The Underground of Happiness

We're all probably sick of these by now, but one last thing. This is a Best of 2015 mix I put together, this one largely taking in June-December last year (a few exceptions). The full tracklist is on the mixcloud page, there's a range of stuff in there, kicking off with some psych pop and electronic tunes, some power pop and prog pop, folk, instrumental and orchestral. By the way, I also did one around the middle of last year, which fitted into one of the weekly shows. That's also below. And a final reminder that there is more detail on the entire Best of 2015 round up on these links - http://theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.ie/2015/12/best-of-2015-part-1-kosmischeinstrument.html http://theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.ie/2015/12/best-of-2015-part-2-folkcabaretavant.html http://theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.ie/2016/01/best-of-2015-part-3-punkpsychmotorikpro.html http://theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.ie/2016/01/best-of-2015-part-4-souldrea...

And so the final instalment of this Best of 2015 review, which has a Soul/Dream Pop tag ostensibly but really is a collection of odds and ends left over. (Floating Points, for example, could certainly have belonged in Part 1 if I had my head on straight a few weeks ago.) These round ups are by nature a time travel exercise, some of the music here being a year old. But even since Part 1 of the review in mid-December, the world seems a very different place. It's now a post-David Bowie time, a post-Mick Lynch time, mortality comes for all of us, better get used to it. Enjoy the music while you can. ************************************************************************************************ 1. Marker Starling – Husbands (from the album Rosy Maze , Tin Angel Records) Spring 2015 was all about my obsession with this song, a glorious discovery and an enduring memory from the year. From February - There’s an automatic association for Steely Dan, I think, a kin...

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...

Welcome to Part 2 of my Best of 2015 review. If you're a regular listener to the show, you'll know that folk music in all its forms is a staple of the playlists. And that's where we pick up here with another 22 great tunes. And as usual, it's fascinating to watch and hear what other strands make their way in - lounge, orchestral, whatever. Once again enjoy, and see you all on the other side in 2016. ************************************************************************************************ 1. Alela Diane & Ryan Francesconi – Shapeless (from the album Cold moon , Believe Recordings) A glorious winter entry to start, a collaboration between two fascinating artists in their own right. Like many in this list, it takes folk music and stretches it out until it’s transparent. In this case, classical, choral and tribal music are just a few of the ancestors visible behind Francesconi’s riveting fingerpicked guitar and Diane’s wonderfully pure and clea...

That time of year again when we take stock. It's good to take stock, be thankful for what you have, mourn what you miss, make plans for the future, rekindle memories. Musical memories are obviously pretty specific, conjuring up a place, a time, the people you were with, or maybe just how the music made you feel. It can even seem like music transports us back to a more innocent time. Last January really does seem like a long time ago and some of this list dates back that far. Musical memories are always personal and often completely private. This list is the first part of a four-part (probably) series. I'm a bit of a hoarder so lists tend to be long. But everything here is treasured by me. I'm calling it Kosmische/Instrumental/Soundtrack/Jazz/Dance . As usual, tags are somewhat arbitrary but let's go with those. And the tunes are in no particular order. I'm aiming for the second part of the review sometime between Christmas and New Year's if you're a di...

The last show of the year and a bit of a mixum gatherum. Some musical highlights of 2015 sprinkled throughout, a few pieces of winter music and a few new releases. The winter music was Lost Idol , a wonderful mix of medieval choral and 21st century beats. And Jóhann Jóhannsson , the soundtrack to his own film End of summer about a trip to the Arctic, a suitably glacial and haunting piece. Best of 2015 included JR Green rollicking away fabulously, Low simmering magnificently, Alela Diane & Ryan Francesconi meditating compellingly, Deerhunter psyching beautifully, Julia Holter well she's just brilliantly daft as a brush. New music from TEEN , new album coming from them in the spring, and Tess Parks , uncompromising psych pop. Two more great cuts from the Creation Records Box Set out on Cherry Red , The Loft & Primal Scream from 1985, great to hear those. More on the Best of 2015 coming on the blog over the next few weeks. The next show is Jan 5th. Happy H...

A round up of my favourite music of the year to date, a show which went out a couple of weeks ago before the summer break. Another belting set of tunes I must say and there was another whole bunch that didn't fit into the hour. So another great year for music, basically. I'll keep the preamble short here as you'll find plenty more around these pages on the artists listed below. Enjoy. July 28 2015 - Best of 2015 (Jan - July) by The Underground Of Happiness on Mixcloud The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playlist 366 Tues July 28 2015 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 https://goo.gl/PhSV4Z Playlist Kathryn Joseph - The want ( playing Summerhall, Edinburgh, Aug 12, w/ Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat ) ...