The Underground of Happiness

New music for you.

Curated by the universe.

Enjoy.



Playlist
Pozi - Whitewashing (PRAH Recordings)
The Cool Greenhouse – The sticks (Melodic)
The Dears – Heart of an animal (Dangerbird Records)
The Beths – Dying to believe (Captured Tracks)
Dick Dent – Juliet (Riviera Sun Records)
Nation of Language – September again (self-released)
M Ward – Unreal city (Anti Records)
Cabane feat Bonnie “Prince” Billy – tu ne joueras plus a l’amour (Cabane Records)
Damien Jurado – Fool Maria (Loose Recordings)
AJ Lambert – One rizla (Bandcamp)
Trashcan Sinatras – The closer you move away from me (Oceans Apart Recordings)
Coco – One time villain (FCA Records)
Bananagun – People talk too much (Full Time Hobby)
El Michels Affair feat The Shacks – Enfant (Big Crown Records)
Girlhood – The love I need (Team Talk Records)
Holy Hive – Broom (Big Crown Records)
Jason Joshua – Language of love (Big Crown Records)
Skinshape feat D’Alma – Sua Alma (Big Crown Records)
Thee Sacred Souls – Can I call you Rose…

These are a bunch of songs.

Primarily they’re all songs or tunes I love. They all mean something to me.

But I was also thinking about music during a pandemic.

Music that can unite as all the best music does.

That’s universal.

Music when you’re stuck somewhere – at home, maybe, or somewhere not many other people are – and what it can do for you.

Music when you’re looking for meaning.

Music when you’re isolated.

Distanced.

Music when you need hope or inspiration or comfort.

Or an uplift.

Or strength. Music when you’re worried.

It turns out songwriters and composers have addressed these themes. A lot.

Like Talking Heads giving paranoia a cathartic groove.

Lambchop paying tribute to people in the form of an irresistible soul singalong.

Songs of love for someone in particular (I’ll light your way back, You’re the one, Can’t do without you, Heart of chambers).

Songs about love more generally (Undying love for humanity, Triumph of a heart…

New tunes for a new decade.

Enjoy.



Playlist
The Fantasy Orchestra - Flow (Disco-Ordination)
Arboretum – A prism in reverse (Thrill Jockey)
Cabane feat. Kate Stables & Bost Gehio – Now, winter comes (White Label)
Coco – Empty Beach (FCA Records)
Craven Faults – Vacca wall (The Leaf Label)
Caribou – Never come back (Merge/City Slang)
Olafur Arnalds feat. Voces8 – Nyepi (choir version)
Daniel Knox – Room key (HP Johnson Presents)
Keeley Forsyth – Look to yourself (The Leaf label)
Aoife Nessa Frances – Libra (Basin Rock)
Dead Famous People – Groovy girl (Fire Records)
Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage – Exactly what nobody wanted (Moshi Moshi Records)
Katie Von Schleicher – Caged sleep (Full Time Hobby)
Theatre Royal – A marvellous death (Vacilando ’68)
Shadow Show – Contessa (Stolen Body Records)
Lewsberg – From never to once
M Ward – Migration of souls (Anti Records)
Mick Harvey – The Somme (from the soundtrack of the film Waves of Anzac) (Mute)
Modern Studies – Heavy water (Fire…

My favourite tunes of 2019.*

Sounds like another great year.

Enjoy.

*A few snuck in from other years on the basis that they happened for me in 2019.

So as well as the year of Twen, Purple Mountains, Vanishing Twin, Paul & The Tall Trees...

The year of Bright Phoebus.

The year of Steve McQueen (acoustic).

The year of Loch na hEala.



Playlist
Vanishing Twin – Magician’s success (Fire Records)
POZI – Engaged (Prah Recordings)
Weyes Blood – Everyday (Sub Pop)
Hiss Golden Messenger – My wing (Merge)
Charles Rumback & Ryley Walker – Half joking (Thrill Jockey)
Twen – Holy river (Frenchkiss Records)
Paul & The Tall Trees – Then we’ll wave (So long) (Big Crown Records)
Rozi Plain – Trouble (Memphis Industries)
Fixity – Becoming an earthworm (Penske Recordings)
C Duncan – Reverie (Fat Cat Records)
Sarah Louise – Late night healing choir (Thrill Jockey)
Bedouine – Tall man (Caroline)
Paperface – Little monsters (Daydream Records)
Purple Mountains – I loved bein…

Tunes.

To take stock.

Hibernate.

Consolidate.

Elucidate.

Funny old world.

Stick with the noise.

Enjoy.



Playlist
Slow Moving Clouds – Karelian (from the soundtrack of Loch na hEala/Swan Lake)
Owen Tromans – A dialogue (Sacred Geometry)
Gene Clark – No other (Remaster, 4AD)
Aoife Nessa Frances – Here in the dark (Basin Rock)
Skinshape – I didn’t know (Big Crown Records)
Charles Rumback & Ryley Walker – Half joking (Thrill Jockey)
OTTO – Roter teppich (Bureau B)
Hochzeitskapelle – Sonido Amazonico (Gutfeeling Records/Broken Silence)
Lal & Mike Waterson – Red wine promises (Domino)
Bananagun – Out of reach (Full Time Hobby)
Holy Hive feat Shannon Wise – Golden crown (Big Crown Records)
Keeley Forsyth – Debris (The Leaf Label)
Craven Faults – Deipkier (The Leaf Label)
Caribou – Home (Merge)
Percolator – Freshin (Penske Recordings)
Rothko – The day before the day after your death (Trace Recordings)
Rachael Dadd – Arrows (Memphis Industries)
Paperface – Little …

New releases from this latest period in time.

Spirals and drones. A capella and instrumentals. Walls of sound and cries for help.

A piece of aural history.

Enjoy the magic.



Playlist
Hiss Golden Messenger – I need a teacher (Merge Records)
Moonchy & Tobias – Atmosfere (Hidden Shoal/Tiny Room)
Murray Lightburn – To the top (Dangerbird)
ALA.NI – Sha la la (ALA.NI)
Alasdair Roberts – Common clay (Drag City)
Boa Morte – Ships passing (Gare du Nord)
Brainstory – Mnemophobia (Big Crown records)
Clairo – Impossible (Caroline)
Comet Gain – The institute debased (Tapete)
Dana Gavanski – Catch (Full Time Hobby)
Fenella – Bright curse (Fire Records)
Hater – It’s a mess (Fire Records)
Hochzeitskapelle – Anohito (Gutfeeling Records/Broken Silence)
Joanne & Sonny – Journey (Tompkins Square)
Kiwi Jr – Salary man (Mint Records)
Mermaidens – Millenia (Flying Nun)
Spindle Ensemble - Okemah Sundown
Rachael Dadd – Cut my roots (Memphis Industries)
Sean O’Hagan feat. Cathal Coughlan – …