The Underground of Happiness

rotterdam to osaka. surabaya to dublin. montreal to portland. enjoy x Playlist 1. Tulpa – Let’s make a Tulpa! (Skep Wax) 2. M(h)aol – Pursuit (Tulle) 3. Men I Trust – Heavenly flow (bandcamp) 4. Miss Grit – Tourist mind (Mute) 5. Nobukazu Takemura – deep sea’s rainbow part 2 (Thrill Jockey) 6. Pictish Trail – Hold it (Fire Records) 7. Rats on Rafts – Painting roses (Fire Records) 8. Robin Kester – The daylight (Memphis Industries) 9. Seamus Fogarty – I passed your house (Lost Map Records) 10. Barry Walker Jr feat. Rob Smith & Jason Willmon – Quiessence (Thrill Jockey) 11. Stereolab – Melodie is a wound (Duophonic/Warp) 12. Stuart Moxham – Do the locomotion (Stuart Moxham vs Radio Boy radio mix) (Tiny Global Productions) 13. The Attendant – Beautiful humans (faux lux) 14. Thee Marloes – What’s on your mind (Big Crown Records) 15. Truthpaste – See you around (Memorials of Distinction) 16. Vanbur – My own (Manners McDade) 17. Ways of Seeing – USA 94 (ban...

we're all round the world in this mix osaka to glasgow, berlin to surabaya, tyrone to helsinki to new orleans enjoy x Playlist 1. Brian Bilston & The Catenary Wires – Might have, might not have (Skep Wax) ( playing Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, Nov 24 ) 2. Damian O’Neill – Inside out (Tompkins Square) (Imaginational Anthem XIV) 3. Joasihno – Crackleboom (Alien Transistor) 4. Madi Diaz – Why’d you have to bring me flowers (Anti) 5. Emma Pollock – Rapid rush of red (Chemikal Underground) ( playing Oran Mor, Glasgow, Oct 29 ) 6. The Alien Dub Ensemble – Pundit dub (Alien Transistor) 7. Eera – Celebrate (Test Card Recordings) 8. Geckos – Lo hice (ORG Music/PIAPTK Recordings) 9. Mark McCausland feat Pieta Brown & John Parish – Sweet Thursday (Delatasonic Records) (from the soundtrack of the film The Spin ) 10. Barry Walker Jr feat. Rob Smith & Jason Willmon – Quiessence (Thrill Jockey) 11. Prolapse – Swearing for decoration (Tapete Records) ( play...

middle of the year but not middle of the road a compilation of my favourite tunes of the year so far enjoy people x Playlist 1. Pierre Bastien & Michel Banabila – Closing time: The party is over (Pingipung) 2. Men I Trust – Heavenly flow (bandcamp) 3. Stereolab – Melodie is a wound (Duophonic/Warp) 4. Water Machine – River (Fat Cat Records) 5. Bella Wakame – Shades of Nambei (Umor-Rex) 6. Lightheaded – Same drop (Slumberland Records/Skep Wax) 7. Elaine Howley – Hold me in a new way (Modern Love) 8. Lael Neale – Tell me how to be here (Sub Pop Records) 9. Cloth – Pink silence (Rock Action) 10. Albertine Sarges – Stand near your fire (Moshi Moshi) 11. M(h)aol – Pursuit (Tulle) 12. The Chills – Dolphins (Fire Records) 13. Keeley Forsyth & Matthew Bourne – Talk to me (Fat Cat Records) 14. Echolalia – Little bird (Full Time Hobby) 15. Oh No Noh – Dog years (Teleskop) 16. Adrian Crowley – Brother was a runaway (Valley of Eyes Records) 17. Derya Yildi...

