For Pop aficionados, there is no modern
record label more exciting or invigorating than Elefant Records. Whether you
are a fan of Power Pop, Baroque Pop, Dance Pop, Lounge Pop, or any other type
of melodically-inclined music, there is something for you here. Based out of
Spain, the label offers up a shimmering variety of glorious tunes from bands
around the world. While a majority of the acts sing in English, there are those
that sing in Spanish yet the melodies are universal and will always inspire your
soul even if you have no idea what the singer is going on about. Elefant Records continues to release singles,
EPs and albums - on vinyl and CD - that are
simply amazing. This label is proof that great music is alive and well and
still being released.
Celebrating their 25th
Anniversary in 2014, Elefant Records are still one of the best indie labels in
the world, Pop or otherwise!
Here’s a peek at some of their
most recent releases - so much to choose from and so much to be excited about. This is not a complete look at all of their
releases because there are some that I’ve unfortunately missed, but this will
hopefully intrigue you enough to seek out as many Elefant Records releases as
possible… so much to love!
Please note that the vinyl releases come with
digital download codes so you can spin it on your turntable as well as crank it
up on your car stereo speakers on your commute to work!
BELLE GHOUL
Rabbit’s Moon & Doomsday Mini Album
ELEFANT says:
BELLE GHOUL, the group formed by Christopher
Tait of ELECTRIC SIX and Jesse Paris Smith, daughter of PATTI SMITH and the late Fred 'Sonic' Smith of MC5, Matt Van, Zach Shipps
and Mike Alonso, find themselves in
a creative prolific stage which is confirmed by their new 10" mini-LP
opening up new doors within their sound. Jumping between styles playing with
synthesizers and folk echoes, getting deeper into instrumental development,
while getting stronger with immediate hits, dipping into a mix of rock and
electronic that characterizes Tait's other band.
SPAZ says: Though
Belle Ghoul are a thoroughly modern
blend of Electronic and Indie Pop music, their sound is unique and instantly
accessible. Not exactly Post-Punk or ‘60s
pop, they straddle the line between the two genres and offer up some clever
melodies that are both haunting and life-affirming at the same time. “Momentum”
is an especially lovely instrumental amongst all the great vocal-led tracks.
COOPER
UHF Mini Album
ELEFANT Says: it was
already announced with that marvelous single “Entre Girasoles”,, and now it’s
here. This release brings a more luminous and vital Álex Diez back to us, with lyrics that look with sunny melancholy
on those subtle stories that make our day-to-day lives richer. And to start
things off, “Ideal” shows just how in prime form he is. The exciting lyrics
about chance meetings are home to 12-string guitars swaying with echoes of LOS PLANETAS, or, what is basically the
same thing, the magical dialogue between sixties-pop and power-pop. “Entre
Girasoles”, as we mentioned before, was already released as an advance 7”
single, and is a summery song with a marvelous melody somewhere between LOS
ÁNGELES and LA BUENA VIDA. “Bengalas” closes the first side with a rockier
accent at a melancholic medium tempo that is, at the same time, full of
electricity…
SPAZ Says: Guitar pop with great melodic
hooks. The lyrics are in Spanish but the melodies and harmonies speak the
universal language of Pop! The melodies
are ‘60s influenced and lean a bit more towards the Posies/Matthew Sweet style
of guitar Pop. Worth checking out is the 7” single “Entre Girasoles,” which
features a Spanish language cover of The Lolas’ “Silver Dollar Sunday!”
HELEN LOVE
Pogo Pogo
single
ELEFANT says:
Here at Elefant Records, we are absolute fans of HELEN LOVE, and it’s no secret. It’s not just because of their
addictive, spot-on songs, but because we identify completely with their
hedonistic, carefree, youthful philosophy that their lyrics and attitude give
off. This new 7” limited-edition, red-vinyl single is new proof of just that.
And if there’s any doubt, look at the title track, “Pogo Pogo”, a song composed
with Ricardo Autobahn, a British producer specialized in remixes and mash-ups,
who plays with the group in live shows. We see ourselves jumping and dancing
like crazy in the first row while our beloved girls shout that “The first punk
boy in Rome... And he plays bass guitar like Dee Dee Ramone” to the rhythm of
crazed techno-pop.
SPAZ says:
Take the simplicity of The Ramones,
add a British female lead vocalist and Techno-Pop and have OMD remix it and you’ve got Helen Love. It is Techno-Bubblegum Pop that is joyful and
absolutely Poptastic. Where their last
album, Day Glo Dreams, aimed
its sights at the ‘80s, this single brings Helen Love’s sights back to the late
‘70s where they live and breathe. Utterly wonderful stuff. OK, so the band hasn’t changed much over the
years, but it’s a formula that works so why f*** with it? Their idols The Ramones didn’t mess with
THEIR formula much and you haven’t complained about them, have you?
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MARINE LIFE
Fool Of A Kind EP
ELEFANT says:
San Francisco band MARINE LIFE make
colourful pop songs with influences from 60s sunshine pop to Northern Soul,
full of deliciously rich harmonies and perfect arrangements. You’ll also hear
the sounds of more recent acts like CAMERA
OBSCURA, HOSPITALITY, BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, SHE AND HIM, THE SCHOOL and ALPACA SPORTS.
