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