Our favorite albums of the first part of the year- Nr. 08

So here we are again. Nothing changes, it all stays the same, nothing ever happens. For the umpteenth time now, we put in our 2 cents of what has been doing it for us in the first half of this year music wise. Hopefully you can find something in there that you agree with, which you overlooked at first, or which you maybe never even heard of. So much great music out there, this is our little grab out of that hat, enjoy!

08. Linda

Artist: Blondes

Album: Blondes 

Label: RVNG INTL.

Finally Blondes managed to make an album! They've been flying under the radar for quite a while now, but I'm hoping this (amazing, I might add) album will give them the credit they deserve. 

As per usual, each year will throw up an album that doesn't let itself be defined by just one preconceived genre, and by the rules that govern the world of indie/alternative/whathever the hell you want to call it-world, a new term needs to be created. This year's craze comes from the mind of DiS overlord Sean Adams who has dubbed Blondes cat-gaze. Naturally this is a joke, but that is how we got stuck with witch-house and chillwave, so prepare yourselves for a year of cat-gaze. 

Now, this being 2012 and the internet (which, as we all know, is made of cats) having been around for as long as it has, we're probably all prepared for a music genre to go with what seems to be main purpose of the world wide weg today. But no worries, Blondes are infinitely better than the Nyan cat.  

08. Stef

Artist: Kindness

Album: World, You Need a Change of Mind

Label: Female Energy / Polydor

Elegant. That is what I think of when I think of this album. Elegant. It has a certain elegance to it that I just love. The essence feels kind of smooth jazz, sometimes helped with a twinkling of electro ideas like, for example, a small little beat. The voice is exactly what fits this music: smooth, a bit dreamy, and they make sure together it plays perfectly.

There is elegance not only in the complex yet completely clean sounds, but also in the fact that it isn’t afraid to strip it down and basically go silent. Like for example on something like ‘Anyone Can Fall in Love’, which has a lot of calmth to it. Or something like ‘Swingin’ Party’, which basically has two musical constants neatly flowing in the background and then the vocals over it, instructing one to bring their own lampshade, for somewhere there is a party. The album really feels like an album, despite the different songs and that they are not all his, but the feel is constant. It is a stylish whole, an album executed in an intellegent and, indeed, elegant manner which makes it a lovely listen.