Jangle Pop

New album: BLUEVALLEY || BLUEVALLEY

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

Last month, Kikumi Minatani dropped her self-titled debut record under the moniker BLUEVALLEY. Listening to BLUEVALLEY, I have to assume that the Japanese singer songwriter loves everything noisy and poppy about ’80s and 90’s music. BLUEVALLEY surely cover a lot of ground of that musical landscape on these 13 songs, some of which have been released previously as singles. If there is one common denominator though, it’s the lo-fi fuzzy charm – the lack of bass is noteworthy as well. Otherwise, BLUEVALLEY effortlessley switches between indie punk, noise pop, and jangle and everything in between.

Give BLUEVALLEY a spin if you are looking for something breezy, twinkly and energetic to start of your day. Songs like Summer, Seaside Story, Society and Signal are great points of departure. BLUEVALLEY is out now on KiliKiliVilla.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Free Time || Jangle Jargon

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

I have friends I seldom see. Years go by without talking to each other. But when we do meet, it’s like nothing changed. None of the connection or interest has faded, it all feels familiar and natural, we just continue where we left things. Jangle Jargon, the new Free Time offers a similar experience. It’s the band’s third LP following In Search of Free Time (2016) and Free Time (2013). Despite the infrequent outings of Free Time, Jangle Jargon is like an unexpected encounter with an old friend. A pleasant surprise that feels instantly familiar. That familiarity of course is strengthened by the other bands the Free Time crew has been involved in, a list that includes Twerps, Scott and Darlene’s Wedding, Titus Andronicus, Terrible Truths and Full Ugly. To call Free Time a jangle pop supergroup is superfluous.

The recording of Jangle Jargon actually started in 2017, but due to professional careers and babies took some time to finalize. Life events and changing circumstances did not hurt the creativity of Free Time though. The band sounds inspired and decidedly Australian even though they are a NY band by now. Jangle Jargon is the most consistently great and most fun Free Time record to date. How can you not fall for the strummy and jangly Half Measures with its laid back “hey haha lalalala” hook. Or the talksinging over breezy guitars in The Terrace? Long Centuries is another standout, driven by an ear worm piano riff and rounded out by tasteful horns. Album opener Never Your Turn is a slacker jangle rocker that makes you fall for this record in seconds.

Free Time have entered the race for jangle record of the year and somehow I see only happy faces among the competition. They are enjoying the heck out of Jangle Jargon, as do we. It is out now through Bedroom Suck Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Bedroom Suck

New EP: The Radio Field || Simple EP

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / 1 Comment

With a world in shatters – or perhaps it only feels that way and we should not worry too much, I applaud any band that has “Jangle pop music will save the world” as a tagline. Particularly when the music lives up to the expectations. Leave that up to Lars From Subterfuge, a band that released an excellent full-length this Spring – read our post on that one here. The Radio Field is Lars’ new bedroom recording project where he takes parts of underground jangle pop and ’90s college rock, gives them a fair shake and it tastes sublime.

Helped out by his 10-year old (!) son and some friends, the four-song Simple EP is indeed a strong debut. Naturally, I am partial to the two upbeat jangly college poppers on the EP (Clover & Years Ago), but I’m don’t feel the need to skip the two slower more subdued and moody songs, of which Congratulations is actually a cover of a Strange Magic song. I’d never heard of that artist, but I do now. There is some excellent material in his back catalogue and he is currently working on a song-per-week release streak aiming for a 52 song 2022 – listen here. If you are a fan of Elvis Costello there is a good chance Strange Magic is right in your wheelhouse.

On topic: The Simple EP is excellent. It’s out now on CD through Subjangle.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of September 2022

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / Leave a Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

In September we heard Rita Wilson’s Now & Forever cover LP featuring duets with Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Elvis Costello and other big names, Aquarium Drunkard’s Lagniappe SuperSession featuring 33 artists interpreting the music of James Toth (Wooden Wand), Geoff Palmer’s version of Dee Dee Ramone’s Standing In The Spotlight album, the 15-track Sea Creatures compilation as a homage to the songwriting of Jeffrey Lewis, a sponsored Old Man cover by Beck that Neil Young was unhappy with, and previously we wrote about releases from Herman Hitson, Hayley And The Crushers, Crocodile Tears, Dangüs Tarküs and The Manges with some successful cover versions. We actually saw too many other cover versions come along, most of which were slow and subdued – apparently fall has has caught up with music too. Below is a selection of songs that haven’t yet received the attention they deserve.

I Just Wanted To See You So Bad || Cover: Quivers || Original: Lucinda Williams
On the flip side of their new single If Only, Melbourne four-piece Quivers cover a hidden gem of Lucinda Williams’ 1989 self-titled LP, sung by Bella Quinlan: “It felt so good to have a bit of a shouted call and response.” Out on red colored vinyl 7″ through Ba Da Bing!.

