News

LA CASA AZUL won the award!! It was already big news that LA CASA AZUL were nominated for these awards; when they passed on to the second round it was incredible; but now that the winners of this prestigious competition have been published, we know that LA CASA AZUL has been awarded “Virtual Festivals Critics’ Choice Award”, beating out artists like PET SHOP BOYS, THE SPECIALS, Thom Yorke, Carl Cox, THE PRODIGY and ALABAMA 3 in the fight for this prize. It is a landmark and a point of pride for independent music in in our country.

The UK Festival Awards are the Oscars of the music Festival industry in England; they are the only awards dedicated to recognizing and rewarding the colossal human effort that goes into creating the most important festival scene in the world. Established in 2004 and organized by Virtualfestivals.com (the number one website worldwide about music festivals), the new edition of the UK Festival Awards was celebrated live this past Thurdsay, November 19th in London in a ceremony that, in addition to the “Virtual Festivals Critics’ Choice Award” that LA CASA AZUL won, 20 more prizes were awarded, like BLUR’s award for best headliner; Glasonbury for best festival and KINGS OF LEON who won the award for Anthem of the Summer for “Sex on Fire”.

LA CASA AZUL participated in the English festival Indietracks this past July and thanks to their impressive scenery, the special charm that Guille gives off du [ Read more ]

Here at Elefant Records we are thrilled by the initiative of the label American Dust – they’ve just released “Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill”. It is an homage to one of our favorite artists, who recorded only two albums in her life. A double CD of rare songs released was recently released, which included the demos of her uncompleted third disc, due to the artist’s untimely and unfortunate overdose at the age of 35. The beauty of her voice, the acoustic arrangements which, thanks to Graham Nash’s production, were so perfected, completely dazzled us from the very first second, as they did David Geffen, who made her his first signed artist for his legendary Asylum label, in the early 70s. With artists like Warren Zevon and FLEET FOXES doing versions of her work, the moment has come for this long-overdue tribute, with an album that includes the collaboration of artists like Beth Orton, Ron Sexsmith, FINAL FANTASY, Meg Baird, Bill Callahan and, especially, our beloved TREMBLING BLUE STARS. Bobby Wratten’s band fits their version of “Lady-O” like a glove; the song was Judee Sill’s first hit and at the time was sold to THE TURTLES. And as if we could expect anything less, the collaboration of the Brits is the highest example to follow for their excitement, precision, melancholy and evocativeness. Have we already mentioned how excited we arecategoríacategoríacategoría [ Read more ]

The fruits of their labor are already beginning to show. Just a few weeks after the release of “Bucles Infinitos”, the debut from LINDA GUILALA, Iván and Eva’s (JUNIPER MOON) group, it has already been chosen as “artist of the week” on an interesting online British radio, Radio Nowhere (www.radionowhere.org). Radio Nowhere are lovers of the greatest contemporary indie-pop and are followed by the indie-multitudes all over the planet. So Monday, November 23, starting at 9:00 pm (British time), on The Christopher Laird Show, you can hear some of the album’s best songs, with commentaries from our beloved musicians. This is going to be, without a doubt, one of many recognitions of an album that, as was so easily imaginable and as with JUNIPER MOON, took very little time to cross the Spanish borders, thanks to their personal, energetic and electrifying concept of pop. Don’t miss it!  

http://www.radionowhere.org

Artis of the weekpicture: Radio Nowhere

[ Read more ]

Do you remember that album called “ABBA Canta en Español”, on which the acclaimed Swedish quartet revised some of their greatest hits with lyrics translated into Spanishcategoría Well, STEREO TOTAL have refined this idea. What could have been an album of the Berlin-based duo's most prized songs revisited in Spanish (this isn't the first time they have shown their passion for singing in various languages, like French, German, English, Italian, Turkish or Japanese), has ended up also including a small yet incredible collection of versions (another of their passions, and yes, also in Spanish), the majority of which are exquisitely selected from the Spanish pop songbook of the last decades. And after more than 15 years giving us addictive pieces of the best Electro-pop (with touches of Punk, Disco, New wave and Garage), Françoise Cactus and Brezel Göring couldn't approach this furtive and agile look back differently: unprejudiced, with a mischievous attitude and above all enormously fun and enjoyable. This is how we should take the revision of songs like “No Controles” from OLE OLE (written by Nacho Cano for what was the group's best single in 1983) that was also the title track of the album, “Voy a Ser Mamá” by ALMODOVAR y McNAMARA (electro-punk band of film director Pedro Almodovar at the beginning of the 80’s), “C'est Fini” by LA CASA AZUL made punk, or the hidden track, availa [ Read more ]

