1968 by ME ENVENENO DE AZULES

ME ENVENENO DE AZULES is formed by two brothers from Yecla (Murcia). Before starting with this project Jesús and Jose had been playing together in many bands, in some of these they played with Antonio Galvañ, who now works as PARADE.

ME ENVENENO DE AZULES is born in late 1998. Half a year later Elefant puts out their first record: a seven inch called “Imágenes” including three excellent originals and a cover version of a Ray Davies song, translated into Spanish (“Confundido”). The title track of this single would also be included in “Moshi Moshi, pop international style”, a compilation released by U.S. label March Records.

On May 2001 there’s a new single by ME ENVENENO DE AZULES: it’s called “Vidas paralelas” and it includes four new originals and a cover version of HERMAN’S HERMITS’ “There’s a kind of hush”, again translated into Spanish (“Si vuelves”). Both singles reveal the García brothers’ penchant for sixties pop (from THE BEATLES to Bob Dylan, from THE WHO to Burt Bacharach) and the mot energic bands of Spanish eighties pop (ELEGANTES, NACHA POP), as well as Brazilian bossa-nova. They can also be compared to contemporaries like I AM KLOOT or KINGS OF CONVENIENCE, due to the folk-pop sensitiveness of their music. But songs like “Dibujando corazones”, “Como soy” or “Lluvia en mis zapatos” also show a strong personality that makes any comparison to other bands quite irrelevant.

Now we present you “1968”, the debut album by ME ENVENENO DE AZULES. Twelve songs that show how that the band’s acoustic, sensitive pop can also shine in a long play recording. The album was recorded in Refugio Antiáereo in Granada, produced by Carlos Hernández, who has also worked with other bands like LOS PLANETAS or CECILIA ANN. The production is clear and transparent, emphasizing the most distinctive qualities of the band.

The most notorious one is the skills of the García brothers to compose precious melodies strongly rooted down in the best sixties pop tradition, therefore eery song features a gorgeous chorus and very fine vocal harmonies.

Lyrics -all written by Jesús- play a very special role in the songs. They talk about very day-to-day situations, things that don’t seem to be very important but that in some cases they turn out to be crucial. As the band sings in “Es fiel”, we are talking about “small everyday things” (“las pequeñas cosas del día a día”), always narrated from a very personal point of view.

There’s also room for making references to the movies: “Birdy” pays tribute to Alan Parker’s film about a curious character that leaves apart from the real world, obsessed with birds and flying. ME ENVENENO DE AZULES’s portrait of this fragile being is written with a extreme sensitiveness, in a song that also boasts a shockingly beautiful melody.
The brothers’ old mate Antonio Galvañ (PARADE) collaborates again, this time not only playing all the keyboards in the album, but also helping Jesús and Jose with the string and horn arrangements that embellish the songs. Gustavo Adolfo Roses also helps in turning the rhythm programations into something more realistic and human. Erik Jiménez, drummer of LOS PLANETAS, plays real drums in three of the songs, and percussions in the whole album.

The title of the album -“1968”- makes reference to a year that brought many changes in many different fields, from politics to pop music. Here is an album that we all hope to cause such a big impression in the context of Spanish pop music of today.