• The Thin Air’s Top 50 Irish Releases of 2015 (30-1)

    December 31, 2015 - By 

    In the third and final installment of the feature, we count down from 30 to 21 in our annual Top 50 Irish Releases of 2015. Miss the first two installments? Check them out here and here. 30. Morning Veils – Her Kind Released at the tail-end of 2015, Her Kind by Cork outfit Morning Veils was a deserved late addition to the top-end of our countdown. We said: “Her Kind is a release that channels bedroom solipsism, backwashed thoughts and psychic corners in perfectly phantasmal fashion. Comprised of members including Elaine Howley of The Altered Hours and Roslyn Steer, the band’s brilliantly burrowing brand…

  • Album stream: Morning Veils – Her Kind

    December 29, 2015 - By 

    Tagged with the sole, supremely apt descriptor “experimental” on their Bandcamp page, Cork outfit Morning Veils have unveiled their debut album, Her Kind, a release that channels bedroom solipsism, backwashed thoughts and psychic corners in perfectly phantasmal fashion. Comprised of members including Elaine Howley of The Altered Hours and Roslyn Steer, the band’s brilliantly burrowing brand of forgotten folk unravels over thirteen tracks to inveigle and sedate with real, restrained purpose and cursive cool. Her Kind is launched at St. Lukes in Cork City tonight (Wednesday, December 30). Limited tickets available from Plugd Records and on the door at 8pm. Show starts at 8.15pm.…

  • NYF Music Trail 2015

    December 30, 2015 - By 

    Taking place across fifteen Dublin venues on December 30 and December 31, the 2015 NYF Music Trail will feature free shows from the likes of Participant, Hare Squead, New Pope and Inni-K (pictured). As well as a performances in the likes of the Little Musueum, Mansion House and Urban Picnic, acts including Anderson and This Other Kingdom will also play pop-up shows at Terminal 1 and 2 of Dublin Airport. Nice. “Demonstrating how the city support its artists whilst also creative a fantastic atmosphere of pop up goodies for visitors and residents alike during the New Year’s Festival…” the trail was…

  • Stream: Kowalski – The Kowalski Archives: 2007-2009

    December 30, 2015 - By 

    Having been quiet since the release of their long-awaited debut album, For The Love Of Letting Go, back in the Summer of 2013, London-based Bangor indie-pop quartet Kowalski have returned with The Kowalski Archives 2007-2009, a stellar fifteen-track digital release capturing various performances from their early days. As well as its release, the band revealed their reason for absence was due a serious illness within the band: “Hello you lovely folk! I’m sorry we have been very quiet over here in Kowalski land but we thought it was time to update you on what is going on. Unfortunately our bass player Tom has been very ill for…

  • Stream: exmagician – 2000 Miles

    December 23, 2015 - By 

    Truth be told, not every well-meaning stab at a festive cover comes off in a blaze of glory. Falling very much into the category of those that do, Belfast’s exmagician have re-imagined the Pretenders’ seminal Christmas cut ‘2000 Miles’ in very fine fashion indeed, conjuring a beautifully reflective netherworld edging nicely into the realms of dream-pop. Stream/download the track below.

  • Watch: Orchid Collective – The Power of Love

    December 23, 2015 - By 

    Having had a very encouraging 2015, Dublin alt-folk four-piece Orchid Collective found some time when recording their forthcoming next single at Lisburn’s Millbank Studios last week to re-imagine and cover Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Christmas classic ‘The Power of Love’. A wonderfully paced, subtly spellbinding rendition of the 1984 original, their rendition is accompanied by a video by filmmaker Tiaran Larkin. Check it out below.

  • The Thin Air’s Top 50 Irish Releases of 2015 (30-1)

    December 31, 2015 - By 

    In the third and final installment of the feature, we count down from 30 to 21 in our annual Top 50 Irish Releases of 2015. Miss the first two installments? Check them out here and here. 30. Morning Veils – Her Kind Released at the tail-end of 2015, Her Kind by Cork outfit Morning Veils was a deserved late addition to the top-end of our countdown. We said: “Her Kind a release that channels bedroom solipsism, backwashed thoughts and psychic corners in perfectly phantasmal fashion. Comprised of members including Elaine Howley of The Altered Hours and Roslyn Steer, the band’s brilliantly burrowing bonerand of…

  • Glen Hansard @ Ulster Hall, Belfast

    December 21, 2015 - By 

    Glen Hansard stands at the edge of the stage, his dark attire all but blending in with the darkness, giving the strange appearance of a floating, disembodied head. He sings ‘Grace Beneath The Pines’, unamplified and accompanied only by a swelling string section, and his voice ghosts all around the interior of the concert hall. It captures the spirit of Josef Locke or John McCormack, namechecked by Hansard later on in the show, and as openings go, it is certainly an effective one. In fact, it sets the tone for the whole evening, which is more subdued than one might…

  • Steve Albini Set For Belfast Conference

    December 18, 2015 - By 

    Following in the well-partied footsteps of  Andrew WK, legendary Chicago recording engineer and Big Black/Rapeman/Shellac frontman Steve Albini has been announced as the next Keynote speaker at music conference Output in Belfast on Thursday, February 18. Also feted for his music writing, commentary and keynote speeches throughout the U.S. and further afield, Albini – best known for his work with Nirvana and the Pixies – is a bona fide music industry veteran, as well as a famous supporter of analog recording over digital. As with last year, Output – organised by Belfast City Council in partnership Generator NI – will feature panel discussions, music sessions, networking…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 50 Irish Releases of 2015 (40-31)

    December 17, 2015 - By 

    Following on from Monday’s first installment, we continue our countdown of our Top 50 Irish Releases of 2015, featuring glorious returns, new-fangled heroes. Go here to check out 50-41. 40. Lakker – Tundra “You should listen to it loudly, and try to get swept away by it.” So aptly concluded Pitchfork’s review of Tundra, the second album – and debut R&S full-length release – from Berlin-based Dublin electronic duo Lakker in a decade. Released back in May, it proved an immersive ten-track release inspired by No U-Turn Records, Arvo Part, Merzbow and early Human League. Now that’s a dinner party we’d pay good money to…