The Underground of Happiness

So, a major event in the music world this week, a new album by My Bloody Valentine (pic). Whatever you think about them, m b v has some beautiful moments, including ‘if I am’. Interesting too to listen to it side by side with ‘Only shallow’, a classic from Loveless . More from Julia Kent again, from her new album Character , another gorgeous cello-based instrumental, and the new single from Olof Arnalds , which is very Joanna Newsome-esque – and that’s fine by me. Ty Segall next to Dublin’s Lie Ins worked well I thought (!), a couple of instrumental Hidden Shoal gems in the shape of Apricot Rail and Markus Mehr , the latest in the Collision/Detection series featuring The Doomed Bird of Providence , and some swooning chamber folk from both Amor de Dias and Choice Prize-nominated Adrian Crowley . Shonen Knife were in on the MBV theme with a cover of ‘When you sleep’ (from a Japanese MBV tribute album charmingly called Yellow Loveless ) and Ghost Estates , who play Cork in Feb...