JANGLE ON! – December 2022

by Eric Sorensen

The musical assembly line that has been mass-producing jangly pop/rock tunes in 2022 kept up its very robust pace in November.  Jangly, chiming and melodic tunes continue to be popular with young indie pop musicians and some of the veteran artists who have been plugging in their Rickenbacker 12-string guitars for several decades.  I recommend the following CDs, CD EPs and single tracks to fellow jangly music enthusiasts:

            Zoo Avenue EP – the Laughing Chimes.  A year after releasing an excellent full length CD – In This Town – the Laughing Chimes have returned with even more catchy tunes.  “Laurel Heights” is my favorite track in the new bunch, but “Ice Cream Skies,” Airplane Underwater,” “King With The Hawthorn Crown” and “Zoo Avenue” are all tasty ear candy treats.  I certainly hope to hear more from this band in 2023!

            Abre Los Ojos – the Lemon Clocks.  Once again, Stefan Johannson and Jeremy Morris (his terrific 30-song Brighter Day CD was mentioned in my last column) have combined to give the power pop community another assortment of  gorgeous chiming pop-rock tunes.  The standout track for jangleholics is “The Life You Live” but every one of the fifteen songs will appeal to fans of pseudo-60s pop music.  Make this disc a stocking stuffer for friends who need some holiday cheer!  Long may you run, Sir Stefan and Sir Jeremy!

            Back To The Hills – the Ocean.  This band falls on the alt-country side of the equation, but some chiming guitars are notable on “Crazy Crowd.”  The remainder of the tracks should appeal to fans of the Jayhawks and roots/pop enthusiasts.

            Any of the numerous CDs and CD EPs released in the past year by the prolific band the Photocopies.  There is some fuzz, some jangle and some lo-fi sound that remind me of the Young Sinclairs.  This young band wears a number of musical references on their sleeve – from the Beach Boys to the Ramones.  “Blindsided” is my favorite chiming track.

            When Summer Comes – Field School.  All twelve tracks have a layer of jangly guitars woven into the melodies – as exemplified by “Loving Me Was Never Gonna Work Out.”  This band appears on the Bob Integral label – the same label that has released discs by Dropkick, The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness, the Quivers, Dumb Things and Ducks Unlimited (all bands mentioned in the past year).

             Favorite new singles from the past month include: “Pretend That I’m Blind” and “The Death of Daylight Saving” by Scott Robertson (SubJangle); “What A Heart Is For” by the Wends (I hear traces of early REM); “The Little Hand Was On Goodbye” by Darrly Rhoads (a melody with some similarity to “My Back Pages”); “It’s Your Life” by Barb Waters; “Dr. Arthur” by the Hide Outs; “Waterfall Away” by the Hummingbird Syndicate; “A Veces Voy” by the Argentine band La Celebracion; two excellent chiming covers by Kevin Robertson – “Why” (Byrds) and “D.C.B.A.-25 (Jefferson Airplane); “Seal Your Move” by Richard Ohrn; “You’re The Storm” by the Long Goodbye; “You Won’t Catch Me” by the Jungfraus; and “Easy To Take” by the Stick Arounds.  So much music, so little time!

            Until next time, jangle on!   ERIC