The Rondelles - Shined Nickels and Loose Change

I came across The Rondelles because I picked up The Fox as a speculative buy at my favorite vinyl spot. The cover looked cool and I think I only paid a dollar for it, so it wasn't much of a risk. It was so good that I returned later that day to buy Fiction Romance Fast Machines and have been on a quest to own all The Rondelles I can get my reasonably clean hands on ever since.

The Rondelles came rocking right out of high school. The band features two girls that I totally woulda had a crush on in high school (we would've actually been in high school at the same time and only one state away from each other) on guitar, vocals, and bass. They also have a drummer who plays a three piece kit while standing up. That same drummer also played the keyboard parts and was known to do it with his drum sticks. It's exactly the sort of indie DIY spirit that I can get behind.

The Rondelles sound sort of garage-ish, but have a quirky sensibility and a vintage vibe. It's like Cub meets Elastica. Their songs are brimming with adorableness and seem both aware and transcendent of the high school experience. I love the part where I get so carried away talking about the band that I forget to talk about the album.

Shined Nickels and Loose Change is a collection of tracks that were previously only available on EP's, 7" singles and/or Teen Beat Records compilations. Since everything but the full-length albums are getting scarce, this is a handy compilation to own. It's almost as good as the full-length records, and tracks like the cover of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" are a very welcome addition to my Rondelles collection.