The Underground of Happiness

Another very tasty line in progressive pop from the Popical Island crew. This one has a lovely loping country rock jangle going on and crucially a sublime soulful female lead vocal from Bronwyn Murphy-White to go with the insinuating melody. For Beatles fans there’s even a perfectly appointed half-beat bridge complete with an exit consisting of a rising figure you miss once it’s over. Until the glorious vocal falsetto in the final chorus. I’m not even sure what the song is about – deception, mal intent loosely, providing a satisfying antidote to the sweet musical arrangement. But it’s all about the songwriting which is sharp and succinct and gives me a warm fuzzy feeling all over.

Here's a review I wrote for We Are Noise , originally published on this link - http://wearenoise.com/index.php/2012/09/mumblin-deaf-ro-dictionary-crimes-popical-island/ . The reason I'm reprinting it here is that I think it's a monumental piece of work, as you can read below. Not just that though. I think there's something about it that could even salvage the whole "singer-songwriter" tag. So if you're someone who thinks that tag has been demeaned by bawlers or chancers or moaners or emoters, give this a go. It might renew your faith in something. The third album by Mumblin’ Deaf Ro is largely autobiographical, the songs dealing with bereavement, grief and parenthood, among other things, and shows the touch of a true writer. In fact, it might just put the “writer” back into “singer-songwriter”. The songs launch from small, everyday situations, leading to broader emotional and philosophical reveries, much like some of the best short stories do. The...

This review first appeared in Cork webzine Noise . I missed Grand Pocket Orchestra’s first album, The Ice Cream , so this is my first sustained exposure to a band I’ve heard good things about. Therefore, in this review I’ll be confining myself to talking about their second album. So what we have here is… …A set of sublime teenage symphonies, sounding like they were put together in a garage, mixed with a barrage of pleasing no wave elements (you would think Daniel Johnston is a strong influence) and bursting at the seams with pop hooks. The songs deal with everyday, mundane topics, basically the important things in life – the joys of coffee ( Coffee cup ), weekends away under the stars ( Camping ) and a desire to try new sexual positions ( Pinkywolf ). On first listen, I couldn’t get enough of the gorgeous Sulphurous stain , which counterpoints a low electric guitar growl with light and carefree glockenspiel. And the way that Five pairs of fingers superbly marshals a series o...