San Sebastián, a nice, small town in the Basque Country, at the Northern Coast of Spain. Since a few years, something new is growing there. It's a new feeling, a new way of make delightly, exquisite, precious songs. It has been called by the media the Donosti Sound (what really his members don't like very much). My favourite band of this style is La Buena Vida (The Good Living). Integrated by one girl, Irantzu (voice), and five boys, Mikel (guitar and voice), Javier (guitar), Borja (guitar), Raúl (drums) and Pedro (bass), they have a hiper-soft, dreamy sound, sing in spanish, and when they play every of their wonderful songs, then you wish to live inside this song. They have a lot of influences: some 80th's british bands, (like Felt, Weekend, Pastels, New Order) Love, Henry Mancini, the bossa-nova, the easy-listening, and what more can I say...anyway, I think about their music that it's something really different of their influences. Songs that make you happy, even when it's a sad song.
LBV is not a mass-band. They are in a small spanish label called Siesta Records, but his last album is distributed also by the major Polygram. They have all these works: "Historia de un verano" (SG, 1992?), "La buena vida" (CD, 1993), "Mira a tu alrededor" (SG, 1994), "Los mejores momentos" (CD, 1995), "Magnesia" (CDS, 1996), and "Soidemersol" (CD, 1997). New pop for new people (I know that the sentence is not mine), they have been a great success in France and Japan. Do you want to be the first one in America who'll find the tresure? Please, listen La Buena Vida, and they will be in your heart forever.
"El camino es más largo si tú no estás" ["The way is longer if you're not here"] (From EN BICICLETA [ON BICYCLE], "La buena vida" album)
Le Mans are also from San Sebastián, and they've a similar concept of what a pop band must be. Really, they are older than LBV, possibly, the pioneers of the Donosti Sound. I saw a show of them last year, and when they play, Jone (voice), is standing up, and the rest of the band (Ibón, guitar; Gorka, drums; Peru, guitar; Teresa, bass) is sitting. They are lovely and their songs are exquisite jewels of pure pop for be listened at home, having a cup of coffee, in a rainy day...or when you are driving to your office and a terrible day is waiting for you (just like me!). Their records are: "Le Mans" (CD, 1993), [pure cristaline pop], "Entresemana" (CD, 1994), [one of the nicest records I ever heard], "Zerbina" (CD, 1995) [an electronic experience], "Saudade" (CD, 1995) [soft like autumn], "Jonathan Jeremiah" [impresionist dance-pop](CDS, 1996), and "Mi novela autobiográfica" (CDS, 1997).
Their label is Elefant Records (Spain), but they have distribution also in Europe and Japan.
"Jersey inglés/Voy por la avenida y pienso en escuchar/una canción/Tengo una cinta nueva/de Marvin Gaye" ["English sweter/Walking down the avenue, I'm thinking of hearing/a song/I get a new tape/of Marvin Gaye"] (From JERSEY INGLÉS [ENGLISH SWETER], "Le Mans" album)
This is an instrumental band integrated by Ibón and Gorka of Le Mans and Pedro and Borja of La Buena Vida. The band name is from a song of Love's "Forever Changes". Guitars (and mainly, spanish guitars) are protagonists in this motion picture soundtrack for a quiet sunrise. Their stuff: "Vacaciones en Roma" (SG, 1992), "Rollerball" (1993?), "Calypso" (LP, 1994), also distributed by the british label If, and "Romance" (CD, 1996).
A foggy night in Paris, Hamburg or Viena. A dark side-street. It sounds music from an old cabaret. Inside, among smoky clouds, Il Gran Teatro Amaro are playing. IGTA are an accoustic multi-cultural band integrated by a frenchman (François-Règis Cambuzat, vocals, guitars, lute, percussion), an italian (Roberta Possamai, accordion, piano,vocals) and two dutchmen (Robert van der Tol, guitar, banjo, vocals, percussion, harmonium; and Frank van Berkel, contrabass, piano, vocals). They sing -in their last record- in french, english, and dutch. It's a new, bizarre, dark vision of the old Europe's sound. Their works: "Port Famine" (199 ), "Hotel Brennesel" (!995) and "Piazza Orphelins" (1996). All their records are distributed in America by the canadian label Verge.
