Hope all fufkin site readers had a relaxing, enjoyable holiday season … and you all attended some live music shows and were all treated to gifts of music and DVDs. Now that a New Year is here, it is once again time to review those recent additions to my music library that may interest the rest of you jangly music enthusiasts:

The Spring Collection - by the Spring Collection. I cannot say enough about this terrific disc! The album cover and insert photos picture an assortment of Rickenbacker guitars and an acoustic 12-string guitar - so this is a clue regarding the contents. Joe Mendoza, with support from brother Bart Mendoza (of the Shambles), is the driving force in this band - that, too, is a clue regarding the contents. This disc jangles from start to finish - with two tracks that will compete for Song of the Month honors ("But, I Did" and "Wonderful Tonight" - a power pop take on Eric Clapton's ballad). America's Finest City has provided the indie pop community with an album that truly represents the sunshine pop of Southern California. Long may you run, Sir Joe and bandmates!

Youth - by Collective Soul. It has been too long since this band treated music fans to a full-length disc, but the wait was worth it! Every track sounds like a hit song from contemporary FM radio. My favorite track, which features loads of chiming guitars, is "Perfect To Stay." This track has a nice "Desert Rock" sound to it - almost as if Arizona artists the Gin Blossoms, Jimmy Eat World and Rich Hopkins recorded the song together. This quintet shines at any tempo, so pop it in your disc player and be prepared to hit the "replay" button.

An early contender for my jangly "Song of the Month" is "The Sun And The Moon" from Jim Wurster's latest album - entitled Wurster. Wurster's nasal voice lends itself to jangle'n'twang roots-rock, and he can kick things up a notch - as evidenced by his own version of Neil Young's "Cowgirl In The Sand." If you dig this album, I also recommend his back catalog of band and solo discs. You'll find jangle'n'twang nuggets on all of his releases.

Perfect World - by veteran jangly artist Les Fradkin, who once played with Edison Lighthouse. If you admire 60s pop, you can't help but sing along and tap your feet to this disc! Fradkin's guitars chime on numerous tracks, but his great cover of "Funny How Love Can Be" should delight Rickenbacker 12-string fans. This album also has the distinction of featuring the 60s studio artists affectionately known as the "Wrecking Crew." Fradkin wears his love of 60s pop music on his very talented sleeve. Several years ago, I mentioned the great Godzology compilation CD that chronicled Fradkin's collaboration with Paul Thornton as the mid-70s band the Godz. Jangleholics should seek this disc out also - the compilation features a very Byrdsian take on "I Know You Rider." Fradkin's Rickenbacker 12-string chimes and rings on many of the other tracks. Long may you run, Sir Les!

Many fufkin site readers may have already been familiar with the self-titled disc that Richard Snow released in 2001. Friends, it took me almost four years to discover this gem - but it has stood the "test of time" very well. This should have been in Top Ten lists for 2001. The opening and closing tracks have a timeless Beach Boy quality; and the nine tracks in between flirt with sounding like Richard X. Heyman and Arthur Lee/Love. "Real," "Pretty Picture" and "Spiral" are chock full of cascading 12-string riffs. Other tracks simply chime. This is one more magnificent example of how much better an indie pop artist can be than his more commercial counterparts. Long may you run, Sir Richard!

Column length limitations precluded me from mentioning Frank Lee Sprague's fine solo disc, Merseybeat, last month. Sprague (one half of the Sprague Brothers) is definitely a fan of retro-pop. The concept of this 15-song disc is evident from the very first song. The disc is released on Wichita Falls Records, and the liner notes make a strong case for the Texas musical influences that helped to shape the Merseybeat sound of the mid-60s. Whether you are a fan of pre-Beatles American pop music or post-Beatles British pop music, you will enjoy this musical "time capsule." Long may you run, Sir Frank!

Postcards From Midnight - by Boys In The Wood. This is excellent, straight-ahead pop/rock that occasionally features chiming, ringing guitar work - on songs like "We Howl," "Mind Wars" (which reminds me of the late, great band Ghost Of An American Airman) and "Go Back To Heaven." A solid, 15-song album.

Ruff Trax - by Barry Holdship. Holdship is yet another artist who wears his appreciation of retro-pop on his sleeve. "Nothing Means More Than This" and "A Fractured Lullabye" jangle profusely, and "Where To From Here?" is not far behind. Someday, pop fans may treasure this as much as material by the Toms and Mark Johnson.

Stars In The Sand - Jeffrey Foskett. Purchase any Jeffrey Foskett album and you will seek out the rest of his repertoire. Foskett belongs in the Indie Pop All-Star band and his newest album demonstrates his credentials. In addition to the gorgeous Beach Boys-inspired harmonies, you will also hear some terrific jangly guitars. At the end of a complete listen, though, you will just be impressed with this multi-track artist's studio production skills … and you'll want to hear more. Long may you run, Sir Jeffrey!

Automatic Fun - the Bubbleheads. This disc features 14 shiny, tap-your-feet morsels of pop music - and many of them jangle. "Denver" will be a contender for Song of the Month, and "Again," "Plans" and "Out Tonight" feature some shimmering 12-string riffs. The band name and album title lead one to believe that this is a pure pop album; the contents prove it!

A couple of single tunes that stand out include:

"Dream Like You" by the Shooting Rubys (on their Mood Swings And Cravings disc). Sure sounds like a vintage jangly Posies track to me!

"Letters From" by the Dutch Elms (on Music For Happiness) - light and breezy sunshine pop with some jangle thrown in for good measure!

"On The Down" by Tim Cullen (on his Fun Razor disc) - some snappier jangle pop that reminds me of Adam Schmitt and Jimmy Eat World.

"If You Only Had The Time" by Life In General (on their The Lovely, Lovely Singing album).

Until next month, jangle on!

_________________________________________________________

To reach any other page contained in this month's update on Fufkin.com, read the home page for the appropriate link and click on it. You can also search the site from any page using the search box located at the top of each page. Merely type in the word, phrase, name of the band, recording, name of the Fufkin writer that you are looking for or Whatever in the search box, and then click on "Search". If you would like to e-mail us, go to the About Us page for a list of e-mail addresses.

Go back to the home page by clicking here

________________________________________________________________