The Underground of Happiness

Here's another 23 tunes to complete my mid year round up of favourite music on the show in 2016 so far. It's the companion piece to the July 26th show making 41 tracks altogether. Even at that, I'm sure I've forgotten a few. For now enjoy. Rozi Plain - Marshes Morgan Delt – I don’t wanna see what’s happening outside Nick Garrie – The nightmare of JB Stanislas Damien Jurado – November 20 Nadia Reid – Reaching through Nap Eyes – Lion in chains Pedro Soler & Gaspar Claus – Cuerdas al viento Brigid Mae Power – It’s clearing now Kevin Murphy – Your heart’s a circle around me Emma Pollock – Intermission We Show Up On Radar – Rockety rock This is the Kit - Les plus beaux William Tyler – I’m gonna live forever (If it kills me) Giorgio Tuma – Maude hope Tindersticks – Second chance man Lake Ruth – The inconsolable Jean-Claude Astronauts – Civil Engineer Man of Moon - Sign Ulrika Spacek - Porcelain Melt Yourself Down – Dot to dot The Comet Is Co...

This could be the first band I’ve ever heard from Nova Scotia and first impressions of the place are very promising. It seems to be the kind of place where literate downbeat songs of hometowns and well observed intriguing domestic details are recorded live and loose and lovely. Musically, Nap Eyes are drawing broadly into the same gene pool as early Go Betweens, the time when the roots and the post punk (Creedence and The Velvet Underground) were equally revered. Singer Nigel Chapman’s dry but warm delivery has a bit of Lou Reed about it, particularly from around the time of the Velvet Underground album. Words are written first, you suspect, because they elbow their way endearingly into the line and the melody. The sublime ‘Lion in chains’, taking its sweet time, with as many verses as it needs, chiming guitars over a gorgeous vocal burr, like a comatose ‘Sweet Jane’. The beautiful rolling drum pattern of ‘Stargazer’ feeding a wandering guitar riff which foreshado...