The Underground of Happiness

New music in the ether in this new year.* (*A couple of exceptions, The Shacks who I just learned of lately, released last year, and a few others from end of 2018.) Music from Oslo, Cork, Berlin, Glasgow, Brooklyn, Brisbane, North Carolina, Athens, Rotterdam, Dublin, Niger, Bavaria, Bilbao, Tucson and more in here. Enjoy. ********************* Playlist Lali Puna – Being water (Morr Music) Coldharbourstores – Disenchantment (Enraptured Records) Deerhunter – Plains (4AD) C Duncan – Impossible (Fat Cat) Tim Presley’s White Fence – I can dream you (Drag City) Cosmic Range – Breathing water (Idee Fixe Records) Sarah Louise – Rime (Thrill Jockey) The Telescopes – Don’t place your happiness in the hands of another (Tapete) The Last Sound – Cyclical pang (Fort Evil Fruit) Julia Kent – Crepusculo (The Leaf Label) Rozi Plain – Symmetrical (Memphis Industries) North Sea Radio Orchestra – The flower (Bandcamp) Shana Cleveland – Face of the sun (Hardly Art Records)...

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...

The human voice. Singers. Vocalists. Solo. In groups. Harmonies. Dissonance. A capella. Sotto voce. Screeches. Swoops. Croons. Devotional. An attack. A glide. A growl. A swoon. A yearning. Jazz. Blues. Folk. Pop. Psych. Electro. Classical. Doo Wop. Whatever. Sometimes the simple effect of massed voices. Sometimes singing just for the joy of it. Sometimes a voice not technically great but still with something great about it. Intonations are involved too. Maybe not even words. A voice below the brain. Giving breath to feelings. Backing vocals. Sometimes so crucial and innovative they are the true heart of a song. Backing vocals that don’t deserve to be called backing. Some of my favourite singers and vocal arrangements and performances. Enjoy. ************************************************** Playlist Cocteau Twins – Cherry coloured funk (4AD) Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares – Pilentzee Pee (4AD) Julianna Barwick – The magic place (Asthmat...

Some classic Pavement on the show this week from their great Wowee Zowee album from 1995. The Stevens from Melbourne sound like fans, taking their serpentine guitarlines and winding them into thrillingly surreal rock shapes. Marika Hackman too has something of the Pavement spirit I think. Her new album has lovely clipped acerbic lyric lines (hot and steamy too) and the backing from English group The Big Moon is good and sturdy and suitably spiky. Kamasi Washington is in Europe playing shows. Take 13 minutes out of your day to listen to his masterpiece ‘Truth’, an epic and freewheeling work of orchestral cosmic jazz. Future Islands are in the middle of an Irish tour (when did we think we’d ever be saying those words?). We heard one of their pre-Letterman genius cuts, authentic southern soul meeting a rushing New Order world view. And Joan Shelley with a delicate feather of a vocal a gorgeous uplifting thing of beauty. More on these pages. The Underground of Hap...

Aldous Harding has been a fave of the show for a couple of years. Now she's with 4AD/Flying Nun so expect to hear a lot more from her soon, new music from her starting this week's show. Valerie June is an American singer who manages to combine something of the exotic air of Joanna Newsom with the grit of Lucinda Williams, an alluring mix. More from The Nightjar ,a Bristol band with a great mix of haunting folk, arresting harmonies and field recordings. John Hynes is an Irish singer with a voice you'll immediately love, shades of Father John Misty or Harry Nilsson. Stornoway from a fascinating compilation of songs from Shakespeare's plays and times. And some more Basil Kirchin , some wonderful early 70s English horror film music. More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playl...

We had a good deal of instrumental music in this week, another 2 hour stint. David Pajo is reportedly releasing new music soon, great to hear something from his 1999 masterpiece Live from a Shark Cage . Some great soundtrack pieces from Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler and also Nick Cave & Warren Ellis . Fixity with dark and enigmatic improv work. Elias Krantz with wonderful propulsive rhythms. And as near instrumental as makes no difference from Syrinx , great kosmische feel. Plenty of people touring - TAU at Liverpool Psych Fest , The Goon Sax in the UK, Rats on Rafts in Ireland, Pascal Pinon, C Duncan, The Lemon Twigs . 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 415 Tues Sept 20 2016 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 98.3FM listen live on the web at www.ucc.i...

Part 3 of this epic poem, and I hope your year's been good so far. We're at a faster clip (tempo basically) for this section, there's something about these songs that shows some kind of urgency, people in a hurry, on some kind of mission maybe. And it strikes me that few things in life are more exciting to me than pop music with progressive tendencies. What exactly this means we can debate but wrapping a pop tune around a literary/unexpected/twisted lyric or conceptual idea raises the genre to a higher artform. Or building a classic rock guitar riff then undercutting it with a kosmische synth. Or steeping a song in jazz influences only to strap a motorik backbeat onto it. Or...well you get the gist. Enjoy. ************************************************************************************************ 1. Ezra Furman – Restless year (from the album Perpetual motion people , Bella Union) Fantastic opening gambit from the lipsticked one’s current albu...