LA BIEN QUERIDA has gone from being one of Spanish pop’s biggest promises to being one of the most amazing realities that has hit the national panorama in years. “Romancero” has been acclaimed in all the press, earning covers of various publications (EP3, Mondo Sonoro, Plástica and El Obrero Digital), various praise and elegies, selected as one of the best albums of the year. Ana Fernández-Villaverde has already made her way across half of Spain as well as to a few other festivals (Primavera Sound, FIB, Contempopranea, South Pop Isla Cristina, etc.). Here at Elefant we are continuing on with this incredible phenomenon with the release of a single called “9.6”, one of the most talked about songs because of the surprising disco-pop that the song gives us after those 45 seconds of acoustic introduction, meaning one of the compositions that has mutated the most from its original conception to its final result on the disc (this CD includes the demo version recorded at Ana’s house more than two years ago now). So the two remixes included on this new single celebrate this marked evolution: the remix by Guille Milkyway emits a sweet Motown only to finish in an amazing rhythmic game with a new and different musical conception, while the HIDROGENESSE remix takes the track much more boldly and brazenly and plays a fun game with the lyrics. Finally, the release contains the video-clip made specifically for the song, directed by Luis [ Read more ]

From the ashes of that unforgettable group JUNIPER MOON, rose LINDA GUILALA, four years ago. Iván and Eva threw themselves into the composition of songs whose modus operandi is their immediacy. The songs are just as addictive, maintaining that incredible freshness in the melodies, with the best of the pop tradition of bands from the Spanish new wave like ALASKA Y LOS PEGAMOIDES and LOS ZOMBIES, with the insolent energy of HELEN LOVE, and that passion for dense, captivating textures of groups like THE CHARLOTTES, LUSH or PALE SAINTS.

http://www.myspace.com/lindaguilala

LINDA GUILALA: listen to the full album on MYSPACEpicture: disco destacado esta semana en Myspace! puedes escuchar todas las canciones de su álbum de debut "Bucles infinitos"26/10/2009  [ Read more ]

It has been almost two years since we have had any news about new songs from Bobby Wratten and his crew, but now it’s time to celebrate because, throughout the month of October, the DJ Mark Whitby will be playing the acoustic demos of the three new songs that will be included on the Brits’ new album. They are compositions that reveal the most emotional, fragile and delicate part of the band that made melancholy an art: “Frosting” is like an ode to rain, with a note dedicated to each raindrop’s journey from the sky to the ground; “Tropic of Capricorn” shows the most pop facet of the band, with their unmistakable chords and celestial harmonies, while on “The Imperfection of Memory” we find ourselves in Beth’s voice, on the most precious and naïve song of the ones that they’ve advanced so far, with another unforgettable melody.

These songs will be played in the first part of Mark’s program, within the radio’s exclusive Internet broadcast Dandelion Radio, a media inspired in the figure of John Peel, with independence and originality as the primary motivation. In the following link you can see the broadcast calendar for October: http://www.dandelionradio.com/schedule.htm. All you have to do is look for the spaces where it says “Mark W 1” to find out what days and times you have to listen to hear the new songs from TREMBLING BLUE STARS. Remember, these are the acoustic demos that are cu [ Read more ]

It seems like the time is coming for Nick Garrie’s recognition. The author of one collectors’ most desired cursed vinyls, “The Nightmare of J.B. Stanislas” (an album that, by the way, Elefant will be re-releasing soon in a special format: double CD with an autobiographical book), has managed to regain all of the elegies that his previous disc deserved with the release of his new album, “49 Arlington Gardens”, which is being released by our company and which was recorded with artists like Duglas T Stewart (BMX BANDITS), Norman Blake (TEENAGE FANCLUB) and Ally Kerr. And the thing is, is that “49 Arlington Gardens” is being so incredibly received by the public and by the critics, thanks to an elegant and exciting conceptualization of pop and folk, to the point that Nick Garrie has been chosen to be the special guest star to open for the concert of our beloved CAMERA OBSCURA in the legendary Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Tracyanne Campbell’s band will be there on November 3rd in the London space playing songs from their magnificent new album, “My Maudlin Career”, and on this very special date they will be sharing the stage with Nick Garrie (who will open the show at 7:30 pm) and with the Manchester group MAGIC ARM.

