• Premiere: Polyglove – Cruzer

    October 16, 2014 - By 

    The Thin Air exclusively presents the premiere of Polyglove‘s brand new single Cruzer from their forthcoming Dialler EP, which we recently featured in the first print issue of our magazine. Now for a bit of back story: Wicklow/Dublin natives Niall Conroy and Stephen Maguire met whilst studying film and decided through a mutual love of sound and vision to create their own distinctive brand of ‘Baroque House’ steeped in analogue. They create their dark brooding music through entry level synths arranged in the form of a classic band. Cruzer gurgles along with a nostalgic feel like one of the Ocean loaders for the Commodore…

  • Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!

    October 15, 2014 - By 

    L.A.’s Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison) has had a somewhat circuitous musical journey since releasing his debut LP in 2006. Taking its title from his birth year, 1983 saw the beginning of a series of full-length releases that harked back to concepts and ideas – memories even of life and place – that were intrinsic to the beatsmith’s musical identity. These sonic origins, as heard on 1983 and Los Angeles, compounded the variety of deep and melodic hip hop instrumentals that J Dilla and Madlib had long been well known for, but Ellison’s interpretation of the mix-tape style was unique. It…

  • “That’s a great song… but who is it about?”

    October 15, 2014 - By 

    “That’s a great song… but who is it about?” I’m sure at some stage you’ve scratched your head pondering over just who your favourite Irish bands named certain songs after. Well, you’re in for a treat! The Thin Air have gone straight to the sources and asked ‘who the hell is that?’ so you don’t have to. You may or may not recognize some of the people above, but we can assure you that’s these faces were inspiring enough to have a song penned especially about them. We’ve also compiled a Spotify playlist of our ten favourite songs about these…

  • Meb Jon Sol – Southpaw Niños

    October 14, 2014 - By 

    Belfast-based folk singer-songwriter Michael McCullagh AKA Meb Jon Sol has been on something of a far-reaching musical expedition since his Colenso Parade days. A far cry musically from the starry-eyed indie pop of the latter – now defunct – Omagh five-piece, McCullagh’s debut solo album bears the lyrical and thematic imprint of wisdom and experience throughout, each track underpinned by the inner workings of wanderlust or quixotic wondering. Preceded by “yeo!”-generating singles ‘Leave All Your Troubles With Me‘ and ‘Captain of this Ship‘, Southpaw Niños strikes a keen balance between self-reflection and knowingly cavalier abandon, McCullagh’s quasi-mystical, eager tales of the open road and distant…

  • Stream: Jape – The Heart’s Desire

    October 14, 2014 - By 

    For the last couple of years, Richie Egan has been residing in the Malmö, Sweden, recording material that will rear its head on Jape’s forthcoming fifth album, The Chemical Sea. As was perfectly illustrated in Ian Pearce’s photo feature with Egan last year, there was no shortage of equipment and sonic gadgetry at the latter’s disposal in the studio, something that is more than evident on ‘The Heart’s Desire’, a new track melding Hot Chip-esque electro musing and forward-moving synth-pop that is unmistakably Jape. The Chemical Sea will be released in January. Stream ‘The Heart’s Desire’ right here.

  • White Male Actors – Ghosts EP

    October 14, 2014 - By 

    Strabane alternative/indie-pop trio White Male Actors release their long-awaited debut EP, Ghosts, through Broken Melody Records on October 20. The band started well when they sent their single ’31 Years’ to the R.E.M. offices in April of 2013 in tribute to their breakup, catching the attention of erstwhile drummer Bill Berry, and now they release their anthemic brand of guitar-led indie-pop to the world, launching it with a Hidden Machine show at Voodoo on October 30. The EP was recorded and mixed in Staffordshire’s Burntwood Studios, as well as in Derry’s Blast Furnace and the one track released so far, ‘Mysteries and…

  • Outburst Queer Arts Festival 2014

    October 14, 2014 - By 

    Taking place from November 14 to November 22, the eighth annual Outburst Queer Arts Festival will return with eight days and nights of world class and new local, theatre, performance, film, visual art and discussion, celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender creativity in venues across the city of Belfast. From neo-cabaret duo Bourgeois & Maurice (pictured) and a screening of 52 Tuesdays to David Hoyle’s Queer History Tour and Gayllifrey: a queer celebration of Doctor Who, the festival traverses each and every creative medium to deliver a festival “sharing and exploring LGBT experiences and bringing exciting, entertaining and challenging new work to…

  • Shellac – Dude Incredible

    October 14, 2014 - By 

    Shellac don’t operate like a normal band. Releasing albums every seven years in between Steve Albini and Bob Weston’s day jobs as recording engineers; no fanfare, no previews or singles; no accompanying tour. One thing they can be relied on for, however, is their consistency. You could essentially arrange Shellac’s discography into any order and it would be difficult for a newcomer to work out the correct sequence. This is no bad thing – no one wants to hear a Shellac album that doesn’t sound like Shellac – it’s a testament to how consistently strong they’ve been over the last…