Ryan Lindsey grew up in the small town of Stillwater, Oklahoma. Lindsey is also a member of the indie rock group The Starlight Mints, but Ryan recently recorded a solo album. Legendary composer, arranger, producer Van Dyke Parks heard the finished product and introduced Ryan to a record label, and the result is “White Paper Beds.” This is a sturdy set of a 12 songs that drift along at a causal pace. Fans of Elliot Smith, Jeremy Messersmith, David Mead, and the more commercial Tim Myers will enjoy this immensely. Opening with “Future Employment” it has a plaintive guitar and Ryan’s measured vocal with orchestral plucking in the run up to the chorus. The weaving of melody and rhythms in “An Introspective” and “Slow Down” makes for great listening. And Ryan has been getting more notice lately. His songs are popping up in film (“American Teen”), television (“One Tree Hill”) and commercials (“Pay Less Shoes”). Pop fans can compare The multi-tracking vocals of “A Weekend With You” to Messersmith for sure. From the textured baseline in “Summertime” to echoing piano in “Put Your Trust in Ross” each track require multiple listens before you really appreciate the depth of Ryan’s song-craft. Spend some time in a quiet room with this album and enjoy it.
