The Underground of Happiness

I met Rozi Plain before her gig at The Kino in Cork in December, the final night of the Sudden Club Weekender . On a busy Sunday evening in Christmas party season, we managed to find a not too noisy corner in Ryan’s Bar on North Main Street to have a chat (just a television showing rugby league you can hear in the background). She’s a lovely character to spend some time with, full of energy and good cheer. She chooses her words carefully too, not in the sense of being cagey but to be precise I think. She started laughing at one point, I was asking her if her move to London from Bristol was hard. She seemed to agree but then baulked at the word “hard” a few times. “I’m having trouble saying the word hard”, she said, as if to say there are harder things in the world than moving to London, let’s keep a bit of perspective here. Not the average thing you’d expect to hear in a band interview and all the more interesting for that. We also chatted about her early musical memories, comi...

The centrepiece of this week's show was the interview with Rozi Plain , recorded last month when she played with her band at The Kino in Cork (great gig). You'll find about 6 minutes of that chat in the middle of this set, the full interview will be up here soon in its own right. A couple of new obsessions. The Nightjar , a band from Bristol taking folk music into devotional classical music territory with a hint of the ambient avant garde too. Brilliant. Animals That Swim , a band from the 1990s who fell between Britpop and, I dunno, post punk. They are reissuing their 1994 album Workshy on One Little Indian and it has some wonderful tunes on it - rushes of guitar, and intelligent, literate lyricism. The Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble , a wonderful swinging tune with Brazilian undertones, ahead of European tour in April. Wonderbar. And Iggy Pop back guesting with Manchester band PINS , more spoken word - I think he should do more of that. More on these pag...

A beautifully muted chamber piece from the artist recently moved to Johannesburg. Insistent piano arpeggios, head held high string quartet and a gorgeous sighing steel guitar combine to give a certain existential feel. That and the mysterious poetic quality of the words - “I am a tunnel that’s not long enough...a headlight to your rabbit”. A sublime perfectly formed miniature.

There's a new album from Giant Sand out, Howe Gelb and friends, and as usual there are some beautiful things contained within. We heard 'Pen to paper' from it on this week's show, a gorgeous late night meditation on writing, contact, communication, perhaps travel and ageing even, with sublime filtered piano, shuffling drums and a smoky nostalgic vocal. It's wonderful. Also wonderful is the late Rod McKuen contemplating Haiku poems and waitresses in bandanas over double bass. It's hilarious and poignant at the same time. New music from William D Drake , a great stomping medieval folk number; Orchestra of Spheres getting gloriously funky about the number universe; Virginia Wing with lissome psych pop. Polar Bear focusing on the light of the universe, Rozi Plain dealing a gorgeous kosmische. And Sheffield duo Nai Harvest with a welcome update of Husker Du. More on these pages. May 19 2015 w/ Giant Sand,Polar Bear,Orchestra of Spheres,Virgi...

First published on www.lowtrees.net A beautiful album of folk drones enlivened by vintage synths and inventive danceable backbeats. We've already spoken here of the beguiling kosmische lilt of ‘Actually’ and the spacey pitter patter club atmosphere of ‘Jogalong’. But check the glorious Tortoise-like brass swells of ‘Best team’, the bleeping keys with two step drum machine of ‘Five beans’ and the gorgeous late night shuffle of ‘Quarry’ and it’s obvious that this is a highly unusual hot pot and nothing like your average folk album. We must also mention Plain’s authentic singing-to-itself vocal style, a unique instrument with inflections capable of turning words into unending earworms. Describing music as having a sense of adventure is a bit of a cliché these days but there’s a genuine feeling of horizons expanded and a questing personality behind these songs. Triumphant genre-bending stuff.

A couple of great Thrill Jockey releases to kick off this week. Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler play Dublin soon when they'll presumably roll out some of these beautiful spiralling harp arpeggios (harpeggios?) with ambient electronic backing. And Circuit des Yeux is American Haley Fohr with a landmark singing voice. Speaking of great singers, Daniel Knox would make your heart melt. Arborist with Kim Deal on guest backing is another beauty. Virginia Wing with a wonderful post-Stereolab intervention, danceable. Lower Dens brilliantly smuggling unsettling observations into electro pop. Jean Jacques Perrey & David Chazam , a superbly playful addition to the Moog library genre. Colleen plays Cork next weekend, spacious dub explorations. And Rozi Plain (pic) with folk drones and kosmische synths which are glorious and uplifting. More on these pages. Apr 28 2015 w/ Circuit des Yeux,Arborist,Daniel Knox,Virginia Wing,Lower Dens,Polar Bear,Colleen++ by The Underg...

Another beautiful semi-folk cut from the Winchester native ahead of her third album due out in May. Firstly, a giant bass drone rumbles along like some kind of oversized sidewinder, shuffling clicking percussion at arm’s length. The first enigmatic lines – “It will be reported to be a difficult year, a tumultuous year.” Then the gorgeous high tone punctuation of a singalong vintage synth line, eyes fixed on the stars. Each lyric line has this cosmic release, the groove rolling along underneath as the plot (something concerning familes, relatives, something ancient, possibly archetypal) works through. Until a crescendo – “Don’t get over it, this is actually it” - the vocal rising in harmonies into a higher register for extra emphasis. Then it fizzes out in just 3 minutes, short and snappy as a pop song. It has more in common with kosmische than pop or even folk. You might feel the urge to dance to it although maybe slower than you’re used to. An exultation am...

Started with a bit of a soul run this week. Superior country soul boogie from Durham NC from Hiss Golden Messenger , then up the road to Richmond VA for delicate orchestrated soul pleadings from Natalie Prass . And classic Minnie Riperton from 1970, more of a cosmic soul variety. Rozi Plain - new music, fascinating folk/kosmische drones; Colleen - new album is all about the dub/reverb, she plays Cork in May. Some great Elliot Smith from 1997 and Jessica Pratt from 2015, channelling part him, part English folk, part who knows what but I love it. And a great new (to me anyway) voice in the shape of Cat Palace , deep boneshaking gospel tones. Feb 24 2015 w/ HGM,Natalie Prass,Minnie Riperton,W&P,Rozi Plain,Colleen,Jessica Pratt++ by The Underground Of Happiness on Mixcloud The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playl...

A brilliant declaration of progressive folk values from two of Britain’s most distinctive contemporary voices, and regulars on the show's playlists over the last few years. Rachael Dadd brings ukulele strums, shakers (in fact a box of matches apparently) and a loping drumbeat with a charm-the-pants-off-you chorus vocal line from the Kate Bush school (“ca-ca-co-co-yup”) to an uplifting worksong. In Rozi Plain’s case, her signature syncopated guitar, softly insistent backbeat, a glorious kosmische synth line and a bank of celestial harmonies develop an eminently danceable groove, perfect for the stoic nostalgia of the lyric. One sprightly and bouncy, the other a sort of motorik murmuring. Put together, they make an intriguing yin and yang. It’s all most beguiling and joyous and, in short, very classy pop music.