Inspiración, Creación, Composición, Deseos, Influencias, Ana FernándezVillaverde …

Una producción de El Laboratorio De Band À Part

Ana lo explica muy bien: “La melancolía que desprenden mis canciones siempre tienen una cara positiva que me ha permitido tirar fuerte de la vida y en este disco más que en ninguno se vislumbra ese lado positivo. He intentado ver el lado bueno, el vaso lleno. Es un disco que habla mucho del deseo que reivindica la vida, el placer, la autorrealización, la libertad. El proceso de vivir establecido por el deseo. Un deseo que no es oscuro ni confuso sino luminoso y claro”.

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Every time we begin to listen to a new LA BIEN QUERIDA album, we are faced with the question of what we are going to find this time, because we know that it’s going to be something completely new and different from what we have heard up to now. The title of this new release is “Fuego” (fire, in Spanish), which corresponds to the south, to red, to summer, to the heart – the fire of passion, of love and hate, the fire of the spirit and intuition.

It was difficult to think about this album after the masterpiece that was “Premeditación, Nocturnidad Y Alevosía”. But the creative universe of LA BIEN QUERIDA is immense and is used to having to outdo itself, handling a wide range of references and enjoying the process of erasing musical and lyrical limits. And “Fuego” is a kind of self-reconfiguration, a rediscovery, because musically there is a bit of everything we already know, but transgressed: the purity and insolence of “Romancero”, the Latin and tropical fusion of “Fiesta”, the electronic force of “Ceremonia” and the mournful darkness of “Premeditación, Nocturnidad Y Alevosía”. This is all represented on the incredible album cover photo by Pablo Zamora,with the artistic direction of Pepe Leal and most of all an idea from Ana herself based on the “Things Organized Neatly” movement. The photo shows her surrounded by instruments, pencils, paintbru [ Read more ]

We will never get tired of talking about the special expectations we have for each new release from LA BIEN QUERIDA. Everyone who has followed Ana Fernández-Villaverde’s and David Rodríguez’s trajectory knows that the unexpected is not uncommon. That is what happened with the first two singles (three songs) taken from their new album, “Fuego”, which will be released this coming October 6th: “7 Días Juntos”, “Dinamita” and “El Lado Bueno” gave us three equally addictive and surprising aspects of what’s to come. We said then that it is hard to give a clear vision of what one of their albums can include with only three songs, and that’s why this fourth song and its corresponding video clip, directed once again by Juanma Carrillo, perfectly balances out the equation.

The thing is that “Recompensarte” is one of the biggest surprises on the album. It is totally different from the other songs from “Fuego” that we have already introduced. We are talking about a precious rumba presented as a duet between Ana and J from LOS PLANETAS, with clapping and fanning the flames from Muchachito. And the magic that seeps out of each listen is made evident in the fascinating video recorded for the occasion, which includes the presence of all the stars, and which once again includes a specific, exotic, beautiful concept of mestizaje. This is a real gem, which raises spirits t [ Read more ]

Release Date "Fuego": 6-10-2017

“El Lado Bueno” opens the final side of the album, raising the pop spirit to the highest levels again, but with a surprising break from a synthesizer that reminds us of STROMAE, and arrangements that would delight Peter Hook. Another fascinating, euphoric, slippery, stroke of genius.  

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Releasing an advance of LA BIEN QUERIDA’s new album, apart from being big news, is a huge challenge. And especially for this album, where one song can’t possibly give a good idea of the variety included on the album. So we chose two… And it isn’t nearly enough: “Fuego” (the new album by LA BIEN QUERIDA) is full of great songs marking special moments in a high point of the group’s trajectory. They are at their best.

Ana explains it so well: “The melancholy that seeps out of my songs always includes a positive side that has allowed me to rely heavily on life, and this album more than ever shows that positive side. This album talks about the desire that defends life, pleasure self-fulfillment, freedom. The process of living through our desires, which are not dark or confusing but light and clear.”

“Fuego” is another self-reconfiguration that lets us rediscover LA BIEN QUERIDA. Musically, there is a bit of everything we already know but transgressed: the purity and insolence of “Romancero”, the Latin and tropical fusion of “Fiesta”, the electronic force of “Ceremonia” and the mournful darkness of “Premeditación, Nocturnidad Y Alevosía”. But let’s talk about the two songs of this first single. “7 Días Juntos” tells the story of a brief, burning love that is star-crossed and pleasant, between cumbia and dub, to the beat [ Read more ]

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The circle is closing. That triple EP promised great things. The reviews, the listeners’ reactions, and the positions on both Spanish and American music lists (Rockdelux, where it appeared in various categories, including listeners’ choice, song, video… ABC, Astredu Pop, Mindies, Notodo, Diario Crítica, América Económica, etc) all indicated such. The album was marked by three sixes – October 6th, 2014, January 6th, 2015, and March 6th, 2015, the release dates of each of the EPs – and by a series of audiovisuals directed by Juanma Carrillo which contained a very special mystery. The perfect plot, we even called it. And here is the squaring of the circle: “Premeditación, Nocturnidad Y Alevosía” on DVD, with the three parts of the movie together, various videoclips, a making of, and a CD of remixes. Let’s take this step by step.

