JANGLE ON!

Late Spring 2018

by Eric Sorensen

There has been a steady stream of jangly music since I submitted last month’s column, so here is rundown on the latest jangly artists, discs and tracks:

Safe Until Tomorrow – the latest disc by The Kennedys.  Husband/wife duo Pete and Maura Kennedy shine again as a prolific songwriting team that pairs poignant social themes (no shortage in today’s troubled times) and personal anecdotes with catchy pop/rock melodies.  Like many of their folk/rock icons from the 60s, Pete and Maura embellish their lyrical narrative with jangly instrumentation (whether it’s a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar or a Sitar).  Maura once described their genre of music as “coffeehouse pop” and several of the tracks on Safe Until Tomorrow fall into this category – particularly the title track and “Umbrella.” “Be Silent No More” represents another collaboration between poet B.D. Love and the Kennedys.  The disc features a number of musical genres with their unique styling, and concludes with the couples’ reverential treatment of the classic Gladys Knight tune “Midnight Train To Georgia.”  Jangly pop fans should not hesitate to add this disc to their music collections!   I consider myself very fortunate to have seen the Kennedys as frequently as I did during their days in the Washington, D.C. area – performing at gone-but-not-forgotten music venues like the Starland Café (owned by singer/songwriter Bill Danoff), the Courtyard Café, the Luna Park Grill and area Borders book stores.  Long may you run, Pete and Maura!

Joy Comes In The Morning – by the Jeremy Band.  One cannot speak of prolific pop/rock artists without including Jeremy Morris – who, together with Dave Dietrich and Todd Borsch – has released a twelve-track disc filled with jangly “inspirational” pop music. The CD insert pictures the bandmates … and Jeremy holding his fireglow Rickenbacker 12-string.  The disc is chock-full of ear candy.  The melodies will stick with you, and the messages may be just as infectious!  Long may you run, Sir Jeremy!

My Sweet Movida – by Alfa 9.  Several years ago, this UK band released a song that became an instant earworm for all jangly music fans – “Into The Light.”  The new deluxe edition double CD may not have an instant earworm among the 23 tracks, but it does have some very catchy chiming tracks – like “Movida,” “Movida Theme,” “Cinema of Thunder,” “Visualise,” “Different Corner,” “When The Lights Go Out,” “When I Think Of You,” “100 Years” and “Coincidence Flies.”  Mix in some Americana and a hint of Dropkick-styled pop, and this two-CD product should help the band gain a broader audience.

Last month, I mentioned two tunes by Daisy House that the Powerpopaholic site had recommended.  Fellow jangle enthusiast Ray Verno helped me to discover two other tracks by the same band – “She Comes Runnin’ Back” and “Twenty-One” that fall into the pseudo-60s and Byrdsian categories of pop music.  The father/daughter duo refer to the former tune as “Gene Clark-inspired country rock; this is an understatement!  “She Comes Runnin’ Back” is straight out of the Gene Clark lyrical and melody songbook.

This song is a must for all Gene Clark fans!

Other tracks worthy of jangleholic attention include: “When The Night Is Over” by Call Girl; “Grownups” by Bart and the Bedazzled; “The End Of Me” by Chris Richards and the Subtractions; and several chiming tracks by the Laissez Fairs – “Primrose Hill,” “Higher Than You’d Meant To Go,” “Spiral” and “High Horse.”  A favorite tune by favorite Canadian band Blue Rodeo – “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” – is also getting lots of play this month.

Next month, while my wife I enjoy a cruise on the Rhine River, I will finally get to meet Horst-Peter Schmidt (the Crown Prince of 12-String) in his home city of Cologne, Germany.  After almost two decades of long-distance correspondence, it will be fun to meet one another in person!

Until next time, jangle on!

ERIC