Single Review: Always you by Charity Shop Pop (2018) (The Label Recordings)

Charity Shop Pop is the moniker of Dave Hughes, derived after buying a charity shop electric guitar used on this track from a charity shop in his home town of Ormskirk, Merseyside. 

The name sits comfortably as it encompasses the simple clarity of the guitar melodies that are surrounded by all manner of Macbook accompaniments,in an aesthetic that could be described as shabby luscious, if not quite shabby chic.

Whilst the general clarity of jangled guitar work has the sort of lush clarity and perfections of early 80's jangled indie-pop, the overall sound of this single can never be dismissed as simplistic, for it imbues simply too many influences.

Album Review - Closure by Gorgeous Bully (2018) (Breakfast Records)

Gorgeous Bully are the project of Manchester based, Thomas Crang, who received widespread critical acclaim in the musical worlds that matter (indie community and blogs), with his superlative 2017 Great Blue album.

Stylistically, Closure has a somewhat similar aesthetic, as Crang delves through the gamut of emotions that being in love, out of love and opining love can force upon the open-hearted. However this album sees a definitive change in intensity and tempo that accentuates the fluctuations between the slightly reluctant lyrical exuberance and resignation.

Album Review: Cities by Useless Youth (2018) (Cane Records)

It would be easy to suggest that Mexico City four piece, Useless Youth, have been causing quite a stir among the good people at  'Janglepophub Towers' this year, if it were not for the fact that the people referred to is actually just me, the 'towers' are nothing more salubrious than a semi-detached house and any reference to 'good' will undoubtedly be debated by several ex-girlfriends.

However, there is no debate about the merits of Useless Youth. They slipped firmly onto our radars from May this year, with three superb digital singles, Expectations (see below), En Este Lugar and Goodbye, all of which are included on this album and are accompanied by  the brilliance and beauty of previously unheard tracks like Cities (see below), Out Of Time and the weird fragilty of of Before Staying Goodbye (see below).

October Readers Choice

October 2018 saw Janglepophub feature 109 tracks on our album reviews / #dailyjanglepop series and on our various social media sites. These covered a vast array of janglepop nuanced tracks from the 980/00/10's.

The Readers Choice Top 20 (see below) is decided purely by the 7 day engagement rates of the janglepophub readership on our various social media sites, including blog link clicks.

Album Review: Pulp Music by Neurotic Fiction (2018) (Specialist Subject Records)

It is the law of the veritable 'sod' that the very moment a 'best of 2018 so far' article is posted, Murphy will exercise his considerable muscle and ensure that another obvious contender is posted soon after...Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Neurotic Fiction's debut album, one so fine it completely exposes janglepophub continued sufferance of premature unhatched chicken counting.

Although the album consists of two primary musical groupings, it certainly does not reduce the all-consuming complexities of the overall aesthetic. The initial conglomerate of tracks, led by the brilliance of lead single Collateral, Mediator, Meaning of Lyf and stand out Bell Curve, juxtaposes the current Brooklyn ramshackle jangle-pop of bands such as Olden Yolk and Holy Tunics, to the propulsion of a C86 style  Shop Assistants or The Groove Farm.

EP Review - Time Sides With No One by Dolly Spartans (2017) (Self Released)

A couple of weeks ago the opening verse of Hanging Out ear-wormed into my mind and resulted in this EP from New York 4 piece, Dolly Spartans, becoming something of a permanent recent fixture on my daily playlists.

This brilliant track (see below) is perhaps indicative of the general aesthetic. Essentially it is indie rock that appears to be influenced by the mid-2000's Postcard Records led by Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party and the spiky, angular guitar works of 1980s bands such the Fire Engines and Josef K. 

Album Review - Mama Pancake by Eggs on Mars (2018) (Self Released)

Regular readers will know of the janglepophub love-in with Joplin, Missouri based jangle/surf-gaze band Tennis Club. Joining them in the quest to ensure the surf transgresses the twelve-hour drive to the same state is Kansas City-based Eggs on Mars.

Eggs on Mars provide a far more traditional surf-pop sound to their counterparts and lace it with a definitive pysch-pop alliance. There is no comparative shoegaze jangling riffs on show here, as the faster tempo tracks such as Red Haired Darling,  Doing Fine and Don't Listen (see below) playfully bounce, chime and twang in a manner that evokes notions of those hottest of youthful summer nights where a party has just 'developed' with irradiated spontaneity.

EP Review - Not Sad, Not Fulfilled by Grrrl Gang (2018) (Kolibri Rekords)

I discovered Grrrl Gang via the superb Just a Game track that was featured on the Jan '18 Various Artists Strawberry Punks EP out of Indonesian label, Dismantled (which is well worth checking out here, considering it is not included upon any of their studio releases) and after pressing the Bandcamp follow button, a 10 month wait has been rewarded with this luscious slice of jangly indie pop out of another Indonesian label, Kolibri Records.

Single Review: Red Dust by The Suncharms (2018) (Slumberland Records)

French based label, Cloudberry Records, have been on a quest to promote the bands that 1980/1990s time forgot for many years now. One band receiving their 'retrospective compilation' treatment was Sheffield based five piece, The Sun Charms, whose entire studio output (consisting of two Wilde Club Records EP's from the early 90's) and several demos were released on a superlative compilation.

Single Review: Goodguy Sun by Karla Kane (2018) (Big Stir Records)

I always associate LA based Big Stir Records with the sort of warm, vibrant, rock laced power-pop that you really should seek out to accompany every good time. This aesthetic could sound generic, however label owners Rex Broome and Christina Bulbenko have displayed the delightful habit of always finding and backing those bands that have an edge / indecipherable quirk that makes them different.

Compilation Review - Compact & Bijou by The Mayfields (2018) (Firestation Records)

Firestation Records have assumed the mantle of chief musical archaeologists over the years. Not just because of their superb The Sound of Leamington Spa series, which has provided me with some quite wonderful tracks from bands I have never heard of or have been re-acquainted with after seeing them support the latest 'indie sensation' one rainy Tuesday night in some place like Skegness, but also because they have the brilliant ability to find the best of the 'should have been big bands' and make them just that, for an hour or so on their brilliant compilation CD's.

Single Review: C.U. by bdrmm (2018) (Permanent Creeps)

I have basically been Japanese for the last couple of months. Not that I have acquired a sudden taste for uncooked fish, battered fried vegetables, spiky mullet haircuts or a penchant for the sort of unnecessary technology that can wipe your bum in 17 different languages, but more specifically in my exploration and enjoyment of their jangle-gaze scene. Bands such as Seventeen Years Old and Berlin Wall, Asobi Seksu and Luggage have all demanded my attention of late.

Fickle Finger Playlist #0006 (The Best of 2018 So Far)

Fickle Finger #0006 is all about 2018 with blog readership providing their favourite bands and then out Editorial team (or me to be exact) giving 10 of my favourite tracks this year.

There is a little bit of text and pictures for each band/track below as well as the Mixcloud playlist. Enjoy !!!

Split Single Review: Lake Ruth (feat Listening Center) / Pale Lights (2018) (Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten)

The Augsburg (Germany) based Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten label is the passion of founder Ronny Pinkau. With passion (often) comes success and for Ronny, a roster  that includes the likes of Jetstream Pony, Friedrich Sunlight, The BV's , The Luxembourg Signal and Pale Lights, has to be considered a triumph. Especially considering the label only started in 2015.