The Underground of Happiness

Bright and breezy pop concoctions which we can call quirky and they rescue that word from oblivion by returning to the root, with a playful wide-eyed sense of adventure and a couldn’t give a fuck quality which is endearing all on its own. Then add the sheer weight of hooks and ideas, musical and lyrical. Here’s some background. The second album from UK/Japanese group Smile Down Upon Us is released by wiaiwya on deluxe vinyl, in a delightful gatefold sleeve designed by artist Yuji Maruyama, on Record Store Day, April 18 (a CD version is released in Japan soon after). It’s a delicate, intimate, playful record that’s equal parts Cibo Matte pop, Vernon Elliott soundtrack and animated Marc Chagall painting, its music a perfect navigation between childlike wonderment, impish eccentricity and sophisticated intricacy. Smile Down Upon Us is the duo of London-based multi-instrumentalist Keiron Phelan (littlebow, Phelan-Sheppard, Silver Servants, etc.) and Tokyo-resident singer/elec...

An album of haunting shifting pop music from this London group which is equally at home with both swooning melodies and shuddering textures. ‘Estuary’ is a song which swings between both these poles. An ominous opening of circular bass and hissing ride cymbal give way to the height of dream pop with washes of organ and banks of filtered backing vocal aws. Still it’s more dreamy dark than dreamy bright with a clipped Nico-esque quality to the vocal delivery of Alice Merida Richards (also plenty of top end on those esses) and a loping drumbeat which has a distinct post punk feel, in fact coming on like punk funk played at walking pace. These strands are developed further over the course of the album – the disturbing dream haze of ‘A complex outline’, the fascinating kosmische/motorik exploration of ‘World contact’, the mesmerising synth spirals and post punk jolt of ‘Meshes’, the riveting Stereolab-esque stoic of 'Marnie'. (Plus in fairness you also have to love a ba...

The Anglo-French English duo continue to astound us with singles of rare poise and beauty. This time, we have violins and an angelic choir on backing behind Amelia Rivas’ hazy vocal. It’s widescreen and Spectorish, starring glockenspiels as twinkling stars and ooh and aahs as a moon-induced headrush. It really is blissful dream pop of the highest order. “A canopy of bliss” is just about right. and free download in return for your e-mail address here

More sterling stuff from MYD (their We are enough was all over the UOH Best of 2012 list), with honking horns, booming drums, burbling electronics and filtered whooping vocals. They sound like people on a mission – to get you to shake your ass, maybe, or melt the division between you and your neighbour, as their name suggests? If you don’t believe me, just read this: Imagine, say, a hot, vibrating country, with a sea to the north, desert to the south, jungle to the east, mystery to the west. At the no-man’s-land heart of the fast, bothered capital city, salvation - a club, bar, dive. Approach with caution, for the production of pleasure, and wild nights. Will there really be a morning? The dedicated house band, Melt Yourself Down , blasting the four walls, a skittish, kinetic six of them, stars in their eyes, done with the compass, firing off in all directions at once, in total control, working up to breaking point, playing all the senses, leaving port, go, go. Give and take. Functi...

Everyone likes a good takeaway. But this one isn't the kind that gives you a food hangover at 3 o'clock the next morning. It's actually a monthly singles club, conceived by Seb Rochford of jazz fusion outfit Polar Bear , recorded at his own studio and released on The Leaf Label (they've been busy this year already), in the form of a 2-track digital bundle. Each single will feature a different set of collaborators, along with Rochford himself, and will release on the last Friday of every month. (The "Takeaway" moniker derives from Rochford's studio, which was a food emporium in a previous life.) As you'll notice above, the first release is Love a sacred path , featuring LA poet and singer Gina Loring and British Indian vocalist Ranjana Ghatak . It's got a great ringing vocal delivery and a swirling monster of a backbeat, as you can hear for yourself here. Days And Nights At The Takeway 1: January by Days And Nights At The Takeaway This is so...

Second album from the London 5-piece (who used to be Dark Captain Light Captain in the days of their wonderful debut Miracle Kicker ), full of propulsive rhythms and hushed vocal harmonies. Where their debut album was bound to make you think of an imaginary Elliot Smith soundtrack to The Wicker Man (folk with a twist, we’re saying), the beats are more prominent this time around. We’ve already spoken about the first single Submarines , a salutary tale built around a powerful hi-hat and snare two-step backbeat and a matrix of acoustic guitars – it also features a meltingly gorgeous melody. One of the most noticeable new threads this time is some lovely high-tone bass work (for example, 3 years to go – am I the only one who thinks it sounds like a slowed-down baggy beat, a la Ride? In fact, the shuffling Ex detective has a hint of this too, come to think of it…I’m all in favour by the way – and Different and easier , which comes on like a folky Stereolab, complete with an intriguing...

And lastly for today, a song that's already much loved around these parts, but a different version. We were on about Submarines , the first single off the new album by Dark Captain , back in August . Here's some film of four of them (I think they can reach seven, if the weather's good) performing an acoustic version of the song at the Lo & Behold gallery in London . It ups the ante on the original in terms of intimate hushed vocals and cunningly replaces the guitar line with a flute. That may not be everyone's cup of tea but I must say it charms the pants off me. Dark Captain - Submarines (Acoustic at Lo & Behold) from Lo+LOAF TV on Vimeo . And for comparison, the superb original. We'll be talking more about the album later in the month.