“Premeditación, Nocturnidad Y Alevosía” is a complete work, conceived from multiple perspectives, beyond the excellence of the music. The different album covers (the three Maxi-Singles that went together, the impossible perspective of the final CD), the videos, the movie… All of these things make this final release necessary, and to make use of the loose pieces, of the documents that needed to be calmly enjoyed, in a complete format, for the multi-faceted visions that come from re-interpreting a work that will undoubtedly be talked about a [ Read more ]

 This VIDEO sums up our year

Playlist "Elefant Moments 2015" on SPOTIFY

Playlist Elefant Video-Clips 2015 on Youtube    

Playlist "Elefant Moments" 2010-2011-2012-2013-2014-2015" on YouTube    

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In all the good horror movies there is a little twist at the end, a surprise that, when done with adequate creativity and elegance, can leave us frozen in our seats, with a twisted gesture and sunken eyes, amazed, unable to react. We can say that something similar happens with LA BIEN QUERIDA’s final touch to the release of the three limited-edition Maxi-Singles, “Premeditación”, “Nocturnidad” and “Alevosía”. The CD includes the songs from the three maxis and also reveals a cover that is the last piece to complete the fresco created to adorn these releases, and that shows us one of those geometric pieces of impossible perspectives. The final trick, the last move, the cherry on top of the indescribably-flavored sundae.

Having seen the songs that were separated onto the different vinyls like an ensemble, here we have a marvelous collection. The hit “Poderes Extraños” which opens the album with a powerful chorus and makes itself the king of paranormal territory for a metamusical discourse, and at the same time is tremendously suggestive and fun. The gritty textures of “El Origen Del Mundo”, one of the songs that best foreshadows the already well-known obsession of Ana Fernández-Villaverde with love and its fatality. This release, apart from being a huge help to all those who don’t have a record player, also helps achieve a a more sober and compact vision of a stage in LA BIEN QUER [ Read more ]

Finally, LA BIEN QUERIDA are releasing “Alevosía”, the last album of that Maxi-Single trilogy, preceded by “Premeditación” and “Nocturnidad”. This is the last piece of the puzzle, the definitive clue for the unsolvable mystery, and it reveals itself to be the most open, sincere, direct, and emotional of all. Now that this end(categoría) is here, we feel the overriding need to restart the listening ritual again, to remind us of how everything started and led us here. But let’s go step by step. First, let’s put together the three Maxi-Singles covers that make up one painting by Ana Fernández-Villaverde and that still hides one last surprise. Such an incredible sight put us in the right state of mind to begin listening.

“Música Contemporánea” opens this latest release, one of those songs that begins amidst blurry sketches and spreads out into a prodigious chorus, with moments of light that remind us of Franco Battiato. It is a total statement of intent, reclaiming a music that is both intimate and at the same time full of edges and corners. Just like the lyrics themselves cry: “…of criss-crossing lines and sketches, with diagonal paths…” (“…de líneas y trazos contrarios, con rutas en diagonal…”). But then there’s “Vueltas”, which closes the first side with echoes of NEW ORDER and OMD and a l [ Read more ]

"Muero De Amor" is the last of the three videos that wraps up the story directed by Juanma Carrillo.  

This is the last piece of the puzzle, the definitive clue for the unsolvable mystery, and it reveals itself to be the most open, sincere, direct, and emotional of all. Now that this end(categoría) is here, we feel the overriding need to remind us of how everything started and led us here.    

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"Nocturnidad" Available for ORDER Here!!

"Premeditación"  [October 6th, 2014] Maxi-Single 12" [Sold Out]

"Nocturnidad" [January 6th, 2014] Maxi-Single 12"

"Alevosía" [March 6th, 2014] Maxi-Single 12"

"Premeditación, Nocturnidad y Alevosía" [March 6th, 2014] CD Álbum 

After enjoying “Premeditación”, the first of the 12” Maxi-Single trilogy  that makes up LA BIEN QUERIDA’s new work, the second episode, “Nocturnidad”, will be released this coming January 6th. And the level of intensity doesn’t drop one bit, because the album reaches all the levels the first Maxi-Single showed us.  The capacity of Ana’s songs to excite and to transmit the truth, as is their trademark, is still there, this time bathed in ringing, cold sounds. The name of this second Maxi-Single already promises darkness and mystery, and the contents offer it in abundance.

