News

The fourth album by NOSOTRÄSH, “Cierra la puerta al salir”, is a proud statement dedicated to anyone who has new plans on sight. The opening track, “Dando vueltas”, maintains the lyrical precision they perfected in “Popemas”, the previous album, but going back to the poppier arrangements that made their second long player, “Mi vida en un fin de semana”, such a lovely record. And this opening track, “Dando vueltas”, has been chosen for the first video shoot from the new album: simple footage featuring the foursome playing together, directed by Juan Ugarriza, a young director who has shot other videos for Spanish independent bands as Tachenko or Garzón, as well as two short films (“Imprevistos”, in 2001, and “La piscina”, in 2004) and other television films and commercials. All this previous experience has surely helped him putting into images the excellent and catchy song that opens the new and expected album by NOSOTRÄSH.

Nosoträsh [Dando vueltas videoclip]picture: Archivo Elefant

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“I love my Jean”, the new single by CAMERA OBSCURA, couldn’t have had a better start. In its first week, the single has jumped to the always difficult British indie singles list, the place where the world is looking at in search of information on what’s hot and what’s not in the independent music scene. CAMERA OBSCURA have gone up directly to number 28th on the March 27th issue of the British indie list, sharing space with BRITISH SEA POWER, BASEMENT JAXX, BRIGHT EYES, DIZZEE RASCAL or MERCURY REV.

Feedback from the British media to this single has been enthusiastical. Everything seems ready in the UK for the band to take off once their next album is out, again through Elefant Records worldwide.

Due to the release of “I love my Jean” in Great Britain, CAMERA OBSCURA have recorded two radio sessions for shows in BBC Scotland: on friday March the 25th they recorded an acoustic version of “I love my Jean” for Fred Macaulay’s show, and on monday 28th they recorded three other tracks for the “Air” show on the same station. [ Read more ]

Whilst they keep working on new songs for their forthcoming releases, Juan and Ana -that is, LA MONJA ENANA- are still taking advantage of the recordings that have previously brought them to successful moves as playing in Russia or being chosen as Single of the Week in the late Melody Maker magazine.

LA MONJA ENANA will play Paris‚ OPA club on May 5th, at the official party which will launch the release of their first album for the French market. Avignon‚s record label La Bulle Sonore has just released “Un secret terrible”, a compilation comprised of their two singles, but which also adds to them a good handful of extras: songs taken from the “Qué Mutada” project (and album and a tour where they collaborated with EL AVIADOR DRO and L-KAN), plus some other lost tracks and previously unreleased songs taken from their demos, as well as an additional track for the “Amor cuántico” videoclip.

Among the extra material included in this French compilation we can find lost tracks such as their cover version of FAMILY´s “Al otro lado” or “Otra dimensión”, a cover version of the original song by Spanish afterpunk stalwarts ALASKA Y LOS PEGAMOIDES, until today only available on March Records‚ ”Little Molly has a treat for you” compilation (released in November 2000, on it LA MONJA ENANA shared space with BAXENDALE, WALTZ FOR DEBBIE or CLUB 8).

Another demo that appears for [ Read more ]

“Onda”, the new album by Argentinian trio ENTRE RÍOS, will be released on June by Elefant Records. Everything is ready for this new album, which will feature again an excellent cover artwork by Javier Aramburu, and will help consolidate the momentum for the band’s smart, delicate electronic pop.

But in the meantime, the band from Buenos Aires isn’t keeping still: while we write this text they’re getting ready to head for Mexico, where they will tour the country for the first time promoting the release of a compilation of their work on Zafra Records. And very soon they will see the release of the split single they will share with American band MY FAVORITE, as a part of the Intercontinental Pop Exchange series released by Endearing Records from Canada. This series of split singles featuring artists from different countries sharing a similar style has previously featured bands like SPEARMINT, THE LESLIES and ORWELL.

