The Underground of Happiness

The Go! Team on the show again this week - better get used to that, it's one of the best pieces of music heard anywhere in some time. Moondog and Bob Lind to begin. An odd pairing you might say. But I wonder if Jack Nietzsche (whose genius you can hear in the production of 'Counting') was aware of the Viking of 6th Avenue? Something in that glorious swirling arrangement sounds to me like it's speaking to the marvellous rounds and overlapping rhythms and time signatures of Moondog. Drahla have a nice line in Sonic Youth esque tight jagged post punk. Lean Year and The Saxophones , two of a great current crop of American artists plying the edges of dream pop to intriguig effect. And speaking of that, one of the classics from Julee Cruise with the handiwork of Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch not far away. More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.face...

Grace Cooper from San Francisco treats us to some tasty slowcore from the irresistibly titled album Life with Dick . Insistent. Unpredictable. A little bit dangerous. Two guitar chords and a high hat are the tools employed as Cooper croons somewhere between Chan Marshall and Kurt Cobain. There’s a wonky slacker feel to the fuzz chords which is particularly endearing. To add to the sense of intrigue. Lovely stuff.

The spirit of GBV and Pavement is alive and well on this Melbourne 4-piece’s excellent second album. Satisfying not as simple as they sound guitars make hay with gorgeous go ahead drumming. In general the feel is of the joy of the bandroom. But let’s also point out the superior songwriting and nagging tunes at the heart of gems like ‘Chancer’ and ‘Cruiser’. It’s a beautiful thing. Good by The Stevens

This week’s show has a lot of great music. At least four of my favourite tunes of the year (you know the ones if you're here regularly). But really this week come for the pop genius of The Go! Team ...brass band handclaps xylophones joyous teenage guest singers. Then stay for the rest. 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 465 Tues Oct 24 2017 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/HajPmV Playlist The Go! Team – The semicircle song ( playing Electric Ballroom, London, Feb 15 ) Hater – Blushing ( playing Rough Trade East, London, Nov 29 ) This is the Kit – By my demon eye ( playing Cyprus Ave, Cork, Jan 16 ) Montero – Vibrations ( playing Vicar Street, Dublin Nov 22, w ...

Great pop music comes in many different forms. However there are some combinations of elements that even on paper are close to guaranteed to bring about wonderful results. A brass band. Handclaps. Shakers. Xylophones. A chorus of oohs. Add to that the way around a melody and bouncing backbeats which are two of the things we love most about The Go! Team . And the sheer exuberance of the group of Detroit teenagers who guested on vocals. Did I mention that the singers introduce themslves along with their starsigns during the breakdown? (Plus is that a theremin in the background?) A joyous riot and a genius pop song.

A couple of main themes this week. Seminal psych folk or country figures in Gene Clark and Bob Lind . Chris Gantry is getting a reissue on Drag City , Nashville but not as you probably dreamed. And Michael Nau and Damien Jurado , two contemporary US songwriters bringing great psychedelic undercurrents to modern folk music. The second section is all about the soundtracks. A couple of brilliant pieces from the year just gone, Nicholas Britell and Mica Levi respectively, from two excellent films also, Moonlight and Jackie . And some jazz inflections from Mikael Tariverdiev (classical Russian style) and Martial Solal (frantic French Nouvelle Vague style). Plus The Bonk , lovely prog pop shapes weaving dreamily around jazz and other things. 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 464 Tues ...

Beguling naive pop (or avant pops as they have called it in the past) with brass and reed from the Japanese duo. Piano trumpet and a clarinet take most of the load making gorgeous circling patterns. Saya Ueno’s vocal is the cherry leading the melody where the other instruments follow. Sometimes simple things are the most beautful. And affecting. Track 9 in this playlist

Meet Ben Montero of Melbourne who is currently shacking up in Athens and by all appearances (from the music video anyway) having a whale of a time on the Mediterranean. This storming tune has shades of Connan Mockasin and Tame Impala although imagined through MOR/soft rock rather than filthy funk or psych rock. A quick perusal of his Facbook confirms the suspicion that this is the music of someone quite happy to proclaim love for the likes of Fleetwood Mac and REO Speedwagon. Which in itself is a beautiful thing. There’s also the small matter of a song which begins with a chorus especially one as good as this. A lost art in pop music. The sound of genius in the making I feel.

Some very tasty underground sounds on the show this week. Japanese band Tenniscoats are back with the latest part of their epic Music Exists series – all three albums are now releasing on vinyl – gorgeous naïve folk melodies meet outsider pop. The estimable Front & Follow label are 10 years old and are celebrating with a compilation of their most excellent roster, Lessons . We heard Andy Nice , sumptuous cello lines, and Sone Institute , a gorgeous drifting mixture of loops, samples, spoken word and field recordings. From her own new album, but also featured on Lessons , Laura Cannell with another bracing blast of pre modern overbowed violin. Speaking of outsider pop, although it could make a play for the major leagues, is Montero – exceedingly catchy psych pop/soft rock. And This is the Kit , just confirmed for Cork show in January. More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blo...

A couple of Cork bands taking to the road soon on the show this week. The Bonk feature Philip Christie from O Emperor and friends. On their debut album there’s a great mix of doomsday jazz and prog pop with some swamp rock on the side. Fixity you’ll know if you’re a regular listener to the show. Based around drummer (and many other things) Dan Walsh and a rotating cast of collaborators. Thrilling dreamy soundscapes you can dance to. Imagine. Also. Cool Ghouls , wonderful Byrds meets Creedence Clearwater Revival grooves. PINS , more stirring anti anthems – “I’m only here to serve the rich.” And some autumnal gems from The Kinks & Lee Hazlewood . 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 462 Tues Oct 3 2017 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 98.3FM listen li...