• Before Machines announce split

    September 12, 2013 - By 

    Having released their superb debut album, Tundra, at the start of the year, Belfast indie-rock four-piece Before Machines have announced that they are to part was after a final Belfast show next month. The band released the following statement: “On October 2nd, Before Machines will play Limelight 2. This will be our last performance. A few weeks ago the two Dans (Dan Larkin, Dan Black) announced their intentions to leave the band, confirming what we had all been feeling in our hearts for some time – that Before Machines are over. The release of the Tundra album earlier this year was…

  • Factory Floor – Factory Floor

    September 16, 2013 - By 

    For a band that has been on the scene since 2008, Factory Floor don’t exactly have the extensive back catalogue that one would normally associate with an act so experimental and cutting-edge; dare I utter that old chestnut. Be that as it may, what they have perhaps lacked in frequency of output has been solidly countered by the consistent quality of their music. Factory Floor are an outfit that own their sound, and as such, it’s not really surprising that their latest self-titled full-length comes courtesy of DFA; the brain child of James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and friends, and the label responsible for The Rapture,…

  • EP Stream: Feet For Wings – Homes

    September 12, 2013 - By 

    Having released a studio single and live track over the last year,Belfast alt-acoustic four-piece Feet For Wings have unveiled their debut five-track EP, Homes. Recorded and produced by Andrew Dougherty of Sonic Visuals Recording Studio, the band are streaming the release via Bandcamp. It is also available to purchase a minimum of £4. The artwork for the EP was painted and designed by Glenn Kennedy. Check out his stuff here. Stream Homes in full below. Homes by Feet For Wings

  • Radio K

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    The atomic symbol of potassium, the maligned protagonist in Franz Kafka’s The Castle and the unspecified superior feature of a certain breakfast cereal: the letter K denotes and relates to many things. Tentatively established back in 2006, Radio K has steadily established itself as Belfast’s go-to weekly alternative club, set in the suitably underground surroundings of the basement of Belfast’s oldest bar, McHughs at Custom House Square. Casting our eye back to its foundations and the years that have since passed, we catch up with the club’s main players to trace the supremely soundtracked trajectory of a Belfast social institution.…

  • Gig of the week: Champion Sound Showcase

    September 11, 2013 - By 

    Our gig of the week this week is set to be an outright highlight of this year’s CultureTECH in Derry/Londonderry: a showcase by Belfast-based label Champion Sound at the most excellent Sandinos on Friday September 13 featuring performances two of the label’s most exciting names. Fast-rising Derry electronic artist Ryan Vail (above) and decidedly anonymous producer Unknown lead the way on the night. Visuals coming courtesy of award-winning Belfast collective DSNT, the labels bosses of both Planet Mu (Tom Quaye) and Champion Sound (Lyndon Stephens) will also perform DJ sets on the night Tickets are five pound at the door. Check out ‘Fade’ by Ryan Vail below.

  • Getting Re-Acquainted: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Round & Round

    September 11, 2013 - By 

    A year is a long time in the world of pop music, and it’s hard to believe that an incredible three years has passed since the release of Ariel Pink’s game-changing album Before Today. Before that, he’d been a lo-fi oddball, a seemingly deliberately obscure artist as likely to be responsible for a piece of unlistenable mucking about as he was for a warped slice of vintage FM pop music. Before Today changed all that, and ‘Round & Round’ was the moment when his peculiar genius asserted itself. Over a bed of hazy Hall & Oates-esque synths, Pink and the rest…

  • Exclusive stream: The Late David Turpin – Bear of a Star

    September 11, 2013 - By 

    On the eve of the release of his forthcoming third album, we have an exclusive stream of ‘Bear of a Star’ by Dublin-based singer-songwriter The Late David Turpin. Having already released two albums under his own name, Turpin – who recently died for “approximately died for 28 seconds” – will release We Belong Dead on September 13. To celebrate the release, Turpin will perform the album in full with a chamber choir  on September 15 at Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre.  ‘Bear of a Star’ strikes a rather brilliant balance between Beck, Eels and Of Montreal, with hints of Wire and Soul Coughing. Ahead of our interview with Turpin on…

  • Twenty Months, Twelve Photos, One Glass Eye

    September 11, 2013 - By 

    If you’re a regular gig-goer in Belfast, chances are you will at least know amateur music photographer Diarmuid Kennedy to see. Having worked tirelessly on his own initiative to capture  pretty much every single local gig worth going to over the last twenty months, he has very kindly selected a dozen of his favourite distinctive black-and-white photographs during this period, offering a snapshot of a small but thriving scene and the thoughts of a true champion of homegrown live music. Take it away, Diarmuid. “It is very flattering to be asked to select my favourite photographs for Thin Air.  I am a complete amateur…

  • Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks

    September 11, 2013 - By 

    Hesitation Marks is the furthest Trent Reznor has pushed the aural parameters of Nine Inch Nails since the bands’ inception. Whilst previous releases have varied in degrees, several constants have always remained: dark and nihilistic themes, recurring musical motifs, and tracks that build dozens of layers into a towering climax – most of these traits have been eschewed in favour of a new approach here. The new record Hesitation Marks – their eighth full length –  is an exercise in minimalism, in honesty, in peeling back the skin; both in terms of song writing and tone. Reznor is creating music with new goals…

  • Watch: Arcade Fire – Reflektor

    September 9, 2013 - By 

    After considerable anticipation, Montreal indie band Arcade Fire have unveiled the interactive video for their new single, Reflektor. Easily one of the more interesting promos of its kind, the video allow viewers to alter effects in the clips via either their mobile, tablet or mouse. Reflektor is our on October 29 on Merge records. Watch (or direct) the incredible video here.