_____________________________________________________________________________ ::k4: a r t i s t :: Happyness t i t l e :: Write In d a t e :: 2017-00-00 l a b e l :: Moshi Moshi Records g e n r e :: Indie s o u r c e :: CD b i t r a t e :: 254 kbps avg e n c o d e r :: LAME 3.98.4 -V 0 t r a c k s :: 10 p l a y t i m e :: 45:11 s i z e :: 81.98MB tracklist 1 Falling Down 5:11 2 The Reel Start Again (Man As Ostrich) 3:44 3 Anytime 4:21 4 Through Windows 2:59 5 Uptrend / Style Raids 6:27 6 Bigger Glass Less Full 2:11 7 Victor Lazzaro's Heart 5:08 8 Anna, Lisa Calls 3:24 9 The C Is A B A G 5:07 10 Tunnel Vision On Your Part 6:39 releasenotes Armed with the kind of wonky minds that lead that to writing songs about scalping popular indie musicians (Win Butler on early single æMontreal Rock Band SomewhereÆ) and a shelf full of Sparklehorse and Wilco records, London trio Happyness naturally fit in a more atypical box than most. Though 2014 debut æWeird Little BirthdayÆ had obvious roots in the offbeat charm of Pavement and the like, it was an album that beat to its own drum, lyrically meandering through tales of resenting Jesus for having the same birthday as you and the strange humour of naked, ill bodies in all their mis-functioning glory. While by no means abandoning this world view (æThe Reel Starts AgainÆ is subtitled æ(Man As Ostrich)Æ: itÆs fair to say there are still quirks on show), it makes the relative directness of much of follow up æWrite InÆ a whole new treat. While the likes of æBigger Glass Less FullÆ offer up more familiar kicks (albeit it with a fuckload of squalling distortion chucked over the top for good measure), itÆs in the more classic songwriting of æThrough WindowsÆ or the aforementioned æThe Reel Starts AgainÆ that Happyness find a new lease of life. The former is a straight up, tender piano number with its heart on its sleeve; the latter is part Randy Newman keys, part swooning Beach Boys harmonies. Both are proof that the most unexpected thing Happyness can do is to be traditional, but they pull it off with aplomb. Of course, there are some stranger deviations to be found too. æUptrends_Style RaidsÆ is a crackling, six-minute wander up and down an ascending and descending guitar scale, while æThe C Is A B A GÆ takes the most effortlessly gorgeous, gentle lull of a melody and fills it with utterly impenetrable lyrics (ôThe C is A B A G / The sky has a filmö). But overall, æWrite InÆ shows that, beneath their more leftfield influences, Happyness have it in them to be classic songwriters of considerable skill. Right on. https://www.facebook.com/Happynessmusic/ _____________________________________________________________________________ Happyness-Write_In-(MOSHICD74)-CD-2017-k4