Further Observations From A Jangly Music Fan

As mentioned in last month's column, April's musical highlight was attendance at a Roger McGuinn concert. Little did I know then that the musical highlight for the month of May would be the discovery of a McGuinn Rickenbacker 12-string disciple - right here in the greater Washington, D.C. area. The artist I am referring to is folk-rock singer/songwriter Bill Kaffenberger - who I learned about through one of my weekly visits to the "unofficial" Byrds website, Byrds Flyght. The site offered a link to Bill's own site, where I was able to listen to several track samples from Bill's forthcoming album - This World Is Bound To Fall. Several email correspondences later, I am now in possession of a copy of this excellent disc, and it tops the list of jangly discs that I will write about this month. Having said that, I encourage all you fellow 12-string enthusiasts to read on!

"CD of the Month" honors go to This World Is Bound To Fall by Bill Kaffenberger. Fans of Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Herb Eimerman, Ted Holden, Phil Angotti, Horst-Peter Schmidt's work with Different Faces and Starbyrd and fans of chiming Rickenbacker 12-string music will really dig this full-length disc. The jewel case artwork should be a HUGE clue regarding the disc's contents, since Bill is pictured three times with his mapleglow Rickenbacker 370RM 12-string guitar. "She's So Real" leads things off with a track that sounds like it would have fit very nicely in Roger McGuinn's Back From Rio album. As the last jangly Rickenbacker riffs fade out, Kaffenberger segues quickly into the catchy acoustic counterpoint song "What Am I Doing Here." What follows these first two tracks is a succession of eleven more nifty tunes, and ten of the total thirteen tracks are Kaffenberger-penned songs. On those tracks that feature the most pronounced 370RM guitar riffs, it is difficult to avoid further comparisons with McGuinn. "Joshua Gone Barbados," "In A Winter's Dream," "White Gull Journey," "Praise The Lamb Of God" and "Urge For Going" all sound like Byrds and McGuinn-influenced tracks. On those songs that are inspirational or spiritual in nature, you can almost imagine Roger plugging in and accompanying a group at a folk mass or folk service. "Urge For Going" is a five and a half minute joyride that explores a McGuinn-cum-Kaffenberger treatment of Joni Mitchell's classic song. I'm almost convinced that Bill rode along with Joni and Roger during those mid-70s Rolling Thunder Review bus tours! Bill Kaffenberger deserves a big thumb's up for this Amariah Recordings-released gem of a disc. You can acquire Bill's superb jangly CD through CDBaby's online catalog service at http://cdbaby.com/cd/kaffenberger; to learn more about Bill's music, visit http://home.earthlink.net/~kaffenberger_music.

I now look forward to hearing Bill perform his original material in a live setting in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

The disc that has been getting plenty of play for the past month is one that was sent to me without any contact information regarding the artist/distributor - Rocket Summer by the British band The Afternoons. This is a 2005 Top Ten contender that grows stronger, track-by-track, until it explodes in mid-disc with chiming guitars, excellent vocals, hook-filled melodies and references as diverse as the Fountains of Wayne, the Hummingbirds (ethereal female vocals on several tracks), the Blow Pops and the Trashcan Sinatras. Top tracks include "Coast Road" - which opens like a jangly Canyon Rock tune and then segues into a classic Hummingbirds-inspired song, "You'll Never Know" (classic power pop), "Never Tell Anybody Anything," "Looking For A Reason" and "In Flames." I tracked the band down through a Google search and discovered that they have an earlier full-length release to their credit. They certainly hit their stride on this sophomore effort. What a pleasant surprise this anonymously sent disc has been!

Jeremy Morris bears mention twice this month - the prolific pop singer/songwriter has released another jangly treasure trove, the 21-track Find The Way To Be Happy. Jeremy's Rickenbacker chimes on a number of tracks - notably on the title track, "Here To Stay," "You're The One," "Great To Be Alive" and "Everyone Who Pretended." If you are ever in need of a quick fix of relentlessly cheerful pop music, this and Jeremy's other recent releases are a great place to start. Ear Theory Recordings has just released a fifteen-track tribute to Jeremy, entitled Jam On Jeremy. It goes without saying that there are plenty of chiming, ringing guitars on the tribute disc tracks. My favorites include "Chain Reaction" by Ed James, "It's Getting Better" by the Shambles, "Highway To Heaven" By the Ringles, "I'm Flying" by the Lolas and "Walking In The Sunshine" by Herb Eimerman. A big thumb's up to Gary Pig Gold, the artists and the indie pop personalities who contributed lovingly to this upbeat compilation!

