• 19 for ‘19: Natalia Beylis

    January 15, 2019 - By 

    19 for ’19 rolls on, featuring nineteen Irish acts we’re convinced are going places in 2019. Throughout January we’ll be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph from one of our photographers. Third in our series marks a leftfield turn in the form of one of Ireland’s most evocative sonic artists, Natalia Beylis. Photo by Sean McCormack ___ As a member of Leitrim experimental/psych outfit Woven Skull, Natalia Beylis’ mandola offers an earthiness and melodic weight to the clamorous percussion and howling guitars that surround it. The band – who featured two years ago in our 17…

  • 19 for ’19: Post Punk Podge & the Technohippies

    January 14, 2019 - By 

    We continue 19 for ’19, our feature showcasing nineteen Irish acts we’re convinced are going places in 2019. Throughout January we’re going to be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph from one of our photographers. Next up, one of Limerick’s finest, Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies. Photo by Sean McCormack ___ Beginning to describe Post Punk Podge is a task within itself. Post Punk Podge is kind of like Jello Biafra from the Dead Kennedys, but he’s got a Limerick accent, plays viola and wears a postage envelope over his head.…

  • 19 for ’19: Problem Patterns

    January 11, 2019 - By 

    Happy new year! We’re pleased to present 19 for ’19, a handpicked selection of Irish acts we’re absolutely convinced are going places in 2019. Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph by our wonderful team of photographers. First up is Belfast-based feminist punks Problem Patterns. ___ Jokingly describing themselves as “A bunch of women screaming in a room”, Belfast’s Problem Patterns wasted little time getting under our skin with the raucous and politically charged bombast of their debut track ‘Allegedly’. Released in December…

  • 19 For ’19: PowPig

    January 16, 2019 - By 

    It’s that time again; back to earth, grounding those Great Hopes and the potential of our best selves in reality once more. We do have a few great hopes for 2019, however. As always, over the remainder of January, our wonderful and talented team of photographers have paired with our writing team to deliver some previews of some artists to keep an eye on in the year ahead. Third out of the traps, we have one of the most exciting emergent acts from Limerick, a city whose 2018 solidified its status as Ireland’s current musical incubator. They featured prominently on our end of year singles and releases lists, and are astonishingly still all in their teens. Photo by…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2018 (#100-51)

    December 22, 2018 - By 

    Christ on a rickety sleigh, was this tough. But truth be told – it’s rarely easy. As we scramble to bang heads and attempt to assimilate, order and re-order the absolute deluge of excellence that has met our ears over the previous twelve months, it’s instantly clear that there will be some notable omissions. It’s equal parts unavoidable and unfortunate, but more significantly, it’s glowing testament to what we’re dealing with in every pocket of this island. Of course, we can’t – nor wish to – conclusively say this is “the best year for Irish music in recent memory” (the…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2018 (#50-1)

    December 22, 2018 - By 

    Christ on a rickety sleigh, was this tough. But truth be told – it’s rarely easy. As we scramble to bang heads and attempt to assimilate, order and re-order the absolute deluge of excellence that has met our ears over the previous twelve months, it’s instantly clear that there will be some notable omissions. It’s equal parts unavoidable and unfortunate, but more significantly, it’s glowing testament to what we’re dealing with in every pocket of this island. Of course, we can’t – nor wish to – conclusively say this is “the best year for Irish music in recent memory” (the…

  • 2018 in Film: 35 Highlights of The Year

    December 21, 2018 - By 

    To mark the end of 2018, we’ve sent our film writers rummaging through their scrapbooks for the year’s highlights. Here are the moments, scenes, performances and film-making achievements that we just couldn’t shake. 1. The ballroom scene in The Square In The Square, Ruben Östlund sets about unpicking the false civility of the modern urban beta male (Cales Bang’s museum director) with slow precision. But then, about two-thirds of the way through, he sets off a firework, in which a hulking performance artist (Terry Notary) goes full simian during a high society dinner, baboon screeches, smashing crockery and eventually grabbing a woman…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 50 Irish Releases of 2018 (#25-1)

    December 14, 2018 - By 

    Each December, when we sit down to compile, order (and re-order) our end-of-year lists, a few familiar patterns emerge: though an undeniable bastion of forward-moving sound – and despite what the UK’s more kneejerk music press have been sold as of late – Dublin is not Ireland; there’s always enough feature-length curios released across the calendar year to warrant, if we were so audacious, a Top 200 Releases; and, more than ever, the self-released EP continues to hold its own in the face of even the most monied, PR-wielded long-player. This year was no different. In fact, it was a textbook…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 50 Irish Releases of 2018 (#50-26)

    December 13, 2018 - By 

    Each December, when we sit down to compile, order (and re-order) our end-of-year lists, a few familiar patterns emerge: though an undeniable bastion of forward-moving sound – and despite what the UK’s more kneejerk music press have been sold as of late – Dublin is not Ireland; there’s always enough feature-length curios released across the calendar year to warrant, if we were so audacious, a Top 200 Releases; and, more than ever, the self-released EP continues to hold its own in the face of even the most monied, PR-wielded long-player. This year was no different. Delve into #50 to #26…

  • The Thin Air’s Semi-Alternative Christmas Playlist

    December 10, 2018 - By 

    To celebrate our collective itchy feet awaiting the onset of socially acceptable daytime drinking, half-arsed cracker pulling and hastily-concocted post-pub sandwiches, here’s our annual Semi-Alternative Christmas Playlist – featuring everyone from Yo La Tengo, Big Star and Mazzy Star to The Fall, Mark Kozelek and Deerhoof.