Best of 2013: Affair of the Heart by Noblesse Oblige

Affair of the Heart by Noblesse Oblige



For anyone who knows me well enough or reads this blog on a regular basis knows damn well how much I love Affair of the Heart by Noblesse Oblige, a German/Parisian duo. I am trying to remember correctly if it was the video for "Runaway" or the Absolute Grrrls Manifesto compilation that introduced me to the group. Either way, both made me a big fan/supporter. I do know that IAMX's Chris Corner directed the video for "Runaway" which really made the band stand out with me this year. I quickly became addicted to its catchy pop hooks (and still hooked on the song to this very day). I can easily say that "Runaway" is one of my top 5 favorite songs of 2013. The song is like an earworm but in a positive way. In fact, it is my go to song when I get shitty earworms stuck in my head and need to remove them. LOL!

As for the album itself, I really dug the sensual sounds of Affair of the Heart. I definitely like it a lot more than In Exile (the only album of the group's I have at the moment) which was all over the place. In Exile is a good album but the sound was so all over the place while Affair of the Heart has a more cohesive, electro-poppish sound. I really liked the direction the group took with this album. I also dug the risks they took with the eight minute long version of The Eagles' "Hotel California". Not really a fan of the original but I really love this interpretation of the classic Eagles track. It's very trip-hoppish. I like how Valerie Renay goes from spoken word to singing through out the song. I also love the Middle Eastern influences on "Mata Hari".  I find the song very hypnotic to listen to between the music and Valerie's vocals.

I listened to a lot of electro/synth pop music this year. Some good, some bland, and some just not so good. Affair of the Heart is one of the few that really stood out with me. I really like that the album isn't completely all dance music which can be a bit repetitive and the beats slows down for the second half. I am definitely looking forward to hearing more from this talented duo. I wouldn't have been pushing them so much via Twitter/FB if I didn't believe that their music needs a larger audience.  Noblesse Oblige is easily one of my favorite finds of 2013 without a shadow of a doubt.

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