London Shepherd’s Bush Empire – Nov 3rd, 2009.NICK GARRIE (onstage 7.30pm!) MAGIC ARM, CAMERA OBSCURABuy tickets – http://bit.ly/1DqaRd 

Tuesday, 3Nick Garrie + Camera Obscura+ Mag [ Read more ]

Tracklist: 01. Nadie se dará cuenta 02. Bucles infinitos 03. Protagonista central 04. Sexta dimensión 05. Nada nos va a importar 06. Te he cambiado 07. Guerrillera jardinera 08. Saber perder 09. Torremolinos 10. Nada de miedo 11. Ilusión 12. Mis ideas son

Yeah, JUNIPER MOON were among the most capable composers of the punk-pop pills that have ever existed in Spanish lands, and their international effect corroborates this: critically acclaimed on New Musical Express; Steve Lamacq, the reputed BBC radio host, playing “¿Volverás” like a mad man; “El Resto de Mí Vida” selected as one of the 100 best albums of the year by the Rough Trade store; the title track that made its way onto that legendary compilation called “Rough Trade shops: Indiepop 1” with other bands like THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, FELT, THE MAGNETIC FIELDS, TALULAH GOSH, VASELINES, SHOP ASSISTANTS, CAMERA OBSCURA and THE FIELD MICE; that limited edition vinyl single with PRIMAL SCREAM, ABERFELDY and JOSEF K… But the thing is that JUNIPER MOON haven’t existed for four years now (although, it has to be said, their flame still burns in our hearts, proof being the compilation that will be released in Japan this Christmas, a collection of all their singles, demos, previously unreleased tracks and various live versions).

From the ashes of that unforgettable group rose LINDA GUILALA, f [ Read more ]

“YO, TAMBIÉN” [ME TOO], triumphs in the San Sebastián Film Festival: The movie was awarded two Silver Conches, for best actor for Pablo Pineda and best actress for Lola Dueñas.

YO, TAMBIÉN [a new movie by Álvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro, starring Lola Dueñas and Pablo Pineda]

GUILLE MILKYWAY [LA CASA AZUL]: original movie soundtrack composer.

ELEFANT MUSIC SUPERVISION: artistic musical director.

The passion we feel for music at Elefant is something logical and evident, but from the start we have also been involved in and collaborated on artistic projects that go beyond the musical realm but that also need music to complete and fill out the work and make it more personal. A few years ago, our passion for the movies brought about the creation of “Elefant Music Supervision”, a project that has taken shape over time, with the goal of helping and collaborating on audiovisual projects of all kinds, offering musical supervision that would help the creators find the perfect music for their work. Shorts, documentaries, movies, commercial spots, television theme songs… we have found ourselves involved, sometimes directly, other times more indirectly, in a ton of national and international audiovisual projects that have used music from our company or projects that we have created with our artists’ exclusive pieces. International television series like “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Desperate H [ Read more ]

COLA JET SET are finally presenting their new album, “Guitarras y Tambores”, in Barcelona, their native city. Since the release of their second album last February, their Guitarras y tambores (guitars and tambor drums) haven’t stopped for a single second. They participated in the 30th anniversary party for the radio show Flor de Pasión (RNE – Radio 3); they were COOPER’s special guests for the presentation of COOPER’s new album, “Aeuropuerto”, in Madrid and Bilbao; they performed at some of the most important festivals in Spain (Indyspensable, Contempopranea, Fuengirola Pop Weekend…); they traveled to England to perform in London and at the Indietracks Festival and now they are finally back home to present the songs from their latest album to their friends and fans. It will be this very Saturday in the Sala 2 of Barcelona’s legendary Sala Apolo, where they also recorded their incredible new video, “En Esta Pista Ya No Se Puede Bailar”. Marc and Joel (The Hands Collective) did an extraordinary job directing the group’s video-clip, where they shine like true pop stars, playing, singing and dancing with a ton of friends. You can see it for yourself on Elefant’s Youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/elefantrecords