some summery tunes for your heatdome go well brian x (pic far out magazine) Playlist 1. Ensemble – Proposal 1 (Fat Cat Records) 2. Emil Friis – For goodbyes (Fat Cat Records) 3. Studio Electrophonique – David and Jayne (Valley of Eyes Records) 4. Heavenly – Portland Town (Skep Wax) 5. The Alien Dub Orchestra – Vine and fig tree (Alien Transistor) 6. Astral Bakers – Vertical life (Sage Records) 7. Ways of Seeing – USA 94 (bandcamp) 8. Lightheaded – The garden (Slumberland/Skep Wax) 9. Jeanines – Coaxed a storm (Slumberland/Skep Wax) 10. The Beach Boys – Feel flow (Brother Records) 11. The Beach Boys – Til I die (Brother Records) 12. Bea Elmy Martin – Born to fly (Indigo Kin) 13. Half Japanese – Step on up (Fire Records) 14. Guerilla Toss – Red flag to angry bull (Sub Pop Records) 15. Cory Hanson – Lou Reed (Drag City) 16. Ty Segall – Buildings (Drag City) 17. Sebastian Reynolds & Myles Cochran feat. Kelly Michaeli – IYCSM (Pindrop) 18. Later Youth...

enjoy the (pink) silence x Playlist 1. Keeley Forsyth & Matthew Bourne – Talk to me (Fat Cat Records) 2. North Sea Radio Orchestra – All Alice like (Believer’s Roast) 3. Deradoorian – Set me free (Fire Records) 4. Le Volume Courbe – Two-love (Duophonic Super 45s) 5. Robin Kester – Happy sad (It’s a party) (Memphis Industries) 6. Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek – Cool hand (Big Crown Records) 7. Echolalia – Little bird (Full Time Hobby) 8. Cormac O Caoimh – You help (bandcamp) (playing Coughlans, Cork, Aug 24) 9. Eera – Forget her (Test Card Recordings) (playing The Lexington, London, Oct 14) 10. Lucy Gooch – Clouds (Fire Records) 11. Lael Neale – Tell me how to be here (Sub Pop) (playing The Hug & Pint, Glasgow, May 31) 12. Louis Philippe & the Night Mail – The road to somewhere (Tapete) 13. Sufjan Stevens – Mystery of love (demo) (Asthmatic Kitty) 14. Richard Hawley – Coles Corner (acoustic) (BMG) 15. Junk Drawer – Nids Niteca (Pizza Pizza Record...

a spring for your step enjoy x Playlist 1. Robert Forster – Strawberries (Tapete Records) ( playing National Concert Hall, Dublin, Oct 15 ) 2. Louis Philippe & The Night Mail – Pictures of Anna (Tapete Records) 3. The Saxophones – Burning with desire (Full Time Hobby) 4. Cormac O Caoimh – The little things (bandcamp) ( playing Coughlans, Cork, Aug 24 ) 5. Lael Neale – Tell me how to be here (Sub Pop Records) ( playing The Workman’s Cellar, May 10 ) 6. Preen – I know (Small Matter Records) ( playing Jacaranda Basement, Liverpool, May 5 ) 7. Tropical Fuck Storm – Goon show (Fire Records) ( playing Manchester Psych Festival, Aug 30 ) 8. The Fun Years – Auto show day of the dead (Keplar) 9. Saeko Killy – Next time (bureau b) 10. HAAi – Can’t stand to lose (Mute) ( playing Primavera Sound, Ports, June 15 ) 11. Oh No Noh – Dog years (Teleskop) ( playing Madame Claude, Berlin, Apr 11 ) 12. The Burning Hell – Luna FM (BB*Island) ( playing De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterda...

marvellous tunes i hope you agree enjoy x Playlist 1. Naim Amor – Amorsonic (Fort Lowell Records) 2. Fixity – Why wait (bandcamp) ( playing The Conncert, Co Mayo, Aug 3, w/ Trá Pháidín, Junk Drawer ++ ) 3. Rachael Lavelle – Let me unlock your full potential (bandcamp) ( playing All Together Now, Aug 2-5 ) 4. Louis Carnell & Nailah Hunter – fourteen (Mute) 5. Kugelschreiber – (me x u) ≠ (u x me) (WAMHO Records) 6. William D. Drake – The flickering shade (Zebedog Records) 7. Barry McCormack – We will prevail (bandcamp) 8. Boa Morte – A cloud of stars / 2122 (reworked) (bandcamp) 9. Bobby Oroza – Goddess (Big Crown Records) 10. Brian Lopez & KT Tunstall – Road to Avalon (Vacilando ’68) 11. Camille Baziadoly – Skin on fire (bandcamp) 12. Caolán Austin feat Our Krypton Son – Walking into the furnace (Only You Recordings) 13. Crumbs – 4291 (Skep Wax) 14. Daniel Pickard – Room service (Daniel Pickard) 15. Dave Guy – 7th heaven (Big Crown Records) 16. E...

