Celebrating their 30th year anniversary, The Bangles’ newest album Sweetheart of the Sun, has all the requisite power pop touch points (The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Byrds) and co-produced by Matthew Sweet. Combining their trademark angelic harmonies with jangling guitar riffs, the band is now a trio; Susanna Hoffs (guitar) and sisters Vicki (guitar) and Debbie Peterson (drums); former bassist Mickey Steele is the only original member to leave the group. While many will consider this a successful “retro” album – it really is the band leaning on those 60’s pop roots to produce a more confident and timeless approach. The feminine harmonies are seamless and the melody lines will instantly stick in your head, from the opening track “Anna Lee (Sweetheart of the Sun)” all the way through to the Todd Rundgren penned “Open My Eyes.”
The music here is so good it’s hard to find fault here as this is a solid comeback for the band. The lead vocal duties are split amongst the many tracks, notable are Susanna’s “I’ll Never Be Through With You” and Vicki’s “Mesmerized.” The slower mid-tempo number “Circles In The Sky” denotes the more mature Bangles, as Peterson’s vocal is deeper and assured. They still can rock a hard riff on “Sweet and Tender Romance” and the harmonies reach its apex with “Through Your Eyes.” Both musicianship and songwriting are simply perfect here – not a weak track in the bunch. This makes it an easy choice to give a top ten nomination for best power pop album this year.
