The Underground of Happiness

So here's the final instalment of this Best of 2016 loosely centring on Psych Pop and some offshoots. I must say it was great listening back to the tunes over the last few weeks. It seems I always say this, but it really was another great year for music. It’s also very interesting when compiling a list like this to spot trends over the year, or longer, some kind of pattern that might be developing, or on the other hand any glorious one offs. I think I always say this too but no harm in repeating. These lists aren’t meant to be representative in any way. I know there are glaring omissions here out of the sum of music released last year but this list is made up of the music that struck a chord with me and in almost all cases was played (generally quite a bit) on the show. So once more with feeling, these are in no particular order. Enjoy. ************************************************************************** 1. Weyes Blood – Front row seat to Earth (Mexican Summ...

Another step forward for the Brooklyn-based band on their third album, in which taking the foot off the garage rock pedal in fact works to intensify the psych atmosphere in unexpected ways. There’s a distinct baroque feel to ‘Star crawl’, with cello and mellotron swimming around the mid tempo beat; you’ll still find plenty to recognise in the crunching guitar and stalking bass. A song like ‘Sticks and stones’ is the last thing I would have expected from the band and brilliantly wrongfooting – it’s sweet, pastoral and dreamy, with just enough of an organ buzz and general offbeat air to keep you guessing. ‘Memory room’ takes on this thread with acoustic guitars, violins and mythological lyric lines, veering fascinatingly into post-punk, verging on Go Betweens, territory (I’m so there). And the title track, along with album closer ‘Phases forever’, completes this baroque mini-section with a gorgeous guitar run over organ and cello, and a sumptuous string quartet breakdown...

A new Crystal Stilts album should be an occasion of joy in every household. While I'm still digesting Nature Noir , their third, this ferocious cut is worth a mention on its own. It seems a dime a dozen to say that it channels The Velvet Underground but let's say it does that but still manages to come out intact, with its own distinct flavour. The rolling bassline helps, Brad's sleepy vocal is beautiful, JB's brilliantly chaotic guitar lines, all the better to carry a fable about returning to the underworld, the garden - of Eden, perhaps? It's over in two and a half minutes aswell, tantalisingly, because on top of everything else they write perfect pop songs this lot.

A rake of great tunes this week, plenty of new music again. Let's start by mentioning Crystal Stilts (pictured), one of my favourite bands, whose 3rd album Nature Noir is just out. We had the cracking 'Future folklore' from it, a kind of Velvets-Bo Diddley mash-up, and there will be plenty more to come on the show over coming weeks. Also, Julia Holter paired with Leslie Caron , two Gigi references there, both based on the famous Colette novel; Bill Callahan getting funky in his old age, with the meditative Yusef Lateef , two flute interludes; King Khan appeared in the Moon Duo video for 'Sleepwalker', the lunar ones play Liverpool Psych Fest and in Dublin next weekend; two Alexander Tucker out there pop plays in Grumbling Fur & Imbogodom . MGMT play Cork next month, their great missing Philly Soul link from the 2nd album; some lovely folk/reggae tones from Me & My Friends ; Paper Dollhouse from the extensive new Outer Church comp on Front &...

Yann Tiersen – I’m gonna live anyhow (Mute, from the album Skyline ) Welcome to a world where circus music meets pop, featuring an unruly arrangement made up of electronic tambourines, mouth trumpets, falsetto choirs, no-nonsense gorgeous melodies and the winningest refrain. Gruff Rhys feat. El Perro del Mar – Space dust #2 (Turnstile, single) Irresistible duet between the Super Furry Animals’ frontman and the Swedish singer. Hints of Tropicalia in the brushed samba beat, as well as the gloriously over the top lyrics recounting love at a conference – “ When I saw you at the seminar/Raindrops and fireworks flow/When I saw you at the seminar/Active volcanoes aglow ”. Superb. *The single is backed by Whale trail , which comes accompanied with aye-Phone app features. Anybody know the Welsh for bonkers? Crystal Stilts – Dark eyes (Sacred Bones, from the Radiant door EP) Knockout opening tune from the New York band’s new EP, which splits itself (as if unable to choose) between ga...