The Bangles

Rising out of the jangle-pop underbelly of ’80s L.A., The Bangles entered pop consciousness on the back of angelic all-girl harmonies and, eventually, slick-as-hell new pop production—as well as one peculiar dance craze. The Bangles’ early material wrapped folk-rock and garage influences around bright, concise songwriting, and garnered them a small but influential fandom—including a man named Prince, who wrote “Manic Monday” for their next album. Soon the group was traveling down the path to multiplatinum records and digital funk-pop accents that never quite jelled with their jangly origins. And then came “Walk Like An Egyptian,” a smash that would forever embalm The Bangles’ legacy and tie them to their era. Their first new album in seven years, the Matthew Sweet-produced Sweetheart Of The Sun,is a throwback—not to the ’80s, but the sunny psych-pop of the ’60s. 

Updated 09/20/2011