Jangle Pop

View and Listen to the FIQL Playlist Here

Jangle Pop was a mostly American post-punk movement of the mid-'80s that marked a return to the chiming guitars and pop melodies of the '60s.

Jangle Pop was a short-lived but very welcome genre of mid-80's rock; a roots-rock subgenre, it was a reinvention of the 60's folk rock sound crossed with 80's pop sensibilities, often with a punky, brisk tempo. R.E.M., early in their career, could be considered the standard-bearer of jangle-pop, which emphasized ringing guitars and vocal harmonies.

It was not the most popular music of its day; R.E.M.'s albums of the time never charted better than the lower reaches of the top-30, and many of the other groups of the time are already largely forgotten, among them the Bangles, the dB's, Pylon, Let's Active, The Plimsouls, and Guadalcanal Diary.

These bands often sounded very do-it-yourself in their approach, and their records had an appealing rawness to them that recalled some 60's garage bands. In the southeast, bands like R.E.M. and Let's Active had a southern, slightly country flavor to them, while the West Coast bands were more psychedelic. Heartland bands tended to lean towards cowpunk. The earliest ones had some wisps of punky residue; by the mid-80's a gentler, less angular sound was in favor.

In England, there were also a number of light, jangly, Byrdsy bands active at the time, among them The Soft Boys, who certainly merit inclusion into the genre.

Most of the jangle pop bands' lyrics were enigmatic and impressionistic; some were specialists in a kind of double-irony.

A common touchstone from the 70's is the music of Big Star and its leader, Alex Chilton. Game Theory resembled a punchier Big Star, and the Replacements even named a song for Chilton.

Jangle Pop's heyday was from the emergence of R.E.M. in 1983 through the late 80's, although the genre includes pre-R.E.M. bands as far back as the end of the 70‘s. It's virtually extinct now, except for a handful of niche artists. R.E.M.'s greatest successes came after they moved to Warner Brothers, and moved away from the genre they had a huge hand in creating. Most of the other bands didn't survive into the 90's.

Jangle Pop's demise was due to limitations in its very structure; a lot of the bands, particularly the lesser known ones, suffered from material that often sounded too similar. It passed for alternative rock in the middle of the decade, but by the turn of the 90's, tastes had turned towards heavier music again.

Some important/influential jangle-pop artists/songs:

View and Listen to the FIQL Playlist Here


1. R.E.M.: 1,000,000
This is the tune that introduced R.E.M. to the world in 1982, even if it was only a handful of college kids who heard it. Unlike anything else available, it struck a real nerve. 1,000,000 has a punky, angular, aggressive punch to it, but it also has Peter Buck’s ringing, chiming, and crunching guitar. The 5-song EP Chronic Town was recorded at Mitch Easter’s Drive In Studios, and does a fine job of establishing their sound. The EP is now available as part of the Dead Letter Office compilation.

2. Guadalcanal Diary: Watusi Rodeo
Marietta, GA was home to Guadalcanal Diary, not too far from Athens, when R.E.M. and other bands were just beginning to gain notice beyond the region. The band, while bearing many of the same hallmarks of the Athens bands, pursued a dark, moody, aggressive sound with clanging guitars and forceful drumming. "Watusi Rodeo" falls somewhere between jangle-pop and cowpunk. Originally released as the keystone of a 1983 EP for Athens-based DB Records, it was also included on their 1984 major-label debut for Elektra, Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man.

3. Beat Farmers: There She Goes Again
This is a fine remake of the Lou Reed song (perhaps best known for Sixpence None The Richer’s version); emblematic of the band’s tastes, which also ran to Neil Young and Tim Hardin, also covered on Tales Of The New West, their debut.. Formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by Dick Montana, a former record store owner, the band played an aggressive roots rock and was particularly renowned for their live shows. Rhino records released the band’s debut; they later recorded for Curb and Sector 2. Tales Of The New West didn’t break any sales records, but sold briskly to the band’s loyal cult, pushing it onto the charts briefly at #186. Montana died of a heart attack in 1995.

4. The Bangles: Hero Takes A Fall
The Bangles are arguably the prototypical jangle-pop band in sound. The all-woman Los Angeles quartet specialized in a light, 60’s inflected rock that recalled the Grass Roots (whom they covered), and their albums included covers by such jangle-pop forefathers as Alex Chilton (Big Star) and Emmett Rhodes The Merry Go Round) as well as garage bands like the Seeds. Their commercial Zenith was the album Different Light, released in 1985; however their best album is their debut All Over The Place, from 1984, of which this is the tough played and worded leadoff cut. Even better is their rare EP debut, The Bangles, from 1982, on which they still sounded psychedelic, revealing their paisley underground origins.

