Cool Ghouls – When you were gone (Empty Cellar Records/Melodic Records)

There’s a gorgeous Byrdsian flow to this single from the San Francisco band’s third album, the wonderful Animal races.

The vocals and guitars unfurl in unhurried fashion, culminating in some glorious steel guitar work.

It chimes and rings like (probably) only a Californian band truly can and the arrangement is all the more affecting for the counterpoint against the lyrical discussion of death and mortality.

It is roots music brought into contact with something very groovy.

A piece of class is what it is.

North Sea Radio Orchestra – Dronne (The Household Mark)

Another sublime set of tunes from Craig Fortnam and company which combines folk, kosmische and avant garde classical strands, taking the legacy of former band Cardiacs into fascinating new territory.

Woodwind and strings are strong and strident against a hushed motorik rhythm on centrepiece song ‘The British road’, a wonderfully sharp state of the nation analysis of Brexit era Britain – “when will they learn to fight like our men”, “how can I rise if you don’t fall.”

These poised swooping strings, along with the cooing woodwind, the signature guitar style of Craig Fortnam – courtly, playful, lithe – buzzing synths and the great pure singing of Craig’s wife Sharon against Craig’s reedier tones provide the core elements throughout.

The swoon of ‘Queen of all the day and night’, the cosmic twinkle of the title track, the plain straightforward beauty of ‘Alsace Lorraine’.

An inspiring and uplifting set that stirs the heart and brain from one of England’s most consistently rewarding groups.

Playlist 415 - Sept 20 2016

We had a good deal of instrumental music in this week, another 2 hour stint.

David Pajo is reportedly releasing new music soon, great to hear something from his 1999 masterpiece Live from a Shark Cage.

Some great soundtrack pieces from Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler and also Nick Cave & Warren Ellis.

Fixity with dark and enigmatic improv work. Elias Krantz with wonderful propulsive rhythms. And as near instrumental as makes no difference from Syrinx, great kosmische feel.

Plenty of people touring - TAU at Liverpool Psych Fest, The Goon Sax in the UK, Rats on Rafts in Ireland, Pascal Pinon, C Duncan, The Lemon Twigs.

More on these pages.



The Underground of Happiness
uplifting pop music of every creed

www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness
Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy

Playlist 415
Tues Sept 20 2016
11.00am-12.00pm
(repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm)
UCC 98.3FM
listen live on the web at www.ucc.ie/983fm
*listen back to this show here
goo.gl/WBUAfu

Playlist
XTC – Harvest Festival
The Monkees – You bring the summer
The Goon Sax – Sometimes accidentally (playing DIY Space, London, Sept 26)
The Ocean Party – Restless
Rats on Rafts/De Kift – Sleep little links 2 3 4 (playing Crane Lane Theatre, Cork, Sept 26, and other Irish dates)
Pumarosa – Cecile (playing Whelan's, Dublin, Oct 31)
North Sea Radio Orchestra – The British road
Tim Presley – Can you blame
TAU – Mo anam cara (playing Liverpool Psych Fest, Sept 24)
Bjork – Come to me (live)
Pascal Pinon – Fuglar (playing The Waiting Room, London, Nov 18)
C Duncan – Wanted to want it too
Grumbling Fur – Molten familiar
Jane & Barton – It’s a fine day

Hour 2

The Handsome Family – Back in my day (playing Union Chapel, London, March 2)
Howe Gelb – Paradise here abouts (playing Café Oto, London, Dec 10)
Bert Jansch – No one around
Elias Krantz – Patchwork Part 1
Fixity – stigmatostigmata
Syrinx – Tillicum
Papa M – Roadrunner
Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler – Stanislas
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Comancheria (from the soundtrack of the film Hell or High Water)
The Lemon Twigs – These words (playing ICA, London, Sept 22)
The Galaxy Electric – Temporal
littlebow – Some may transition
Jean Claude Vannier – La giraffe au ballon
Eden Ahbez – Eden’s Island
Yama Warashi – Quagmire moon
Jason Falkner – Hectified

*next week's show features music from Barry McCormack, The Chills & August Wells, among others

e-mail the show on radio@ucc.ie
or text +353 (0)86-7839800
please mark messages “uoh”

Conor O'Toole,
c/o UCC 98.3FM,
Áras na Mac Léinn,
Student Centre,
University College Cork,
Cork,
Ireland.

Angel Olsen – My woman (Jagjaguwar)

This is the Angel Olsen record I was waiting for.

There’s a lovely garage rock feel to the guitars, a setting that works very well with her voice.

It’s a wonderful voice of course. It can be tender, it can be harsh, soft, berating, pleading, encouraging. Soulful needless to say, capable of turning the direction of a line with some crucial inflection or a change of gear. Usually simmering with intent and always laden with emotion.

This guitar vocal combination is best showcased in the early sequence of ‘Never be mine’, ‘Shut up kiss me’ and ‘Give it up’, a killer run of love, loss and fuzzy guitars. (She also does a marvellous thing midway through ‘Shut up kiss me’ which involves a bank of Angel voices racking up the tension on one repeated note in glorious harmony.)

It must be said that she tries on other clothes over the course of the album (‘Those were the days’ is an especially gorgeous cosmic soul turn), and there’s no doubt she can turn her hand to many things, but for me those garage rock clothes fit her best of all.

Playlist 414 - Sept 13 2016

Brigid Mae Power is on tour this week, see her at Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh at the weekend, hear her here winding a magical extended drone.