A bumper crop for this late summer. Enjoy. x Playlist 1. The Doomed Bird of Providence – Businessman found dead in a shop at Mildura (bandcamp) 2. Sam Prekop & John McEntire – A ghost at noon (Thrill Jockey) 3. The Magnetic Fields – ’69: Judy Garland (Nonesuch) ( playing Cyprus Avenue, Cork, Sept 8 ) 4. The Burning Hell – Dirty microphones (BB*Island) ( playing Bush Hall, London, Oct 21 ) 5. Kathryn Williams – Radioactive (One Little Independent) ( playing Purbeck Valley Folk Festival, Wareham, Aug 18-22 ) 6. Craig Fortnam – New gold (Best Behaviour) 7. Mitski – The only heartbreaker (Dead Oceans) 8. Sinead O’Brien – Holy country (Chess Club) ( playing Cyprus Avenue, Cork, Oct 26 ) 9. Æ Mak – Sun God, I'll Be Your Woman (Spacer Records) 10. Elephant – Calling (Excelsior Records) 11. Thee U.F.O. – Transparent seed (Gelatinous Records) ( playing Electric Avenue, Waterford, Aug 13 ) 12. The Besnard Lakes – A jacket for a rainy lady (Full Time Hobby) 1...

Another instalment of June earwigs. Enjoy. x Playlist 1. Astrel K – Is it it or is it I? (Duophonic Super 45s) 2. Ghost Power – Asteroid witch (Duophonic Super 45s) 3. Jimi Tenor – Life hugger (bureau b) 4. Charles Watson – All my mountains (Moshi Moshi Records) 5. Dana Gavanski – I kiss the night (Full Time Hobby) 6. elkyn – If you’re still leaving (Curation Records) 7. Guerilla Toss – Live exponential (Sub Pop) 8. Marisa Anderson – Waking (Thrill Jockey) ( playing Clonakilty International Guitar Festival, Sept 16-17 ) 9. Naima Bock – Every morning (Sub Pop) ( playing End of the Road Festival, Sept 1-4 ) 10. Sam Prekop and John McEntire – A ghost at noon (Thrill Jockey) 11. The Notwist feat Juana Molina – Al sur (Elijah Minnelli Remix) (Morr Music) 12. Soccer96 feat Salami Rose Joe Louis – Yesterday knows me (Moshi Moshi Records) 13. Film Noir – Erotica (Albé Productions/Un Plan Simple) 14. The B-52s – Give me back my man (Island) 15. The B-52s – Planet Cl...

Part 2 of this lookback. Enjoy. x Playlist Cathal Coughlan – Owl in the parlour (Dimple Discs) Alasdair Roberts og Volvur – Nu solen gar ned (Drag City) Ann Scott – Sweetheart (Raghouse Records) Bobby Oroza – I got love (Big Crown Records) Brainstory – Bye bye (Big Crown Records) Daniel Blumberg feat Josephine Foster – The world to come (from the soundtrack of the film The world to come ) (Node Records/Wise Music Group) Ed Dowie – Number Eight Wire (Needle Mythology) Henrik Lindstrand – Enghave lys (Alex Somers rework) (One Little Independent) Fine Place – It’s your house (Night School Records) Junior Brother – Life’s new haircut (Strange Brew) Low – Days like these (Sub Pop) Lucy Gooch – Rain’s break (Fire Records) M Ward – Birthday (Anti) Pretty Happy – Sea sea sea (Art For Blind) Rats on Rafts – Osaka (Fire Records) Ruthann Friedman – Hurried life (Tompkins Square) (reissue) Sack – What a way to live (Dimple Discs) St Vincent – Pay your way in pain (L...