5. The Feelies: Fa Ce La
The Feelies' debut precedes the emergence of jangle pop by a good 4 years or so, but it cast a long shadow over the jangle pop scene. Crazy Rhythms, released in 1980, has often been cited by R.E.M. as a major influence on their sound, as have other bands of the era. Certainly, "Fa Cé La", the Feelies' first single, sounds a lot like jangle pop, with its close harmonies and fuzzy guitar and jumpy, edgy rhythm. The Feelies lasted right through to 1991, but never quite managed to gain sales to match their reputation. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck co-produced their 1986 disk The Good Earth, a belated follow-up to their debut.

6. The Soft Boys: The Queen Of Eyes
While jangle pop was essentially an American roots-rock phenomenon, there are a number of English artists who would qualify under the designation, among them The Soft Boys, led by Robyn Hitchcock. Formed in 1976, their classic masterpiece is Underwater Moonlight, a neo-psychedelic treasure from 1980. A mix of the Byrds, Syd Barrett, John Lennon, and psychedelic pop, with lyrics that get downright creepy in places, and bright ringing guitars, this is an essential listen. Hitchcock remains very active to this day, with a devoted fan base.

7. Let's Active: Every Word Means No
Led by Mitch Easter, better known as R.E.M.'s producer, Let's Active specialized in a punky jangle pop with southern overtones. From their 1981 debut EP, Afoot, "Every Word Means No" has a strong garage rock vibe, ringing, chiming guitars, and breezy harmonies between Easter and bandmate Faye Hunter. This has an almost British Invasion feel to it, and a jittery rhythm. The band's lineup would change frequently, and essentially became a vehicle for Easter, but the material released under their name is worth investigating.

8. Camper Van Beethoven: Take The Skinheads Bowling
In their own words, Camper Van Beethoven, from Santa Cruz, created 'surrealist absurdist folk'. They definately specialized in alienation anthems; their stoner folk leanings, slacker outlook, and overall roots rock melodicism puts them at the dusty fringe of jangle pop. “Take The Skinheads Bowling” is a melodic, close harmony, guitar song with gonzo lyrics plus violin from 1986; it was later used in the Michael Moore film, Bowling for Columbine. Camper Van Beethoven's last album proper was released in 1989, but they reunited in 2004 and released a new album, New Roman Times.

9. The Replacements: Alex Chilton
From Pleased To Meet Me, the first Replacements album after the firing of guitarist Bob Stinson, this is an ode to Paul Westerberg's hero Alex Chilton, founder of the doomed proto-jangle pop 70's band Big Star: I never travel far/Without a little Big Star The Replacements are another band that don't wear the jangle pop label well, although they did share much in common (including influences) with the other bands. Their music was harder, more muscular, better played than many of the more twee bands of the era; while the previous two albums (with Stinson) were more satisfying, Pleased To Meet Me was pretty good too, benefiting from ambitious arrangements.

10. The dB’s: Black and White
Formed in Winston-Salem, NC in 1978 and led by Chris Stamey, who had been in the power-pop group Sneakers with Mitch Easter, the dB’s were critics’ darlings in the early 80’s. Stamey and Peter Holsapple shared songwriting duties in the band, with Stamey’s songs displaying a more psychedelic influence and Hollsopple a more rootsy approach. “Black and White” is the leadoff from their 1981 debut, Stands For Decibels, written by Holsapple, and it displays the dB’s sound as good as anything; they, along with the Feelies, represent the missing link between power pop and jangle pop. They never rose beyond cult status; Stamey left in 1983 for a solo career, the band continued for a few albums without him.

11. The Long Ryders: Ivory Tower
This sounds a lot like the Byrds at the outset with its ringing guitar intro, and singer Sid Griffin sounding like a cross between Roger McGuinn and Gram Parsons. Which is particularly nifty, because real-life Byrd Gene Clark guests on harmony vocal. Excellent, literate lyrics, written by by bassist Barry Shank, who left the band prior to its debut. From Native Sons, the best folk-rock album of the 80's and one of the best of any era.

12. Game Theory: The Real Sheila
Game Theory, from Sacramento, existed on the fringes of the psychedelic paisley underground movement, and also shared much with the Davis, CA scene, which had a more rural, desert feeling. Lead singer Scott Miller is almost a dead ringer vocally for Alex Chilton, and there's something of Big Star in their instrumental approach. Lolita Nation was an ambitious double album from 1987; comprised of songs and song fragments, it almost represents jangle pop’s only concept album. “The Real Shiela” is one of the brightest moments; melodic but winsome, with a dark aggressive undertow.

