I'm from Barcelona
Encyclopedia
I'm from Barcelona is a pop group
from Jönköping
, Sweden
, best known for its 29 band members and eclectic
mix of instruments such as clarinet
s, saxophone
s, flute
s, trumpet
s, banjo
s, accordion
s, kazoo
s, guitar
s, drum
s, and keyboards
among others. While most band members provide backing vocals on releases and during live performances, Emanuel Lundgren is founder, principal songwriter
and lead singer for the group.
In 2006 the band released an EP
entitled Don't Give Up on Your Dreams, Buddy! as well as a full length album, Let Me Introduce My Friends
– both of which were well-received critically. Their second full-length album, Who Killed Harry Houdini?
, was released in October 2008.
The end was not near for I'm from Barcelona, however, as the Swedish media and bloggers around the world started buzzing about the band. EMI
Sweden
signed the band and Dolores Recordings
released the EP Don't Give Up On Your Dreams, Buddy! on February 15, 2006 featuring the band's first hit "We’re From Barcelona", named as an homage to the Spanish waiter Manuel
, a character on BBC Television
's Fawlty Towers
("He’s from Barcelona"). Their debut full-length, entitled Let Me Introduce My Friends, was released on April 26, 2006 in Sweden, with international releases to follow including an EMI UK release on 11 September 2006. In 2006 Lundgren did a Take-Away Show video session shot by Vincent Moon
.
In July 2008, it was announced that the band would be releasing a full-length album in Fall 2008, entitled Who Killed Harry Houdini? The album features French singer Soko
on the track "Gunhild". The album was released on October 14, 2008 and to promote it they toured the UK finishing at the Scala, London on the 25th of November 2008.
They also made an appearance on the children's program Yo Gabba Gabba in 2008.
Their song "The Painter" appeared in the CBS television show How I Met Your Mother
, in the episode "Everything Must Go", aired on May 12, 2008.
EP/Singles
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
from Jönköping
Jönköping
-Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, best known for its 29 band members and eclectic
Eclecticism in music
Eclecticism is used to describe a composer's conscious use of styles alien to his nature, or from one or more historical styles. The term is also used pejoratively to describe music whose composer, thought to be lacking originality, appears to have freely drawn on other models .-Sources:* Kennedy,...
mix of instruments such as clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
s, accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
s, kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
s, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
among others. While most band members provide backing vocals on releases and during live performances, Emanuel Lundgren is founder, principal songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and lead singer for the group.
In 2006 the band released an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled Don't Give Up on Your Dreams, Buddy! as well as a full length album, Let Me Introduce My Friends
Let Me Introduce My Friends
Let Me Introduce My Friends is the first full length album from the Swedish band I'm from Barcelona.-Track listing:All songs written by Emanuel Lundgren.#"Oversleeping" - 2:18#"Collection of Stamps" - 2:49#"We're from Barcelona" - 3:02...
– both of which were well-received critically. Their second full-length album, Who Killed Harry Houdini?
Who Killed Harry Houdini?
Who Killed Harry Houdini? is the second full-length studio album by Swedish indie pop band I'm From Barcelona, released on October 14, 2008. A streaming version of the album's single, "Paper Planes", was released on Spin on July 15, 2008...
, was released in October 2008.
History
Sometime in 2005 Emanuel Lundgren wrote several songs and gathered his friends to record them. Weeks later, a homemade EP was completed and a one-time live show featuring all 29 band members was performed in August 2005.The end was not near for I'm from Barcelona, however, as the Swedish media and bloggers around the world started buzzing about the band. EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
signed the band and Dolores Recordings
Dolores Recordings
Dolores Recordings is a Swedish record label owned by Virgin Records, whose roster includes I'm from Barcelona, Swingfly , Caesars and some releases by The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Dungen....
released the EP Don't Give Up On Your Dreams, Buddy! on February 15, 2006 featuring the band's first hit "We’re From Barcelona", named as an homage to the Spanish waiter Manuel
Manuel (Fawlty Towers)
Manuel is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. Played by Andrew Sachs, he is an iconic character in British comedy history...
