The Underground of Happiness

Sublime ambient ruminations from the Portland duo... ...in which time is made to stand still by a bass clarinet and synthesisers. The fractured opening actually has a certain feel of ECM jazz. Slowed down and bare except for the odd string slide. Gradually the analog synths and clarinet take hold gorgeously. Long reedy swells capped by twinkles of keys. It has a warmth to it and a mood of stoicism that is most captivating. Rotations by Golden Retriever

An absolutely gorgeous piece of minimalist electronica from the Portland duo, Matt Carlson on modular synthesizer and Jonathan Sielaff on bass clarinet. While the former lays down intricately patterned melodies, which dance over you like sparkles of light in the ocean, the latter brings some wonderful and primal drones to bear, taking the music into smearing, ambient majesty. It's so good that while Brian Eno no doubt comes to mind, there's also a hint of the master French orchestral arranger (and Serge Gainsbourg collaborator) Jean-Claude Vannier. Nothing short of superb.

I think the trick with chamber pop is to introduce enough acid elements to balance the sweetness, like lemon juice in a tart. There’s plenty of swooning on Composed (the bending string arrangements alone would break your heart at several different times), but it’s offset by some gothic lyricism and an intriguing minor-key undertow to make an intriguing, moving whole. I should fess up, I’m a sucker for chamber pop. We can agree that Van Dyke Parks was the chief pioneer in this area – the man is one of my heroes – and the whiff of VDP floats around this album like a warm embrace, in its showtune interludes, beautifully subtle keyshifts and full use of every orchestral voice. Actually, “chamber” is a moot point – you could say orchestral – but I’d stick with the word on the basis of the winning personal and intimate atmosphere all through. The guest vocal turns will attract most of the headlines – David Byrne, Caetano Veloso, Dawn McCarthy, Mirah Zeitlyn, Zac Pennington, SoKo ,...

Peter Broderick returns with his follow-up vocal album to debut Home in 2008, and shows the influence of his copious instrumental and soundtrack work in the interim, with (he tells us) no restrictions placed on arrangements or sonic direction this time. Straightaway I am piano has an air of Music for Confluence (one of PB’s dance soundtrack commissions – more here ) about it, in its gentle foundation of swinging violin. That’s followed quickly by A tribute to our letter writing days , the lovely group choral backdrop the perfect setting for its communal nostalgia. At this point, I began to form the impression that the album lacked the immediacy or the arresting beauty of Home . However, he then hits on a fascinating new direction on the title track, creating a backbeat from an insistent picked electric guitar figure and some whipcrack guitar effect decay. Later in the same tune, there’s a gorgeous, ascending violins-with-choir section. The song also contains the line “ maybe you ...

Superb album from the Portland duo (with notable help from several friends), swinging between irresistible, freewheeling polyrhythms and massed choral exultations. We've already spoken here about the wonderful first single Solid gold and the euphoric Get alive . They're great but wait until you get a load of the machine funk of OJ (which will be the second single) - a by-product of their work on the Kasai Allstars/Konono No. 1 re-interpretations album Tradi-Mods vs Rockers - a seething mixture of bubbling bass synth and steel drum samples. On the other hand, the sublime Crazy idol is like sacred music, a post-classical leaning also on show in the beguiling piano instrumental The veil (where Luke Wyland's Keith Jarrett influence becomes apparent). And that's just the first half. AU's world is such a broad church that it can accommodate free jazz, punk rock, folk and machine music under a unified banner. In the second half, I particularly loved the segue from...

An album we've had on heavy rotation lately is AU's Both lights on Leaf . The second single Get alive has just been released from it. It's got another great rumbling rhythm - a kind of mutant two-step, with invigorating brass punctuation - and more soaring vocals from Luke Wyland with guest Holland Andrews (she also sang on first single Solid gold ). It kinda reminds me of the best gospel music in that it's just effortlessly uplifting.

You'll remember seeing the name Julianna Barwick around here before. She was responsible for one of the most beautiful, and haunting, albums of last year, The magic place on Asthmatic Kitty , her debut for that label. Her first album, Sanguine , is getting a first issue on vinyl now, on the Portland-based M'Lady's label. If you were into The magic place , you'll love it. If not, you need to hear it, so here you go.

We mentioned a couple of months back that Portland duo AU had signed to the Leaf label, with their new album Both lights due out in April. The irresistible Solid gold was the first song from it to see the light of day - it's been on the UOH playlist ever since. Solid Gold 7" by AU Now they've released film of a rollicking live version of the song, shot by Oregon collective Into the Woods , featuring, along with Luke and Dana, a brass section, electric guitar and the considerable vocal talents of Holland Andrews , who also sings on the album. It's liable to put you in a good mood and keep you there. Feels Like Home Ep 44 - AU "Solid Gold" from Into The Woods on Vimeo .

One of our favourite labels around here, Leaf , has announced the signing of Portland, Oregon duo AU , whose 2008 album Verbs was also much-loved. ( Luke Wyland and Dana Valatka played in Cork in 2009 actually and I met Luke for an interview, a piece of audio I must re-upload here once the album comes out.) Their new album Both lights will come out in January, as well as the first single from it, Solid gold . It starts with a tender piano intro, before embarking on a galloping synth groove, and later introduces a stew of guitars, horns and percussion mixing under an Afrobeat rhythm. There's even a hint of brass band oompah at the end. It's all very, very beguiling and I can't wait to hear the album. AU - 'Solid Gold' by theleaflabel This is the great rr vs d from Verbs .