13. The Plimsouls: A Million Miles Away
The Plimsouls can also be categorized under “power pop”. Led by peter case, formerly of the power-pop band The Nerves, the Plimsould formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Another cult band that never quite broke through, they also represent a bridge between the two genres; A Million Miles away is pure power-pop with a jangly Byrds-like lead guitar, and big harmonies. This is from their major label debut with Geffen; the album failed to sell, and they were dropped.

14. Rain Parade: What She’s Done To Your Mind
From Los Angeles, the Rain Parade represent the paisley underground faction of jangle pop; a group of like-minded 60’s psychedlic revivalists who shared a jangle-pop approach, but added more overt psychedelic devices like drone and raga-rock. “What She’s Done To Your Mind” is from their 1983 debut, and is almost pure Byrds, circa 1967. They’d follow up their debut with an excellent EP, Explosions In The Glass Palace (now available as a twofer with the debut), which made the psychedelia much more explicit.

15. Fire Town: Carry The Torch
Completely forgotten today, Fire Town was a trio of Duke Erikson (vocals, guitar), Phil davis (vocals, guitar), and Butch Vig (drums, backing vocals). Vig and Erikson were alumni of the band Spooner when they formed Fire Town in 1987. Their music was light and tuneful, with singalong chorus hooks. They never really broke, and after two unsuccessful albums, they broke up in 1989. Vig went on to produce Nirvana’s Nevermind, and many other credits. “Carry The Torch” is pretty lightweight, even by jangle pop standards, but it is a pleasant piece of mid-80’s rootsy ear candy.

16. Dumptruck: For The Country
Led by Kirk Swan and Seth Tiven, Dumptruck had minor success on college radio in the 1980’s before braking up amid problems with their label; they’ve since reformed and released new material twice. “For The Country” is the title tune from the final album of their first run, a wistful affair. While all three of their albums are tuneful, if not well remembered jangle pop gems, this one is the best place to start.

17. The Razorcuts: Sorry To Embarrass You
Another English band, this one part of the pre-Twee-Pop movement, C-86. “Sorry To Embarrass You” was the title cut of their debut EP in 1986. Led by Tim Vass and Gregory Webster, the band specialized in a slightly low-fi pop that emphasized melody and whimsy, and bore sonic similarities to the American jangle pop bands. It was a short lived band (as were most C-86 bands), but produced an enjoyable if slim body of work. Try R is For…Razorcuts, a 2002 compilation on Matador.

18. Tommy Keene: Places that Are Gone
From Bethesda, MD, Keen plays guitar-based melodic pop that sits well among the other jangle-pop titles. While his discography begins in 1982, he had been playing music since the mid-70’s when he was a teen playing drums in Blue Steel with Mike Lofgren (Nils’ brother). In college he formed a band called the Rage with cult singer/songwriter Richard X. Heyman. He then played in The Razz, which was active on the DC punk scene, and opened for Patti Smith. “Places That Are Gone” is from Songs From The Film, a 1986 debut on Geffen (a version of the song had been released in 1984 on an indie label debut). Produced by Geoff Emerick, this sounds like a big production designed to break keene bigtime; instead, the album flopped. Still, a fine track, although the hard-to-find original is much better, and more jangle-pop in sound.

19. The Connells: Stone Cold Yesterday
From Raleigh, NC, the Connells (fronted by guitarist Mike Connell and bassist David Connell) were a jangle pop band that seemed all potential, but didn’t really deliver until 1990, with their excellent One Simple Word, their fourth album, which peaked at #168 on the charts, one of the band’s better showings. Sung by George Huntley, this is a prime slice of tuneful melodic pop, with enough guitar work to keep them within the range of jangle pop, even though their sound had been moving away from it for a few years. Their most recent album was released in 2001.

20. Marti Jones: Hiding The Boy
Singer/Songwriter Marti Jones isn’t really a jangle pop artist; she’s a singer/songwriter. However, she recorded her 1986 album Match Game with Mitch easter helping out, and frequently covered songs by jangle-pop bands, including the dB’s and the Bongos. “Hiding The Boy”, from her 1985 debut, Unsophisticated Time is written by her future husband Don Dixon with a nice, tasteful production that fits the genre bill. She has never charted a record, but has released seven albums, the most recent in 2002.

View and Listen to the FIQL Playlist Here

Read other columns in Buzzworthy.

You can see more of UAO's playlists at Freeway Jam.

I love your article and your list but a slight correction on "there she goes again". Sixpence None the Richer covered "there she goes" by the La's, an original by a very great jangle pop band from Australia. Not "there she goes again" by Loud Reed. Again, thanks for the list!