La Bien Querida

9.6 [Versiones] [2009]

ER-375 CD-Single Digipak

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, Benicassim, 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 [LA CASA AZUL] emits a sweet Motown only to finish in an amazing rhythmic game with a new and different musical conception, while the HIDROGENESSE [French Hot Dog] 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 Cerveró (one of the most important and innovative directors, responsible for video-clips for LOS PLANETAS, Christina Rosenvinge, LA ESTRELLA DE DAVID and Joe Crepusculo). Cerveró takes full advantage of the song’s tone to give the video an air of clear eighties nostalgia and irony; Ana is incredible; David Rodríguez and Joe Crepúsculo shine with her like authentic italo-disco stars, simulating a live television performance, in the style of how it was done in the 80s. The final touch is the choreography that pays homage to Ballet Zoon and Valerio Lazarav, who recently passed away. There is no doubt that this year is “the year” of LA BIEN QUERIDA and 2010 promises even more to come!!!

Romancero [2009]

ER-1142 CD Digipak

LA BIEN QUERIDA’s album is one of the most anxiously awaited Spanish indie-pop albums in recent years. And it’s because the word fell in love with her demo (chosen by Mondo Sonoro as the best of 2007, highlighted in Rockdelux and listened to thousands of times on myspace, where their page is one of the most visited new artist pages). LA BIEN QUERIDA, which is to say, Ana Fernández-Villaverde, turned to David Rodríguez (BEEF) to record her debut (7 songs from the demo and 5 new ones), attracted to him for the marvelous creativity of his solo project LA ESTRELLA DE DAVID. Ana wanted to domesticate David’s stratospheric arrangements and cubist production toward clean sounds that fit better with the friendly environment of her beautiful songs. And she really did it. David’s inventive magic and Ana’s sweet melodies meld together to make an exclusive space in which flamenco, Arabian music, rancheras and even techno mix. They didn’t hold back at all (they work with the ORQUESTA ARAB DE BARCELONA, a flamenco guitarist, even Joe Crepúsculo on vocals). But those are only the colors of the songs, which do not distract from their principal component: a marvelous collection of exciting vocal melodies, with an overwhelming beauty and interesting lyrics that strip down relationships and bare feelings with moving sincerity. The album follows the harmonic line of LOS PLANETAS, the charming sweetness of LA BUENA VIDA and the contagious romanticism of FAMILY, but really it creates a unique space. Maybe the clearest parallel can be drawn with THE MAGNETIC FIELD’s monumental “69 Love Songs”, with songs that appear simple on the surface but have a highly defined character and artistic personality that escapes all styles, or maybe it brings them all together without us realizing it. And, as on “69 Love Songs”, what is truly important is the emotion that the songs transmit. “Corpus Christi”, “De Momento Abril”, “Santa Fe”, “El Zoo Absoluto”, “Bendita”, “7 Medidas de Seguridad”... it’s a chilling repertoire that can be enjoyed as much in the emotion-flooded open heart as in the detail-oriented head, paying attention to the musical details that fill the production. It is, without a doubt, a landmark album.