The Underground of Happiness

tripping through sheffield, surabaya, los angeles, navan, fermanagh, helsinki, cork, copenhagen & montreal in this batch enjoy x Playlist 1. Minwhi Lee – Mirror therapy for phantom pain (Alien Transistor) 2. Ella Raphael – Tangled love (Fire Records) 3. Yosa Peit – Shelly (Fire Records) 4. Naima Bock – Takes one (Sub Pop Records/Memorials of Distinction) 5. Bobby Oroza – Goddess (Big Crown Records) 6. David Murphy – An Draigheann (Rollercoaster Records) 7. Hiro Ama feat. Keeley Forsyth – Billowing (PRAH Recordings) 8. Golden Bug feat. The Liminanas & Vega Voga – Hi No Tori (La Belle) 9. Jessica Pratt – Life is (City Slang) 10. Matthew Bourne – The mirror and its fragments (The Leaf Label) 11. Róis – Caoine (bandcamp) 12. William D Drake – The flickering shade (Zebedog Records) 13. Myriam Gendron – Long way home (Thrill Jockey & Feeding Tube) 14. Oisin Leech – Colour of the rain (Outside Music/Tremone Records) 15. Mary Lattimore & Walt McClem...

marvellous tunes i hope you agree enjoy x Playlist 1. Naim Amor – Amorsonic (Fort Lowell Records) 2. Fixity – Why wait (bandcamp) ( playing The Conncert, Co Mayo, Aug 3, w/ Trá Pháidín, Junk Drawer ++ ) 3. Rachael Lavelle – Let me unlock your full potential (bandcamp) ( playing All Together Now, Aug 2-5 ) 4. Louis Carnell & Nailah Hunter – fourteen (Mute) 5. Kugelschreiber – (me x u) ≠ (u x me) (WAMHO Records) 6. William D. Drake – The flickering shade (Zebedog Records) 7. Barry McCormack – We will prevail (bandcamp) 8. Boa Morte – A cloud of stars / 2122 (reworked) (bandcamp) 9. Bobby Oroza – Goddess (Big Crown Records) 10. Brian Lopez & KT Tunstall – Road to Avalon (Vacilando ’68) 11. Camille Baziadoly – Skin on fire (bandcamp) 12. Caolán Austin feat Our Krypton Son – Walking into the furnace (Only You Recordings) 13. Crumbs – 4291 (Skep Wax) 14. Daniel Pickard – Room service (Daniel Pickard) 15. Dave Guy – 7th heaven (Big Crown Records) 16. E...

Final instalment of my favourite music of 2022. Cork. Limerick. Waterford. Kerry. Glasgow. Dublin. New Orleans. Melbourne. Leipzig. Nottingham. Copenhagen. Tokyo. Harrogate. Brussels. Enjoy. x Playlist 1. Fuxa feat Britta Phillips – Help me please (Rocket Girl) 2. Henrik Lindstrand – Gammafly (One Little Independent) 3. Julie Odell – Cardinal feather (Frenchkiss Records) 4. Keeley Forsyth – I stand alone (The Leaf Label) 5. Bróna McVittie – Living without you (Company of Corkbots) 6. Miss Grit – Follow the cyborg (Mute) 7. Mitski – The only heartbreaker (Dead Oceans) 8. Monolithe Noir feat Jawhar & Mirabelle Gilis – Barra bouge (Capitane Records) 9. Mt. Misery – The time it takes (bandcamp) 10. Naima Bock – Every morning (Sub Pop/Memorials of Distinction) 11. Núria Graham – The catalyst (Primavera Labels/New Deal/Verve Forecast/Universal) 12. Oh No Noh – Drift (Teleskop) 13. Robert Sotelo – Above (Upset The Rhythm) 14. Sinéad O’Brien – Holy c...

New tunes for a new decade. Enjoy. Playlist The Fantasy Orchestra - Flow (Disco-Ordination) Arboretum – A prism in reverse (Thrill Jockey) Cabane feat. Kate Stables & Bost Gehio – Now, winter comes (White Label) Coco – Empty Beach (FCA Records) Craven Faults – Vacca wall (The Leaf Label) Caribou – Never come back (Merge/City Slang) Olafur Arnalds feat. Voces8 – Nyepi (choir version) Daniel Knox – Room key (HP Johnson Presents) Keeley Forsyth – Look to yourself (The Leaf label) Aoife Nessa Frances – Libra (Basin Rock) Dead Famous People – Groovy girl (Fire Records) Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage – Exactly what nobody wanted (Moshi Moshi Records) Katie Von Schleicher – Caged sleep (Full Time Hobby) Theatre Royal – A marvellous death (Vacilando ’68) Shadow Show – Contessa (Stolen Body Records) Lewsberg – From never to once M Ward – Migration of souls (Anti Records) Mick Harvey – The Somme (from the soundtrack of the film Waves of Anzac) (Mute) Modern Stu...