But this is only an example of the international recognition the band is achieving: on June, “Onda” will also be released in the USA, where Darla Records has already released their two previous albums to great success. Apart from Mexico and the USA (and Argentina, of course, where it’s Índice Virgen the label in charge), Taiwanese label Avant Garden Records recently released there “Idioma Suave”, the band’s first album. [ Read more ]

Debut album by LES TRÈS BIEN ENSEMBLE, a francophile, francophone, Barcelona-based band who make good taste and elegance taken from their French pop models a reason for their existence. As if she were one of the muses idolized by her hero Serge Gainsbourg, Suzette knows how to sing and perform sounding sexy, or childish, or both things at the same time. The album’s sound is obviously rooted in the 60’s classic recordings, with exuberant orchestral arrangements which seem as if they had been commissioned to a soundtrack arranger from those golden years. In fact, on the recording they have used analogic material, valve equipment and a lot of pacience in order to recreate this classic sound and transport it forward to our time, bearing a new contemporariness. [ Read more ]

LE MANS recorded legacy keeps perfectly alive, enamouring music lovers around the world. Their song "Mi novela autobiógrafica" has been recently included in the fantastic compilation "Make the style drivin‚ slow", released by Sony Music Japan and compiled by Shinichi Osawa, aka MONDO GROSSO.

Osawa, operating under the name Mondo Grosso, has established himself as one of Japan’s most innovative and stylish creators of acid jazz, R&B, and house music. Drawing from various sources including R&B, jazz, samba, and bossa, he has helped to pioneer a new style of Japanese club music that has already become a standard. He has worked with acid jazz stalwart Monday Michiru as well as with N’Dea Davenport (BRAND NEW HEAVIES), and he has remixed Jamiroquai, amongst others.On the double CD "Make the style drivin‚ slow", LE MANS share space with other tasteful selections by Osawa, such renown, elegant, exquisite artists as EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL, ANTENA, TOM TOM CLUB, WEEKEND, Cal Tjader&Carmen McRae and even BASEMENT JAXX or LO FIDELITY ALLSTARS.

Le Mans [Cover, Japanese Compilation]picture: Archivo Elefant

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After the fantastic POPEMAS’s splendid welcome, NOSOTRÄSH are at the moment recording the new songs of their eagerly awaited fourth album "Cierra la puerta al salir" (expected to be released next spring). Ibon Errazkin collaboration in the previous albums gives way on this next one to Pedro Vigil’s production (a musician from Gijón, old member of PENELOPE TRIP and main head of EDWIN MOSES and VIGIL). The album is being recorded in Gijón, slowly but only to guarantee a perfect result.

Revista Tendenciaspicture: Cierra la puerta al salir29/06/2005

Nosoträsh: prepare the shows to premiere their latest albumpicture: Nosoträsh preparan los conciertos de presentación de “Cierra la puerta al salir”22/02/2006 [ Read more ]

Three new, excellent songs by the Glaswegians, honouring this time the work of poet Robert Burns (1759-1796), considered to be Scotland´s national poet. Tracyanne Campbell has put to music with her musical flair two of Burns‚ poems ("I love my Jean" and "A red, red rose"), and has completed the tracklist with a jangly, country-ish, melancholy-tinged song of her own, "Marathon not a sprint". The three songs share though the quintessential CAMERA OBSCURA sound, with Tracyanne´s beautiful voice unveiling the melodies over a background formed by pianos and acoustic guitars, an example of timeless, classic beauty.

The single is also a posthumous tribute to BBC DJ John Peel, who helped and befriended the band since their first single.

ER-358 CAMERA OBSCURA “I love my Jean” CD-Single01. I love my Jean02. Marathon not a sprint03. A red, red rose

ER-246 CAMERA OBSCURA “I love my Jean” Single01. I love my Jean02. Marathon not a sprint03. A red, red rose

Release date: 28th of February [2005] [ Read more ]

"The seven autumn flowers", fifth album by TREMBLING BLUE STARS, and the first released on Elefant Records worldwide, has been very well received by the specialized press in the UK and the USA, where the album has just been released.

"Bathed in Blue" is the title of the new single taken from this album, although after checking the amount of new material on it we should maybe say it´s a new EP that comes to enhance the already excellent set of songs on the album.

To begin with, on this new single, two brand new versions of "The sea is so quiet" are included, both of them different to the original track featured on the album: there´s an extended mix, as well as a radio edit that has been improved with some remixing and a different ending. Along with these tracks, we find on it three previously unreleased tracks ("Through the silence and games", "Wounded light" and "This is bliss"), and a new song, "Branches", which is the instrumental version of "The moon turns branches to silhouettes", a still unreleased song that will come out very soon.