“Ojalá Estuvieras Muerto” opens this new album spectacularly. The rhythm hints at new goth-pop groups like SALEM and hazy atmospheres similar to COLLEGE, CHROMATICS, and M83. The song is turbulent, and topped off with violent lyrics full of resentment; the ones Ana writes so well.

On “Encadenados”, Ana continues to take feelings about love to the extreme, an [ Read more ]

"Premeditación" Available for ORDER Here!!

"Premeditación"  [October 6th, 2014] Maxi-Single 12" [Sold Out]

"Nocturnidad" [January 6th, 2014] Maxi-Single 12"

"Alevosía" [March 6th, 2014] Maxi-Single 12"

"Premeditación, Nocturnidad y Alevosía" [March 6th, 2014] CD Álbum 

Everyone who loves Ana Fernández-Villaverde’sand David Rodríguez’s music has learned that staying still or staying comfortable isn’t really their thing. Their newest work drives that point even further home. In the next few months, they are going to release three 500-copy limited-edition, green-vinyl, 12” Maxi-Singles called, in order of release date, “Premeditación”, “Nocturnidad” and “Alevosía”, each with 4 songs. These singles will be released, respectively, October 6th (2014), January 6th, and March 6th (2015). The three album covers will make up one painting by Ana Fernández-Villaverde herself, a painting which will be completed with the cover of the CD, and which will give us an impossible image inspired by the work of M.C. Escher. The CD will be released together with the Maxi-Single, it will contain all of the songs and will complete the new album,  “Premeditación, Nocturnidad y Alevosía".

Each of the Maxi-S [ Read more ]

Release in VINYL format for the 25th anniversary of Elefant Records [Numbered Limited Edition of 500 copies **Includes a free digital MP3 download [320 kbps]

This is an opportunity to enjoy it all on vinyl for the first time.

Elefant Shop

We continue to celebrate Elefant Record’s 25th anniversary with re-releases of some of the most significant albums from the label’s history. The newest of these is one of the albums we are the proudest of: “Romancero”, by LA BIEN QUERIDA.

Before they blew up the national scene, LA BIEN QUERIDA was a well-known secret. The demo revealed a talent that had a special sensitivity, a surprising capacity to write disarming lyrics and an sharp ability to build delicious melodies. But nobody expected anything like “Romancero” to happen. All the promises from the demo were amplified; Ana Fernández-Villaverde’s songs reacted explosively with the imagination of David Rodríguez (BEEF, LA ESTRELLA DE DAVID), and they created a strange sort of magical bond somewhere between innovation and emotion, nothing like the music scene had ever seen before. It was an unprecedented production that mixed flamenco, Arabian music, rancheras, and even techno-pop, creating a clamoring of opinions unusual for a debut album. All of this led them to be on the cover of specialized magazines like Mondosonoro and El Pais’ supplement EP3; they were chosen as best album of [ Read more ]

ELEFANT RECORDS: 25th Anniversary [1989-2014]"25 years with Elefant Records"  

We’re going to release 25 different albums to celebrate these 25 years of absolute craziness. New albums, vinyl rereleases, compilations and a few special products. Some of the things are already decided, like the homage we want to pay to LE MANS, “25 canciones de LE MANS” (25 Songs by LE MANS), covered by some of our favorite groups. There will also be a compilation of 25 favorite songs from recent months from groups on other labels; the new rerelease of FAMILY’s album; the compilation “Hong Kong” that was never released; and a rerelease of LA CASA AZUL or LOS FLECHAZOS, for example.

The first two items from our 25th anniversary special releases are: 

Available here!! 

Release date: 3rd march 2014

*ER-25-002 VV.AA.Homage to FAMILY "Un soplo En El Corazón De Elefant" [CD Digipak / LP / Digital Album (download)

*ER-25-001 FAMILY [SOLD OUT!!!]

"Un Soplo En El Corazón" [25th Anniversary Elefant Records Vinyl Re-Release]  

*ER-25-002 VV.AA.Homage to FAMILY "Un soplo En El Corazón De Elefant"

Homage to Family (Un Soplo En El Corazón from Elefant)

Groups participating on the compilation: Papa Topo, La Casa Azul, Band À Part, Modular, La Bien Querida, Cristina Quesada, Astrud, Linda Guilala, Los Bonsáis, [ Read more ]