Genre Analysis: Jangle Pop

Roseta Cork
Aug 7, 2018
3 min read

Jangle Pop is a pop rock or alternative rock sub genre that originated in the around the late 70s to the early 80s. This genre is different to any rock genre as it consists of jangly sounding guitars (typically 12 stringed guitars) with simple melodies that can sound bright and upbeat, or moody or trip, (Tv Tropes, 2018). Jangle Pop was also seen as non-mainstream music as it most jangle pop artists' sounds were raw or demo-like and it was seen as a DIY kind of genre (AllMusic, 2018). This genre is influenced by psychedelic rock and folk pop, as well as the Californian Paisley Underground Movement (Rate Your Music, 2018). Some of the most famous Jangle Pop artists are R.E.M., The Byrds, The Smiths, The Go-Betweens and also, Mac DeMarco, probably the most well-known jangle pop artist amongst today's youth. Here's a couple of Jangle Pop songs from some of the first artists:

Cattle and Cane - The Go-Betweens

This Charming Man - The Smiths

Talk About The Passion - R.E.M.

Mr Tambourine Man - The Byrds

History

The American Post Punk Movement, Jangle pop, was most prominent in the 80s and was seen as an influence to the underground alternative rock genre on an international level, with countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. starting to produce artists in the Jangle Pop genre (Peake, 2017). Most of the Jangle Pop artists hailed from America, particularly in the west coast as that area was known as the Paisley Underground because of the heavy psychedelic rock influence, (TV Tropes, 2018). By the late 80s, Jangle Pop began to die down as grunge and "harder-edged" alternative rock genres started to rise and there were more and more jangle pop bands and artists that were sounding very similar to each other. (TV Tropes, 2018). Under this emergence though, more underground bands started to produce music that were influenced by the jangle pop's aesthetics and melodic focus, which nowadays is referred to indie pop or indie rock (Peake, 2017).

Key Instruments/Sounds of Jangle Pop

Deriving from psychedelic and folk rock of the 60s as well as power pop, Jangle Pop had a distinct sound as it was known for its chiming melodies and the ringing treble-tone guitars. One of the main instruments that were used in Jangle Pop in the 80s was the Rickenbacker 12 String electric guitar, especially the Rickenbacker 360/12. This electric guitar has a semi-hollow body and a thru-hollow neck and has a unique chiming sound. Check the videos below to hear the unique tones of the Rickenbacker guitars.

R.E.M. riffs on a Rickenbacker 360

Johnny Marr - Rickenbacker 330

A popular jangle pop artist today that most people my age would know is Canadian born, Mac DeMarco, a multi-instrumentalist and producer, who also produces lo-fi, psychedelic and indie rock music. He's famous for producing jangly tunes and having bright and ring melodies, which are all characteristics of Jangle Pop. Have a listen to some of his tracks below:

Ode To Viceroy - Mac DeMarco

Freaking Out The Neighbourhood - Mac DeMarco

The Stars Keep On Calling My Name - Mac DeMarco

Hopefully from this genre analysis, you'll have a better understanding of Jangle Pop. I've never heard of this genre before and only came across this genre while searching for the specific music genre that has very prominent jangly guitars, as I always hear it in songs and knew it wasn't an indie or psychedelic genre. In my music productions, my main guitar melodies are always upfront in the mix and normally have a different effect compared to the other guitar parts so I'm glad to have investigated a music genre that is known for having upfront guitars with unique tones and effects.