the happiest music of the year…..

Nabbed these from a closer listen’s ‘the happiest music of the year’ top 10 – which in turn we happily tripped over via the bearsuit records facebook page (after that is apologising for our gross oversight in mislaying their latest remix set ‘I put a time bomb in your submarine’ – might that be a contender for one of the album titles of the year – discuss. Anyway a review is hastily being pencilled in for later in the week). So back with the ‘happiest tracks of the year’ amid which Bearsuit’s Whizz Kid held down one of the prized 10 spots with their highly creative full length ‘there’s conjuring to be done’ from which the genteelly lulling ‘clones’ comes prized a melodic myriad of lost 70’s lounge motifs and warping exotica impishly fused with murmurs emanating from the Vernon Elliott sound shed. Busto power trio whose self released ‘the deal’ set alas sadly passed us by cook up some nifty noir reverb twang-a-rama that finds itself sitting and smoking in the houses of shadowy men on a shadowy planet and henry mancini though keep ‘the deal’ rolling and you’ll be greeted to some tasty ‘rhubarb and custard’ styled schizoid fuzziness by its end. From their ‘deltas’ set chapelier fou it seems struck an adoring chord with the a closer listen staff and it’s easy to see why given that ‘grand artica’ bobbles away ever so graciously lushly kissed with a subtly euphoric aura courted in silken strings and wispy lunar corteges – must remember to check them further. Again another self released set this time from huma huma entitled ‘theme songs for invisible motion pictures’ whose ‘music box’ featured here is an infectious slice of ziggy wiggy uber funky n’ quirky grooving that cleverly manages to collage elements of 70’s styled noir filmic scores through the lazy eyed ethnic lounge lenses of john barry.  Lullatone – is this the same lullatone who at one time many years passed frequented these very pages – I suspect so – here with ‘while winter whispers’ from which is taken ‘a little song about snowdrops’ which as it happens sounds exactly how you’d imagine a track titled such to sound all twinkly frosted tipped charms and a deftest of touch that one might expect to hear on some secret snow flaked studio gathering of  plone and isan types. Those preferring their listening to be daubed and distilled in prairie opines and delta folk signatures might do well to check out Mariano Rodriguez’s ‘praise the road’ which idly demurs in the porch reclined sun somewhere between Grinderswitch and lester flatt n’ earl Scruggs. Next up ‘theme – let’s go camping’ from one and seven eighths has I’ll admit had us racking our heads questioning what the hell it reminds me of – of course ‘funky town’ by Lipps Inc – devilishly daft and cute with it. Again another release I’m afraid to say we missed was smiles with teeth’s ‘everyday always’ from which for your discerning ear you’ll find the cosy toed lullaby lilts of the crunchy minimalist electro glitching of ‘scrunchie’ which by our reckoning recalled the days when the likes of Bad Jazz and Liquefaction Empire used to drop 7 inch platters by landshipping our way. Next up not the twink but one mike langlie whose ‘close to home’ taken from his ‘happy houses’ set for twink tones is a deliriously dippy slab of kooky toy electronica that for the best part sounds as though its fallen off the radar of some Phil Redmond styled teen soap while wrapping matters are waking aida with ‘how to build a space station’ – a sterling seven minute stratospheric soiree of perky post rockist motifs that freewheel between moments of stormy high octane effervescent swathes to periods of lolloping hypnotic calm all of which I’m suspecting you may well hear more of in the coming months. http://acloserlisten.com/2014/12/11/acl-2014-the-happiest-music-of-the-year/