"Il nést de centre du monde/QU'une bâtisse pas trop chère -tout le reste/N'est que voyages/Ce sont les idéaux qui font naufrage" [ There is no other centre of the world/than a simple home -all the rest/it's just travel/It's the ideals that are sinking."] (From AUX ALENTOURS DES GRANDS PARCS [IN THE BIG PARKS], "Piazza Orphelins" album)
Madredeus is a fantastic portuguese band. They used to be included in new age/new musics, but I think that it's not right, because they are so much more than this. They take directly the tradition and make something new with it. Their music is sometimes near pop, sometimes near traditional song, sometimes near minimalism, but the result is always impressive. The sound is based mainly on accoustic instruments, but they also use syntethizers. Madredeus is the beauty, the greatness. They have been a big success and are considerated one of the best bands in Europe. I really love their album "Existir", and there are no words for describe how much feeling and pureness it contains. They sing in portuguese and the members are: Teresa Salgueiro (voice), José Peixoto (guitar), Pedro Ayres Magalhães (guitar), Francisco Ribeiro (cello), Gabriel Gomes (accordion) and Rodrigo Leão (keyboards). They have a lot of albums, now I remember the following: "Os dias de Madredeus" (their first one), "Existir", "O espírito da paz", "Ainda" [soundtrack of Wim Wenders "Lisbon Story"] and the brand new one "O paraíso".
"Vem/ Além de toda a solidão/perdi a luz do teu viver/perdi o horizonte/Está bem/Prossegue lá até quereres/Mas vem depois iluminar/Um coração que sofre/Pertenço-te/Até ao fim do mar/Sou como tu/Da mesma luz/Do mesmo amar/Por isso vem/Porque te quero/Consolar/Se não está bem/Deixa-te andar a navegar/" [ "Come/Beyond all the loneliness/I've lost the light of the way you live/I've lost my horizon/It's alright/You keep on, until you wish/But after you shall come to me, and lighten/A heart that suffers/ I belong to you/Until the end of the sea/I'm like you/Of the same light/Of the same loving/So come to me/Because I want/To comfort you/If you don't it's alright/You may keep on saliling."] ("VEM" [COME], from "O espíritu da paz" album).
If you really like Old Europe's flavour, then you must listen Charles Trénet, a famous french composer, musician and singer from 30's to 50's (but he really has been singing until he died, a few years ago). I don't really know how many records he has made along all the years of his artistic curse, but it might be a lot. I could definy his songs as beautiful, romantic, funny, and full of ellegance and "joie de vivre". Some of his most famous ones: "Lorelei", "Le Jardin Extraordinaire", "Vous Êtes Jolie", and "Coin De Rue". His records are available all over the world. Now I am wondering if Linnell and Flans like him. (I think so). But, do They really have enough "extra savoir-faire" as to make a cover of "Les Relations Mondaines"?
If you have read this page, you know that Siesta is the label where La Buena Vida and Daily Planet are. But they have a lot of lovely, exquisite bands of everywhere, like LOUIS PHILIPPE (France), HOLIDAY (United States), MINEMA (Spain), EL JOVEN BRYAN (Spain), LAÏLA AMEZIAN (Belgium), THEY GO BOOM! (England), RED SLEEPING BEAUTY (Sweden), CLUB 8 (Sweden), PASTEL COLLISION (England), BIEN (France), MOVING PICTURES (Spain), ARABESQUE (England), and their catalog is always growing with excitant new bands. They use to make precious and extremely handsome editions.Visit them!
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Last modified: 16 Nov 1997