JANGLE ON!

by Eric Sorenson

Here’s a quick synopsis of the latest group of jangly tracks and albums that have caught my ear:

Can’t Come Down – the Parties 

The Rainbow Quartz label has the market cornered on contemporary psych-pop and pseudo-60s pop bands.  The Parties are no exception to this rule.  Sweet vocals and Byrdsian guitar riffs abound on tracks like “Suite: Feet Back On The Ground/I’m Sorry/Going Away Girl,” “Let’s Call It Love,” “Catastrophic Storm” and “Autumn Girl.”  The Parties, who are very similar to the Resonars, is the best new band to garner my attention in quite some time.  Many thanks to my fellow Byrds/jangly music enthusiast Ray Verno for turning me on to this group.

“Disappearing Act” and “Don’t Lie” by the Mantles.

This group is cut from the same cloth as the Parties.  These two tracks feature bright 60s-inspired jangle-pop … and I have Ray Verno to thank for finding them also.

Blindsided – Jackson Rohm 

This is the latest in a succession of terrific albums from pop/rock singer/songwriter Rohm.  The vocals are crisp, the arrangements are snappy and most importantly, there is no filler on Blindsided – which features twelve top-notch pop tunes.  My favorite tunes are “Mr. Wonderful,” “You Already Know” and the chiming “Kicking It Around.”  Long may you run, Sir Jackson!

Boy King of Tokyo – Bill Lloyd

After collaborating with Radney Foster on an excellent crossover pop disc last year, prolific veteran popster Bill Lloyd has just released another superb solo disc.  As with his past releases, Bill wears his Beatles, Byrds and pseudo-60s influences proudly.  Bill’s clarion Rickenbacker 12-string guitar is most prominent on the album’s final track – “Mistakes Were Made.”  Don’t be fooled by the song title, because no mistakes were made in this fourteen track album.  Boy King of Tokyo is another terrific addition to Bill’s Pop All Star resume.

 Soundshine – David Myhr 

This is a solo disc by a member of one of my favorite Scandinavian pop bands, the Merrymakers.  With twelve catchy Beatlesque tracks, Soundshine is as strong as a debut album can be.  Top songs include “Looking For A Life,” “Cut To The Chase” and “Don’t Say No.”  Long may you run, Sir David!

Hooray for L.A.  – Minky Starshine and the New Cardinals

This album, released in 2006, may not jangle a whole lot … but it certainly represents the power pop genre of music in primo fashion.  No filler; just fifteen tracks that remind fans of 60s and 70s pop that today’s pop is still worth listening to.

Sandbox – the Squires of the Subterrain

This latest Squires disc will appeal to fans of the Beach Boys.  For my money, the disc goes out on a very high note with the final Brian Wilson-inspired track “For Five Minutes There.”  Not every multi-track artist can pull off a theme album in the manner that the Squires have.

Not to be overlooked this month are some terrific jangle-pop tracks from the Dahlias (“Life To Live”), two Byrds cover songs from brothers Gary and John Fiekert (“I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” and “My Back Pages”) and some blasts from the past: “1000 Miles” by Ride, “Wasting Time” by Lazy Susan, “Sysiphos” by Brideshead and “Saw You Walking By” by Human Television.

Until next month, enjoy the spring season … and jangle on!