The Underground of Happiness

We started this week with a Colleen/Seti The First pairing, who are playing together in Cork in a few weeks - delicately earthy, singular musings/brilliantly poised classical tunes. A couple of great new discoveries for me this week too, Brous (pronounced Bruce) sings bonkers 60s style pop with sweeping Morricone-esque arrangements (something from Ennio in the show too), and Elephant return with another blissful slice of dream pop - both intoxicating. The new Fuxa album features Britta Phillips on guest vocals, among others, singing the old Linda Ronstadt number 'Different drum' to Randall Niemann's 'Stand by me', stirring stuff. Satelliti are an intriguing Italian duo playing instrumental post rock with jazz tones; Satellites an Englishman in Copenhagen making satisfying alt-rock mini anthems. New Crystal Stilts and Hidden Highways and the infectious Congo-via-Liege pulse of Dragon Noir . More on these pages as always. Oct 8 2013 show w/ Co...

Another raft of new stuff this week, including a shower of Irish material. A new single from the wonderful Cat Dowling , that intoxicating track 'Wild woe' from the new Hidden Highways album again, Copenhagen-based The Unusual History of Ether bringing some intriguing jazz moves into pop; Kevin Murphy back again with his fractured folk songs, and O Emperor and The Altered Hours , both with high profile shows coming up. Also Fuxa , the first single from the new album Dirty D feat. Ann Shenton of Add N to X on vocals with a ferocious krautrock drone. And The Cinematographer , a Dublin artist plying the more meditative end of the ambient drone spectrum. Satelliti , math rock from Italy; some new (old) music from Peter Broderick from his reissued debut album, some superb crooning from Jon DeRosa , and something sweet and silly and brilliant from Jacques Caramac . Sept 17 2013 w/ Hidden Highways,Altered Hours,O Emperor,Fuxa,Young Knives,Jacques Caramac++ by Theu...

More from a few of my favourite current albums on the show this week (it's usually the way). V.O. from Brussels with a beautiful jazzy drift, produced by John McEntire , who of course is one of Tortoise . And from that band's 1998 album TNT, 'Suspension bridge...' is one of the highpoints of the Tortoise canon for me. O Emperor will win a lot of new friends with their second album Vitreous - I like it more every day. I hear shades of late 60s Beach Boys in there, although submerged under a heap of other great ideas. How better to appreciate it than next to a classic from Sunflower (1970). And Cork band Sans Chateaux draw a little on some of those vocal stylings too, quite brilliantly also. The Last Sound's (pic) Rainbow Xplode is another fantastic (Irish) album, electronic pop music with grooves to burn and killer melodies. And anyone in need of healing drones, you need some Fuxa . Nancy Elizabeth , love her of course. Peter Delaney , another com...

Every now and again, you hear a piece of music that makes it clear the maker is not in the game just for cheap thrills (to be clear, we’re completely in favour of those too, everything in its right place). This is one of those records, from the legend that is Randall Niemann of Detroit, aka Fuxa . The highpoint for me is ‘Mary’, a tribute to the late Mary Hansen of Stereolab, who died some years back; Fuxa and The Lab were partners in crime back in the day. It takes a rippling synth pulse, Cluster style, and adds an organ melody to give momentum, depth and so much feeling. It’s church music, it’s cosmic, a little bit sacred, a pastoral lament. It’s one of the most beautiful things in music this year. *To seal the deal, it is followed with ‘Amen’, a kind of slowed-down Spiritualized boogie (in fact Jonny Mattock, sometimes of that parish, plays drums on the track) with a lovely playful undertone. frequencies for physical, mental and spiritual healing by fuxa

The new single from Yo La Tengo started the show this week, followed by something else beautiful from Fuxa , a tribute to the late Mary Hansen, ex of Stereolab. A pulse into space that never ends. More from Irishman Biggles Flys Again , some lovely vocal group stylings, and O Emperor’s stirring psych pop motorik. Also more from William Tyler and his touring mate Hiss Golden Messenger , both playing Ireland in May. Karl Hyde used to be in Underworld, solo single from him; new single from Junip ; bouncy synth pop from the wonderfully named Ra Ra Riot and Shout Out Louds And lovely chamber pop from the upcoming Liam Singer album. Apr 2 2013 show w/ Biggles Flys Again, William Tyler, Fuxa, Hiss Golden Messenger, Julia Kent++ by Theundergroundofhappiness on Mixcloud The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 260 Tues Apr 2 2013 11.00am-12.00pm (repeat...