, a character on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
("He’s from Barcelona"). Their debut full-length, entitled Let Me Introduce My Friends, was released on April 26, 2006 in Sweden, with international releases to follow including an EMI UK release on 11 September 2006. In 2006 Lundgren did a Take-Away Show video session shot by Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon is an independent filmmaker from Paris mainly known for his field work music videos of indie rock related musicians as well as some notable mainstream artists like Tom Jones, R.E.M. or Arcade Fire. Besides making music videos he also makes experimental films and documentaries...
.
In July 2008, it was announced that the band would be releasing a full-length album in Fall 2008, entitled Who Killed Harry Houdini? The album features French singer Soko
Soko (singer)
SoKo is a French singer and actress.-Early life:Sokolinski was born in Bordeaux, France. She has used the nickname Soko as long as she can remember...
on the track "Gunhild". The album was released on October 14, 2008 and to promote it they toured the UK finishing at the Scala, London on the 25th of November 2008.
They also made an appearance on the children's program Yo Gabba Gabba in 2008.
Their song "The Painter" appeared in the CBS television show How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
, in the episode "Everything Must Go", aired on May 12, 2008.
Members
|
|
|
Discography
Albums- Let Me Introduce My FriendsLet Me Introduce My FriendsLet Me Introduce My Friends is the first full length album from the Swedish band I'm from Barcelona.-Track listing:All songs written by Emanuel Lundgren.#"Oversleeping" - 2:18#"Collection of Stamps" - 2:49#"We're from Barcelona" - 3:02...
(2006) - Who Killed Harry Houdini?Who Killed Harry Houdini?Who Killed Harry Houdini? is the second full-length studio album by Swedish indie pop band I'm From Barcelona, released on October 14, 2008. A streaming version of the album's single, "Paper Planes", was released on Spin on July 15, 2008...
(2008) - 27 songs from Barcelona (2010)
- Forever Today (2011)
EP/Singles
- "Sing!!" - 98B (August 2005)
- "Don't Give Up on Your Dreams, Buddy!" - Dolores RecordingsDolores RecordingsDolores Recordings is a Swedish record label owned by Virgin Records, whose roster includes I'm from Barcelona, Swingfly , Caesars and some releases by The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Dungen....
(February 15, 2006) - "Collection of Stamps" CD Single - EMI SwedenEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
(April 12, 2006) - "Treehouse" - (August 9, 2006)
- "Britney" CD Single - Dolores RecordingsDolores RecordingsDolores Recordings is a Swedish record label owned by Virgin Records, whose roster includes I'm from Barcelona, Swingfly , Caesars and some releases by The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Dungen....
/EMI SwedenEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
(July 16, 2007)
Music videos
- "Collection of Stamps" By Daniel Eskils & Johan Junker
- "We're From Barcelona" By Andreas Nilsson & Rasmus Hägg
Collaborations
- "Here We Go A Wassailing" on the Shrek the HallsShrek the HallsShrek the Halls is a television special that premiered on the American television network ABC on Wednesday, November 28, 2007. The thirty minute Christmas special included the following: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas reprising their roles from the feature films. The...
movie soundtrack (2007).
- Adventure Kid Emanuel Lundgren, the creative motor of I'm from Barcelona and the electronica/bitpop artist Kristoffer Ekstrand also known as Adventure Kid shocked the audience by forming a two men strong electronic I'm from Barcelona in fall of 2006. A remix of the band's We're From Barcelona recorded by Adventure Kid has been played at the end of the band's shows during 2006
- Loney, DearLoney, DearLoney, Dear is the pseudonym of Swedish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen. He has self-released four albums of music in his native Sweden. His first major release came in February, 2007 in the U.S. when Sub Pop re-issued his album Loney, Noir.-History:Emil Svanängen...