A new album by The Moles, wonderful news and wonderful tunes.

Angel Olsen sounding firmly in control of her own destiny and yet somehow endearingly vulnerable.

August Wells, album out now in FIFA, great songs, great arrangements, say no more. More on these pages.



The Underground of Happiness
uplifting pop music of every creed

www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness
Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy

Playlist 414
Tues Sept 13 2016
11.00am-12.00pm
(repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm)
UCC 98.3FM
listen live on the web at www.ucc.ie/983fm
*listen back to this show here
goo.gl/dKigj3

Playlist
Brigid Mae Power – It’s clearing now (playing Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Sept 17)
Joe Sampson – My love
August Wells – She was a question
Itasca – Daylight under my wing
The Moles – Beauty Queen of Watts
Real Numbers – Wordless wonder
Cool Ghouls - When you were gone (playing Liverpool Psych Fest, Sept 23)
The Byrds – Goin back
Todd Tobias feat Chloe March – Pollen path
Sebastian Reynolds – Mahajanaka
Syrinx – Tumblers to the vault
Silver Apples – The edge of wonder (playing Liverpool Psych Fest, Sept 23-24)
Marcus Corbett – Strung deep
Angel Olsen – Never be mine (playing Concorde 2, Brighton, Oct 13)
The Avalanches – Because I’m me

*next week's show features music from Grumbling Fur, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis and Fixity, among others

e-mail the show on radio@ucc.ie
or text +353 (0)86-7839800
please mark messages “uoh”

Conor O'Toole,
c/o UCC 98.3FM,
Áras na Mac Léinn,
Student Centre,
University College Cork,
Cork,
Ireland.

Playlist 413 - Sept 6 2016

An extended show this week, 2 hours of goodness feat. loads of new music from

Fixity, superb freewheeling improv
Nathan Bowles, minimalist piano patterns reminiscient of Philip Glass
Laura Cannell, timeless & arresting double recorder tunes
Angel Olsen, tremendous garage rock w heart on sleeve
North Sea Radio Orchestra, great delicate folk songs
La Femme, invigorating psych tune w motorik backbeat

There's also some older treasures from Luna, Television, Stars of the Lid, The Unthanks and of course Gene Wilder RIP. More on these pages.



The Underground of Happiness
uplifting pop music of every creed

www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness
Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy

Playlist 413
Tues Sept 6 2016
11.00am-1.00pm
(repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm)
UCC 98.3FM
listen live on the web at www.ucc.ie/983fm
*listen back to this show here
goo.gl/v6TS7X

Playlist
Gene Wilder – Pure imagination (from the soundtrack of the film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory)
Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler – Stanislas
Ennio Morricone feat Edda Dell Orso – La lucertola (from the soundtrack of the film Una Lucertola Con La Pelle Di Donna)
Fixity – Hungry clouds
Chet Baker – My funny valentine
Stars of the Lid – Austin Texas Mental Hospital, Part 1 (playing Triskel Christchurch, Cork, Oct 8)
The Unthanks – Lucky Gilchrist (playing St Luke's Church, Cork, Sept 28)
Nathan Bowles – Chiaroscuro
Laura Cannell – The happiness of both worldes Part 1 (playing The Forge, Camden, Oct 25)
Luna – Sideshow by the seashore (playing O2 Academy, Islington, Oct 7)
Television – Friction
Angel Olsen – Shut up kiss me (playing KOKO, London, Oct 17)
Syd Arthur – Sun rays (playing Workman's Club, Dublin, Oct 26)
Steve Gunn – Heavy sails (playing Whelan’s, Dublin, Nov 16)
Scott & Charlene’s Wedding – Maureen (playing The Waiting Room, London, Oct 24)
Jherek Bischoff – Lemon
The Fiction Aisle – Salt in the wound
William Tyler – Gone clear
North Sea Radio Orchestra – Arcade
Kemper Norton – Seven stones 1
Virginia Wing – Grapefruit
La Femme – Sphynx
Bat For Lashes – If I knew (playing Mirrors Festival, London, Oct 29)
Alexis Taylor – I never lock that door (playing Cyprus Avenue, Cork, Sept 16)
Woven Hand – Golden blossoms (playing The Dome, London, Oct 18)
Trashcan Sinatras – Let me inside (Or let me out)
Allah-Las – Could be you (playing Mirrors Festival, London, Oct 29)
Christine & the Queens – Tilted (playing Brixton Academy, London, Nov 2+3)

*next week's show features music from The Moles, The Avalanches & C Duncan, among others

e-mail the show on radio@ucc.ie
or text +353 (0)86-7839800
please mark messages “uoh”

Conor O'Toole,
c/o UCC 98.3FM,
Áras na Mac Léinn,
Student Centre,
University College Cork,
Cork,
Ireland.

Christine & the Queens – Tilted (from the album Chaleur humaine, Because Music)

It’s fitting that this should turn out to be one of the songs of the year in which David Bowie and Prince both died, although it first came out last year.

Gender bending. Adventurous. Progressive. That’s Héloise Letissier.

That warped bass intro is second nature by now.

And that great pitter patter secondary bass line.

This is one of those songs you probably need the video more than most. Her dancing is part of the expression. A partner to her singing. Characterful. Individual. A little bit defiant.

It does the heart good to see the mainstream subject to an intervention like this.

*And for full live effect, also below is her performance of the song on Jools Holland a few months back, in a genius medley with ‘I feel for you’.