JANGLE ON!
SUMMER 2020
by Eric Sorensen
“Stay at home” guidance may have eliminated live music from my social calendar, but You Tube “house concerts” by some of my favorite artists are providing pop fans with a break from their stereos and play lists. Check out Pete and Maura Kennedy’s weekly concerts on You Tube every Sunday at 2 PM EST (kennedysmusic.com) and Parthenon Huxley’s entertaining Pandemic Houseguy Shows (parthenonhuxley.com). As I reported last month, there has been no shortage of chiming, jangly pop/rock material during the Covid-19 era. The following CDs and single tracks should appeal to fellow jangle enthusiasts:
The Lockdown Session: April 2020 – Andrew Taylor, and The Lockdown Session: May 2020 – by Andrew Taylor & The Harmonizers. Andrew Taylor and his Dropkick band mates may not be able to collaborate on a new Dropkick album during the Pandemic, but Taylor and a supporting cast have been busy churning out Dropkick, The Boys With Perpetual Nervousness and Teenage Fanclub-inspired pop tunes. In fact, Taylor has released two excellent pop albums in a two-month period. Taylor’s masterful approach to pop provides listeners with that much-needed soft breeze on a summer evening. All twenty tracks are well-crafted, hum-along tunes.
Long may you run, Sir Andrew!
A Long Goodbye – Bill Kaffenberger. Fellow Northern Virginia resident Bill Kaffenberger is an avid Byrds/Roger McGuinn disciple. Rickenbacker 12-string riffs abound on the 15 tracks on Bill’s latest solo album. In fact, Bill front-loads A Long Goodbye with his chiming Rickenbacker sound on the first four songs: “She Once Was A True Love Of Mine,” “In Our Dreams,” “Heading For Your Nearest Border” and “Maybe By Then.” The McGuinn-like sound emerges again throughout the album. This latest disc features an excellent supporting cast and top-notch production. Digital downloads are available through Amazon, Apple Music, iTunes or the Google Play store. A hard copy of the CD can be ordered from Bill at lovingkindnessmusic@yahoo.com. Bill retired from his professional career several years ago, and he is finding his stride as a gifted singer/songwriter. Long may you run, Sir Bill!
I Heard You Dreaming – by Night Heron and Beautiful And True by the Crystal Furs; both of these discs are available from the very cool Subjangle record label (co-founded by Darrin Lee). My favorite track on the Night Heron disc (does anyone else hear the REM references on these 18 tracks?) is “I’ll Get Back To Crying” and my favorite track on the Crystal Furs album is “Second Time Around” – although almost all of the tracks by this fem-pop group are upbeat and catchy! Check out Darrin’s own reviews of jangly music at his janglepophub.home.blog.
Fellow Jangleholic Ray Verno has not slowed down in his quest to find jangly “nuggets” from various sources; Byrdsian Volume 141 is the latest in his series of jangly compilations. Standout tracks include: “Listen To The Band” by the Unswept; cover versions of “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” by the Phoenix and the Derivatives; “Tomorrow Will Remain” and “Sunshine Nursery Rhymes” by the Belltowers (rumor has it that a new CD will be out soon); and “The Same Sun Shines,” “Girl Be Real” and “How To Save Your Own Life” by the Sun.
Some other single tracks that I have added to my music library recently include: “Something New” by Andrew Gold (recorded in 1976, but not released until last month); “Walls And Stars” by the Britannicas; “Corredor” and “Same Ways” by the Nap; “The Girls of Sylvan Park” by Bill Lloyd; “Ridin’ In My Car” by the Popdudes; “Easy As Pi” by Vanilla; “Infinity Girl” by the Sunshine Boys; and “Love Like Ours” by Super 8.
Until next time, jangle on!
ERIC
