Ivory Faces

This picture is not taken by me

All the way from Seattle, Washington I give to you Barcelona. Last summer I had the

pleasure of hearing their song 'Please don't go' from their latest album 'Absolutes'. This song really brings out every emotion. It leaves you with goosebumps and I can truly say it is on my list of favourite songs. Elegant strings and piano make this song truly beautiful. Simple lyrics bring this song to life and leave you wondering if its about lost love, but what ever the meaning behind this song and in fact the whole album, Barcelona truely are a band to be heard. 

With the release of their latest album 'Absolutes' back in 2008 Barcelona have taken the long road and have started a brand new album. 

Yet to hit the shores of Britain the band take time out to answer some questions for Ivory Faces.

How is life in the world of Barcelona? 

Currently things are on the up and up.  We spent most of 2010/2011 writing and recording a new album. We recently just completed a very successful Kickstarter campaign to help underwrite the costs associated with finishing up this new record (mixing/mastering/duplication). With the help of our friends, family and fans we were able to raise above and beyond our goal and we're currently finishing up mixes for the record. Hopefully this will take us through the fall and we'll have the finished product in our hands before Christmas (fingers crossed). It's taken us much longer than we anticipated but we are all really happy with how things are sounding and shaping up.

What would you say was the meaning behind your latest album "Absolutes" 

Absolutes is a group of songs that are attempted absolutes really.  Each song is trying to wrap it's mind around itself, whatever the subject may be.  If one is about a particular love, or the loss of love, it tries to sum up everything possible about it within the song's length.  It's a bit clumsy and eager, but it works out because it's not perfect and I think people relate to that better than the opposite. Other than that, I don't think Absolutes has an overall "meaning" beyond it being a group of our first songs and it trying to say something unique to us.  

How did the band get together? 

We all met in college in 2004. Chris and Rhett lived across the hall from one another in the dorms while Chris and Brian shared a few music classes together. We all soon crossed paths and started playing music together in a band on campus. During this time Brian started writing songs (and to our surprise) blew us away with the material and his voice. From here Brian made a solo record with one of his best friends from childhood, Brian E., who would eventually become the bass player in the band. We officially formed in the fall of 2005 after Brian released his solo record and wanted to shift the identity to more of band vs. a singer-songwriter outfit. 

I see that you did a few gigs with the band Steel Train (I'm a fan of the band) how did this go.

Ah yes! We did a mini tour with Steel Train and Gold Motel (Greta from The Hush Sound) routing out to SXSW in the spring of 2010. It was really fun. Very sweet guys and fun music. Reminded us a lot of Bruce Springsteen. I think we had the most fun google searching Jack's dating history and trying to figure out his mystique. By the end of the tour we couldn't figure it out and were stumped. 

You haven't really had any coverage in England, do you plan to come over here and do a few gigs at all? 

We have yet to make it to the U.K. but really hope that this new record will bring opportunities to do so. With the exposure of things like the Kuroshio Sea Aquarium Video as well as our Facebook Page and just word of mouth, we've been fortunate enough to see our music reach markets and fans where we've never had traditional record distribution. That's something that totally fascinates us and hope we can continue to do with this new record. We feel like there's never been a better time to be making music and connecting directly with fans, those that are willing to listen to your music and engage with you As for the UK we hear the weather is often compared to that of Seattle so I'm sure we would feel at home. And yes, we do like an occasional cupcake....with coffee and let's call it a date. 

After the release of your latest album "Absolutes" when do you plan to release a new album?

As of now, all signs are pointing to early 2012. With the Kickstarter just wrapping up and the final details still needing tweaking, we want to give ourselves enough runway to properly release this record. Believe us when we say we want this record to come out yesterday, we know it's been a long time coming for new music. We're all really pleased with how these songs have developed over the last 3+ years and where they sit as recordings today. We've been sitting with this material for awhile so I think all of us are feeling the anxious side of excitement in wanting to get them out and to our fans. 

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Finishing the album I think is everyone's top priority at the moment. We also have an exclusive acoustic EP to record for every backer who supported our KickstarterEP of songs chosen by all the backers as a way to say thank you for above-and-beyond support. We'll be keeping ourselves busy with these things up and until the record comes out. 

http://www.myspace.com/barcelona

Please don't go