The Underground of Happiness

Keep the pop gems coming in this wet steamy summer.

Playlist
Mambo Noir Trio – Matador (Oona Records)
Laurence Pike – Dance of the earth (The Leaf Label)
Kingo Dia Ntotila – Mutwashi (Fancy Cat Remix) (Pussyfoot Records)
Purple Mountains – Margaritas at the mall (Drag City)
Bananagun – Do yeah (Full Time Hobby)
Corey King – Fertility filter (Def Pressé)
Cross Record – The fly (Ba Da Bing)
Alasdair Roberts – The evernew tongue (Drag City)
Drahla – Pyramid Estate (Captured Tracks)
Gruff Rhys – Pang (Rough Trade)
Hochzeitskapelle – Sonido Amazonico (Gutfeeling Records/Broken Silence)
Manu Louis – Internet (Igloo Records)
Mermaidens – I might disappear (Flying Nun)
Sarathy Korwar – Bol (The Leaf Label)
Band of Holy Joy – Electric pilgrims
Terry – Spud (Upset The Rhythm)
Twen – Damsel (Frenchkiss Records)
Cabogato – Drive on dust (Hidden Shoal)
Solo Collective – By the tower, at nightfall (Nonostar Records)
Dubi Dolczek – Tangerine Moon (Stolen Body Records)
Haleiwa – HKI-9 (Morr Music…

Playlist
Sufjan Stevens – Love yourself (Asthmatic Kitty)
Aldous Harding – Fixture picture (4AD)
Pozi – Engaged (Prah Recordings)
Jane Weaver – Slow motion (LITSS variation) (Fire Records)
Stereo Total – Einfach (Tapete)
Apparat – Caronte (Mute)
Holy Hive feat. Mary Lattimore – Oh I miss her so (Big Crown Records)
Laurence Pike – Taught by spirits (The Leaf Label)
Polypores – Third level (Front & Follow)
Lewsberg – Chances
Vanishing Twin – Magician’s success (Fire Records)
The Catenary Wires – Dream town (Tapete)
Lee Hazlewood with Nina Lizell – Leather and lace (Light in the Attic)
Purple Mountains – All my happiness is gone (Drag City)
Sam Evian – Cherry tree (Saddle Creek)
RaleghLong – Dukes of Stratosphear (Gare du Nord)
Rozi Plain – Swing shut (Memphis Industries)
Prefab Sprout – I trawl the megahertz (excerpt) (Sony)
Prefab Sprout – Appetite (acoustic) (Columbia)
The Go Betweens – Core of a flame (Beggars Banquet)
Red Channel – Crazy diamonds (Upset The Rhythm)
Bill Callah…

There's a few tunes there now like...

Playlist
Fixity – Becoming an earthworm (Penske Recordings)
Spill Gold – Dali (Meduse MagiQ)
Laurence Pike – Drum chant (The Leaf Label)
Pozi – Watching you suffer (Prah Recordings)
Drahla – Stimulus for living (Captured Tracks)
Pill Fangs – Pain inside (Sunstone Records)
The Pinheads – Feel it now (Stolen Body Records)
Mdou Moctar – Ilana (Sahel Sounds)
Death & Vanilla – A flaw in the iris (Fire Records)
Rozi Plain – Conditions (Memphis Industries)
Lali Puna – Being water (Morr Music)
Vanishing Twin – KRK (At home in strange places) (Fire Records)
Von Spar feat. Laetitia Sadier – Extend the song (Bureau B)
Wand – Scarecrow (Drag City)
Samsara – Yellow fangs (Tiny Room/Hidden Shoal)
The Proper Ornaments – Please release me (Tapete)
Dana Gavanski – One by one (Full Time Hobby)
Bobby Oroza – Your love is too cold (Big Crown Roecords)
Hiss Golden Messenger – Everybody needs somebody (Merge)
Nilufer Yanya – Tears (Ato Records)
Holy Ghost –…

New music in the ether in this new year.*

(*A couple of exceptions, The Shacks who I just learned of lately, released last year, and a few others from end of 2018.)

Music from Oslo, Cork, Berlin, Glasgow, Brooklyn, Brisbane, North Carolina, Athens, Rotterdam, Dublin, Niger, Bavaria, Bilbao, Tucson and more in here.

Enjoy.

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Playlist
Lali Puna – Being water (Morr Music)
Coldharbourstores – Disenchantment (Enraptured Records)
Deerhunter – Plains (4AD)
C Duncan – Impossible (Fat Cat)
Tim Presley’s White Fence – I can dream you (Drag City)
Cosmic Range – Breathing water (Idee Fixe Records)
Sarah Louise – Rime (Thrill Jockey)
The Telescopes – Don’t place your happiness in the hands of another (Tapete)
The Last Sound – Cyclical pang (Fort Evil Fruit)
Julia Kent – Crepusculo (The Leaf Label)
Rozi Plain – Symmetrical (Memphis Industries)
North Sea Radio Orchestra – The flower (Bandcamp)
Shana Cleveland – Face of the sun (Hardly Art Records)
The Shacks – Blue…

The third and final part of my Best of 2018 round up.

Some folk sounds. A few soundtrack cuts. Hint of ambient. A share of dream pop.

Great memories of 2018 for me. And again it must be said that it was another wonderful year for music in this neck of the woods.

Enjoy.

Playlist
Jessica Risker – I see you among the stars (Western Vinyl)
Jim Ghedi – Sloade Lane (Basin Rock Records)
Alasdair Roberts, Amble Skuse & David McGuinness – Babylon (Drag City)
Jack Hayter – At Crossness Pumping Station (Gare du Nord)
Caroline Says – First song (Western Vinyl)
The Saxophones – Aloha (Full Time Hobby)
Jennifer Castle – Texas (Paradise of Bachelors)
Gabriel Naim Amor – Just before revelation (Vacilando ’68)
LOMA – Dark oscillations (Sub Pop)
Tenniscoats – Ende (Alien Transistor)
Spirit Fest – Anohito (Till the gate) (Alien Transistor)
Landless – Caoin (Humble Serpent)
Kathryn Joseph – we have been loved by our mothers (Rock Action)
Low – Always trying to work it out (S…

The 2nd instalment of my Best of 2018 review.

In no particular order although I wouldn't argue if you forced me to pick Kacey Johansing (pictured) as my album of the year.

3rd part to follow soon.

Enjoy.

Playlist
Kacy & Clayton – The light of day (New West Records)
Hiss Golden Messenger – Rock holy (Merge)
Jess Williamson – I see the white (Mexican Summer)
Kacey Johansing – Do you want me (Night Bloom Records/Melodic)
Get Well Soon – Martyrs (City Slang)
Lake Ruth – Julia’s call (Feral Child)
Those Unfortunates – John Cronin is unwell
Hater – I wish I gave you more time because I love you (Fire)
Tanukichan – Perfect (Company Records)
The Sea & Cake – I should care (Thrill Jockey)
Crayola Lectern – Rescue mission (Onomatopoeia)
BOYTOY – Mary Anne (Stolen Body Records)
La Luz – Cicada (Hardly Art)
The Chills – Bad sugar (Fire)
Comet Gain – If not tomorrow (Tapete)
Damien Jurado – Allocate (Secretly Canadian)
Daniel Knox feat. Nina Nastasia – The p…