It’s slowly starting to warm up outside and we can feel the creative juices begin to defrost. So there’s a swell in our work space of background music to keep the energy ever ascending! Here’s some of our current favourite albums, some new and some new’ish’, all very nice indeed:

1: Zeebee - Be My Sailor
Dope Noir / Creative Vibes
Eva Angel is better known as Zeebee, chief chantuese for Waldeck’s aclaimed “Ballroom Stories”. But we love her in her solo gig on her third album, Be My Sailor. She has a pretty special mix of talents - this girl can do jazz, pop, electronica, acoustic and classical with equal flair, which makes for a multifaceted track list and an easy listening album from top to bottom. The kind of thing you press play to on a slinky, Spring evening.

2: Twin Sister - Color Your Life
Popfrenzy Records
If you like the Cocteau Twins, The XX or Stereolab, you might just want to check out the latest release from Brooklyn-based quintet Twin Sister. Atmospheric, hypnotic pop, with a nod to new wave, sub-romantic influences, they’re hard to define and just as hard not to fall for. There’s something so peculiar and enchanting about lead singer Andrea Estella’s super-relaxed, intimate vocals that serenades and pulsates at once. Intrigued?

3: The Checks - Alice by the Moon
They’re only in their 20s, but New Zealand band The Checks have had a pretty rapid rise to fame in their homeland following the release of Alice by the Moon last year.  The Checks have a subtle blues tinge mixed with that great high energy rock sound, you know the kind you can adapt from a gritty pub gig setting to an india music festival vibe.  Liking a lot.

4: Mark Sholtez - The Distance Between Two Truths
Warner Music
It was a real pleasure to stumble on to Mark Sholtez and we fell for his first track on the album, A Thousand Lies. The rest just kept getting sweeter. There’ something very soft and pared back in this Australian singer/songwriter - he’s a little bit acoustic, a little bit crooner (think a more chilled out Michael Buble), a little bit jazz - a great mix, and we’re feeling whole lot of loving.

5: Kylie - Aphrodite
Warner Music
All hail Queen Kylie! The Goddess of Pop has returned to fine form with her latest album, Aphrodite, drowned in lush dance tracks. Yes, it’s pure Kylie - which means pure pop. But we love our girl. And this is one of her best albums to date. Go on, you know you want to …

- QH guest blogger Natalie Bannister

What’s better than a handsome tenor who sings like the heavens have opened? Ten, of course. Emerging from their tenth professional year, The Ten Tenors have released eight albums and have gone multi-platinum. They have performed more than 1,700 international concerts in 21 countries on six continents. Heading home with their latest instalment, The Ten Tenors are putting on a brand new show called The Power of Ten, (more…)

Lucky Townsville - every winter for the last twenty years they have heard the wonderful sounds of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music fill their halls, their galleries and their cathedrals.

Queensland Homes was fortunate enough to be invited to the 2010 launch last Wednesday night. A grateful few heard renowned Australian pianist and AFCM Artistic Director Piers Lane, give an intimate performance of works by Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann, providing a taste of what audiences can look (more…)

Running from September 30 until October 18, the Italian Film Festival is being screened at Paddington’s Palace Barracks Cinemas and Palace Centro in James St, Fortitude Valley. It features a selection of Italy’s most highly acclaimed and multi-award winning contemporary films sourced from the Cannes, Berlin, Rome and Venice film festivals. ‘Genova’ pictured here, stars Colin Firth, Hope Davis and Catherine Keener and is on general release from November 5.

Nectar Beer and Wine has just celebrated its first birthday and I’m sure they are still partying. Located in Boundary Street, West End, Brisbane, this quirky, independent bottle shop stocks over 400 beers from around the world on its shelves and some fantastic wines as well. The timber lined store is a treasure chest of rarely found ales, pilsners, lagers, stouts and, well, beer!Owners Tom and Carl make no secret of the fact they love beer and have considerable wine experience as well. It’s a friendly little place and one that’s hard to walk out of empty handed. Open six days a week from 10am. 114 Boundary Street, West End. Ph 07 3846 4655

There’s nothing like finding that compilation album that brings you pure listening pleasure from the very first track. So Frenchy, So Chic is one of those rare gifts - a collection of French pop, indie and chanson that is dripping with the sexy, sumptuous and tantalising ambience that is french chic. Not one, but two discs compiled by Juliette Bouquerel and Jean-Francois Ponthieux for Cartell Music make this one of the most sublime soundtracks to contemporary life to come out of the Gallic musical landscape. 

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