JANGLE ON!
SPRING 2020
by Eric Sorensen
Although the “stay at home” guidance in Northern Virginia has eliminated live music from my social calendar (I missed a Neil Young tribute, a Linda Ronstadt tribute and a Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives show), there has been no shortage of chiming, jangly pop/rock material in the past two months. Here are some of the CDs and single tracks that should appeal to fellow jangle enthusiasts:
The Unswept/The Unswept Today! – the Unswept. I discovered this group in the past year, and then decided to check out their back-catalog on Bandcamp. This two-fer, from the band’s early days, is about as jangly as pop music can be. The twenty-one tracks feature a nicely compressed Rickenbacker 12-string and lots of short, snappy and catchy mid-tempo tracks that will remind listeners of many mid-60s groups and more contemporary bands like the Squire and the Barracudas. Standout tracks include “Cheater,” “You’re Going Home,” “Another Bubble,” a terrific cover of “Cynical Girl,” “Magnet’s Coil” and “Super Sad” but there isn’t a dud in the bunch! The most recent material from this group is gravitating toward more punchy power pop, but these early tracks will delight jangleholics!
Halfdog – Honeywagen. Mike Penner and has band mates have nailed it again. This is what power pop is meant to be, with chiming Rickenbacker riffs thrown in for good measure! The opening track “For Love” is a terrific leadoff song, and the rest of the tunes will keep you humming along. I hear hints of the Rumors, the Gin Blossoms, the Merrymakers and the Grip Weeds in these tracks – if you need references akin to identifying the various spices that contribute to an outstanding wine’s bouquet.
Once In A World – the Overtures. The mod cover should give you a clue to the contents. It’s all strong retro power pop with chiming guitars embellishing songs like “Till Your Luck Runs Out,” “Once In A World,” “The Hollow Bells” and “She Shines A Light.” Just keep hitting the replay button!
Big Sounds Again – the Decibels. Kool Kat has released this remixed and remastered disc with plenty of Rickenbacker riffs. Check out “My Mind, ” “Encouraging” and “Poor Sidney” and then enjoy the rest of the fifteen tracks.
Fellow Jangleholic Ray Verno continues to unearth “nuggets” from various sources and he is now up to Byrdsian Volume 140 in his series of jangly compilations. In no particular order (and thanks to Kool Kat, Powerpopaholic and Bandcamp), are single tracks that I have added to my music library in the past two months. The Song of the Month in March was “Two Shades of Fine” by Red Skylark. Strong additions in April included “Catching Light” by the Pop Co-Op, “Love Like Ours” by Super 8 and “Sleep Too Long” by Diamond Hands. The new Bye Bye Blackbirds CD features the chiming tracks “How Do We Stay,” “Watch Them Chime” and “All Our Friends.” The Floor Models are on the mark with their jangly cover of “Wasn’t Born To Follow.” Jangly music fans should also seek out “”I Knew” by Batteries Not Included, “Country Byrd” by the Cosmic Raspberry Morning,” “Liberty Bell” by Quincy, Dave Kuchler’s excellent cover of “When You Walk In The Room” “Hold A Shadow Down” by Steve Barton, and “Freebin'” by Mo Troper.
Until next time, jangle on!
