The Underground of Happiness

There’s only one Tortoise in the world and they’re back with their latest gift to us, a glorious groovy thing from the very first beat. So. Many. Highlights. The title track, a thrilling circling tune full of conviction and killer kosmische synth hooks. The great ominous build of ‘Shake hands with danger’, a minimalist clanging chime loop at its centre. The beautiful shifting sands of ‘The clearing fills’, a drifting jazz dream. The epic ‘Gesceap’, buzzing keys under a series of interlocking Reichian melodies. Guest vocals by Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley on ‘Yonder blue’, a gorgeous dream pop turn over an army of swooning guitars. ( John McEntire produced YLT’s 2nd last album, the very beautiful Fade , so favour returned.) The drumming as always is wonderful, chunky and delicate, supported brilliantly by an urgent bass pulse. Plus they cover a David Essex song, ‘Rock on’, sung by Todd Rittmann of U.S. Maple . Honestly, can this band get any cooler? ...

The second album of the year produced by John McEntire of Tortoise which is guaranteed to feature in my end of year faves list (the first was Yo La Tengo’s Fade ). And it’s another match made in paradise. V.O. is a band of elegantly cut men and women out of Brussels lead by the superbly moustached Boris Gronemberger who follow a broad jazz pop manifesto. What does that mean? Well, there are smooth brass swells, slinky keyboard themes, deliciously low-key male-female harmonies, slow and sure unwinding vocal melodies, tidy unfussy stickwork. The single ‘When you see red’ has all of these things, as well as a breezy, propulsive bass (synth) line. But although it nods to the lounge and the smoking jacket, it gradually reveals itself to be a protest song, or more precisely a song of counsel to the 21st century dispossessed (that’s you and me, friends). The fact that such a conceit is smuggled in such a smooth package is a brilliant sleight of hand which makes the message doubly...

Beguiling prog pop from Brussels of all places, courtesy of Boris Gronemberger and friends, produced by a man who knows a thing or two about the genre, John McEntire. Like tabasco in a Bloody Mary, it’s smooth and subtle but with a distinct kick.