…

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of September 2022Read More »

New album: The Chesterfields || New Modern Homes

By / / Indie Pop, Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

In the wake of the C86 movement, UK indie pop outfit The Chesterfields (written as The Chesterf!elds) released three full-length albums. After Kettle (1987), Crocodile Tears (1988) and Flood ‎(1994), they now are back with new LP New Modern Homes, and what a pleasant surprise it is. I think they’ve missed making music a lot, because you hear (and see) how they enjoy it. The current line-up featuring Simon Barber (bass, vocals), Rob Parry (drums), Helen Stickland (guitar, vocals) and Andy Strickland (guitar, vocals) recorded twelve tunes covering all corners of the jangle pop genre. Thanks to appealing lyrics – the song titles alone already feel like chapter titles of an exciting novel – and changes of singers and tempo, the album remains captivating for 38 minutes. This is a sympathetic and well-crafted album that easily floats into your heart.

New Modern Homes, produced by John Parish, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Mr. Mellow’s Music.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Pleasure Center || Jangle In Pity City

By / / Jangle Pop, Power Pop / 1 Comment

Pleasure Center are a four-piece from St. Louis, Missouri. I assume the band name refers to the reward circuit in our brain, because that is exactly where the ten band’s debut LP Jangle In Pity City will quickly find a home. This is top notch power pop that feels spontaneous, rockin’ and full of memorable melodies. Pleasure Center sounds very poppy, but never glossy or too polished, and there is a good bit of jangle on the record. The vocal chords have a touch of sandpaper to them, which gives the songs an even more rockin’ sound. Sonically, Jangle In Pity City fits nicely between the most recent Local Drags and Starter Jackets LPs.

It always brings me joy to hear a new band opting for a classic powerpop sound and absolutely nailing it. Nice to have you around Pleasure Center. Keep writing tunes like these.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Crossword Smiles || Pressed & Ironed

By / / Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

Pressed & Ironed may be the debut full length of Crossword Smiles, but its two members are guitar pop veterans. I’m referring to Tom Curless (Your Gracious Host) and Chip Saam (The Hangabouts and host of the Indie Pop Takeout radioshow). It should therefore come as no surprise that Pressed & Ironed sounds accomplished and mature, and is full of quality guitar driven power pop.

Curless and Saam cover a lot of bases on the record, and a lot of these songs seem to have their origins in ’80s college radio. I am partial to the rockers on the record (Feet On The Ground, Lotus, Take It On The Chin), but Crossword Smiles manage to evoke a lot of different influences. From Shoes and the dB’s to Steely Dan, from R.E.M. to Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello.

I do find myself skipping three of the songs (October Leaves, Walk Softly and Second Guesser), which I guess is a logical consequence of the broad scope of the record and my lack of tolerance of slower and softer material. But overall, there is no shortage of underground radio hits on this one – my current favs below. Out now on CD and LP through Big Stir Records, who ICYMI also released a(nother) fine Nick Frater record recently.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Umbrella Puzzles || On The Meadow

By / / Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

A Slowly Dawning Realization, the full-length debut album from Californian lo-fi indie pop project The Umbrella Puzzles, was one of my favorite releases of last year. The good news is that there is a new EP, even better news is that On The Meadow is just as fun as its predecessor. All five tracks here are lovable jangle pop gems, but each tune has something unique that will make your ears prick up. Our friend Evan Seurkamp (The Laughing Chimes) plays 12-string guitar on Get What You Want, but otherwise everything you hear – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboard, harmonica – is the work of Ryan Marquez. You can see the singer-songwriter in action below: it seems so simple what he does, but few have the gift to create songs that are each so strong that you can’t really choose which one to share.

On The Meadow is out now digitally and on CD through Subjangle.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New single: Green/Blue || Worry b/w Gimme Hell

By / / Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Punk / 2 Comments

Green/Blue already released not one but two of the finest records of 2022, and somehow still have gas left in the tank. Here is a double A-side single that only further cements Green/Blue’s reign of the airwaves. Worry and Gimme Hell were recorded in the Paper Thin sessions – the band’s second LP of 2022, but somehow didn’t make the album. Imagine writing songs this great and leaving them out of your record. Imagine being scene veterans and still be this relevant after twenty plus years. What a band. Pre-order the 7″ now through Feel It Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Jim Nothing || In The Marigolds

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / 2 Comments

Yesterday, I found myself severely lost in Jim Nothing’s In The Marigolds. Jim Nothing (Christchurch, New-Zealand) is James Sullivan (Salad Boys), Anita Clark (Motte) and Brian Feary (Wurld Series, Salad Boys, Melted Ice Cream Records). Full of ramshackle charm, sweet melodies and a variety of styles, In The Marigolds is a feast for the synapses. It’s the kind of record that let’s you escape to a place of excitement, but also of peace and appreciation.

At its core, In the Marigolds is James Sullivan’s love letter to Flying Nun Records. Effortlessly switching between slacker indie rock (Never Come Down, Already Gone), jangle goodness (Seahorse Kingdom), and strummy indiepop (Fall Back Down), Jim Nothing takes all of the good parts of NZ/AU underground pop to create something exciting and new that sounds delightfully familiar. One of the many highlights on the record is Nowhere Land, a song where Anita Clark takes the award for best support act with her violin playing and you start to wonder if the violion and scrappy vocals could turn into the PB & J of indie rock.

In The Marigolds has the feel of a modern classic. It is out now through Meritorio Records (Spain) and Melted Ice Cream (NZ/AU) – the latter “a worthy successor to Flying Nun” according to this #1 fan of FN. Safe bet this one will be on heavy rotation this Autumn.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Meritorio || Melted Ice Cream

Scroll to Top