The Happies

Meet the Happies

The Happies = Nick Drake + Brian Jonestown Massacre

The questions you should ask yourself right now are: Why haven’t I heard of The Happies before, how has my life been incomplete without them, are they still around, and why did this stupid reviewer wait several months to write them up? I can answer the last question: I didn’t know they were going to be so astonishingly good. I judged a book by its cover and thought The Happies were immature punk. Need to stop doing that. The Happies combine the best of the English singer-songwriter angle with washy, emotional American indie rock and a certain whimsical, fussy, quaint, old-fashioned splash which recalls The Coral. Stratford 4, Simon & Garfunkle, Rilo Kiley and Bonnie “Prince” Billy immediately come to mind. I simply cannot believe this is a local band. I hope they play live shows, and that they’re not done releasing. www.soundclick.com/thehappies

The Happies are a wonderful acoustic based, lo-fi, happy- sad band from New Jersey with a delightful rough and ready charm, personality by the bucket load and a refreshing enthusiastic D.I.Y approach. One of the many bands to suffer from MP3.coms '3 songs only' policy, their page used to be brimming with 30 or so brilliant, funny, inventive, melancholic, intelligent/stupid-always very HUMAN songs in a kaleidoscopic variety of styles. A small taster is left of their very individual ramshackle talents in the delightful Beck meets Velvet Underground 'Boy Who Knows' and the beautiful, haunting 'Dogs In The Park'.   Hmm... Guess I'll have to go buy the albums now!