JANGLE ON!
SEPTEMBER
by Eric Sorsensen
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While Washington, D.C. is suffering from the Federal Government “shutdown,” I have the good fortune to sort through new music to identify jangly, chiming tracks that will interest my fellow jangly music enthusiasts. This month’s recommendations incude:
It’s Flamin’ Groovy! – Chris Wilson. Ex-Flamin’ Groovies member Wilson (joined by former bandmate Cyril Jordan on several of the tracks) shines on this Twenty Stone Blatt Records 2013 release. Flamin’ Groovies fans will love this disc – which features the jangly (albeit muted) sound that the Groovies were known for. My favorite tracks are “All The Action,” “Heart In Her Hand,” “Shake That Feeling” and “Feel Your Love.” The rest of the tracks may not jangle, but it’s all timeless power pop with a pedigree that dates back to the 70s. Long may you run, Sir Chris!
Free To Be – Canyon Ryde. Move over, Jayhawks, Beachwood Sparks and Maplewood – a new “canyon rock” alt-country band – Canyon Ryde – is on the scene. The five-member band is joined in the studio by several guest musicians (including Gary Louris of the Jayhawks); the result is twelve tracks of mid-tempo and slower alt-country tunes that blend together seamlessly. Free To Be could easily be mistaken for a lost album from the early days of country-rock (when the Flying Burrito Brothers were pioneering this musical genre). Tracks like “Free To Be,” “Shining Warmth Of The Sun,” “Restless Blues” and “New Beginning” will brighten your day like a welcome summer breeze. It’s all good – and I hope there is more where this album came from. If you order this disc from Kool Kat Musik, it comes with a three-track bonus CD-EP.
Turned Up Later – Donovan’s Brain. This all-star Power Pop band (Good News Alert: this new disc represents the return of Bobby Sutliff – now recovered from a serious car accident -to the studio) may not jangle on every track, but they excel at what they do. Jangleholics will dig “Fulcrum” and “Restless Nights, Many Dreams.” Power pop fans will enjoy the entire album. Not every musical collaboration is successful; thankfully, every time the members of Donovan’s Brain enter the studio to record an album, the sum of the parts exceeds the whole. Kudos to all hands involved in this project!
Lots of the Pops! Volume 1: Caught In a Sweet Refrain – the Tor Guides. This Swedish group favors a bit more organ and a little less chiming 12-string riffs than on their previous discs, but the new material is still top-notch power pop. Twelve-string guitars ring loudly on “Apricote” and “Happy.” Happy feet is what you will have when you listen to this disc!
Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968 – various artists. I don’t know how I missed this excellent Rhino compilation when it was released several years ago, but I am grateful that Kool Kat Musik carries it in its online catalog. The four-CD set is accompanied by an excellent color booklet that has great liner notes, photos and a timeline of the music scene from that era. This is the type of compilation that Rhino excels at. When you order the box set from Kool Kat, it includes a bonus disc – Gold Dust From the L.A. Canyons – with nineteen obscure tracks. Boomer music fans will enjoy these psych-pop and jangle-pop chestnuts from their teen years.
Fellow Byrds enthusiast Ray Verno recently shared his latest Byrdsian compilation with me, and standout tracks are “Peace Of Mind” and “So Many Wrong Ways” by Will Dailey (featuring Roger McGuinn on his Rickenbacker 370RM 12-string guitar), “Time” by Neo, “What You Got” by the Mambo Sons and a spot-on version of Roger McGuinn’s “He Was A Friend Of Mine” – recorded by the Aussie folk-rock duo Penny Davies and Roger Ilott.
Always Beyond Today – the double CD from Starbyrd (mentioned in earlier columns). Horst-Peter Schmidt and his bandmates in Starbyrd continue the legacy of Byrds-inspired folk-rock in exceptional manner. Long may you run, Sir Horst-Peter!
Until next time, jangle on!
ERIC
