to that album probably more than anything else in my entire music library.
Every single song is amazing.
I don’t know if I ever actually learned any of their songs.
That could be changed though.”
His 1959 album,Everybody Digs Bill Evans,really calms me the f— down.
I guess it’s just the motion of it it shows the spectrum of his work.
It starts out kind of big band-y and then moves really dynamically.
Then there are more heart-wrenching moments that go into more upbeat stuff.
I feel really present with it whenever I listen to it."
What I put on to get pumped before a show
“I love Oasis.
Listening to them gets my head in the game.
And I f—ing love the 1975.
It’s very confident music, catchy and full of attitude.
I don’t know what it is about British people and rock music.
They just do it a little cooler.”
Snail Mail’s new album,Valentine, is out Friday.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
