The Underground of Happiness

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...

There’s a very pleasing psych feel to this track from GBV and Circus Devils alumnus Todd Tobias , in conjunction with Steve Five on vocals (from The Library is on Fire). What do I mean by psych? In this case, a stealthy clicked rhythm with plucked acoustic guitar to open. Later, an intriguing offkey punctuation of strings? synths? expiring guitars? (I’d also say offbeat except that these soundbursts occur on the beat.) Followed by gradual decrescendo in a minor key. The vocal has a mantra-like quality – “in like a lamb and out like a lion, I’ll walk you through the waste” – and hushed tones reminiscient of Elliot Smith. Like Elliot Smith at his best, this tune is hardly there at all in one way, it's kinda wispy. However, the elements are so brilliantly and subtly put together, you'll find you'll need repeated listens to figure them out. Haunting stuff. There's an album on the way from Brother Earth , stay tuned. POSITIVE HAYWIRES by Brother Earth

Circus Devils are Todd Tobias, his brother Tim and longtime collaborator Robert Pollard . Pollard adds vocals and of course his unmistakeable, timeworn tones would sound intriguing reading the phonebook. Here a haunting, repeating piano pattern and some synth atmospherics are the only backdrop to a typically surreal tale, making for a memorable psych pop diversion. crossing no examination still better down no lecture on the will in victory they lunch not a bad one in the bunch The forthcoming album from which it is taken, which is also the soundtrack to a film directed by Todd Tobias called I Razor , should be well worth a look see. *For some reason, something about this also reminds me of early Waterboys. For me that's a good thing too. Free download here.