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We finally have news about one of our favorite bands!!!! THE SCHOOL are back with a numbered, limited-edition, white 7”, that’s coming out as an advance of their upcoming album, which we’ll have more news about soon. Their luminous melodies and magical arrangements are back, and so is Liz with her sweet voice, with those wonderfully exciting songs that contain the best pop traditions of recent decades, with a special focus, of course, on the sixties and girl groups.

To start with, the EP’s title track (which will also be on the album), is definitely one of the most solid hits the group from Cardiff have written to date. The chorus goes straight to the heart; it’s one of those choruses that make you see the world through new eyes, with sublime arrangements and a rhythm that has the purity and naturalness of teenage love carved into every beat. To play on repeat for hours. “Baby Don’t Hold Your Breath For Me” is one of the EP’s exclusive songs; a cover of KNICKERS, it moves between the best northern soul and the most playful jazz-swing, with Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach watching from the wings. We go to the other side and we find another song that will be on the album, “I Will See You Soon”, which is another totally solid pop anthem, somewhere between Sarah Records-style guitar pop, and the craziest ye-ye. At the end of the album, a little sadness and grief enter [ Read more ]

As always, here at Elefant Records, we are on the lookout for any new adventures that come from Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey. Together, and with other components, they have been the protagonists of some of the best indie-pop songs in the last 30 years, whether it’s fronting TALULAH GOSH, HEAVENLY, MARINE RESEARCH or TENDER TRAP. Now, their new project together is here, and it’s called THE CATENARY WIRES. And in advance of the album that will be released in June on 10 inches Mini-LP and CD formats, we have a digital Single called “Intravenous.” This time, we have an acoustic piece that confirms the continuously more mature sound of their music. But, nobody jump to conclusions. In this barer, stripped down format, their melodies sound more heavenly than ever, close to groups like Laura Veirs,Hope Sandoval and MOJAVE 3.

“Intravenous”, is a good introduction to the band, its addictive chorus capturing something somehow universal. It tells the story of resignation and the truth about love, its suffering, and specifically the intensity that these limitations give us. As a gift we get “You Save Me From Myself”, an unreleased track that won’t be included on their album. The lyrics of this song, and Amelia’s voice crumbling over the sparseness of the arrangement, make it sound especially resonant and personal.

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“You Are The One” is a delicacy – moving and enjoyable. Cristina Quesada and her delicious voice give us a good handful of extraordinary minutes on this first album, which is a diverse and incredible collection, with a ton of covers and some original songs. The album is lucky enough to include a fantastic collaboration with Javi and Coral from BAND À PART and Luis Elefant. Cristina uses the songs that she has hand-selected by other artists and creates her own world with them, one that is as delicate as her way of singing is. And that is how she gives us this “You Are The One”, which is beyond a shadow of a doubt a huge delight to even the most stubborn music lovers.

Opening the album with a cover of “Just Like Honey”, revealing the similarities of THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN song with Phil Spector’s “Be My Baby”, is like betting on the winning horse right from the start. The song is two minutes full of intensity and sweetness, arranged with the wisdom of a goldsmith. After that comes “Ya No Puedo Más”, a previously unreleased song by our beloved NIZA, which was recorded along with the demos for that “Canciones De Temporada” and now stands here as an acoustic folk-pop delicacy with delicious arrangements. And since she dared to sing the first song in English, only to jump to Spanish for the next one, the third song on the albu [ Read more ]

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SAGRADO CORAZÓN DE JESÚS is the project of Jesús Fernández. His demos caused a revolution on Internet, with their clever lyrics and atypical electro-pop melodies, arranged preciously and intelligently; so much so that they were released as an album titled “Opera Omnia”. Now he has joined Elefant Records to release a Mini-LP for our New Adventures in Pop collection, which supports emerging artists. This release shows all his obsessions; it’s a type of evolutionary fantasy talking about the personal, the musical, the religious, and our transformation as a species.

“Locus Amœnus” begins with “Etapa Imperial”, and with Jesús putting himself in the skin of the PET SHOP BOYS circa 1989. After "Introspective", before "Behaviour". On it, Neil sings to Chris about their infallibility as a band, foreseeing a perfect future. Their imperial era had finished, and everyone though they had lost the magic, but nothing was farther from the truth. Fragile rhythms and sublime string arrangements gets the album off to a really good start. “Las Revistas Científicas Mienten” talks about sensationalism and pseudo-science, about recognizing the researcher as a key figure in need of greater social appreciation. On this song, Jesús shows a rougher, more mechanical side of himself, but with melancholy touches from the clavichord [ Read more ]

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We have spoken on countless occasions about the singularity and personality of SINGLE and what they are doing. Their last album, “Rea”, reached sublime levels, and was deservedly well-received by their fans, and just as deservedly appeared on many the year’s best-of lists, including the highest spot on RockDeLux magazine’s list, both in the category for albums and for songs (“Me Enamoré”). This 500-copy, numbered-limited-edition Maxi-Single is the squaring of the circle. “Rea Del Ritmo” is the close of a really great year full of inspiration, that is completed with this release of remixes and their version of the song “Amor… Amar” by Camilo Sesto, which gets such a huge applause at their live shows.

