The jangle-o-meter says we’re running low and that means we need a super-charged dose of trebly guitars and spooky shoe-gazey vocals to fill the tank. Luckily we can fill up right here with this instalment of Jangle Thursday!

Birmingham Alabama’s Slack Times provide another great slab of indie jangle on their new EP Gone Things. The effort is just four songs long but each one is a real treat. Kick off song “Gone Things” has the band delivering their most Byrdsian opener ever, only to have the mix transform into a more 1980s English guitar band sound when the vocals kick in. “Hatchback” is a jaunty and droney number with the pep of The Primitives giving their rehearsal space a good workout. Things dip into a more punky jangle vibe on “In the Way” while “Coattails” dials into a more 1960s atmosphere and pacing. At the end of the four tunes you’ve only clocked in roughly eleven minutes of music, it’s true. That might seem slight but trust me, with this outfit, that’s quality time.

Next up, a new single from the ever opinionated Stuart Pearce. Because he’s not a guy to bury the lead “Fuck No, I Jangle” gets right to the point with its in-your-face title and surging jangle guitars. Pearce makes smart music meant to shake his audience out of their political and musical complacency (see his previous single “The Bosses Are Stealing Your Days” for the full monty on this approach). This new song is, thankfully, no exception. Over to Paris, France for EggS who have a new album on the way, Crafted Achievement. The range of promised song titles are intriguing, from “High Waisted Jeans” to “Angry Silence.” But on the listening front we have only the pre-release single “Head In Flames.” So far, I’m loving what this album promises to be, if this song is anything to go by. The opening slide guitar is reminiscent of the faux Hawaiian style of the Spongebob opening song, a very promising start for me. But as things carry on the slide and jangle guitars meld with the Everything Everything-like vocals to create something completely different. And the trumpet solo is just an added bonus.

Vapour Trails head honcho Kevin Robertson is back with another stellar contribution to his already impressive solo career, The Call of the Sea. The record contains eleven reliably hooky tunes saturated in his own inimitable jangle style. “Ghosting” gets things started with a surge of ringing guitars, leavened with a layered vocal mix that is definitely uplifting. Next “The Guilt Trip” offers up a more mannered guitar pop song, with the guitar lead line popping in like punctuation. From there the record moves effortlessly across and between genres. “Windows on the Sun” sounds a bit CSN&Y, “Just Give Me Time” echoes an old time folk ballad, “Search for Replies” has a more country undercurrent (propelled by some pretty pedal steel playing), while “Ode to Stephen” adds a strong psychedelic feel to the proceedings. Personally I’m really digging “Rain Again.” The track is a confectionary of cool sounds, from the enigmatic solo lead guitar opener, to the organ shots, to the slightly menacing take on California pop vocals. And for maximum jangle, you can tune into “The Fortune Teller Lied.” For a less intense sonic assault, you can also partake of a stripped version of the LP, which alters the song order, adds a few surprises (like the lovely live version of Big Star’s “Thirteen”), but is no less captivating.

Nothing like jangle to give your day that added boost of musical sunshine. And let’s face it, Thursday really needs that. Don’t fail to visit these artists on every other day of the week too with the conveniently embedded hyperlinks above.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.