“Blinds” by Robin Kester – A Song Feature

 

     Robin Kester is masterful at seamlessly moving her songs from a first portion driven by her vocal skills to a second portion showcasing the instrumental power of the band. Sure, some of her songs follow the conventional A-B-A pattern of vocals, stretched instrumental bridge, and vocals. But our favorites from Kester tend to lead with the vocals and then power it home with instrumentation. That describes “Infinity Song,” which was posted a few weeks ago. “Blinds” also snugly fits that description.
 
     The voice of Robin Kester is understated while the rhythm is commanding for slightly more than the first two minutes of “Blinds.” Toward the end of the two minutes, the backing vocals take an appealing echo approach of the lead vocals but end in the troubling statement “I don’t know if I am alive.”
 
      The lyrics are completed by the 2:10 mark of “Blinds,” but Kester adds background vocalization as the song moves the spotlight to the instruments. Interesting, a saxophone and a bugle are featured. The guitar doesn’t wrestle control until the final 40 seconds. The members of the band are Robin Kester (vocals, guitar, synth), Sam van Hoogstraten (guitar), Stef Koenis (keyboards), Thijs Visscher (bass guitar, synth), and Joep van Osch (drums). But Kester’s Facebook page gives further credit to Timo Jilesen (saxophone), Susanne Linssen (violin), and Jelte Heringa (bugle).
 
     Kester who is from Rotterdam, Netherlands, explains that “Blinds” was written during a time of feeling depressed. “I only felt like sleeping during the day to make the time pass quicker. But at the same time, I was fed up with feeling like that. I wanted to feel like I was taking part in life again instead of sleeping it away or looking at it from afar as some kind of bystander.” The song is on the debut album “Honeycomb Shades,” which was the working title of “Blinds.” The 11-song album is available via many platforms, including Bandcamp CLICK HERE.

     “Blinds” by Robin Kester

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobinKesterMusic
Website: https://showcase.fm/robinkester