The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #831

I'm From Barcelona - Music... (Adventure Kid Mix)

Visit IFB at their official site.

Who Killed Harry Houdini? is out today.

MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Music... (AK Mix) [alt link]

I'm From Barcelona Releases 'Making Of' New Video

Learn the secrets behind 'Paper Planes' below. Read my review of IFB in BK here.


MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Britney

I'm From Barcelona Unfetters New Video

Enjoy 'Paper Planes' below. Learn all about the band's sophomore release here.


MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Britney

I'm From Barcelona Reveals LP2 Deets

Who Killed Harry Houdini's out on 10/14.

Full track listing is as follows:

1 Andy
2 Paper Planes
3 Headphones
4 Music Killed Me
5 Gunhild
6 Mingus
7 Ophelia
8 Houdini
9 Little Ghost
10 Rufus

Read my review of IFB in BK here.

MP3: IFB - Britney

I'm From Barcelona Unveils Summer Tour Dates

We urge you to catch the band at:

2008-07-04
Bygdalarm, Oystese (no)

2008-07-05
Quartfestivalen, Kristiansand (no)

2008-07-18
Positivus Festival, Riga (lv)

2008-07-20
Les Arts A La Champagne, Poupet (fr)

2008-07-23
Paleo Festival, Nyon (ch)

2008-07-24
Hana Bi, Ravenna (it)

2008-07-25
Festa Dell'Unita, Rome (it)

2008-07-26
Stone Hill Festival, Alterswil (ch)

Read my review of IFB in BK here.

MP3: IFB - We're...

I'm From Barcelona Reveals New Tune In Brooklyn

Enjoy 'Mingus' below (thank you Sup Mag!). Read my review of last week's gig here.


MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Britney [alt link]

I'm From Barcelona @ Masonic Temple: Aim For The Stars

It was nine months ago that I first fell in love with I'm From Barcelona. Their set at Brooklyn's McCarren Park was transcendental, the band's Southpaw gig (the following day) was equally as mesmerizing. Since that August weekend, I've been waiting with intensely baited breath for another opportunity to catch IFB's mystical live show once again. My prayers were answered last night in the form of another mindblowing hour-long barrage which featured the bulk of their debut LP, Let Me Introduce My Friends, alongside three brand new tunes. Confetti, over-sized pink balloons, sing-alongs, erratic dancing, a conga line and all the standard IFB trademarks made their return to NYC a stupefying one. Enjoy a dozen photos from the spectacle (as well as the setlist plus an MP3 of 'Britney') below.

Watch several videos from the gig at Sup Mag's YouTube channel. Visit IFB on MySpace.



















Setlist: Treehouse. Surrounded. Rec & Play. Collection Of Stamps. Chicken Pox. Mingus. Oversleeping. The Painter. Britney. We're From Barcelona. Barcelona Loves You.

Encore: Jenny. Headphones. Ola Kala.

MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Britney [alt link]

I'm From Barcelona Debuts New Tune In NJ

Enjoy 'Paper Planes' (NOT an M.I.A. cover) below. Thanks for the clip, Earfarm!


MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Oversleeping [alt link]

CONTEST: I'm From Barcelona & Thao Nguyen In Brooklyn

Thursday, May 1 @ BK Masonic Temple

E-mail us for a chance to score a pair of tix!

Winner will be chosen on 4/25 (courtesy of Boost Mobile).

Visit I'm From Barcelona on MySpace.

MP3: Thao Nguyen - Beat

I'm From Barcelona Sets US Tour

Be sure to catch the troupe this spring at:

4/24 1st Unitarian Church - Philly
4/25 Maxwell's - Hoboken
4/27 Coachella - Indio
4/28 El Rey - Los Angeles
4/29 The Independent - San Fransisco
5/1 Masonic Temple - Brooklyn

Visit IFB at their official site.

MP3: IFB - Britney [alt link]

I'm From Barcelona Frontman Grows Beard, Gives Update

See what the Swedish mega-group has been up to since they blew our minds last summer.


MP3: I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona [alt link]

I'm From Barcelona @ Southpaw: More Glee!

After being witness to such a spectacular show this past Sunday at McCarren Pool (review & pics here), Jen and I had no choice but to see I'm From Barcelona once again at their second and last area visit for the year (sigh) at Brooklyn's Southpaw.

My main concern prior to entering the venue was the seemingly impossible task of fitting all 29 members onto Southpaw's notoriously small stage. Somehow, in spite of my initial hopes that the band would intersperse into the crowd, I'm From Barcelona magically pulled it off without a hitch. Confetti, balloons, sing-alongs et al, nothing was forgone with the gig being indoors versus outdoors. Another glorious set!