A pop trio from Massachusetts, the Come Arounds, has released a very catchy disc - What Goes Around. The disc features 14 tracks, many of which have a 60s surf-rock vibe and some of which have a Mersey beat sound. The original material of the Come Arounds deserves comparison with the early Barracudas and the Sprague Brothers. The band notches up the treble setting on "I'm Not In Love," "Here & There," "True Love" and "You and I." What Goes Around should strongly appeal to fans of pseudo-60s pop,

Another recent disc that nails the pseudo-60s sound is Unrelated Statements by the Swedish band the Maharajas. Mix some 60s garage rock, some Chesterfield Kings, some Seeds, some Blues Magoos, farfisa and a lead vocalist who sounds a lot like Bobby Fuller … and you've got a good idea what this band sounds like. The guitars chime on "Taste Of Tears" and "Remember Our Love" and "Nice Guys Finish Last" are two of my other favorite tracks. Most tracks clock in at around two minutes, and only one exceeds three minutes. The Maharajas prove that shorter is better!

Readers shouldn't be surprised that another disc that was added to my collection this past month also falls into the pseudo-60s category - Circling The Sun by the Orange Peels. Beach Boys, Phil Spector and Bloomingdays influences can be heard in the ten tracks. Jangly guitars predominate the soundscape on "Something In You," "Long Cold Summer" and "What's It Like Mary Jo?"

Other discs that have piqued my interest recently include:

Left At The Prom - by Green Inside. "Everything Is Wrong" sounds quite a bit like a Gin Blossoms tune, and several other tracks remind me of Smart Brown Handbag. Very cool stuff!

47 Moons - by pop veteran Dwight Twilley. There's plenty of signature Twilley pop songs on this disc, but my favorite track is the ballad "Walkin' On Water" that opens emulating the Phil Spector "wall of sound" and features a J.D. Souther-like "Ooooooh." I was hooked after ten seconds!

Man Meets Machine - by Hooters alum Fran Smith, Jr. … and the Ten Cent Millionaires. This disc is packed with fourteen primo pop tunes that draw from classic pop influences over the past four decades. "That's The Way I Will Remember," "Rudy" and "Love And Exploration" stand out because Smith re-visits the classic Hooters sound of the mid-80s. More contemporary artists should do the same!

Speed Metal From Montreal - by the Brett Rosenberg Problem. Twelve tracks of straight-ahead DIY power pop. "Scared Of You" has a distinct Blow Pops vibe.

The Crashmoderns EP - by the Crashmoderns. Five tracks of excellent driving power pop (think Jimmy Eat World and Fountains of Wayne) that concludes with a strong track, "Everything At Once," that is quite reminiscent of Splitsville.

Walk Fast … Head Down - by the Cyclones. This eight-track disc features power pop with an edge. Think of the Plimsouls; think of the Replacements. Cool tunes when you want to crank up the amps.

What Comes After The Blues - by the Magnolia Electric Co. This is the best roots-rock album I have heard in 2005! Miles of Music was on the mark when they said that this disc sounds like the great lost album of material that Neil Young recorded between departing from the Buffalo Springfield and signing the Rockets on to become his backing band Crazy Horse. Fans of Blue Mountain will do cartwheels when they hear the Magnolia Electric Company's debut disc. If band member Jason Molina is related to Ralph Molina, then we will all know why this album has such a strong Crazy Horse vibe!
Related or not, this is excellent roots-rock from the heartland (Indiana)!

Last but not least, Old School - by Ray Mason. In this solo effort, Mason (who has recorded 13 albums with his band the Lonesome Brothers) flirts with various alt-country, pop and rock influences … and his voice could easily be mistaken for John Hiatt. Long may you and your '65 Silvertone guitar run, Sir Ray!

On the news front, Tim Anthony recently announced that Jealousy Records will release He Was Fab II - a follow-on to the label's first George Harrison tribute disc.

Until next month, jangle on!

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