The Underground of Happiness

Further to news about the new Dum Dum Girls album, Only in dreams , last month , we now have a new video for lead track Bedroom eyes , made by Tom Macon . It's a wonderful cascading kaleidoscope of multiple Girls, which very nicely mirrors the shimmering guitar sound and theme of sleep-deprived twilight zone paranoia. There's also a LOT of lipstick and that is always a good thing.

Nice e-mail from Dee Dee of Dum Dum Girls this morning (me and a several thousand others) with details of a new song from the upcoming second album, Only in dreams . Yesterday we had literature courtesy of Handsome Furs in the shape of a William T. Vollmann novel , today it's poetry. I've been doing this a lot lately, but I'm going to reprint the e-mail because it's so far from run-of-the-mill. "Liebe, "Bedroom Eyes," the first proper single off of Only In Dreams, will be released shortly in mp3 format and eventually as a 7" with a dreamy b-side cover. It was the last song I wrote before we holed up in our LA practice space for two weeks before recording. It's a special sort of confusion and frustration brought on by lack of sleep. I remember reading the following poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti as I saw trails and tripped out a bit before the pills finally kicked in. Love within the context of insomnia and separation? Kinda my thing. Th...

Day 1 The Wave Pictures What a lovely start to the weekend, with some fey and witty English pop on the Ray Ban stage. There's a great reception from the Spanish crowd, which surprises me until I remember Jonathan Richman being greeted like a god in the auditorium here a few years ago. A certain strain of wry pop music is very popular around these parts. Surfer Blood I move on to meet friends at the Pitchfork stage to see a band I know nothing about. What I learn is they play a pleasing brand of balls-out indie guitar rock and boast a great singer, who can scream in tune as well as croon. And their guitarist looks about 12 years old - he looks delighted to be here really, just to be asked. The Fall No surprises here on the main stage (San Miguel) but as enjoyable as ever, in a seething, surly kind of way. In an unexpected gesture (of hospitality?) Mark E Smith has dispensed with the leather glove. Is this a sign of middle-age mellowing, I wonder? For the sake of the music, I...

Looking ahead at the start of a new year and thoughts turn as usual to late May in Barcelona and the Primavera Sound Festival . Last year's festival was great but this year's line-up already looks like it might be better (The National, Ariel Pink, Fleet Foxes, John Cale, The Walkmen, Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips etc.). The one misgiving is that last year's festival was much more crowded (including with ridiculous amounts of Irish people), taking from the comfort factor a little. However, the atmosphere was still wonderful, not to mention the music. That's the Dum Dum Girls on the Pitchfork stage. If you've not heard of this festival before, I'll post below some thoughts I put together earlier in the year. And of course you'll find plenty more info on the official festival website - http://www.primaverasound.com/ .