The Underground of Happiness

That time of year again when we take stock. It's good to take stock, be thankful for what you have, mourn what you miss, make plans for the future, rekindle memories. Musical memories are obviously pretty specific, conjuring up a place, a time, the people you were with, or maybe just how the music made you feel. It can even seem like music transports us back to a more innocent time. Last January really does seem like a long time ago and some of this list dates back that far. Musical memories are always personal and often completely private. This list is the first part of a four-part (probably) series. I'm a bit of a hoarder so lists tend to be long. But everything here is treasured by me. I'm calling it Kosmische/Instrumental/Soundtrack/Jazz/Dance . As usual, tags are somewhat arbitrary but let's go with those. And the tunes are in no particular order. I'm aiming for the second part of the review sometime between Christmas and New Year's if you're a di...

Owensie’s third album takes a thread from his previous record Citizens in 2012. On that, he dipped his toe tantalisingly into a kind of socially conscious bossa nova style, picked Spanish guitar front and centre in the mix, hushed vocals a la Elliot Smith and wonderful reed arrangements. (Arguably even better was his Christmas charity single that year ‘The old breadline’, a deceptively breezy slice of social realism and a compulsory companion piece to the album.) While Citizens had a certain sense of trying the style out for size, Dramamine follows through magnificently with conviction and a series of glorious pop moments. None more so than on the utterly beguiling title track. The same elements are present – picked Spanish guitar, delicate, reaching harmonies (featuring Conor O’Brien of Villagers), droning reeds in support. The tempo though is a shade quicker than before giving the song an extra urgency, culminating in the marvellous wordless vocal interludes which drift ov...

This week's show seems to have become a compilation of recent favourites, so more from: Robert Forster , in sweltering ballad form The Chills , belting out wonderful big-hearted pop songs with ringing guitars Julia Holter , drifting gossamer-light enigmas Blank Realm , no views, no wave, no shortage of storming psych pop Laura Cannell , ancient timeless folk strains. Also great new tune from Owensie with help from Conor (Villagers) O'Brien on backing vox. And Kevin Murphy , likewise back with more top drawer folk soul songwriting. More on these pages. Oct 13 2015 w/ Deerhunter,Kevin Murphy,Julia Holter,The Chills,Laura Cannell,Darren Hayman++ by The Underground Of Happiness on Mixcloud The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playlist 373 Tues Oct 13 2015 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 9...

One thing I didn't expect to arrive in the post during the dark mornings and shortening evenings of October was a new bossa nova tune from an Irish singer-songwriter. 'Distance of her love' is the first single from Owensie's 2nd album, Citizens , which comes out at the end of this month. And it does indeed convey its message through the medium of bossa nova. Happily though, there's nothing tokenistic about the choice - the arrangement hangs on a comfortable array of classical guitar, murmuring saxophone, sympathetic, muted drums and Owensie's falsetto. It comes together brilliantly, all the more so because of the undertow of melancholy and loss in the lyric (a mother separated from her children, it seems through economic hardship and enforced migration) - the jaunty rhythm is particularly effective offset in this way. In fact, it tends to give the characters in the story extra depth. The best references I can find are Sam Prekop or José Gonzalez, pretty ...

We opened the show with some great bossa nova from Dubliner Owensie , a brilliantly catchy tune from his new album Citizens . We also had more brass-ornamented skewed pop from David Byrne & St Vincent ; two Galway bands playing live together this week, Yawning Chasm and Christian Bookshop ; Japanese legends Shonen Knife (pictured, as usual, great costumes), also on tour at the moment, the wonderful croon of Jon DeRosa , a track from a re-issued album by the incomparable North Sea Radio Orchestra , Limerick's windings , the orchestral flourishes of Jherek Bischoff , the choral beauty of Ombre . And a superb dub rework of Roll the Dice by Berliner Pole . Calling dub workers? Now there's a marching slogan... The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 238 Tues Oct 9 2012 11.00am-1.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 98.3FM listen live on th...