The Underground of Happiness

My favourite tunes of 2019.*

Sounds like another great year.

Enjoy.

*A few snuck in from other years on the basis that they happened for me in 2019.

So as well as the year of Twen, Purple Mountains, Vanishing Twin, Paul & The Tall Trees...

The year of Bright Phoebus.

The year of Steve McQueen (acoustic).

The year of Loch na hEala.



Playlist
Vanishing Twin – Magician’s success (Fire Records)
POZI – Engaged (Prah Recordings)
Weyes Blood – Everyday (Sub Pop)
Hiss Golden Messenger – My wing (Merge)
Charles Rumback & Ryley Walker – Half joking (Thrill Jockey)
Twen – Holy river (Frenchkiss Records)
Paul & The Tall Trees – Then we’ll wave (So long) (Big Crown Records)
Rozi Plain – Trouble (Memphis Industries)
Fixity – Becoming an earthworm (Penske Recordings)
C Duncan – Reverie (Fat Cat Records)
Sarah Louise – Late night healing choir (Thrill Jockey)
Bedouine – Tall man (Caroline)
Paperface – Little monsters (Daydream Records)
Purple Mountains – I loved bein…

Tunes.

To take stock.

Hibernate.

Consolidate.

Elucidate.

Funny old world.

Stick with the noise.

Enjoy.



Playlist
Slow Moving Clouds – Karelian (from the soundtrack of Loch na hEala/Swan Lake)
Owen Tromans – A dialogue (Sacred Geometry)
Gene Clark – No other (Remaster, 4AD)
Aoife Nessa Frances – Here in the dark (Basin Rock)
Skinshape – I didn’t know (Big Crown Records)
Charles Rumback & Ryley Walker – Half joking (Thrill Jockey)
OTTO – Roter teppich (Bureau B)
Hochzeitskapelle – Sonido Amazonico (Gutfeeling Records/Broken Silence)
Lal & Mike Waterson – Red wine promises (Domino)
Bananagun – Out of reach (Full Time Hobby)
Holy Hive feat Shannon Wise – Golden crown (Big Crown Records)
Keeley Forsyth – Debris (The Leaf Label)
Craven Faults – Deipkier (The Leaf Label)
Caribou – Home (Merge)
Percolator – Freshin (Penske Recordings)
Rothko – The day before the day after your death (Trace Recordings)
Rachael Dadd – Arrows (Memphis Industries)
Paperface – Little …

New releases from this latest period in time.

Spirals and drones. A capella and instrumentals. Walls of sound and cries for help.

A piece of aural history.

Enjoy the magic.



Playlist
Hiss Golden Messenger – I need a teacher (Merge Records)
Moonchy & Tobias – Atmosfere (Hidden Shoal/Tiny Room)
Murray Lightburn – To the top (Dangerbird)
ALA.NI – Sha la la (ALA.NI)
Alasdair Roberts – Common clay (Drag City)
Boa Morte – Ships passing (Gare du Nord)
Brainstory – Mnemophobia (Big Crown records)
Clairo – Impossible (Caroline)
Comet Gain – The institute debased (Tapete)
Dana Gavanski – Catch (Full Time Hobby)
Fenella – Bright curse (Fire Records)
Hater – It’s a mess (Fire Records)
Hochzeitskapelle – Anohito (Gutfeeling Records/Broken Silence)
Joanne & Sonny – Journey (Tompkins Square)
Kiwi Jr – Salary man (Mint Records)
Mermaidens – Millenia (Flying Nun)
Spindle Ensemble - Okemah Sundown
Rachael Dadd – Cut my roots (Memphis Industries)
Sean O’Hagan feat. Cathal Coughlan – …

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 –…