| Jangle pop | |
|---|---|
 ARickenbacker 360/12, the model widely known for its "jangly" guitar sound. | |
| Etymology | Jangle |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s to mid-1980s, United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand |
| Typical instruments | 12-string electric guitar |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
Jangle pop is asubgenre ofpop rock andindie rock that emphasizesjangly guitars and 1960s-stylepop melodies.[1] The "jangly" guitar sound is characterized by its clean, shimmering andarpeggiated tone, often created using12-string electric guitars. The term is usually applied to late 1970s/early 1980s bands emerging from thepost-punk scene, often influenced by 1960s groups such as theByrds. Notable acts includeBig Star,R.E.M. andthe Smiths.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, prominent early jangle pop groups includedBig Star,R.E.M.,the dB's,[3]10,000 Maniacs,[4] andthe Smiths.[5] In the early to mid 1980s, the term "jangle pop" emerged as a label for an Americanpost-punk movement that recalled the sounds of "jangly" acts from the 1960s. Between 1983 and 1987, the description "jangle pop" was used to describe bands like R.E.M. andLet's Active as well as thePaisley Underground subgenre, which incorporatedpsychedelic influences.[1]
In 1979, theAthens, Georgia, groupPylon debuted with an "angular, propulsive jangle pop sound" that would influence fellow members of the Athens, Georgia music scene.[6] AnAllMusic summary of modern jangle pop describes it as a "pop-based format", but not mainstream, as the lyrics could often be "deliberately cryptic", and the sound "raw and amateurish" withDIY production.[1]Subsequent jangle-pop bands that arose in the 1980s were hugely influenced by the 1960s folk rock bands such asthe Byrds, Richie Unterberger writes "The whole school of 1980s alternative jangle-pop bands, led by R.E.M., owed much to the Byrds in their ringing guitars. Around 1987 it seemed that every other week saw another album by R.E.M. imitators who might have been imitating the Byrds' 12-string guitars without ever having even heard the Byrds."[7]
New Zealand'sDunedin sound was a key scene of jangle pop. Bands such asthe Chills,the Clean,the Verlaines,the Bats andStraitjacket Fits synthesised 1970salternative rock andpost-punk with jangle,[8] and the scene soon spread toAuckland and other New Zealand cities.
Between 1983 and 1987, "Southern-pop bands likeR.E.M. andLet's Active and a California-originated subgenre namedPaisley Underground incorporatedpsychedelic influences.[1] An article inBlogcritics magazine claims that, besides R.E.M., the "only other jangle-pop band to enjoy large sales in America werethe Bangles, from Los Angeles. While better known for their glossy hits like 'Manic Monday',their first album andEP were organic, real jangle-pop efforts in a Byrds/Big Star vein, spiced with a dash of psychedelia on their debut."[9]
Jangle pop influencedcollege rock during the early 1980s.[10] InAustin, Texas, the termNew Sincerity was loosely used for a similar group of bands, led bythe Reivers,Wild Seeds and True Believers.[11]
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