This time, one lucky concert go-er got to join the band on stage early into the show for a kazoo lesson & duet, simply because his last name was 'Barcelona'. Let's keep our collective fingers crossed for many many US visits from I'm From Barcelona in 2008!

Enjoy a few more photos plus the complete setlist & an I'm From Barcelona MP3 below.



Setlist: Treehouse/Oversleeping/Rec & Play/Collection Of Stamps/Chicken Pox/Britney/We're From Barcelona/The Painter/Ola Kala//Jenny/Life Aquatic/Barcelona Loves You

MP3: I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona (via Bitchfork)

I'm From Barcelona + Blonde Redhead @ McCarren Park: Glee!

What a beautiful day at the pool! Not only did Blonde Redhead wow me yet again (do they ever disappoint?), but I'm From Barcelona's confetti-fueled mega-set may have officially staked its claim as the highlight of my summer, thus far. Positively phenomenal.

To say that I adored every second of I'm From Barcelona's 40-minute show would be the understatement of the century. Each of the band's twenty-nine members brought enough kitsch, energy, flair and merriment to fill Madison Square Garden, Giants & Shea Stadium twice over. I was smiling from ear to ear for the totality of their McCarren visit.

Opening with an exemplary version of We're From Barcelona's 'Treehouse', the band wasted little time storming through most of their debut LP, all the while treating us to (my favorite) b-side (ever), 'Britney', and a mindblowing cover of Madonna's 'Like A Prayer'. The vast majority of the healthy crowd was eating out of their respective palms.

The Music Slut highly recommends demands your attendance at the band's only other New York area gig tonight at Brooklyn's Southpaw. Purchase a pair (or multiple pairs) of tickets HERE! Enjoy some more photos & an I'm From Barcelona MP3 below.

To learn more about the Swedish ensemble follow this link to their MySpace page.













MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Chicken Pox

Blonde Redhead's hypnotic 75-minute set included a bevy of tunes from their most recent full-length, the melancholic, 23, in addition to a handful of tracks from earlier releases - most notably Misery Is A Butterfly & Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons.

Although the pairing of today's show seemed rather random at first, in the end, it worked out better than fine. Up next week: The Thermals & Ted Leo. More info can be found here.

MP3: Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly

I'm From Barcelona Pens Song About Britney

And it's GLORIOUS!

Listen to the tune here on IFB's MySpace page.

Sample lyric: 'Why do we care if good ol' Britney wants to shave her hair?/They don't know a thing about you/Girl I wanna look like you".

No word yet on potential release of the ditty, but I truly hope it sees the light of day sooner rather than later.

Nice work, Swedes.

Read our review of the band's debut LP here.

I'm From Barcelona Headed To Brooklyn!

Better yet, it's a free show at McCarren Pool (the first to be announced officially) on Sunday August 5th.

This is one of only two US dates for the band - the other is at Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Will all twenty-nine band members fit on stage? Will they engage in a wild game of dodgeball before the show? Will they have to wait on the absurdly long beer lines like the rest of us? We can't wait to find out.

MP3: I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona

Review: I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends

29 is a magic number for I'm From Barcelona.

For the Bitchfork literate amongst our readers, you're probably familiar with the Swedish collective and their glowing review from a few months back (their 8.4 can be found here). For others, let me give you a brief intro.

I'm From Barcelona is a band consisting of 29 members, based out of Jonkoping, Sweden that records with the following laundry list of instruments: clarinets, saxophones, flutes, trumpets, banjos, accordions, kazoos, guitars, drums, & keyboards.

While the seemingly absurd number of band members may sound a little gimmicky, I'm From Barcelona has very little in common with fellow 20-plus membered, The Polyphonic Spree. While TPS describes themselves as 'choral symphonic rock', I'm From Barcelona would fit much better in the category of, simply, indie-pop.

Let Me Introduce My Friends is the band's first LP, and it's spectacular. Whereas The Polyphonic Spree's tracks can escalate towards 6, 7 or 8 minutes in length, the vast majority of I'm From Barcelona's tunes are just around three minutes. For those aching for a reference point, try to imagine The Shins, Belle & Sebastian, Eels and M. Ward trapped on one everlasting road trip across the country. All that plus a healthy dose of high school choir to boot. It's glorious, trust me.

The album's strongest tracks, 'We're From Barcelona', 'Barcelona Loves You' and my personal favorite 'Chicken Pox' truly hint at greatness on already dazzling debut. The choruses are hook-laden, the marriage between all the instruments is heavenly and the vocal harmonies are inimitable.

Let Me Introduce My Friends just got its US release (finally!) this past Tuesday, nearly a full year after it was unleashed overseas. Purchase it here or sample tracks via the band's MySpace page by following this link.