The recording, as usual with Bobby Wratten´s band, has been produced with the help of Ian Catt (SAINT ETIENNE).

ER-359 TREMBLING BLUE STARS “Bathed in Blue” CD-Single01. The Sea Is So Quiet (edit)02. Through The Silence And Games03. The Sea Is So Quiet (long version)04. Wounded Light05. Branches06. This Is Bliss

Out now!!Release [ Read more ]

Elefant Records presents:

Friday 4 February 2005, Madrid

Video Projection "Como un fan" LA CASA AZULDirected by: Domingo González

On the decks:Guille Milkyway (La Casa Azul Dj) + DJ POLAR (Elefant Records)

Time: 01:00Club Ocho y Medio [Madrid]C/ Mesonero Romanos 13

Next friday 4 February, Ocho y Medio Club in Madrid presents the official showing of "Como un fan", the new video clip by LA CASA AZUL."Como un fan" ("Like a fan") is nothing but a clear statement coming from a band like LA CASA AZUL, deeply fascinated by pop culture in its most colourful shapes, and this first ever public broadcast means also a great party, a celebration of pop music as a way of life that you shouldn’t miss.

The video, shot during the past summer, starts introducing the five band members, one by one, and then we meet them in different day-to-day situations: playing sports (skating, in the swimming pool, playing tennis); at home (having breakfast, reading, listening to music); at the highschool. Afterwards we will see them perform at an imaginary TV show (Canal HI-FI), surrounded by many crazed fans, mad about their songs, who dance over circular platforms as seen so many times in the footage from the 60’s. The tribute to the aesthetics of pop’s golden age is complete with the wink to the Beatles’ "A hard day’s night", with the band being chased around the city by their fanatic followers.

Before and after watchi [ Read more ]

COOPER is currently touring Spain extensively, presenting the songs on his new album, "Retrovisor", and confirming the excellent live fame he´s got throughout the years. During this tour he´s giving away a very special present: an exclusive CD-single addressed to the fans and the people attending his shows, a single which won’t be sold nor available in shops, featuring two songs and a videoclip. The main track on the single is "Seis menos diez" (a cover version of the song "Upside down" by THE MUFFS, adapted into Spanish by Alejandro), and the present is complete with the song "Rabia", already included on "Retrovisor" and an additional track featuring this last song´s videoclip.

+ new CD-Single given away with the ticketTracklist: 01 Rabia 02 Seis menos diez 03 Video clip Rabia

Ticket Price: 10 euros

[February 2005]

Saturday, 12 Cooper Santa Pola [Alicante]price: 10 euros + CD-SingleCamelot

Friday, 18 Cooper Zaragoza price: 10 euros + CD-SingleLa Casa del Loco

Saturday, 19 Cooper Barcelona price: 10 euros + CD-SingleApolo

Friday, 25 Cooper Santander price: 10 euros + CD-SingleIndian

Saturday, 26 Cooper León price: 10 euros + CD-SingleEstudio 54

[March 2005]

Friday, 4 Cooper Madrid price: 12 euros + CD-SingleEl Sol Jardines 3

Saturday, 5 Cooper Madrid price: 12 euros + CD-SingleEl Sol

Friday, 11 Cooper Salamanca price: 10 euros + CD-SinglePotemkin

Friday, 18 Cooper Valladolid 20: [ Read more ]

This has to be one of the most significant recently news from the national scene, specially for those (like us) who think that LE MANS was one of the most significant, innovative and original Spanish pop bands.

Teresa Iturrioz was this Donosti band’s bass player and lyric writer, and now takes the lead with SINGLE, her personal Project which and managed by herself.

"Honey" will be the title of SINGLE first single, released on November 15th: three songs that pick up the thread left by LE MANS with "Aquí vivía yo" or with the distant "Zerbina". This project’s leadership falls on Teresa, but having the invaluable assistance with the musical production of Ibon Errazkin, her companion in LE MANS journey and also in her new solitaire career in Elefant Records.

Big wonders can be expected from this new project, judging by the unquestionable quality of its first three presentation songs. Released in Frebuary, the countdown has begun. [ Read more ]