• Inbound: Connor McCann

    November 24, 2023 - By 

    This summer I attended the Fête de Rosette, in the Savoie region of France. A fledgling festival of Irish talents both established and fringe, Connor McCann was a highlight among his contemporaries – his Americana-infused balladry, married with the atmosphere of the Alpine valleys, was a treat for the senses. That’s not to say he’s any less enthralling when playing closer to home. The influence McCann is having on the candle-lit folk sessions of Belfast’s music bars seems initially novel, but in fact has been brewing for some time. While the Glenravel-born artist has pedigree as frontman of disbanded alt-rockers…

  • Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly

    March 24, 2015 - By 

    Precursor: the hype was justified. The long awaited “good kid, m.A.A.d city 2.0” is here, and well, it’s not that. It’s something else. It’s somehow bigger, darker, catchier and more socially significant all at once. Kendrick Lamar’s third studio release To Pimp a Butterfly is all of those things, and nothing like what we expected. Opener ‘Wesley’s Theory’ – featuring George Clinton, produced by Flying Lotus, sampling Boris Gardiner and a voice clip of Dr Dre – is an eye-opening funk monster to end all preconceptions. Aside from the immediately clear difference in instrumentals – good kid’s slick trap beats…

  • Classic Album: ‘Corndogs from Pedro’ – Minutemen’s Double Nickels On The Dime

    November 20, 2014 - By 

    Punk rock – as a movement, as a mindset, and as a musical rebellion against the status quo – has always had a tendency to slide into an unusual conformity all its own. In the birth of any new scene – after the initial spark of originality – codes are established, styles become uniforms, and common mantras unite bands and fans alike. Perhaps no lyric can define the punk scene in Southern California in the early 1980’s like those of the Minutemen on the track ‘The Glory of Man’: “I live sweat, but I dream light years.” Big ideas that…

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of… October

    November 5, 2014 - By 

    Black Milk – ‘Everyday Was’ ft. Mel Computer Ugly Opening with 16-bit synth sounds before transitioning into the track proper, Black Milk’s new album If There’s A Hell Below harks back to Cannibal Ox’s 2001 album The Cold Vein. On this opening track, ‘Everyday Was’, a simple and catchy bass melody forms the backbone of a beautifully textured instrumental, once again reminiscent of that CanOx classic. If There's A Hell Below by Black Milk Dutch Uncles – ‘In n Out’ Memphis Industries The first sample of O Shudder, the new album from Dutch Uncles, ‘In n Out’ is an unashamed…

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Track of September

    October 7, 2014 - By 

    Not just a pretty face (“Not even a pretty face!”) Aaron Hamilton is a man of fine and discerning taste. So much so, he has his own monthly column here at the Thin Air dedicated to looking back at the very best tracks released in the month previous. As we’re edging our way very cosily into October, here’s his Choice Cuts from September, the equally parts terrific and tumultuous month that was. Busdriver – Retirement Ode (Big Dada) The opener from Busdriver’s just-released masterclass in experimental rap Perfect Hair, Retirement Ode lists the costs involved in the production of the album…

  • Aphex Twin – Syro

    October 3, 2014 - By 

    To give Richard D James an introduction seems redundant. Anyone uninformed of his past work has almost certainly listened to other artists inspired by it; such was the impact of many of his staple albums throughout the 90s. His reach within electronic music has oft been referred to as game changing, immeasurable, and essential. So when his unmistakable emblem began appearing on blimps, tagged across multiple European capitals and even within the darkest reaches of the deep web accompanied by a stark ‘2014’, the electronic music producer from Cornwall sent music lovers worldwide into a state of frenzy. The hype…

  • Stream: Prince – U Know

    September 2, 2014 - By 

    Prince has released a third track from his forthcoming solo album Art Official Age. ‘U Know’ follows a similar formula to the last two singles from the new album, with diverse instrumentation including some pretty synth chords, an R&B rhythm section and Prince’s trademark sensual vocal delivery. The new album is released on the same day as Plectrum Electrum, released by Prince’s band 3rd Eye Girl. Listen to ‘U Know’ via Vibe, and hear both Art Official Age and Plectrum Electrum from August 29th via Warner Bros.  

  • Stream: Deafheaven – From The Kettle Onto The Coil

    August 25, 2014 - By 

    San Francisco’s leading black metal outfit Deafheaven have released a studio version of their new song ‘From The Kettle Onto The Coil’. The five piece, having just played a well received show at Belfast’s Mandela Hall (review here) have been playing this new song at most of their recent shows. While it sounds familiar to their 2013 breakthrough album Sunbather, it has a few notable deviations, including some chugging guitars and vocals from George Clarke that are less concealed in the mix. ‘From The Kettle Onto The Coil’ can be heard below via SoundCloud. It can be downloaded for free starting…

  • Deafheaven w/ No Spill Blood @ Mandela Hall

    August 20, 2014 - By 

    The stir of Deafheaven’s first performance in Belfast is one that few could have anticipated, and even fewer will have forgotten. It was 2012, and the San Francisco black metal outfit were on their first European tour in support of post-rock heavyweights Russian Circles. The band played to an almost entirely uninitiated Speakeasy Bar that night; it wasn’t long, though, until the sheer surprise of the aural viciousness emanating from the stage transformed to excitement and awe. The room, packed full of post-rock fans,  was audibly delighted with the performance. It’s unlikely that any other black metal band in the…

  • Watch: Pere Ubu – Golden Surf II

    August 10, 2014 - By 

    A second single has been released from the upcoming Pere Ubu album, Carnival Of Souls. Since 1975 the band have put out fifteen albums and many other EPs and live releases. The avant garde garage rockers, fronted by the inimitable David Thomas, have never seen commercial success but have consistently pushed into new territory in countless musical genres. ‘Golden Surf II’ is an all-guns-blazing aural assault, featuring the buzzing guitars and unorthodox synth noises that helped Pere Uru build their reputation as one of the most important underground bands of the past 40 years. Watch the video for ‘Golden Surf II’ below. Carnival…