The Underground of Happiness

I had the great pleasure of seeing Daniel Knox play live in Cork last weekend. The show was in the deconsecrated St Peter’s Church (not the perfect venue for this music maybe, but let’s not quibble) as part of the Quarter Block Party festival. I’ve been a huge fan of his since his wonderful self-titled third album last year and this gig was the definition of much anticipated for me. Daniel Knox is not a small man. He sat at his keyboard and practically dwarfed it, even down to the size of his fingers on the keys. And yet you’ve never heard a lighter touch at a piano. Like stones skimming across a lake. Tapdancing for the hands. His feel for the instrument is sublime - something I personally value above sheer technique – which is all the more impressive as he is apparently self taught. (Maybe there’s a logic to that in fact, as in learning an instrument on your own you are presumably more interested in atmosphere, melody, things like this, than in technique.) He opened with ...

If you're a regular, you'll know I've been a huge fan of Aldous Harding since first coming across her late last year. The woman taps into a timeless folk strain but with a sharp & gothic songwriting style. She's on tour in the UK right now, check her out. Circuit des Yeux is Haley Fohr of Chicago, also on tour soon inc in Cork, a fascinating purveyor of minimalist patterns with very appealing open-throated singing. I'm always a sucker for high quality orchestral pop and Paperface is exactly that - strings, sentiment, wry observations, it's all there. Taking orchestral pop into more Scott Walkerish territory is August Wells , an old fashioned thoroughly gorgeous song. The Star Department with lovely low key psych pop; Daniel Knox with irresistibly lilting cabaret; Twerps bringing jangle pop home gloriously. And Dawn of Midi , for fans of Hauschka, brilliant excavation of rhythm. More on these pages. May 12 2015 w/ Circuit des Yeux,Dawn ...

I was put on to Daniel Knox by a friend of mine recently and he’s been a wonderful discovery for me. His third album is self-titled and he’s been around the Chicago scene for a number of years. The best plan is to read this excellent interview and background piece which gives a vivid flavour of the man’s life and work to date, a career which is nothing short of inspiring. http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/daniel-knox-piano-songwriter-carrot-top-atwood-lynch/Content?oid=16564714 One line from that piece stays with me - "I actually never sang at all until I was 21 or 22. My favorite singers were Al Jolson and Judy Garland and, to some extent, Maurice Chevalier. So my voice was way over-the-top, with heavy vibrato. But to me, it sounded very natural." So you might think this is someone not remotely interested in musical currents or trends and you’d be right. (Still, it’s good to know that his talents have not gone unnoticed by such luminaries as Jarvis Coc...

Daniel Knox is someone I've come across just lately (thanks to delzer). He's a fascinating character whose backstory is well worth checking out (it involves Chicago and teaching himself piano). Of more interest to us here, he also has a wonderful voice, a rich croon, and is a great songwriter. 'By the venture' has a jaunty cabaret air to it which undercuts the sombre lyric. Brilliant and playing in Europe this month. New single from Virginia Wing , an interesting English band taking on a little of the mantle of Stereolab and Broadcast. Princess , a Dublin band taking shoegaze and fuzz pop into thrilling new directions. Veterans The Monochrome Set are back with another album proving that class is permanent. Dawn of Midi making riveting instrumental music a bit reminiscent of Hauschka. O Emperor taking a fascinating detour into soft pop. And The Drink - is it math pop, is it amped up folk music, is it unhinged nursery rhymes? - who cares, it sounds great. M...