More tunes from the universe. Enjoy. x Playlist 1. Soccer96 – Carry us home (Moshi Moshi) 2. Telefís – Mister Imperator (Dimple Discs) 3. Craig Fortnam – Peter Roy and Ron are gone 4. Richard Dawson – weaver (Weird World) 5. Vapors of Morphine – Irene (Schnitzel Records Ltd.) 6. Lewsberg – The corner ( playing Moth Club, London, Nov 23 ) 7. Mocky – Bora! (Heavy Sheet) 8. El Michels Affair – Ala vida (Big Crown Records) 9. The Allergies – Love somebody (Jalapeno Records) 10. Dragon Welding – Frog (Dimple Discs) 11. Stereo Total – A la sortie du lycee (Tapete Records) 12. Me Lost Me – Sing to the sun 13. Rozi Plain – Silent fan (Memphis Industries) 14. Ruthann Friedmann – Hurried life (Tompkins Square) 15. Jessica Pratt – Back baby (Drag City) 16. The Association – Windy (Warner Bros) 17. Sparks – So may we start (Milan Records) (from the soundtrack of the film Annette ) 18. Prefab Sprout – Appetite (acoustic) (Epic) 19. Mose Allison Trio – Autumn song (...

A soundtrack for the end. Or the beginning. Or in between. Enjoy. x Playlist 1. Faust – Vorsatz (Bureau B) 2. Curse of Lono – Let your love rain down on me (Submarine Cat Records) 3. Herbert feat Verushka – Fantasy (Accidental Records) 4. Luca Wilding – Book of fate (Abbey Records) 5. Nation of Language – This fractured mind ( playing Grand Social, Dublin, Jan 29th 2022 ) 6. Shannon Lay – Geist (Sub Pop) 7. The Go! Team – A bee without its sting (Memphis Industries) 8. Vanessa Anne Redd – By the time (Sharp Attack Records) 9. Virginia Wing – Soft fruit (Fire Records) ( playing Moth Club, London, Sept 24th ) 10. Sone Institute – Dead ahead (Mystery Bridge) 11. Lomond Campbell – Engineer of fear (One Little Independent) 12. Dntel – Connect (Les Albums Claus) 13. Fryars with Sean O’Hagan – God melodies 14. Hackedepicciotto – Evermore (Mute) 15. Henrik Lindstrand – För Den Goda Viljan (Robert Ames rework) (One Little Independent) ...

A round up of my favourite music released in 2020. Despite everything, it seems like a marvellous year for recorded sound. Enjoy and stay well. x Playlist Sleeper & Snake – Shoot through (Upset The Rhythm) Louis Philippe & The Night Mail – Rio Grande (Tapete) Emily Barker – Sonogram (bandcamp) Arch Garrison – The more I know (Believers Roast) Bill Callahan & Bonnie Prince Billy feat. Sean O’Hagan – Wish you were gay (Drag City) Skinshape feat. D’alma – Sua alma (Big Crown Records) Caribou – Home (Merge Records/City Slang) The Hamrahlid Choir – Cosmogony (One Little Independent) Keeley Forsyth – Large oak (The Leaf Label) Nadia Reid – Get the devil out of me (Spacebomb) Bert Jansch – Crimson moon (Earth, reissue) Tame Impala – Is it true (Caroline) Rats on Rafts – Tokyo Music Experience (Fire) Mikael Tariverdiev – Prelude from My younger brother (Earth) (from the soundtrack of the film My younger ...

Sounds from the universe. Sounding well. With love. x Playlist The Chills – The male monster with the id (Fire, reissue) St Vincent – Piggy (Caroline) Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard – 30,000 megabucks (Communion) Terry Gross – Specificity (Or what have you) (Thrill Jockey) Sleeper & Snake – Lock up the loose (Upset The Ryhthm) Louis Philippe & The Night Mail – Fall in a daydream (Tapete) Emily Barker – The woman who planted trees Arch Garrison – Lady young ghost (Believers Roast) Joe Hisaishi with New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra – Procession of the spirits (from the soundtrack of the film Spirited away ) Bill Callahan & Bonnie Prince Billy feat. Sean O’Hagan – Wish you were gay (Drag City) Drug Store Romeos – Jim, let’s play (Caroline) Half Japanese – Undisputed champions (Fire) Margot – Falling in between days (Full Time Hobby) Trashcan Sinatras – Twisted and bent (Go! Discs) Skinshape – Another day (Big Crown Records) Edwa...

