Eric Sorensen: June, 2001

Further Observations of a Jangly Music Fan

Last month I mentioned the following page on the MP3 Internet site: http://stations.mp3s.com/stations/144/that_rickenbacker_sound.html. I was quite impressed by the features of this "station," and I was also impressed by MP3's very quick service. The 27 discs that I ordered online on a Thursday morning arrived via FEDEX on Friday afternoon! That gave me a "sneak preview" of this new material before I packed for a flight to San Diego the next day ... and it certainly gave me something to look forward to when I returned from that trip. Tops among these MP3 "finds" are:

Big Mean Turtle - this band's material jangles throughout their disc. My favorite song is "She Comes On Like Sundays," which reminds me a great deal of the Cowsills' classic 60s sound. Each of their polished tunes showcases a slightly different style; for instance, "Quick And Dead" sounds like veteran folk-rocker John Stewart backed by the Walking Wounded.

Jimmy Aschenbener - It's hard to believe that a solo artist can merit such a broad spectrum of comparisons with other artists, but Jimmy does. His songs sometimes sound like Bobby Sutliff, the Grass Roots, the Gin Blossoms, REM and Guadalcanal Diary. "Times Pushing Me Around" even has an 80s AOR feel to it. His standout tunes include the power pop tracks "I've Got A Heart, Too," "Life After Stayce" and "Open Spaces." The latter track nails the early REM sound (from the Murmur and Reckoning era) right down to the vocal harmony.

Gat - their tunes jangle, chime and ring ... and the acoustic tracks have that bright strummy sound that the Trashcan Sinatras used to employ. Top tunes include "Now I'm Going," "Song For M" and "Together We Are One."

Donaldo - solid power pop tunes like "Girl With No Name," "In My Place" and "Now Everything's Alright" will maintain listener interest in this band's disc, entitled The Nadz. "I'm Yours" sounds like a jangly 60s period piece that was influenced by both Roy Orbison and Billy J. Kramer.

Daddy Warbucks - "Tell Me Why" is such an infectious tune. It opens like a Jeremy (Morris) song, and then features chorus harmonies that are similar to Jeff Glenn's under-heralded band, the Retros.

There were "nuggets" on most of the the MP3 discs that I acquired ... like "Trapped In Amber" by the Daisyheads and "Shadow Of Love" by Jamie Rounds. All of this terrific material once again proves that Pete Kennedy was right when he said "there really are a whole lot of indie artists sitting at home, playing their Rickenbacker 12-string guitars, and recording some excellent pop music." The Godfather of jangly music, Roger McGuinn, merits mention for his superb rendition of "The Cruel War." McGuinn's version of this old folk tune features his Rickenbacker 370RM 12-string guitar, banjo and multi-track vocals; it would have fit nicely on the Byrds' Turn! Turn! Turn! album.

MP3 does not hold a monopoly on jangly tunes that are receiving play on my home stereo. Bill Lloyd has done pop fans a large favor by releasing a new disc, All In One Place, that features fifteen tracks that have been included on a variety of other compilation discs. Most tracks include the unmistakable jangle of Bill's vintage Rickenbacker 360 12-string guitar. The Scottish band the Cosmic Rough Riders have recently released three CD-EPs; "Melanie" and "Annie" from the Melanie CD-EP are standout tunes that showcase their chiming guitar riffs and angelic harmonies.

The Pearlfishers latest release, Across The Milky Way, favors orchestral Beach Boys/Bacharach/keyboard tunes, but the disc does include the track "New Stars" - which sounds a bit like Bill Lloyd backed by Teenage Fanclub. Jeremy Morris was kind enough to introduce me to a terrific new San Francisco group, Mellow Drunk, whose debut full-length disc gives a very nice contemporary take on jangly folk-rock. Speaking of Jeremy Morris, his latest pop disc is now available from JAM Records.

Fans of Arizona's Sand Rubies should be pleased with the three bonus tracks that appear on the re-issued (San Jacinto Records) Cuacha! album. "(One Stop Before) Tenderfoot Town" features the trademark jangly rhythm guitar/wall of guitars sound of this band that combined the talents of Rich Hopkins and David Slutes. Rumor has it that Hopkins and Slutes, who reunite periodically for live shows, may be collaborating on some new Sand Rubies material.

In the jangle'n'twang category, a collaboration of Washington, D.C. area artists, known as Little Pink, is gaining some well-deserved attention. The band features the lead vocals of Mary Battiata and the backing musicianship of several area stalwarts (members of Last Train Home and the Graverobbers). Songs worthy of airplay include "Ceiling Rain," "Big Top," "Dried Out Loud" and "Rocking Horse." Another D.C. area band, Mother May I, has also released an excellent compilation entitled Demos 1990-1996. The power pop trio shines on a number of jangly and strummy ballads like "Angels In The Snow" and "Down Here On The Ground."

The blindingly obvious sometimes evades me. When I mentioned the recent trend toward melodic pop-oriented songs by bands such as the Foo Fighters, the Pernice Brothers, Hazeldine, Wilco and the Jayhawks (to mention just a few), Last Train Home's lead vocalist Eric Brace stated very simply "it all goes back to the Beatles ... which is the touchstone for every musician I know." Eric, you're so right!

That's enough for this month. I'm getting psyched to attend some live music shows that ought to feature their fair share of jangly and chiming guitar riffs - a Dylan 60th birthday tribute show, a Kennedys gig and a Marshall Crenshaw show. Until next month, jangle on!

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