New releases from this latest period in time. Spirals and drones. A capella and instrumentals. Walls of sound and cries for help. A piece of aural history. Enjoy the magic. Playlist Hiss Golden Messenger – I need a teacher (Merge Records) Moonchy & Tobias – Atmosfere (Hidden Shoal/Tiny Room) Murray Lightburn – To the top (Dangerbird) ALA.NI – Sha la la (ALA.NI) Alasdair Roberts – Common clay (Drag City) Boa Morte – Ships passing (Gare du Nord) Brainstory – Mnemophobia (Big Crown records) Clairo – Impossible (Caroline) Comet Gain – The institute debased (Tapete) Dana Gavanski – Catch (Full Time Hobby) Fenella – Bright curse (Fire Records) Hater – It’s a mess (Fire Records) Hochzeitskapelle – Anohito (Gutfeeling Records/Broken Silence) Joanne & Sonny – Journey (Tompkins Square) Kiwi Jr – Salary man (Mint Records) Mermaidens – Millenia (Flying Nun) Spindle Ensemble - Okemah Sundown Rachael Dadd – Cut my roots (Memphis Industries) Sean O’Hagan fea...

Keep the pop gems coming in this wet steamy summer. Playlist Mambo Noir Trio – Matador (Oona Records) Laurence Pike – Dance of the earth (The Leaf Label) Kingo Dia Ntotila – Mutwashi (Fancy Cat Remix) (Pussyfoot Records) Purple Mountains – Margaritas at the mall (Drag City) Bananagun – Do yeah (Full Time Hobby) Corey King – Fertility filter (Def Pressé) Cross Record – The fly (Ba Da Bing) Alasdair Roberts – The evernew tongue (Drag City) Drahla – Pyramid Estate (Captured Tracks) Gruff Rhys – Pang (Rough Trade) Hochzeitskapelle – Sonido Amazonico (Gutfeeling Records/Broken Silence) Manu Louis – Internet (Igloo Records) Mermaidens – I might disappear (Flying Nun) Sarathy Korwar – Bol (The Leaf Label) Band of Holy Joy – Electric pilgrims Terry – Spud (Upset The Rhythm) Twen – Damsel (Frenchkiss Records) Cabogato – Drive on dust (Hidden Shoal) Solo Collective – By the tower, at nightfall (Nonostar Records) Dubi Dolczek – Tangerine Moon (Stolen Body Re...

Playlist Sufjan Stevens – Love yourself (Asthmatic Kitty) Aldous Harding – Fixture picture (4AD) Pozi – Engaged (Prah Recordings) Jane Weaver – Slow motion (LITSS variation) (Fire Records) Stereo Total – Einfach (Tapete) Apparat – Caronte (Mute) Holy Hive feat. Mary Lattimore – Oh I miss her so (Big Crown Records) Laurence Pike – Taught by spirits (The Leaf Label) Polypores – Third level (Front & Follow) Lewsberg – Chances Vanishing Twin – Magician’s success (Fire Records) The Catenary Wires – Dream town (Tapete) Lee Hazlewood with Nina Lizell – Leather and lace (Light in the Attic) Purple Mountains – All my happiness is gone (Drag City) Sam Evian – Cherry tree (Saddle Creek) RaleghLong – Dukes of Stratosphear (Gare du Nord) Rozi Plain – Swing shut (Memphis Industries) Prefab Sprout – I trawl the megahertz (excerpt) (Sony) Prefab Sprout – Appetite (acoustic) (Columbia) The Go Betweens – Core of a flame (Beggars Banquet) Red Channel – Crazy diamonds (Upset...

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 ...

A review of the year so far in music. Some great sounds in 2018. Enjoy. Playlist 489 - Best of 2018, Jan-July Kacy & Clayton – The siren’s song (New West Records) Kacey Johansing – The hiding (Night Bloom Records/Melodic) Jessica Risker – Anyway when I look in your eyes (Western Vinyl) Jim Ghedi – Sloade Lane (Basin Rock Records) Szun Waves – Constellation (The Leaf Label) Spindle Ensemble – Moonbow (Adderwell Music) Nightports w/ Matthew Bourne – Exit (The Leaf Label) Get Well Soon – Martyrs (City Slang) Caroline Says – First song (Western Vinyl) The Saxophones – Aloha (Full Time Hobby) Jack Hayter – At Crossness Pumping Station (Gare du Nord) Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread - Less than positive (Full Time Hobby) Jennifer Castle – Texas (Paradise of Bachelors) Kamasi Washington – The Space Traveller’s Lullaby (Young Turks) Django Django – In your beat (Because Music) De Lux – 875 dollars (Innovative Leisure) BOYTOY – Mary Anne (Stolen Body ...

A bit of a baroque kick on the show this week. Lake Ruth is a Brooklyn 3-piece with wonderful flourishing melodies and shimmering arrangements around treble-y basslines and analogue synths. Jean-Claude Vannier – famous collaborator with Serge Gainsbourg – patented a brand of baroque pop with those up front basslines once again. This is one of his vault treasures as issued by the Finders Keepers label some years back. Charlotte Gainsbourg has a new album full of great melancholy arpeggios. A kind of downbeat baroque pop. Also some exotica. From the past Eden Ahbez . A dream of a life of freedom that shimmers. From the present The Saxophones . A dream of pop music with flutes. More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playlist 481 Tues Mar 6 2018 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8...

