‘Is This Music?’: Alvvays frontwoman Molly Rankin picks her favourite song
Picking out your favourite song of all time is no easy feat. Posed with the question, many of us would be left umming and ahhing, suddenly struggling to remember the title of a single song we’ve ever heard. It’s difficult to contain and commit yourself to one three-minute composition, but Alvvays frontwoman Molly Rankin seems almost certain about her pick – a Teenage Fanclub track from the 1990s.
At the helm of Canadian dreamy indie outfit Alvvays, Rankin is the mind behind countless indie favourites. From the realistic romanticism of early hit ‘Archie, Marry Me’ to the soothing sweetness of ‘Dreams Tonite’, the Canadian band have become a favourite to 2010s indie kids and even Keanu Reeves.
Rankin’s own favourite song comes from indie predecessors from across the Atlantic, Teenage Fanclub. During a conversation with KEXP, Rankin shared her love for the band’s 1991 album Bandwagonesque, which she admires for its unique melodies and effortless flow, but there was one song that stood out to her. The Alvvays vocalist named ‘Is This Music?’, the album’s concluding track, as “probably [her] favourite song by them, or maybe ever? That sounds hyperbolic.”
‘Is This Music?’ is a beautiful end to a classic alternative album, an optimistic instrumental track with endless layers of guitars. Despite her concern about potential hyperbole, Rankin went on to declare that she wants the song to be played through a boombox at her funeral. “It’s just so cathartic for me,” she enthused. With just one listen to the track, it’s easy to understand why.
The impact of Teenage Fanclub on Rankin has extended beyond her favourite tracks and funeral plans and into her own songwriting. Asked if she still feels the influence of Bandwagonesque while creating her own music, Rankin affirmed, “Oh definitely. Even the things I’m writing now.”
The influence of the band has become so pervasive, in fact, than Rankin seems concerned she might accidentally steal from her indie heroes. “I keep on asking Alec [O’Hanley, Alvvays guitarist] is this a Teenage Fanclub song?” she explained, “He keeps saying no, but in my head, I think I need to go back through the records and make sure.”
Though Alvvays’ music seems far softer and dreamier than the jubilance of ‘Is This Music?’, it’s easy to see how the soft jangles and layered shoegaze elements have made their way into the sounds of the Canadian indie rockers.
Listen to ‘Is This Music’ by Teenage Fanclub below.
