• Metropolis Festival

    July 24, 2015 - By 

    Taking place over the 7 & 8 November at Dublin’s RDS, the Metropolis Festival boasts an incredible lineup spread across 6 rooms, taking in live music, performance, discussions & talks from selected creatives, and installations geared towards transforming the RDS into an audio-visual playground. Chic, featuring Nile Rodgers – about whom nothing further needs to be said – headline the Metropolis stage, so expect one of the richest and tightest sets in the world. Performing during the weekend are hit machine Mark Ronson, Jamie XX – fresh off the back of his excellent new In Colour LP –  The Roots, Giorgio Moroder, Finnish maestro Todd Terje, Kaytranada, Matthew Herbert, Dorian Concept, Kerri…

  • Download: An Taobh Tuathail Vol 7

    July 22, 2015 - By 

    Not merely the finest Irish radio programme, An Taobh Tuathail on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta is nothing short of a consistently impeccable underground music institution. Presented by Cian Ó Cíobháin, the show has proven an indispensable go-to criterion for fresh, unusual and glorious sounds for innumerable listeners both across the country and throughout the world since starting way back in 1999. Eight years on from the release of its first collection, the seventh volume of ATT’s free, all-but annual compilation – featuring tracks by the likes of Orcas, Loner Deluxe, Kode9, Colleen, Rival Consoles, Nils Frahm, Sufjan Stevens and Mica Levi – is a perfect place to…

  • Watch: Shrug Life – Funderland

    July 22, 2015 - By 

    Dublin-based bastion of jangle and virulent lo-fidelity, Popical Island’s latest “ingenues” Shrug Life have gotten off to a ridiculously catchy start with the release of tracks ‘Chewing Gum Breakfast’ and ‘Funderland’. Set to feature on the band’s debut EP, The Grand Stretch (which we’ll be streaming next week), the latter song was released earlier today and is for our money the finest (our at least our favourite) Popical Island track ever. Stick that on our tombstone; we shall forever stand by it. Not terrified of mimes? Watch the video for ‘Funderland’ below. Go here for the Facebook page event page…

  • Other Voices @ Latitude

    July 21, 2015 - By 

    Other Voices hosted to a stellar line-up at this year’s Latitude festival in Suffolk at the weekend. Check out Tara Thomas’ from their stage – featuring Young Fathers, All Tvvins, Jape, Le Galaxie, Fight Like Apes, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, a surprise set by Ed Sheeran and Johnny and Nathan from Snow Patrol – below.

  • Interview: The Wood Burning Savages

    July 20, 2015 - By 

    

 On the day of the release of their stellar new single, ‘Premier League’ (stream below), we chat to Paul Connolly from Derry quartet The Wood Burning Savages about recent stirrings, future plottings and the recording and release of their latest and greatest track to date. Hi Paul. You’re just back from Swell Festival. How was that and the last few months for you generally? Hello The Thin Air! Swell Festival was incredibly good fun, it’s like a happier version of The Prisoner or Lord Of The Flies. It’s only in its second year but it’s got an amazing vibe and the…

  • Video Premiere + Interview: Carnivores – Apathy In The UK

    July 17, 2015 - By 

    Set to headline the next Smalltown America Records All-Dayer on Friday, July 31 – co-promoted by yours truly – Scottish alt-rock trio Carnivores underwent some elated highs and crushing lows during the making of their stellar debut album, Let’s Get Metaphysical. Touching upon that process, the band’s love of Northern Irish alt-rock and signing to Smalltown America, the band’s frontman Kenny Leckie chats candidly with Brian Coney Go here to buy tickets to the All Dayer and check out our premiere for the video to ‘Apathy In The UK’ below.   Hi Kenny. First off, ‘Apathy In The UK’: the song…

  • Wilco – Star Wars

    July 17, 2015 - By 

    “Why release an album this way and why make it free? Well, the biggest reason, and I’m not sure we even need any others, is that it felt like it would be fun. What’s more fun than a surprise?” So posited the ever quizzical Jeff Tweedy on Wilco’s Facebook page earlier tonight, just when pretty much every Wilco aficionado (especially those of us brushing our teeth before bed) was positively not expecting Wilco’s first studio album in four years to be let loose onto the internet for free. Now, rather than answer his concluding rhetorical question (let’s face it, there’s plenty…

  • Stream: Replete – Day Off

    July 16, 2015 - By 

    One of our Acts to Watch in 2014, Kilkenny producer Pete Lawlor AKA Replete recently delivered two stellar sets in Belfast and Dublin, in Aether & Echo and the new-fangled Wiley Fox respectively. Having released stuff from the likes of Nphonix, Reagan Grey and Sly-One over the last couple of years, Devon imprint Shifting Peaks – purveyors of half decent bass, house and stuff” – have featured Lawlor in their new five-year retrospective compilation, Bass and Superstructure. A mere flicker at five minutes long, the galvanic ‘Day Off’ emerges from sublime washes of synth to form a fleshed-out gem of finespun, glistening House.

  • Midweek Mixtape: Songs To Lament Life To When The Party’s Over But You’re Still Awake

    July 15, 2015 - By 

    It’s 3.30 am and you’re sitting alone at the kitchen table in the house of friend. It’s deadly silent apart from an occasional snore from the living room where most of your friends passed out a few minutes ago. You’re surrounded by empty bottles of cider and are still cradling your last paper cup of wine. You had been excited about going out but it was average and the exact same as every other night out. The silence and the sickly yellow filter on everything in the room caused by overly harsh lighting and the smell of cigarettes and stale…