Twenty Albums in Twenty Days: Day Ten

OK, so I’ve been doing this Twenty Albums in Twenty Days thing on Facebook, but I figured, what the hell, we’re in lockdown so I might as well share those albums on here, too.

I mean, now is as good a time as any to listen to music, right?

We have weeks and months stretched out before us, so we can make our own soundtracks to isolation, and try listening to music that we had previously overlooked or haven’t revisited in a while.

Right then, Day Ten: Happiness by The Beloved

happiness

I pretty much bought this album based upon the Smash Hits review, and a vague awareness of the song Hello.

This album is divine, and way back when I was fifteen and sixteen, it sounded like something I wasn’t quite old enough to be listening to; I imagined twentysomethings listening to this while they did grown up things, you know like doing drugs in Ibiza while watching the sunset.

In short, it felt like I had found this secret tape, that I strongly suspected none of my peers knew about.

The Beloved became much more well-known, and more commercially successful, with their follow up hit Sweet Harmony (released in 1993) but for me, this album will always be their best work.

I find comfort in it, probably something to do with Jon’s mellow voice, and the joyous, pure optimism of the songs. Equally good is their follow-up, Blissed Out, a companion remix album.

Here’s the 90’s classic The Sun Rising.