The Underground of Happiness

So we've had our summer here in Ireland, in the shape of an Easter heatwave. Normal service has been resumed now in the shape of rain (sometimes wholehearted downpours, sometimes a cheeky drizzle, just for variety). More great music to listen to (indoors) this month, with chamber pop particularly to the fore. But you'll also find orchestral, psychedelic, garage-rock and IDM flourishes, among others, below. What's a pop music tag between friends anyway. All albums, unless otherwise noted. The Doomed Bird of Providence - Will ever pray (Front & Follow) It's quite unusual to find an album that is the result of, in effect, a research project. What a bonus when the music has a mysterious and compelling quality (although we partly guessed as much based on the band's fine eponymous EP of last year). The research in question, by singer Mark Kluzek, focuses on early Australian history and reveals harrowing tales of death and delinquency in the inhospitable tropics an...

According to Wikipedia, a Dutch uncle is "a term for a person who issues frank, harsh, and severe comments and criticism to educate, encourage, or admonish someone." From the same source, Dutch Uncles are "an indie band from Manchester...known for their use of atypical time signatures in a pop context." Nothing there to indicate that, for example, Fragrant is one of the songs of the year (or any year), with its genius massed vocal anti-anthem " Hands, hands, hands you hold me up ". Nothing either to prepare you for the beauty of close-to-a cappella Dolli , sounding like something that might have come out of a Beach Boys side project. Dressage takes a music box melody (literally, a field recording) and makes it the basis of a circling guitar pattern. OCDUC has something of Efterklang's experimental spirit about it. Floating over it all is Duncan Wallis' fragile, lilting voice. Unashamed art pop with memorable tunes, magnificently realised.