jangle pop | Musicosity

jangle pop

Steve Kilbey

Self-described genius and musical megalomaniac, committed blogger at The Time Being and compulsive music-maker. Multi-instrumental arch wit and vegan. His band the Church have survived for almost 30 years (since 1980) in spite of/because of him. A joker, a toker, a midnight sleeper with five incredible daughters in two hemispheres. Handle with extreme caution.

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The Zebras

On first blush, this sounds like the latest gorgeous, jangly guitar pop record from somewhere north of Manchester. Belle and Sebastian meet the better moments of the Lightning Seeds, with Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame strumming away. But on closer listening there's a certain local twang to both the voices and the music on the second production from this unheralded Brisbane six-piece. There's nary a foot, or a note, wrong on this, and the Zebras can lay claim to being, if not the heirs, then at least the love child of the Go-Betweens.

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The Caretaker Race

The Caretaker Race were an indie pop band formed in East London in 1986 when singer/guitarist Andy Strickland (also a part-time music journalist) left The Loft. Strickland recruited Dave Mews (drums), Henry Hersom (bass guitar|bass), and Sally Ward (keyboards). The band's name came from a Star Trek paperback adventure. Gaining comparisons with The Go-Betweens, they initially released a brace of singles on their own Roustabout Records label before signing to the Foundation label in 1989. Hersom left to join Bob, his replacement being ex-Flatmates bassist Jackie Carrera.

Read more about The Caretaker Race on Last.fm.

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Northern Portrait

Northern Portrait is a indie pop group from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band was founded in July 2007. The band lists a few 80's bands among the influences (The Smiths, Echo And The Bunnymen and The Housemartins) and has recorded two EPs on the Matinée label, who signed them after just a few weeks after they uploaded their first demos on Myspace. An album is on the way.

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Galaxie 500

There are two bands with the name Galaxie 500:
1) an American alternative rock band that formed in 1987 and split in 1991
2) a francophone indie garage rock formed in 2002 in Montreal, Canada, and now known as Galaxie 1) Galaxie 500 formed in Boston, MA in 1986 and comprised vocalist/guitarist Dean Wareham (a transplanted New Zealand native), bassist Naomi Yang and drummer Damon Krukowski, longtime friends who first met in high school in New York City before all three attended Harvard University.

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The Brilliant Corners

At long last a band is being recognised for the influence it has had without the commercial acclaim that some of their songs deserved.
This seminal Bristol band consisted of a nucleus of Chris Galvin (bass) and David Woodward (vocals and guitars) with Bob Morris (drums) plus various others during their ten years of existence.
Through various styles they created a unique Bristol slant on the 80's which was never deemed glamorous by the press or music gliterrati in general. Some may say that the Bristol scene was insular but it was really about being yourself and getting on with things.

Read more about The Brilliant Corners on Last.fm.

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The Loft

There are at least 3 bands on last.fm named The Loft: 1) The Loft is an English guitar pop band from the 80s. They released eps & a lp on Creation Records. They broke up and frontman Peter Astor created The Weather Prophets with the drummer then went solo. They came back in 2006. Most of The Loft songs on last.fm are by them. 2) The Loft is a Danish pop duo consisting of sampling artists Jakob Weise Hellum and Martin Bøge Pedersen.

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The Jaywalkers

The Jaywalkers were a Greek c86-era band formed by Paschalis Plissis and Giorgos Mouchtarides. The two were previously in a punk band called Migraine. Their only ever release was their “mini LP” a four-track 12” on Virgin Hellas in 1987. Although the 12” was a commercial failure then, it has now become highly sought after, due to the relative success of the track (You Can’t Be) Happy All the Time which featured on Pop Art’s Try A Little Sunshine compilation.

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The Barracudas

This London-based Anglo-Canadian band, whose members include Jeremy Gluck (vocals), Robin Wills (guitar), David Buckley (bass), and Nick Turner (drums), was formed in 1979 and scored a U.K. chart hit in 1980 with the neo-surf song "Summer Fun." Turner and Buckley left after the release of the first album Drop Out With the Barracudas (1981) and were replaced by Jim Dickson and Terry Smith. Chris Wilson also joined on guitar.

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