SPAZ says:
My current new favorite band. All four
tracks on this EP are perfect Pop nuggets that just drip with joy. The hooks are immediate and you’ll sing along
on the second spin (if not by the final chorus of the first spin. The bands that Elefant mentions above are
definitely accurate, but I’d also like to add The Corner Laughers, another Bay Area band that take a slightly
different but no less engaging approach to perfect Pop. This is life-affirming music that
matters. I can’t wait to hear more!
NELEONARD
Agosto
ELEFANT says:
Here at Elefant Records we really believe in NELEONARD. We believe in Nele’s
lyrics, in their clear ideas about making POP songs: big, full of detail, with
the goal of getting you hooked on the first listen, and not at all hesitant to
talk about LOVE and the disappointments of relationships, whatever kind they
may be. And that’s exactly why NELEONARD’s record label debut is going to be
the first 10” in the catalogue of our collection for new artists, New
Adventures In Pop. It’s a collection of songs capable of incorporating
everything from the wide range of sounds of LA BIEN QUERIDA, to the lyrical sensitivity of Ana Fernández-Villaverde, the delicacy of a young LE MANS, the emotion of BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, an instrumental
classicism close to bands like THE
DIVINE COMEDY, FELT’s delicate
guitars, or the memory of Spanish folk-pop groups from the 70s like José y Manuel, SOLERA, PICNIC and NUEVOS HORIZONTES.
SPAZ says:
Again, I listen and have NO idea what the Spanish lyrics mean, but the music
speaks much louder than words. This is
touching and heartfelt in feeling. It is
unassuming yet extremely melodic. There are
Spanish Folk influences but the Pop factor allows these songs to soar. Fans of some of Sarah Records’ bands are going to love this, although the band
is more accomplished than your average Twee band. Some wonderful stuff here, folks!
OVIFORMIA SCI
Hablamos De Nosotros
ELEFANT says: This is the
story of OVIFORMIA SCI. They were a
cult group that got together in the early 80s and became something that all of
Madrid was talking about, with a fan base that included ALASKA Y LOS PEGAMOIDES, ZOMBIES, PARAÍSO and so many more, and who
never released anything. Their recordings were lost for years, but Elefant
Records, with the invaluable help of Jesús
Ordovás and the forces from beyond, was able to rescue some original reels
and put together the scattered pieces to release OVIFORMIA SCI’s first album,
thirty years after their disappearance. This is, without a doubt, a really
special and even imperative release for our 'Recuerdos Que Olvidé' collection.
SPAZ says: I’m
a sucker for melodic Pop music whether played by jangly guitars or electronic
blips. Yeah, I love Power Pop and
Synthpop equally! Oviformia Sci don’t
fall under the same Synthpop category as early Depeche Mode or OMD –
theirs was a more minimalist approach to Electropop. Imagine a demo tape of Soft Cell covering an early D-Mode
track with a Spanish singer. The music
isn’t quite dark but it isn’t happy and joyful either. Well, there are handclaps and hooks but the
music doesn’t scream “Top 40” since it is Electro at its most basic and
simplistic. With that being said, it is
also extremely catchy and you’ll be hooked by the third listen. Hard to believe
that this stuff remained unreleased for so long because it definitely would
have found an audience back then. Thank goodness it wasn’t lost forever and we
get to hear it now.
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LIA PAMINA
How Come I EP
ELEFANT says: LIA
PAMINA began singing after hearing ASTRUD
GILBERTO who influenced her style, along with CLAUDINE LONGET, MARGO GURYAN and BLOSSOM DEARIE. For her debut EP, Lia recorded 'How Come I' (&
Spanish version) produced & written by ROGER
GUNNARSSON (Nixon, The Garlands), and co-produced by Johan Emmoth aka LE PRIX (Kylie,
Sally Shapiro), joining Eurodisco rhythms and dream-pop textures. Also on
the EP are tracks produced by ROBBIE
LEFF (Johnny Winter, Alice Cooper)
who discovered Lia's songs online, including a 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS cover 'Kingdom Of Heaven', and Whirlwind’ by John Rabbit Bundrick, longtime
keyboardist with THE WHO and
principal musician from THE ROCKY HORROR
PICTURE SHOW.
SPAZ says: Not to downplay her
artistry, but this EP from Lia is simply adorable. It is delicious Pop music
that brings her influences together and wraps them in a modern mix of Electronica
and Soft Pop. “Whirlwind” is a highlight
that sounds like the gentle side of Puffy
Amiyumi meets ‘60s Girl Pop. It melts my heart from beginning to end… and
that is just a tad under the 2 minute mark. I’m in love.
THE PRIMITIVES
Spin-O-Rama
ELEFANT says:
We’ve been talking about it for a while and had a little taste with two
singles, but now it’s really happening: THE PRIMITIVES have a new album, and
this time it’s completely original material! (Follows their obscure girl-group
covers album ‘Echoes & Rhymes’
in 2012). Time hasn’t passed for this group, whose sound is just as fresh as
ever, and whose contagious melodies take us back to the end of the
80s/beginning of the 90s, when they released such renowned albums as 'Lovely',
'Pure' and 'Galore'. 'Spin-O-Rama' was one of the songs they gave us a
preview with the limited-edition 7” single. It has a perfect arpeggio
suggestive of classic THE STONE ROSES,
an infectious verse that sounds like a playground song set to a BOBBY FULLER FOUR rhythm track, and Tracy Tracy giving us a marvellous,
soaring chorus over a wall of snarling guitar.
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