There's a few tunes there now like... Playlist Fixity – Becoming an earthworm (Penske Recordings) Spill Gold – Dali (Meduse MagiQ) Laurence Pike – Drum chant (The Leaf Label) Pozi – Watching you suffer (Prah Recordings) Drahla – Stimulus for living (Captured Tracks) Pill Fangs – Pain inside (Sunstone Records) The Pinheads – Feel it now (Stolen Body Records) Mdou Moctar – Ilana (Sahel Sounds) Death & Vanilla – A flaw in the iris (Fire Records) Rozi Plain – Conditions (Memphis Industries) Lali Puna – Being water (Morr Music) Vanishing Twin – KRK (At home in strange places) (Fire Records) Von Spar feat. Laetitia Sadier – Extend the song (Bureau B) Wand – Scarecrow (Drag City) Samsara – Yellow fangs (Tiny Room/Hidden Shoal) The Proper Ornaments – Please release me (Tapete) Dana Gavanski – One by one (Full Time Hobby) Bobby Oroza – Your love is too cold (Big Crown Roecords) Hiss Golden Messenger – Everybody needs somebody (Merge) Nilufer Yanya – Tears (Ato...

New music in the ether in this new year.* (*A couple of exceptions, The Shacks who I just learned of lately, released last year, and a few others from end of 2018.) Music from Oslo, Cork, Berlin, Glasgow, Brooklyn, Brisbane, North Carolina, Athens, Rotterdam, Dublin, Niger, Bavaria, Bilbao, Tucson and more in here. Enjoy. ********************* Playlist Lali Puna – Being water (Morr Music) Coldharbourstores – Disenchantment (Enraptured Records) Deerhunter – Plains (4AD) C Duncan – Impossible (Fat Cat) Tim Presley’s White Fence – I can dream you (Drag City) Cosmic Range – Breathing water (Idee Fixe Records) Sarah Louise – Rime (Thrill Jockey) The Telescopes – Don’t place your happiness in the hands of another (Tapete) The Last Sound – Cyclical pang (Fort Evil Fruit) Julia Kent – Crepusculo (The Leaf Label) Rozi Plain – Symmetrical (Memphis Industries) North Sea Radio Orchestra – The flower (Bandcamp) Shana Cleveland – Face of the sun (Hardly Art Records)...

Happy New Year to all of you and opening 2018 with a few tasty cuts from last year which you’ll find more on in the Best of 2017 posts on the blog. Laetita Sadier Source Ensemble is one of those. A lovely groovy kosmische informed by Brazil. The Clientele is another. Cosmic folk rock with a yearn and a robust jangle to it. Manu Louis is one. Wonky and very groovy dance music. Michael Nau . Gorgeous blissed out psych pop. Plus new music from The Go! Team . Morse code for the dancefloor. The Altered Hours . Lovely psych drones. Tune-Yards . A playground chant meets eco themed pop music. And Spindle Ensemble . Beautiful light touch classical tones from Bristol . More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playlist 473 Tues Jan 9 2018 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 98.3FM l...

This week’s show has a lot of great music. At least four of my favourite tunes of the year (you know the ones if you're here regularly). But really this week come for the pop genius of The Go! Team ...brass band handclaps xylophones joyous teenage guest singers. Then stay for the rest. More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playlist 465 Tues Oct 24 2017 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 98.3FM listen live on the web at www.ucc.ie/983fm *listen back to this show here goo.gl/HajPmV Playlist The Go! Team – The semicircle song ( playing Electric Ballroom, London, Feb 15 ) Hater – Blushing ( playing Rough Trade East, London, Nov 29 ) This is the Kit – By my demon eye ( playing Cyprus Ave, Cork, Jan 16 ) Montero – Vibrations ( playing Vicar Street, Dublin Nov 22, w ...

Great pop music comes in many different forms. However there are some combinations of elements that even on paper are close to guaranteed to bring about wonderful results. A brass band. Handclaps. Shakers. Xylophones. A chorus of oohs. Add to that the way around a melody and bouncing backbeats which are two of the things we love most about The Go! Team . And the sheer exuberance of the group of Detroit teenagers who guested on vocals. Did I mention that the singers introduce themslves along with their starsigns during the breakdown? (Plus is that a theremin in the background?) A joyous riot and a genius pop song.

A sublime psych soul cut with deep roots coming from Prince and Curtis Mayfield and others. Horns. Bending melodies. Ascending strings. Wonderful bass driven backbeats. It’s 3 and a half minutes long but feels like a full blown symphony. If you need any other reasons to be endeared, it seems to be a song about love and dancing. One of the year’s essential sounds for me.