The Underground of Happiness

Some very tasty underground sounds on the show this week. Japanese band Tenniscoats are back with the latest part of their epic Music Exists series – all three albums are now releasing on vinyl – gorgeous naïve folk melodies meet outsider pop. The estimable Front & Follow label are 10 years old and are celebrating with a compilation of their most excellent roster, Lessons . We heard Andy Nice , sumptuous cello lines, and Sone Institute , a gorgeous drifting mixture of loops, samples, spoken word and field recordings. From her own new album, but also featured on Lessons , Laura Cannell with another bracing blast of pre modern overbowed violin. Speaking of outsider pop, although it could make a play for the major leagues, is Montero – exceedingly catchy psych pop/soft rock. And This is the Kit , just confirmed for Cork show in January. More on these pages. The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blo...

A lovely loud/soft kinda thing from Cory Hanson and buds. Again (as on his great solo album from last year) he sounds scarily like Marc Bolan and the loud bits here are not a million miles from the hip swinging boogie that T Rex brought to the world. But I must say the soft parts take the prize for me. Winsome. Twinkling. Tender even in their vaguely psychedelic demeanour. When the band crashes in it all crackles with intent.