A couple of themes in this week’s show. Voices. The wonderful bruised croon of Ken Griffin of August Wells , coming back again to Ireland to play in April. The epitome of soul. The pure heart-piercing tones of Brona McVittie , from her beguiling new album. Eden Ahbez , a lost treasure from 1960, imagining an idyllic existence amid hushed and spellbinding exotica. Jack Hayter , a gritty maybe eccentric folk voice, contemplating the outpourings and emissions of a city. And Orquesta Akokán , a Cuban group on Daptone. Irresistible frenetic Latin rhythms. More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playlist 477 Tues Feb 6 2018 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 goo.gl/A8EBmW Playlist Aug...

******************************************************************************************************** Bill MacKay & Ryley Walker – Spider Beetlebee (Drag City) Beautiful album of bright and bracing guitar instrumentals from this Chicago duo collaboration. The range of styles spanned over the course of just half an hour is a clue to the open mindedness and sense of adventure of both musicians. There’s a real sense of the shared joy in playing about the whole piece. A gorgeous miniature body of work and in many ways perfect music for this time of year. SpiderBeetleBee by Bill MacKay & Ryley Walker Laura Cannell – Lines of copper gold (Brawl Records) Bracing is also a word to describe this blast of overbowed fiddle from Laura Cannell of East Anglia recorded in a semi ruined church from her current album Hunter Huntress Hawker . Call it early music. Improvised. Experimental. It is primal and it is stirring. It feels essential. HUNTER HUN...

TCIC are releasing a special edition of last year’s stirring album Channel the spirits . This previously unreleased track is part of the expanded package. You know what to expect at this stage and yet it still gets the blood pumping. Saxophones. Jagged bass pulses. Spacey bleeps. Groovy breakbeats flirting with jazz. A savage cosmic stew.

Another wonderful clatter from the English duo ahead of the debut album Come play the trees . Electronics. Urgent buzzing pulses. Perfunctory drumming. Garage rock whoops. Yes. Come Play The Trees by Snapped Ankles

Something about the spareness and spaciousness of this music went perfectly with cool breezy nights in the middle of nowhere French countryside lately. Piano and cello is all that’s involved for the most part... ...well that and the essential element of the room in which it was recorded. The space. Long cello bows. Hanging piano notes. Plus of course the unbeatable touch of Mr Bourne . Classical music (if you wish) with a wonderful feel and tons of heart. A beautiful record. Isotach by Matthew Bourne

A couple of Liverpool Psych Fest bands on the show this week, always a great bill there at the end of September. Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble , making a sublime kosmische noise with handclaps even. The Comet Is Coming , making a startling gripping psychedelic stew. Also Julian Cope in great voice on his new album; Edwyn Collins & Carwyn Ellis singing about a bird, after Bert Jansch ; Valerie June beguiling on an astral plane and playing Cork soon. And the magic of Joe Hisaishi and one of his legendary Studio Ghibli soundtracks, this one from the masterpiece that is Spirited Away . More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playlist 452 Tues June 20 2017 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 g...

Another sublime cut of ruminative piano from the upcoming new album. In among the spare plaintive notes are the most beautiful cello swells. Ambient ebbs and floes. A deep register and a harmonic upper note working together. Like a rumbling sea with its own waves crashing. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that get you through and this is one of the best of those. Isotach by Matthew Bourne

Aching piano instrumental from the North of England artist ahead of a new album in the summer. Matthew Bourne has spent the last few years exploring the edges of improv with Moog workouts, audio visual collaborations and Kraftwerk interpretations (sometimes all at the same time). While those were fascinating, there’s something very satisfying about this return to piano, to territory reminiscient of his wonderful Montauk Variations album from 2012. Plaintive and spare piano notes gather long contemplative cello drones leading to a surprisingly suspenseful atmosphere. It’s a thing of beauty and I can’t wait to hear more from the album. Candela (for Sascha Heeney) by Matthew Bourne

A selection of dreamy kosmische cuts this week. Jane Weaver making something vulnerable and really beautiful out of interweaving synths. Percolator with lovely gauzy shoegaze textures. The Saxophones have a veil thin dream pop. And Matthew Bourne is back with sublime instrumental piano music. More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Twitter: UndergroundOfHappy Playlist 444 Tues Apr 25 2017 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 goo.gl/M33CKO Playlist Jane Weaver – Slow motion ( playing The Lexington, London, May 22 ) Percolator – Yellow fire ( playing Coughlan's, Cork, Apr 28; Bello Bar, Dublin, Apr 29 ) Autre Monde – Customs Me and The Bees – Spinnin The Saxophones – If you’re on the water Nightlands – Dependi...