The Underground of Happiness

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 218 Tues Apr 24 2012 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 https://rapidshare.com/files/3512655723/The_Underground_Of_Happiness_Apr_24_2012.m4a Playlist AU - OJ ( playing Shacklewell Arms, London, Apr 25 ) M Ward - The first time I ran away Todd Tobias - Crystal Palace people Elisa Luu - Se fosse per me Tanlines - All of me Hiss Golden Messenger - Westering ( playing Kilkenny Roots Festival, May 4-7 ) Interview with Albert from Plugd Records Yawning Chasm - Your blue blue blue blue eyes are killing me Alexander Tucker - The glass axe ( playing Triskel Christchurch, Cork, May 12, w/ James Blackshaw ) Dustin O'Halloran - Opus 54 ( playing Cork Opera House, May 20, w/Johann Johannsson & Hauschka ) Las...

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that I've been playing a lot of AU lately on the show. That's because their new album Both lights (on The Leaf Label ) is inspiring stuff (my review of the album here ). They've just announced an animated video for one of my favourite tracks on the album, OJ (first song on this week's show), made by Japanese film maker Takafumi Tsuhiya . It shows off a pulsing, liquid use of colour, which interacts very successfully with the song's machine funk. Check it out. They've also made the song available for free through their soundcloud page. I recommend you avail yourself right away.

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 217 Tues Apr 17 2012 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 98.3FM listen live on the web at www.ucc.ie/983fm *no podcast this week Playlist Alisdair Roberts & Mairi Morrison - The whole house is singing ( playing The Slaughtered Lamb, London, May 23 ) M Ward - The first time I ran away Julia Stone - Let's forget Katie Kim - Pause ( playing The Unitarian Church, Dublin, Apr 21 ) Hooray for Earth - Bring us closer together It's a Musical - Point back The Chap - Rhythm king Father John Misty - Nancy from now on AU - Old friend ( playing Shacklewell Arms, London, Apr 25 ) Peter Broderick - Colin Kevin Tihista - Taking it to the streets (again) Fenster - Oh canyon Spiritualized - Hey Jane Lightships - Sweetness in her spark *next week's show will feature music from Tanlines, D...

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.

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 .