The Underground of Happiness

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)...

A selection of miscellaneous favourites from UOH Towers lately. It so happens they tend around the psych/kosmische/dream pop axis for the most part. Also a bit of jazz and instrumental, a children's tv soundtrack (Bagpuss) and a concept piece about WWI survivors (Thankful Villages), for good measure. All new releases. Enjoy. Playlist Todd Tobias & Chloe March – Lillavva (Hidden Shoal) Darren Hayman – Bigby ( Thankful Villages Vol 3 , Belka Records in association with The Arts Council and Caught By The River) Yann Tiersen – Tempelhof (Mute) The Magic Lantern – Darling day (Hectic Eclectic Records) Peace Signs – Satellite Hitori (Gare du Nord) Camera – Super 8 (Bureau B) Lewsberg – The smile Methyl Ethel – Scream whole (4AD) O Emperor – Effort (Big Skin Records) Hilma Nikolaisen – Only me (Fysisk Format) Snapped Ankles – Drink and glide (The Leaf Label) Orchestra of Spheres – Chimes (Fire Records) Harmony Rockets – Atropos (Tompkins Square) Sone ...

Of the numerous delights on the debut album by Patrick Freeman , Cherry blossom fall , there is one that jumps out from the crowd. ‘Butterfly’ catches a current of some of Brian Wilson’s South Seas experiments courtesy of a sublime steel guitar turn from David Murphy (John Blek & The Rats, The Lost Brothers). In another context, this would be the upper echelons of country music. Here, with a cavernous reverb and flanked by a pitter patter drum machine and glorious vibe synths, it approaches the realms of vintage exotica, your Eden Ahbez for example, dipping and diving into some intriguing psychedelic side roads. The song is perfectly reined in, letting the production do the work. The album was recorded with Brendan Fennessy of O Emperor at their Big Skin studio and it constitutes another impressive addition to that studio’s growing discography. Beguiling is a word. Cherry Blossom Fall by Patrick Freeman

Beautiful taster from the Waterford man now resident in Brooklyn. Recorded with O Emperor at their Cork studio, the EP is an interesting accompaniment to their wonderful album of last year, Vitreous , plying its George Harrison/Harry Nilsson axis of influences. With David Murphy of John Blek & The Rats adding sweet pedal steel, there’s even a shade of Lambchop at their lugubrious best to the utterly sublime ‘I can’t talk about it’. Perfect Fit EP by Patrick Freeman

The last show of the year is a playlist of 15 of my favourite tracks from 2013. You'll find more info on the songs around the blog. I will also be posting some other podcasts rounding up the rest of my favourite music of the year over the next few weeks - there's quite a bit. The next show is on Jan 7th. Happy Holidays. Dec 10 2013 show - 2013 Review w/ Low,O Emperor,K-X-P,Circus Devils,V.O.,Bill Callahan,Cat Dowling++ by Theundergroundofhappiness on Mixcloud The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 292 – 2013 Review Tues Dec 10 2013 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 http://i.mixcloud.com/CFKuxK Playlist Nancy Elizabeth – The last battle Amor de Dias – Voice in the rose Liam Singer – Unhand me (You horrid thing) April March ...

Just catching up on a bit of housekeeping after being away, including a couple of playlists from the end of July. This one is a round up of some of my favourite music of 2013 so far. I say some because an hour wouldn't come near to fitting all of it - I might look at a standalone podcast to cover the rest. Stay tuned. Anyway, what's in here. Well two "Cork" bands to start, O Emperor and The Altered Hours , that is two bands based in the city but originally from other places (an interesting feature of the Cork music scene at the moment that) who have both issued notable independent releases this year - an album and EP respectively - and are blazing a trail in front of them in terms of live shows. You'll find reviews/interviews/more info on the blog on both, in fact on all of the below. For now, I'll leave the rest for listening. Come end of year, I'll look at writing some words on each again. Enjoy. Mid Year Review w/ O Emperor,The Altered Hours,E...

Eat Lights Become Lights (pictured) were back on the show with the title track of an album I'm growing to love more every week. Again, I paired them with The Last Sound , from another brilliant piece of work, and both albums drawing on different strands of Krautrock, among other things. O Emperor and Grave Lanterns share a stage together in Cork this weekend, two Cork-based bands flying the flag for a kind of renegade strain of pop music. New singles from Dutch Uncles (playing Longitude Festival in Dublin), The New Mendicants (touring the UK), Polica and Kathryn Williams . More haunting music from Nancy Elizabeth's new album (review on the blog now), Angkorwat from The Outer Church compilation on Front & Follow, and something ineffably beautiful from a couple of years back from A Winged Victory for the Sullen who announced some UK shows this week. July 9 2013 w/ O Emperor,Grave Lanterns,Nancy Elizabeth,Kandodo,Angkorwat,Eat Lights Become Lights++ by Th...

There have been a few really good Irish albums released of late which I've reviewed over on WeAreNoise and I'm going to repost here. First up, O Emperor with their second album. They are five lads from Waterford but who have been living in Cork for a number of years. They signed with Universal Ireland for their first album but have taken control themselves with Vitreous . And what a great decision because it's a fantastic record with a load of absolutely killer hooks and tunes on it. Here's the text. "Let me put my cards on the table. I was lukewarm about O Emperor until recently. I always thought they were musically accomplished but until now the songs didn’t quite hold up for me. (There might be a story to be told about their experience with a major label for their debut album versus this self-produced follow-up but that’s for another day.) With Vitreous however, the band have torn up the rules relating to the difficult second album by producing an e...

More Thrill Jockey nuggets this week. More drone nuggets. More psych pop nuggets. More ambient nuggets (that's probably not the right word for those). Date Palms (pictured below) with a great gradually evolving drone that shimmers like the desert sun, Grumbling Fur with some wonderful electro pop. Eat Lights Become Lights bringing the motorik. O Emperor with the soulful psych pop. Pieter Nooten and Jumpel with two takes on a European ambient sound. New Camera Obscura , sublime. New Halves feat Gemma Hayes , intriguing & swooning. Deerhunter with the dream pop, Pierre Henry & Pierre Schaefer with the groundbreaking musique concrete. All We Are with the "Bee Gees on diazepam" (love that description and it sounds good too). Bibio with some great summery folktronica. Eleanor Friedberger with a lovely mod-soul take on coming out. As ever, more on these pages June 18 2013 w/ O Emperor,Halves,Date Palms,Eat Lights Become Lights,Grumbling Fur,Bibi...

A thrilling return from the Cork-based (although Waterford-born) band, the first song from their upcoming second album, Vitreous , due in June. A motorik rhythm section sets the pace, stylish prog guitars and keys attach themselves and banks of soaring, unexpected vocal harmonies cap it all. Coming in at just 2 and a half minutes, it’s the most bite-sized progressive pop package you’ll find and a cracking tune. Vitreous by O Emperor