2014’s best: Seven albums to relax to

Let’s talk about music that doesn’t make you want to dance and shout, let’s talk about music that makes you bop, nap, turn off the lights, calm down and space out to.

Valery Gore Idols in the Dark Heart

Valery Gore is fairly new to the scene, her music is somewhat jazzy, accompanied by an avid selection of instruments and sounds, you can easily imagine and orchestra and a theatre stage being home to Gore’s melodic voice. This is a show I’d like to see sitting down.

Hayden Calnin Oh Hunter

Hayden Calnin has one of those voices that give you chills, the kind of sound that sounds large and somewhat majestic. Sit back, look out into the window look at this past year in retrospective.

Angel Olsen Burn Your Fire for No Witness

Olsen has one of those voices that cut through the noise and fall in line with the sound of the waves of the ocean. Yes that was pretty deep, the music however is simple enough to take you away.

Daniel Willson The Boy Who Cried Thunder

Willson‘s “If I Went Away” immediately caught our attention. Though some might disagree that track has a grand gesture in it that the entire record wraps around. Equally the rest of the songs live up to that statement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdccWX0-CV4

Elephant Sky Swimming

In full disclosure this album has peacefully took me through four or five flights. Elephant (not to be confused with Elliphant) are a duo from UK who write romantic music to live instruments that might as well come pre-packaged as Valentine’s cards or lovers jingles.

She Keeps Bees Eight Houses

She Keeps Bees reminds me of PJ Harvey, with that deep gentle voice,  simple backdrop music and at times surprisingly high reach. It’ll make you think.

Josef Salvat In Your Prime EP

When thinking about Salvat‘s voice a term beautiful comes to mind, like when you look at someone’s chiseled face and think damn, nature was nice to you, well that’s what he sounds like.