Manic Monday

I gotta say, it’s really fun doing this little project of mine, delving into a random genre via one artist at a time really keeps things interesting for me; I think I know what I’m getting into, but sometimes I get thrown a curveball. For example, diving into The Bangles for the past week was not just a stroll down 1980’s summer pop lane as I expected.

Initially, The Bangles took a lot of influence from 60’s rock and British invasion rock then mixed in a bit of New Wave; you can tell by the tones on their guitars and general playing style and effects. It’s fun to listen to, and some of their hits will be known for generations (even if occasionally in a mocking way).

If you only listen to the stuff released in the 80’s you’ll get mostly what you expect, as well as a few other gems that I can’t believe I haven’t heard before. There are some awesome tracks that I am so glad I found and will be happy to listen to again in the future.

What a lot of people probably don’t know, however, is that the band reunited in 2000 after having broken up in 1989. They have released two albums since then, Doll Revolution in 2003, and Sweetheart of the Sun in 2011. When I started listening to The Bangles for this post, I started at the most recent album and worked my way back. I gotta say, They have been up to some good stuff.

Their newer songs hold true to the spirit of their original sound, keeping things fun and their instrumentation similar though probably with more modern gear; I can’t hear as much of the 80’s signature synth as is in their earlier work, and the overall production quality is better. Their vocals are the same in style, though the voices themselves are a little more mature. I can hear a bit more Psychedelic rock influence than I anticipated, but maybe I should have expected that.

The bangles older stuff is great as well. There are the classics which most people know, primarily “Walk Like An Egyptian” “Manic Monday” and “Eternal Flame”, as well as some great other songs. I was especially a fan of “James” and “Going Down To Liverpool”

Overall, I am pleases with their library. The Bangles are more than “Walk Like An Egyptian”, though that is a great song. Really, it has an awesome groove, fun vocal arrangement, and great tones. It’s a bit silly and very fun, which is sometimes exactly what you want. I mean, just look at this picture:

Here are my top tracks for The Bangles, from newest to oldest:

“Anna Lee (Sweetheart of the Sun)”

“Under a Cloud”

“Open My Eyes”

“Mesmerized”

“Tear Off Your Own Head (It’s a Doll Revolution)”

“Eternal Flame”

“Manic Monday” Fun fact, this song was written by Prince.

“Walk Like An Egyptian”

“James”

“Going Down To Liverpool”

I definitely recommend you listen to “Under a Cloud” and “James”, those might be my favorite two finds for this band. I couldn’t find a good video for “Under a Cloud”, so to give you an idea of their more recent songs here’s a video for “Anna Lee” in what looks like an acoustic session:

I think that’s it for this post, onwards to another genre shift: we’re gonna hit up the Barenaked Ladies for the next one, and I’m super excited to see what they’ve got for me!