In fact, their re-visioning of the song-writer from Alcoy is absolutely sublime, stretching it out to almost nine minutes. It begins with psychedelic echoes of a poor-man’s bolero and then quickly travels to dub and beyond, and impossible melodies. The song seems to find itself in another dimension, as far as parameters are concerned, but at the same time Ibon and Teresa seem so close. References as disparate as MAD PROFESSOR or Chabuca Granda help us see the unparalleled achievements SINGLE are reaching. “Claros Y Chubascos” is a remix of “Modo B”, done in the best Jamaican tradition, with elongated reverb and spacey effects, sea [ Read more ]

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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Sábado, 18 de AbrilAxolotes Mexicanos + Los Bonsáis + The Catenary Wires [Amelia Fletcher & Rob Pursey]

Fiesta Elefant

A los platos DJ POLAR [Luis Elefant / Viaje A Los Sueños Polares] Después de los conciertos en Siroco Lounge de 00-00 a 02:00

Sala Siroco ClubSan Dimas 3MADRIDHora: 21:30 Anticipada: 8€ en Entradium

[Aforo Limitado] [+18]

*AXOLOTES MEXICANOS [Asturias]: Impresiona ver la frescura y la actitud de los AXOLOTES MEXICANOS. Después de su Single de debut, les llega por fin el momento de presentar su primer formato largo, un Mini-LP en vinilo 10”. Un disco que sorprende ya desde su título, con emoticono incluido “Holi <3”, en este disco muestran claras querencias por el J-pop que surgió en el barrio de Shibuya. Olaya, Stephen  y Juan nos muestran su filosofía punk, desprejuiciada, desacomplejada e iconoclasta en este fantástico disco plagado de hedonismo y color.

*LOS BONSÁIS [Asturias]: Esta vez con formación de cuarteto en directo, nos presentarán las canciones de su nuevo disco "Nordeste", un Mini-LP en vinilo con 10 temas donde las melodías adictivas se deslizan entre latigazos de punk-pop, medios tiempos altamente tarareables e incluso alguna pequeña delicadeza. La electricidad de MY BLOODY VALENTINE, RIDE o THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN, el primitivismo de BEAT HAPPENING, la sacu [ Read more ]

“Rabbit's Moon & Doomsday” was BELLE GHOUL’s 10” white vinyl Mini-LP that Elefant Records released at the end of last year. The group – formed by Christopher Tait (ELECTRIC SIX), Jesse Paris Smith (the daughter of Patti Smith and Fred “Sonic” Smith from MC5), Matt Van, Zach Shipps and Mike Alonso – now gives us “Winter's Gone”, a new Digital Single taken from that splendid Mini-LP, that is also accompanied by an incredible video. “Winter's Gone” is a magical song that said goodbye to a winter that lasted almost five months, which Nur Casadevall has transmitted quite clearly in the video; it reflects the wintry coldness, both formally and internally, of a savage encounter between a girl and a wolf. It’s a kind of winter’s tale full of fantasy, and it was filmed in the famous Casa Gomis, also known as “La Ricarda”, and probably the best architectural example of Catalan Rationalism.

The rest of the songs included on this Digital Single were taken from the group’s show on December 30th, 2013 in Webster Hall in New York, when they opened for Patti Smith herself. “Around For The Weekend” is especially solid, effusive, euphoric; a hit that multiplies itself in its live format, with super catchy keyboard lines and a great chorus. To wrap things up, “(Out Of) The Neighborhood” reminds us of the BOO RADLEYS with its brilliant trumpets a [ Read more ]

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A few weeks ago, we got to enjoy “Los Perdimos De Vista”, the advance single for this new numbered-limited-edition, blue, 10” Mini-LP, “Nordeste”. This song is exactly the one that opens this ode to immediacy: 10 songs in 18 minutes, distributed over two sides, where the addictive melodies slip between whips of punk-pop, mid-tempo, highly hummable songs, with even some small delicate touches.

