The Underground of Happiness

A special extended 2-hour show this week to usher us back in after the August recess. And there was quite the backlog of stonking new music to get through. Like Wildbirds & Peacedrums , stripping the punk out of punk funk to leave you with something sounding like Nina Simone jamming with LCD Soundsystem. And Caribou , with more delicious deep soul/house grooves. There's some gorgeous new folk cuts from Rachael Dadd, Lutine and Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler finishing this first hour. Some intriguing psych from Brother Earth , and cosmic country from The Asteroid #4 . And kosmische from the debut SlowPlaceLikeHome album, that's a beaut; and the new Laetitia Sadier project, Little Tornados . Like The Fall, she's always the same, always different. Plus a Japanese memory from 1996 by Takako Minekawa , alongside something from her new album with Dustin Wong , the completely unhinged and wonderful slice of wonky pop that is 'She he see feel'. Sep...

The second tune from this Florida band's 4AD debut album is an absolute killer and has been rattling memorably around my head for the last few months. Firstly, there's an unforgettable guitar riff locked down with a four to the floor drumbeat. Not a distorted riff, it's clean, a descending pattern and it kind of unwinds itself, insidiously, vaguely threateningly, like a snake raising itself off the floor. Then there's the vocal of Carson Cox. What a wonderful instrument that is. You imagine him pulling off a white soul or a lounge act quite easily. Plus he has a side of the mouth delivery that's intriguing. So chorus lyrics as innocuous as "all your thoughtless words" take on an extra weight or gravity. That chorus also has a great arrangement touch, a layered octave vocal which lifts the whole proceedings another notch. There's an atmosphere of coiled tension about the whole thing, even with the major key and smooth singing, which in itsel...