This coming month of November, thanks to their recently premiered video, COLA JET SET will release a limited edition single, a color vinyl with the A side “En Esta Pis [ Read more ]

To vote in this last round (those of you who have already voted in the previous round should vote again so that it counts for this final round of voting), you have to go through the awards website, http://www.festivalawards.com, where you can find all of the categories listed at the bottom of the page. Select the category that the band is nominated for (Virtual Festivals Critics’ Choice Award) and vote for them.

Hurry up, because the voting ends November 4th!

VOTE HERE: Select the category that the band is nominated for (Virtual Festivals Critics’ Choice Awardhttp://www.festivalawards.com

A few days ago we told you that LA CASA AZUL had been nominated for the prestigious UK Festival Awards in the special prize category for the best concert. As the award title itself proclaims, the Virtual Festivals Critics’ Choice Award is designed to recognize those whose performance adds something extra to their show in the festival. It can be comedy, nostalgia, interaction with the audience, or simply that “secret ingredient”, basically something that sets them apart from the rest of the artists as true entertainers of the masses. So, as if that weren’t big enough news, we are announcing now that Guille Milkeyway’s band has made it to the final round, where they are up against 11 other bands like PET SHOP BOYS, THOM YORKE, BON IVER and THE SPECIALS, who are all competing against LA CASA AZUL for the honorable award. Our adored Guille is sti [ Read more ]

With the prestigious nominees recently announced for the UK Festival Awards, awards that give prizes related to diverse aspects of organization, philosophy, functioning, and of course the performances that take place at various UK Festivals, we have received notification that none other than LA CASA AZUL have been nominated for the special award given to the best live performance for their concert at the Indietracks Festival this past July. As the award name itself proclaims, the “Virtual Festivals Critics’ Choice Award” is designed to recognize those whose performance adds something extra to their show in the festival. It can be comedy, nostalgia, interaction with the audience, or simply that “secret ingredient”, basically something that sets them apart from the rest of the artists as true entertainers of the masses. And a spark went off like fireworks in a performance that left the audience at the festival (and, as this nomination shows, the critics too) speechless, with incredible audiovisuals and a show that was different from what the group had been doing throughout their Spanish tour the last year. It is a practically singular experience, that a Spanish group is nominated for English prizes, and that Guille Milkyway will have to compete against bands like PET SHOP BOYS, MERCURY REV, Andrew Bird, THE DIRTY THREE, FRIENDLY FIRES, LILY ALLEN, MGMT, NOVELLE VAGUE, Patrick Wolf, TOM JONES, THOM YORKE, BON IVER and PJ Harvey, among others. O [ Read more ]

The movie was awarded two Silver Conches, for best actor for Pablo Pineda and best actress for Lola Dueñas.

“Yo, Tambien” has had its first public appearance and it has been a complete critical success. The San Sebastián Film Festival was a shotgun start for a movie that has all its cards pointing to it becoming one of the most interesting independent films of 2010. The film is Álvaro and Antonio’s directorial debut, it is Pablo Pineda’s acting debut, it is also Guille Milkyway’s soundtrack debut and the first important project for our recently created “Elefant Music Supervision”. All of this has only magnified our excitement and celebration about the two Silver Conch awards that the film received in the 57th edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival, for best actor for Pablo Pineda and best actress for Lola Dueñas, both of whom are amazing on the screen, magical in real life and now, thanks to the Festival, a “timeless couple”.

Music plays a very important role in the movie and, as we’ve already announced, Guille Milkyway (LA CASA AZUL) was in charge of the movie’s thematic music and the theme song – a seventies style rumba that is becoming a huge hit on the Internet. The video has been up on Youtube for just two weeks and thanks to word of mouth, the LA CASA AZUL webiste and blogs, the video has had more than 20,000 viewings in record time. But if you still haven& [ Read more ]