“Los Perdimos De Vista” surprises us with its 50s touches, which are increased by that Hammond that also shows up on other songs, and which connects so well with the energy of what are looking to be their best songs so far. “Plan B” is a push, a sigh (it barely reaches the minute-mark), a furious and festive exhale; so much fun. Pure punk-pop. “Como Si Nada” doesn’t slow things down, continuing with the distortion and the saturated sound, once again giving us a fun Hammond that highlights the melancholy lyrics that stab us right through the heart like a hook with the sweetest bait. We will always hum that “Ya no te acuerdas de mí”. “Galbana” makes us think of NOSOTRÄSH for that kind of song that seems unfinished, small sketches that give their all in their delicateness and strange structure. “La Espina” closes the A-side, and it does so with the garage primitiveness of BEAT HAPPENING sweetened by Helena’s playful [ Read more ]

Mini-LP 10"  "Holi <3” Available for ORDER on our website!!

Release Date:16-02-2014

It’s impressive to see the freshness and the attitude of AXOLOTES MEXICANOS. After their debut Single, the moment has finally arrived for their first full-length – a white, 10” vinyl Mini-LP in a 500-print limited-edition. The album is surprising right from the title, emoticon included – “Holi <3” – and with its front cover and liner, which show clear tendencies toward the J-pop that came out of Tokyo’s Shibuya district. Olaya Pedrayes, Stephen Lyne and Juan Pedrayes are beginning to show us their cards, among which there are clearly a good number of aces, the first of which is their unbiased, untroubled, and iconoclastic punk philosophy, and the second of which is this fantastic album full of hedonism and color.

“Disparo De Amor” starts things off big, with no concessions – Ramones-styled pop-punk filtered through HELEN LOVE, with a keyboard marking the melody and firing point blank. It has an unremorseful chorus, a solid structure, and a percussive bridge to make you dance till you drop. Dementia takes over and this is just the beginning. “Te Miro Mientras Duermes” accentuates the pop aspect, but unveils the cynicism and madness of their lyrics: from the “Y todas las noches mirando la luna / Me acerco a tu casa para robarte la basur [ Read more ]

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Polar Communication

In 1993, a handful of scientists from the “Independent Corporation” were able to clone the two most radical members of this enigmatic collective.  Joako and Luis were created to accomplish a very special mission – to spread the word about independent music as an alternative to the increasingly well-positioned commercial products run by the “Multinational Forces”. With the help of some other clones, they were sent beyond the universe to the Polar Station, in a kind of time-leap into the future, so that they could, using the Alfa satellite, begin a series of secret broadcasts aimed at the earth and other planets outside of the earth’s solar system on the program “Viaje A Los Sueños Polares” (Journey to Polar Dreams). The program was created to offer musical alternatives to earthlings who were interested in such things and who were unhappy with the growing commercial music. The Polar Station was playing its part, and for more than 10 years it developed an important fan-base on earth and other planets that helped spread the ideals of the “Independent Corporation”; they were known as “The Polar Travelers”, beings who developed innovative qualities focused on personal satisfaction and planning processes.  [ Read more ]

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We already announced it a few months ago, and now we finally have it in our hands – the first release from Bobby Wratten’s new project, LIGHTNING IN A TWILIGHT HOUR. It’s a Mini-LP with 7 songs that will be released on 10” transparent vinyl, as well as digitally. And as we have already mentioned, the group’s members include the regular suspects like Beth Arzy, and Michael Hiscock, who was the bassist in THE FIELD MICE (Bobby’s seminal band). This partnership has contributed to pieces like the ones that make up “Slow Changes,” an album where Wratten lets his more ambient and experimental side loose, but without letting go of his delicate and pure pop songs.

“Everyone Talks About The Weather” has one of those trademark choruses that recites a devastating line that is also healing at the same time: “I’m not asking to be saved.” “The Death of Silence” grows among halos of mystery and emotional turbulence into what is probably one of Bobby Wratten’s best songs. It is simultaneously hypnotic and powerful and full of light. “Ancient Fiction” closes the first side among echoes of JOY DIVISION, Seventeen Seconds era CURE and THE SOUND, with those delicious and emotive arrangements. The B-side leaves more room for sonic experimentation, one of the greatest passions of our admired songwriter. “Interference” is [ Read more ]

Mini-LP 10"  "Holi <3” Available for ORDER on our website!!

Release Date:16-02-2014

After their 7” single for our “New Adventures In Pop” collection now we have the advance digital single for "Holi <3", their upcoming first full-length release.

“Disparo De Amor” starts things off big, with no concessions – Ramones-styled pop-punk filtered through HELEN LOVE, with a keyboard marking the melody and firing point blank. It has an unremorseful chorus, a solid structure, and a percussive bridge to make you dance till you drop. Dementia takes over and this is just the beginning.

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