Jinx Lennon takes the free way

MUSIC NEWS:Ireland's premier punk-poet of note, Jinx Lennon, is the latest musician to take the route travelled by many Irish bands in recent times, releasing his new album, Hungry Bastard Hibernia, for free.

The album is a compilation of tracks originally intended for the Dundalk man's last two albums Trauma Themes Idiot Timesand National Cancer Strategy, and will be available for free download via Bandcamp.com from May 26th.

"I decided it was a wise thing to do in the current climate," he said. "Being an underground musician, forever on the periphery of the music scene, it just doesn't make sense to package another CD/LP – especially so soon after my last album, which only came out in October."

Lennon, who has released five albums and sells them mostly through his website or at gigs, also said the rise of hip-hop acts such as Currency, Yelawolf and Odd Future, who have made material available for free in the past, inspired him to do the same.

"A lot of this music is feral, innovative stuff that reminds me of the tape cassette scene of the early '80s. It's got DIY initiative and a punk ethic that is missing from the more mainstream indie acts feted by the likes of Cokemachineglow and Pitchfork," he said.

The album will be launched at Whelan's in Dublin on May 26th.

"He really thought he'd had some input into the creative process by being a prick"

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