Melanie Varela is Tender Forever. She’s French (from the fine city of Bordeaux) and has managed to establish some fruitful penpal-ships with some cool artists in the U.S., most notably in Portland. This is her new album. It’s full of smooth vocals, angular melodies and sparkly electronic bits, tossed in together with decidedly lo-fi handclaps and the cute snapping of fingers. It has a careful, deliberate feel (it’s very well produced) and while it never quite feels sparse, there’s plenty of open space to hang out in. Check out the airy “Heartbroken Forever.”
Tender Forever: myspace, itunes, amazon, label page
