The Underground of Happiness

Another hodge podge of generally loud fast music often featuring loud guitars and sometimes even loud keyboards. There are also some hushed varieties (to make up for the lack of volume those have a spooky air) and at least a few with no guitars at all. That's the beauty of pop music and 2014 was another vintage year. 1. Ezra Furman – My zero (Bar None) Let’s start with an album not technically released last year (towards the end of 2013), but it sank home with me in the early weeks of last January. The day of the dog is a bracing blast of beat rock n roll from an age before The Beatles, never mind the internet...committed, passionate and filled with buzzing guitar hooks and, inspiringly, saxophones. This song was my anthem from it. It’s a class tune all over. Shades of The Modern Lovers and even Violent Femmes here and there but Furman's voice in particular is all his own - brilliantly strained, reaching. There's not enough of that in pop music. The who...

For the 300th edition of the show I invited Eddie Kiely of Cork's FIFA Records into studio to talk about the label, how it was set up, and to play some music from their upcoming releases by The Vincent(s) and Elastic Sleep . We also chatted about Eddie's own musical influences and tastes from early Smiths and MBV , to current faves Dissolutes , Land Lovers , The Careers and Girl Band . Eddie has been involved in the music business for about 20 years, having been associated with Cork's "first wave" of label signings in the 1990s as manager of Emperor of Ice Cream (The Emperors). FIFA have had notable releases in the last year by The Frank & Walters and The Would Bes. Feb 25 2014 show w/ special guest Eddie Kiely of FIFA Records, playing tunes and talking about label by Theundergroundofhappiness on Mixcloud The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergro...