The Underground of Happiness

******************************************************************************************************** Bedouine – Back to you (from the album Bedouine , Spacebomb) Another wonderful nugget recorded at Matthew E. White’s Spacebomb hub in Richmond Virginia. The origin though is the voice and songs of Azniv Korkejian born in Syria to Armenian parents but resident in the US for some years. Her voice is an intoxicating thing. Hushed. Softly spoken. Insistent. Containing something of a Carole King about it. Or even a Karen Carpenter maybe. Another time anyway. When there was strength in subtlety and soul was in the nuance as much as the decibels. And the dream of an arrangement behind the perfect match. Gently enervating brass and woodwind. Uplifting top note strings. Beautiful pitter patter bass. A genius falsetto backing vocal that catches me every time. She also has a way with a lyric Ms Korkejian. California city parks They talk in excl...

Bonny Doon sounding like an in their 20s Silver Jews with the poetry and the guitars and the wonderful bittersweet stance on life. The tone is laconic self deprecating. But full of emotion in between the lines. The poetry of these says it all - liquor store slippery floor I saw my reflection in a bottle of wine like a neon sign And especially this coup de grace – I got a couple of texts from my mom one said happy birthday and the other one was a smiley face a sideways heart xoxo we miss you won’t you come on home Meanwhile the guitars and drums keep a stoic presence. It's soulful in the way white people can sometimes be. It’s a very beautiful thing.

Something I’ve been thinking about for a while is a cello themed show. Well a little preview in the middle of this week’s show. Penny Rimbaud was in Crass and has made a very interesting new album of treatments of Wilfrid Owen’s war poems, featuring some gorgeous piano and cello. I wouldn’t call it backing, it’s more like a jazz trio with one of the parts being a voice. Also in there is the Andy Nice contribution to the Front & Follow compilation celebrating 10 years in the world, beautiful loops and layers. And Solo Collective teasing out the durational element of this endlessly fascinating instrument. Little Tornados making beguiling dream pop featuring Caroline Sallee of Caroline Says . Who is in there in her own right with one of my favourite songs of the year somehow bridging the gap between bossa nova and kosmische. And Bonny Doon sounding like a young 20s Silver Jews with the poetry and the guitars and the wonderful bittersweet stance on life. More on the...