The Underground of Happiness

I haven’t gone every step of the way with Natasha Khan since her great debut album. Even on this, her fourth album, there are moments where we part company – the more gratuitously overwrought ones mostly. This opening track though, this is what she is for. It’s two minutes of high intrigue and suspense but set against a beautiful baroque keyboard arrangement and a wonderfully restrained vocal performance. Less. Is. More.

Most welcome new music this week from North Sea Radio Orchestra , a unit built around songwriter/composer Craig Fortnam which makes great progressive folk music with elements of pastoral and minimalist classical music. The new song is just as wonderful as we've come to expect, hopefully more from them soon. Cate Le Bon being brilliant and wonky ("I want to make sense with you") and then producing Drag City compadre Tim Presley into somewhat similar shapes. Scott & Charlene's Wedding sounding like a more invigorated late VU (is the Maureen of the title Mo Tucker by any chance?). Bat For Lashes contemplating marriage in lovely dreamy unsettling tones. Some dancing interludes featuring Todd Terje & The Olsens covering Yellow Magic Orchestra , Holy Fuck getting dreamy and The Avalanches getting nice and beaty. And something old from The Chills getting a reissue on Flying Nun - jaunty and effortless and sublime heart on sleeve guitar pop. More o...