The Underground of Happiness

The 2nd instalment of my Best of 2018 review. In no particular order although I wouldn't argue if you forced me to pick Kacey Johansing (pictured) as my album of the year. 3rd part to follow soon. Enjoy. Playlist Kacy & Clayton – The light of day (New West Records) Hiss Golden Messenger – Rock holy (Merge) Jess Williamson – I see the white (Mexican Summer) Kacey Johansing – Do you want me (Night Bloom Records/Melodic) Get Well Soon – Martyrs (City Slang) Lake Ruth – Julia’s call (Feral Child) Those Unfortunates – John Cronin is unwell Hater – I wish I gave you more time because I love you (Fire) Tanukichan – Perfect (Company Records) The Sea & Cake – I should care (Thrill Jockey) Crayola Lectern – Rescue mission (Onomatopoeia) BOYTOY – Mary Anne (Stolen Body Records) La Luz – Cicada (Hardly Art) The Chills – Bad sugar (Fire) Comet Gain – If not tomorrow (Tapete) Damien Jurado – Allocate (Secretly Canadian) Daniel Knox feat. Ni...

The first instalment of my favourite music of 2018. Categories are a bit arbitrary as always. Parts 2 and 3 to follow. Enjoy. Playlist Django Django – In your beat (Because Music) De Lux – 875 dollars (Innovative Leisure) Tune-Yards – Heart attack (4AD) Kamasi Washington – The Space Traveller’s Lullaby (Young Turks) Todd Tobias & Combo Qasam – Do the Massabu (Tiny Room/Hidden Shoal) Khruangbin – Maria tambien (Dead Oceans) Richard Swift – Broken finger blues (Secretly Canadian) Terry – The whip (Upset The Rhythm) Gulp – Claudia (E.L.K Records) Blue Orchids – Get Bramah (Tiny Global Productions) Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread – When (Full Time Hobby) Jessica Pratt – This time around (Mexican Summer) Steve Gunn – New moon (Matador) Soccer 96 – Harmonious Monk (Slowfoot Records) Orchestra of Spheres – Koudede (Fire) Nightports w/ Matthew Bourne – Exit (Leaf) Camera – Super 8 (Bureau B) Snapped Ankles – Drink and glide (Leaf) Sz...

Beautiful. Trippy. Sojourn into inner space. Tell me everything you know about consciousness. Like the sound of a move from Texas to the west coast. (She has.) Huge open skies and ringing guitars with reverb. A dreamy voice of optimism and wonder. I see the white.

First show back after the August holiday and we’re working through a bit of a backlog but that can be good. Russian soundtrack maestro Mikael Tariverdiev , a great melancholic string swoon. Colleen , a beautiful Moog-based kosmische. Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra , wonderful quixotic orchestral shapes. Ariel Pink , glorious lovelorn jangle pop. And The Clientele , adding brass to a sunset Byrdsian sound quite brilliantly. 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 458 Tues Sept 5 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/tt2fiQ Playlist Colleen – November Lali Puna - Two windows Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra – Vula ( playing Musikbrauerei, Berlin, Oct 14 ) Diagnos -...

On the most significant weekend in the Christian calendar, there was something appropriate about the primal and even pagan undertones of this wonderful show of live music and (I’m going to say) ideas. Firstly we must speak about the sheer presence of Natalie Mering on stage (which is only added to by the remarkable sky blue with white clouds trouser suit, a sort of David Byrne meets Pop Art statement). You could call it a certain kind of cool. It certainly comes across as a confidence but with no sense of distance or aloofness to it. There’s a distinct warmth to her stage persona, or we might just say her personality because there’s no hint of artifice, just an easy engaging quality. Her between song patter also has a distinct air of playfulness. She has a mischievous streak, no doubt about it. ‘Seven words’ is introduced with a wry smile as “seventeen words...it’s grown another ten words...a lot has happened”. One of the encores (a krautrock classic) is billed as “a more Ge...

A string of great female singers and musicians on the show this week. Camille , making a fountain of milk sound like the lightest, breeziest, most intriguing thing in the world and not a bit sticky and messy. Love those banks of backing vocals too. New music from Jane Weaver , gorgeous kosmische with a dreamy melody and a raft of vintage synths. Weyes Blood , who as we all know is magnificent; Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble sounding breezy and Brazilian and uplifting as ever amidst the chaos. Both of those women playing Ireland soon. And some classic library music from Stringtronics , taken from the 1st Connectors compilation (pic) by Barry 7 of Add N to (X) . 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 440 Tues Mar 28 2017 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 98.3FM list...

Some odd things this week. Odd can be beautiful. Ariel Pink & Weyes Blood joining forces for something epic and strange. Half Japanese with legendary force for good Jad Fair sounding in great voice. Stephen EvEns coming on like a Cardiacs outtake, excellent. New music from Goldfrapp , not so much odd as just brilliant. And not odd at all, exactly as you'd expect, glorgeous songwriting from Mark Eitzel , who is on tour in Europe soon. More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness i>uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playlist 432 Tues Jan 31 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/o0SptT Playlist C Duncan – Nothing more ( playing Cyprus Avenue, Cork, May 4 ) Mark Eitzel – The last ten years ( playing Cypru...

Welcome to the captivating, transfixing world of Weyes Blood . Two words have cropped up a lot in reviews of this album – stately and compelling – and both are valid. Stately because there’s an unrushed and a certain and deliberate stance in the delivery of these songs. If stately makes you think cosily endearing, think again, because there’s also a confrontational character to them which makes sense in light of her previous work with Ariel Pink and Jackie O-Motherfucker. Compelling because those very qualities, when added to the glorious voice of Natalie Mering , make the songs impossible to turn away from. The melodies soar, taking flight on her voice. In its lower register it has a little of the stoicism of Karen Carpenter, a comparison point which only adds pathos and poignancy to the overall sound. Listen to the way she sings “do you need me like I need you” on ‘Do you need my love’. Or the chorus of ‘Generation Why’, “Y-O-L-O why”, which could easily be hilarious...

A mix and match this week, some Best of 2016 , some new music (ahead of the Christmas Special next week). The former. Entrance , beautiful sweeping orch pop. Weyes Blood , a monumental noise with a voice deceptively smooth. North Sea Radio Orchestra , a wonderful album of shifting avant folk music. The latter. Nadia Reid , back with a new album in the new year, a lovely foretaste. Whyte Horses , reinterpreting their album with a 400 strong children's choir. A Winged Victory For The Sullen , soundtrack music with great propulsion. And a classic from Super Furry Animals , currently on tour. 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 426 Tues Dec 6 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 her...

Weyes Blood (pic) is Natalie Mering and you need to hear her. Dreamy psych pop that is stately, somewhat serene, and with a singing voice that will have you in the palm of its hand from the first note. Do it. Also great new Howe Gelb , from his Future Standards album, which is piano trio jazz tunes and with to die for vocals also by Lonna Kelley . Virginia Wing have some very interesting spooked electronic shapes on their new album, haunted you might say. Cory Hanson's solo album is another beaut, subtly freaky folk songs with lush throbbing strings. And Rothko have made something that's absolutely gripping, like some kind of cross between Mark E Smith and Ken Loach. Give it a go. 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 425 Tues Nov 29 2016 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesd...