• 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…

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of… June

    July 1, 2014 - By 

    June saw the release of a plethora of hard hitting hip-hop and rainy day jazz music, and perhaps more suitably, a wealth of breezy summer jams to dig your teeth into. Below are ten of the month’s best (sifted from a great many more,) culminating in the top three. J Mascis – Every Morning (Sub Pop) No one can deny the impact J Mascis had on rock and punk music in the 80s and 90s, and its nice to see the Dinosaur Jr veteran continuing to release great music. His new track ‘Every Morning’ is a fairly stripped down acoustic…

  • Stream: J Mascis – Every Morning

    June 11, 2014 - By 

    Dinosaur Jr. frontman and bona fide axe-wielding demigod (check that – God) J Mascis is streaming a new track, ‘Every Morning’. Taken from his forthcoming second solo album, Tied To A Star, the track is pretty much an alchemical blueprint of Mascis’ songwriting style – unmistakably languid vocals, masterfully simple lyrics (“Won’t you see me?”, evocative of “You won’t see me…” from Dinosaur Jr.’s ‘The Wagon‘) and his classically melodic, Neil Young-influenced lead lines. Tied To A Star is released on August 25. Stream ‘Every Morning’ below.

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of May

    June 10, 2014 - By 

    In the latest installment of Choice Cuts – a feature looking at the very best tracks released in the month previous – Belfast-based writer and voracious sound enthusiast Aaron Hamilton takes us a on an eight-track, cross-genre journey, culminating in his top three tracks of the month. Ben Khan – Youth [Blessed Vice] London producer Ben Khan’s recent EP 1992 sees him furthering his warm funk-pop sounds into even catchier and addictive territory with ‘Youth’. Thick synth pads and squealing guitars moan underneath a stomping beat that will definitely see an abundance of replays in summer 2014.   Little Big League…

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of… April

    May 6, 2014 - By 

    April has certainly been a busy news month – in sports, we had lifetime bans and huge fines for court-side racism, as well as banana throwing (and eating); in entertainment we had Jeremy Clarkson, mostly just being Jeremy Clarkson; in politics we had a series of PR meltdowns for UKIP, many of them revolving around racism as well. Indeed, intolerance and prejudice has been widespread this month. There was no sparing the music world, either, with both Sky Ferreira and Avril Lavigne being branded racists for their respective music videos. It would be easy to be bogged down by all…

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of… March

    April 1, 2014 - By 

    This month has been remarkable in terms of the quantity of excellent music releases on all fronts, and summarizing it into a playlist of 10 tracks has proven a tad difficult. As such, there are many notable absentees from this list, but at the same time I can assure you the reader that these ten new releases are not just good, or even great, but downright essential listens if one is to keep ahead of the crowd. I wouldn’t lie about things of such importance. As per usual, the first list of songs is in no particular order, with the…

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of… February

    March 3, 2014 - By 

    In his latest review of the very best music released in the month just passed, the altogether audibly-attuned Aaron Hamilton bestows up our very ears some exceptional tracks from the likes of Sun Kil Moon, Lydia Loveless (pictured) and the behemothic pairing of Sunn O))) & Ulver. Banks – Brain (Harvest) Since her breakthrough last year, Banks has been one of the more promising acts in the annual flurry of year-end nominations and awards. Brain is a sardonic, down tempo collaboration with producer Schlomo, and the pairing works to the benefit of both of them – Banks sounds years more mature…

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of… January

    January 31, 2014 - By 

    In the first of an new series-based feature, Belfast-based writer Aaron Hamilton trawls through the very best music released in the month of January, distilling his favourites to a mere eight tracks.  Whereas the first five are in no particular order, the final three are, as you might well guess, in order of consecutive greatness. Will we be humming their choruses this time next month? Check yourself then and read on now. St. Vincent – Digital Witness [Loma Vista] A second teaser to her upcoming album, ‘Digital Witness’ shows a decidedly weirder side to Annie Clark’s music. The big horns are…