Forgive the “rush” nature of this column, but I did want to provide fellow pop/rock enthusiasts with an update before I take a two-week holiday vacation. The month of December provided 2001 with a very pleasant musical send-off. Here is a quick recap of some of the discs (jangly and otherwise) that captured my fancy during the final month of 2001:

The Gladhands’ Brilliant Charade. Okay, so I mentioned this disc last month. The more I listen to it, the better it sounds … and there’s plenty of jangly guitars to accompany all those melodic tunes. Although the disc was originally released in 1993 as a cassette, songs like “”Your Own Worst Enemy,” “Learning To Hide,” “Brilliant Charade,” “Man Of Letters,” “Worthless One,” “All Is Well” and “The Doldrums” have stood the test of time quite well. Pop artists are encouraged to study this disc and consider it a benchmark for Posies-inspired pop music.

The Swarays’ long-awaited full-length disc, Evanescent. This disc was released on the Ginger Records label, and that is a HUGE clue that the musical content is top-notch pop. The opening tune, “Holiday,” sets the tone by jangling in all the right places, and the group’s excellent vocals, melodies and hooks carry through to the end of this 16-song disc. Evanescent even includes a terrific version of Gene Clark’s “So You Say You Lost Your Baby” (a tune that has been reprised four times in the past three years). Every year, I receive one superb disc after submitting my Top Ten album list for that year; Evanescent is that disc for 2001.

This Is The Mod World - Skinny Ties Compilation - a 24-track offering from the mysterious entity known as “Made From Vinyl.” Like the Shake Some Action compilations mentioned in last month’s column, this is a wonderful reminder that indie pop was alive and well during the days when disco, new wave, punk and other genres of music were dominating the music charts.

The first disc by Receiver, Inspiration Overload, released by another favorite pop label - Not Lame. There are enough chiming guitar riffs on “Faster” and “Predictable” to maintain a jangleholics’ interest. The entire disc serves up a generous amount of well-crafted power pop tunes … and, lo and behold, pop journalist extraordinaire John Borack is the drummer in this band. Bang away, Sir John!

Smashed! by the Ashes. “Unborn” showcases some jangly, ringing guitars, and the rest of the songs demonstrate the group’s devotion to solid power pop tunesmithing.

Scott McClatchy’s Redemption. McClatchy, with some help from friends like bandmates Scott Kempner and Dion, has released a very cool disc filled with roots-rock and power pop tunes. The guitar work is very catchy on songs like the Byrdsian “I’ll Follow You” and the title song, and the vocals occasionally remind me of “Big Bob” Burns of Big In Iowa. McClatchy proves that New York City is dishing up some of the finest jangle’n’twang pop out there!

Get On The Outside Of This by the Australian band, the Green Circles. If you like your contemporary pop with plenty of psychedelic and Beatlesque overtones, look no further than this excellent disc. A couple of tunes even emulate the space rock/ psychedelic tunes from the Byrds’ late 60s repertoire. Standout tunes include “In Her Own Time” and “She Breathes.” This disc now resides on the shelf very close to the Green Pajamas’ discs - and the two bands’ psych/pop is coincidentally very similar.

Blunt Cut by Kelly’s Heels. Another cool Aussie band; another slab o’ dynamite power pop tunes! Check out “Someone, Somewhere,” “She Knows,” “The Easy Way” and “You Don’t Know Her.” Kelly’s Heels is further evidence that the indie pop scene is thriving down under.

Tinitus by Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios. Wow - two new releases from one of my favorite artists in a six-month period! While My Lucky Stars demonstrated Rich’s mellow, pop-oriented side, Tinitus exhibits his wailing (Neil Young), distortion and feedback “wall of guitars” sound. The most smokin’ tunes on the disc are “Mumblypeg,” “Looked Away” and Rich’s great cover versions of “Eight Miles High” and “Signed D.C.” Hidden away amidst all the sonic “desert rock” tunes is a soft and exceptional five-minute cover of “Just My Imagination.” Not many artists can dabble so adeptly in pop music and energetic rock and fuse the two genres in as appealing a manner as Rich Hopkins does. Long may you run, Sir Rich!

Teardrops & Diamonds by the Woodys - who are husband and wife Michael and Dyann Woody. The entire disc features some wonderful Delevantes/Everly Brothers-styled vocal harmonies and some excellent country-cum-pop tunes. There’s no shortage of studio talent on this album, with Kenny Vaughan, Al Perkins and Cam King (on Rickenbacker 12-string) providing backing instrumentals. The standout tune is the superb Byrdsian tune “Message From Michael” - which is dedicated to the memory of Byrds drummer Michael Clarke. Although this is a chiming mid-tempo tune, its subject matter is melancholy - since Michael Clarke (much like fellow Byrds member Gene Clark) was never able to overcome his struggle with substance abuse. The album also includes the duet’s rendition of Michael Woody’s “He’s Back And I’m Blue” - a tune that was popularized by another former Byrd, Chris Hillman, and the Desert Rose Band.

Stethoscopic Notion by Norway’s Dipsomaniacs (not New Jersey’s band by the same name). Look no further than the title track to discover some more excellent psych-pop from Scandinavia.

A nifty Christmas CD-EP by my favorite Austin, Texas psych/pop/rock band - the Shakin’ Apostles. The talented Freddie Krc cleverly uses the melody from Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love” on “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and the Apostles serve up a very Byrdsy take on “I Saw Three Ships.” More artists should employ a Rickenbacker 12-string in their Christmas songs!

Other new titles worthy of note: the Middle Eights For Modern Lovers CD-EP by Ben’s Diapers (a band that continues to impress); Meet The Scene - An Introduction to Finnish Underground Guitar Pop - a zesty compilation of power pop from Finland; Building by Every Single Saturday - some promising punchy power pop from an L.A. area trio; Rodeo Boy’s latest disc, which features some subdued Americana along the lines of Hazeldine’s and Gingersol’s recent releases; and the jangle’n’twang of contemporary roots-rock artist John Washburn, who mixes Dylan and Neil Young influences into his original material. I am also pleased to pass along word from Joe Lynch (mentioned in last month’s column) that his next EP, Vodka, will feature more riffs from his Rickenbacker 370RM 12-string guitar. In my book, that’s a great way to close out 2001 and open 2002!

Here’s hoping that your holiday season was joyous and the New Year is off to a terrific start for all of you. Jangle on … or keep on rockin’ in the free world!

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