A shimmering thing of unsettling beauty that could well be the best work ever recorded by Bradford Cox and friends. Say no more.

I had the huge pleasure of seeing Future Islands play live in Dublin last weekend - they finished their show with the fantastic 'Tin man', I've started mine with it. Sleaford Mods too, touring Ireland next month, and putting some vicious vim and bounce back into protest songs. The Go Betweens sounding sunny and carefree from 1979. Fellow Aussies Twerps sounding similarly endearing. Another ghostly, late-night folk creation from Kemper Norton and Chloe March with glorious dream pop, perhaps with a debt to Ryuichi Sakamoto. Mid-section of the show, three crooners of the highest order; Liam Hayes (Plush), back with a new album in January, Rumer with a voice like velvet and Harry Nilsson making desire and longing sound absolutely gut-wrenching. Plus Merchandise , bringing a wonderful white soul vocal to slinky rock guitar songs. More on these pages as always. Nov 4 2014 w/ Future Islands,Sleaford Mods,Go Betweens,Twerps,Jennifer Castle,Merchandise++ b...

More gloriously poignant/vaguely unsettling jangle pop from the pink-haired one. He may have dropped the Haunted Graffiti but the killer 80s-inflected tunes keep coming. In among the irresistible chiming guitars, the massed banks of synths over a heartfelt “baby” and the superb touch of a girl’s gently pleading message on his voicemail, I find myself returning again and again to the genius staccato of the chorus bassline. It seems to tap out a morse code of hope and love from Ariel to the world. And apart from that being exactly what the world needs now, it is such a beautiful thing. *As is his wont, the video is likely to take the poignant edge off the tune for you, opting instead to creep you the fuck out.

Having just read the fascinating 4AD biography, I'd been biding my time to play something from the staggering Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares , a Bulgarian female choir given an "indie" UK release first in 1986. It was an album that had quite an impact on many other 4AD artists, including Liz Fraser of Cocteau Twins , who was already ploughing a most individual vocal furrow, in fairness. Two from the Hidden Shoal label this week, the sumptuous dream pop of Chloe March , the feverish psych strummings of Brother Earth . Also Caribou , it's sounding like an instant classic that new album; a re-release for Gravenhurst , lovely psych folk with an electronic undertone; Ty Segall channelling Brett Anderson of Suede but pulling it off; East River Pipe , haunting and poignant wrapped in glorious guitar pop. And Kemper Norton , as intriguing and spooked out as ever. More on these pages as always. Oct 21 2014 w/ East River Pipe,Caribou,Bell Gardens,SPLH,Voix Bulg...

A special extended 2-hour show this week to usher us back in after the August recess. And there was quite the backlog of stonking new music to get through. Like Wildbirds & Peacedrums , stripping the punk out of punk funk to leave you with something sounding like Nina Simone jamming with LCD Soundsystem. And Caribou , with more delicious deep soul/house grooves. There's some gorgeous new folk cuts from Rachael Dadd, Lutine and Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler finishing this first hour. Some intriguing psych from Brother Earth , and cosmic country from The Asteroid #4 . And kosmische from the debut SlowPlaceLikeHome album, that's a beaut; and the new Laetitia Sadier project, Little Tornados . Like The Fall, she's always the same, always different. Plus a Japanese memory from 1996 by Takako Minekawa , alongside something from her new album with Dustin Wong , the completely unhinged and wonderful slice of wonky pop that is 'She he see feel'. Sep...

The second tune from this Florida band's 4AD debut album is an absolute killer and has been rattling memorably around my head for the last few months. Firstly, there's an unforgettable guitar riff locked down with a four to the floor drumbeat. Not a distorted riff, it's clean, a descending pattern and it kind of unwinds itself, insidiously, vaguely threateningly, like a snake raising itself off the floor. Then there's the vocal of Carson Cox. What a wonderful instrument that is. You imagine him pulling off a white soul or a lounge act quite easily. Plus he has a side of the mouth delivery that's intriguing. So chorus lyrics as innocuous as "all your thoughtless words" take on an extra weight or gravity. That chorus also has a great arrangement touch, a layered octave vocal which lifts the whole proceedings another notch. There's an atmosphere of coiled tension about the whole thing, even with the major key and smooth singing, which in itsel...

Another one from a few months back that hasn't made it here yet. Merrill Garbus seems to find currents in the pop ether that nobody else has noticed. So here's the perfectly boisterous and catching first single from the current album Nikki Nack . It's a clapping song, which I suppose some people might take as a negative. It isn't. As well as percussive flesh, there's also more lovely, slinky basslines from Nate Brenner, assorted electronic whipcracks and a series of overlapping, gloriously soulful vocals. The topic is water politics in California. But Tune-Yards have wrapped it in a tune so uplifting and vibrant, you won't be able to stop yourself from signing the petition. A reason to sing x Protest music + Irresistible tune = Top class pop music *Check the equally wonderful 'Hey life', which features more knock-out, elastic poly rhythms. In particular, pay attention to the genius Merrill brings to bear on the vocal layers after the...

