Happy Feliz is not only one third of “effortlessly uncool” twee pop trio The Happy Somethings, but the British singer-songwriter is also active solo under the moniker of Happy As You Like. On this self-titled LP you’ll hear fourteen jangly three-minute songs, diverse and at times alienating but always pleasant indie pop, which upon repeated listening turns out to be richer in orchestration and instrumentation than you initially realized – everything to create atmosphere and impact, including backmasking (in Leaves Must Fall). However, as far as I’m concerned it’s the lyrics that stand out here: actually every track starts with one or two great lines that immediately pull you into a new wonderful story. Just an example: “You stole my password so now you know // all those things I wasn’t going to tell you” (from Now We Know). OK, one more: “It’s unseasonably hot – it’s unreasonably cold // I’m unreasonably happy or so it seems that I’ve been told // by my unreasonable doc – I’ve decided that he’s ill // Cause he can’t seem to stop prescribing jolly happy pills” (from Yo Yo Yo). Fascinating.
Happy As You Like’s self-titled album is out now digitally and on CD through Subjangle.
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