The Underground of Happiness

Second album from the London 5-piece (who used to be Dark Captain Light Captain in the days of their wonderful debut Miracle Kicker ), full of propulsive rhythms and hushed vocal harmonies. Where their debut album was bound to make you think of an imaginary Elliot Smith soundtrack to The Wicker Man (folk with a twist, we’re saying), the beats are more prominent this time around. We’ve already spoken about the first single Submarines , a salutary tale built around a powerful hi-hat and snare two-step backbeat and a matrix of acoustic guitars – it also features a meltingly gorgeous melody. One of the most noticeable new threads this time is some lovely high-tone bass work (for example, 3 years to go – am I the only one who thinks it sounds like a slowed-down baggy beat, a la Ride? In fact, the shuffling Ex detective has a hint of this too, come to think of it…I’m all in favour by the way – and Different and easier , which comes on like a folky Stereolab, complete with an intriguing...

Brian Eno's new album, Drums between the bells , his second on Warp , came out last month. In fact, it's a collaboration with poet Rick Holland . I've just heard a few tracks from it on a sampler, but one tune in particular has really stuck with me. It's a beautiful slice of drifting guitar and synth kosmische, with a straight-faced female spoken word monologue, describing the view, in a sort of impressionistic fashion, from the top of a skyscraper in New York - " from the top of this high rise, people as small as the pigment in your eyes ." It's surprisingly romantic given the delivery, with a dizzy, swooning quality to the arrangement. Brian Eno - pour it out (taken from Drums Between The Bells) by Warp Records I don't know who's responsible for the vocal but the delivery reminds me a lot of Berit Immig from Berlin-based band Omo . They released one of my favourite albums of the last few years in 2009, The white album on LoAF . Many o...