Broadly, there was a kind of genre flow to this week's show. We began with a run of electronic pieces of different shades - Future Islands, Eyedress ("nothing special" is the subtitle of the song by the way, not a comment from me on the quality of it - I think it's quite special), Matmos with some mental radio, new Roll the Dice ,an industrial meltdown with sumptuous strings and culminating in a wonderful track from the debut SlowPlaceLikeHome album, due next month. The mid-section featured a series of singers - Cormac O Caoimh with some lovely jazz-folk tones from his fine new album, the unforgettable Angel Olsen who plays Cork with Jaye Bartell next month, Sontag Shogun from NY feat. the great voice of Liam Singer . A bit of punk rock in the shape of Thomas Truax and Shonen Knife . And some kosmische to finish from Eat Lights Become Lights plus the Conny Plank-produced Eno-Moebius-Roedelius . More on these pages as always. May 6 2014 w/ Roll th...

Another great cut from the Sabina album to open the show this wk, can't get enough of that (check the review of the album under posts on the right). Just as good is the new single from (Merrill) Tune Yards (Garbus, pic), working eco-politics into a clapping song. Genius. On the Sabina theme, we took a detour into some other European female singers, via Marlene Dietrich and Nico , deadpan shades of both of whom you can hear on Sabina's album. Also the sultrier, sax-smothered side of Polar Bear , the wonderfully atmospheric, stalking electro of UMA , The War on Drugs with fantastic krauty pop grooves. New slanty guitar shapes from Young Knives . And something beautiful and jangly from Theatre Royal , a band from Rochester in Kent. More on these pages as ever. Mar 25 2014 show w/ Sabina,Tune Yards,Nico,Polar Bear,UMA, The War on Drugs,Eyedress,TEEN++ by Theundergroundofhappiness on Mixcloud The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed ...

I finally got around to clubbing Teenage Fanclub and The Scud Mountain Boys together with The New Mendicants , which features Norman Blake and Joe Pernice from those great 1990s bands. Some great new electro singles from Future Islands and Eyedress , plus a memory from Metronomy who play tonight in Dublin. Patterns and Katie Kim both play Cork in the next month or so. Golden Retriever's sublime minimalism, Glenn Gould's transcendant Bach piano. And Benjamin Schoos with Laetitia Sadier (pic) sounding like they're ushering in springtime with a blast of breezy sunshine pop. Mar 11 2014 w/ Future Islands,Metronomy,Benjamin Schoos,Polar Bear,Golden Retriever,Glenn Gould++ by Theundergroundofhappiness on Mixcloud The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 302 Tues Mar 11 2014 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 9...

I watched the Big Star doc Nothing Can Hurt Me over the w'end (a fascinating social history of the time and place - Memphis - as well as a rockumentary) so it felt only right to open the show with one of their classics from #1 Record . As it happens, The New Mendicants' album is just out too, bearing more than a little of the Big Star influence, which is welcome anytime. windings are back with their side of the split with Land Lovers, more quality, and Laurie Shaw , who I know very little about except that he makes great garage pop tunes, and loads of them. Check him on Soundcloud for more. Other tasty new releases from Future Islands (that voice, those basslines), Eyedress, Trans (Bernard Butler's new band) & Milagres . A beautiful EP by Patrick Freeman , a wonderful album by Damien Jurado . And a couple of archive classics/lost treasures from Stereolab and Bruce Haack (pic). Program me is right. More on these pages as always. Feb 11 2014 show w/ Big S...

The first peep for a couple of years from the Baltimore three piece and how good it is to hear from them, on their new label having moved from Thrill Jockey. This single doesn’t depart too far from their signature sound – that is to say, emotive and emotional electro pop (post wave, some people venture) with singable synth lines, propulsive bass and the completely persuasive and soulful croon/growl of Sam Herring. The growl isn’t quite in full flow on this track (hopefully it hasn’t been decommissioned to suit the bigger label step-up) but it’s still one of the most beautiful vocal instruments anywhere.

Quite a bit of new music on the show again this week, including a real stormer from Dublin's Girl Band (below and currently touring), joining the dots thrillingly between Fugazi and The Pixies. New single from Future Islands too, great to hear them back. And Girls Names are on the Choice Award list. John Grant is certainly one cool motherfucker (whatever about being the greatest), he plays Ireland in March. As does Damien Jurado , his new album is wonderful. Who else? More Ezra Furman , love that; strong Irish music from Patrick Freeman (lovely country feel) and Silverbacks (Yo La Tengo vibe). Plus Pontiak kicking out some serious jams. Jan 28 2014 show w/ Girl Band,Girls Names,Ezra Furman,Pontiak,Gram Parsons,Gene Clark++ by Theundergroundofhappiness on Mixcloud The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 296 Tues Jan 28 2014 11.00...