The Underground of Happiness

A selection of miscellaneous favourites from UOH Towers lately. It so happens they tend around the psych/kosmische/dream pop axis for the most part. Also a bit of jazz and instrumental, a children's tv soundtrack (Bagpuss) and a concept piece about WWI survivors (Thankful Villages), for good measure. All new releases. Enjoy. Playlist Todd Tobias & Chloe March – Lillavva (Hidden Shoal) Darren Hayman – Bigby ( Thankful Villages Vol 3 , Belka Records in association with The Arts Council and Caught By The River) Yann Tiersen – Tempelhof (Mute) The Magic Lantern – Darling day (Hectic Eclectic Records) Peace Signs – Satellite Hitori (Gare du Nord) Camera – Super 8 (Bureau B) Lewsberg – The smile Methyl Ethel – Scream whole (4AD) O Emperor – Effort (Big Skin Records) Hilma Nikolaisen – Only me (Fysisk Format) Snapped Ankles – Drink and glide (The Leaf Label) Orchestra of Spheres – Chimes (Fire Records) Harmony Rockets – Atropos (Tompkins Square) Sone ...

Yann Tiersen – I’m gonna live anyhow (Mute, from the album Skyline ) Welcome to a world where circus music meets pop, featuring an unruly arrangement made up of electronic tambourines, mouth trumpets, falsetto choirs, no-nonsense gorgeous melodies and the winningest refrain. Gruff Rhys feat. El Perro del Mar – Space dust #2 (Turnstile, single) Irresistible duet between the Super Furry Animals’ frontman and the Swedish singer. Hints of Tropicalia in the brushed samba beat, as well as the gloriously over the top lyrics recounting love at a conference – “ When I saw you at the seminar/Raindrops and fireworks flow/When I saw you at the seminar/Active volcanoes aglow ”. Superb. *The single is backed by Whale trail , which comes accompanied with aye-Phone app features. Anybody know the Welsh for bonkers? Crystal Stilts – Dark eyes (Sacred Bones, from the Radiant door EP) Knockout opening tune from the New York band’s new EP, which splits itself (as if unable to choose) between ga...

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 189 Tues Sept 20 2011 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 98.3FM listen live on the web at www.ucc.ie/ccr *listen back to this show here https://rapidshare.com/files/4208677283/The_Underground_Of_Happiness_20-9-2011.m4a Playlist Connan Mockasin - Faking jazz together (extended version) ( playing Deaf Institute, Manchester, Sept 26 ) Liz Green - Bei mir bist du schoen ( playing Kings Place, London, Nov 25 ) Memoryhouse - Modern normal Eden Ahbez - Full moon ( Trunk Records ) Dutch Uncles - The ink ( playing Academy 2, Dublin, Nov 18 ) (The) Caseworker - The slow track Larsen feat. little Annie - It was a very good year ( playing Cafe Oto, London, Oct 8, w/ Trumpets of Death ) Driver Drive Faster - They may talk Trumpets of Death - The press gang ( playing Cafe Oto, London, Oct 8, w/ Larsen ) ...

This is lovely, the new single from Tiersen's 7th album Skyline , which comes out on Mute later this autumn. A delicately plucked acoustic guitar, twinkling vibes, a military drumbeat, then accordions and tumbling backing vocals, and later a haze of cascading guitars and vintage synths (something in it for Animal Collective fans, I would have said). And the two-sided, salutary/hopeful lyric " All monuments of men, they're sinking in vain Tiny moments of mine, they're floating in space " We could call it chamber-folk, but let's just enjoy it for the dreamy magic it is. The miniaturist video by Ivan Rusev is great too. As well as several UK dates in October, Yann Tiersen also plays at Jeff Mangum's ATP in December