When we saw I’m From Barcelona last November we were so exhausted we didn’t have a chance to write up a review post gig. However, one of our highlights (amongst all the bouncing balls, crowd surfing and general aceness) was the collaboration with SoKo, which is their new single.

A departure from the usual pop greatness of the Swedish group, they take things down a notch for a hint of feeling and emotion. Like everything they do however, it’s amazing.

Watch and enjoy.

I’m From Barcelona’s new album, Who Killed Harry Houdini? is out now.

Top photo is taken from hirefrank’s flickr stream under the Creative Commons License.

10. Idlewild at London’s ULU (3rd July)
First time catching the indie rockers, blown away. So much so that I caught them again in Bristol just a month later, they were that good. They showed just how they’ve managed to be so successful for the past decade, with energy and great songs.

9. I’m From Barcelona at London Scala (25th November)
I know I said I’d write a review and then didn’t, but things were kinda hectic with university stuff at the time. Still, I’m From Barcelona provided one of the best nights of entertainment I’ve had in a while – chaotic, crazy, they had so much energy I was finding bits of ticker tape for days after.

8. Bloc Party at London’s Apple Store (10th October)
My second Bloc Party experience of the year, hot and sweaty in the Apple Store. I was expecting a bland, boring performance but we got anything but – chaotic, Kele was on top form, crawling over the crowd, standing all over the place. I’d hate to have had the job of cleaning up the next morning!

7. Friendly Fires at Oxford Zodiac (5th October)
My second time seeing Friendly Fires, they were even more intense than the first time. Loud, energetic, and slightly chaotic – we forgot it was Sunday night and danced like it was 3am. Just immense. Watch them become huge in 209.

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Okay, so last night I caught I’m From Barcelona at London’s great Scala. Quite honestly, it blew me away. It was similar to the Polyphonic Spree’s show at the Astoria, but gone European, and much more spontaneous.

A full review will follow, but let’s just say for now that they had more confetti, more fun and more balloons on stage than any band I’ve seen for a while.

After the jump: setlist. Full review by end of the week (hopefully).

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One of the perks of running a music blog like There Goes The Fear is the inbox deluge of MP3s and random myspaces to check out. Hopefully this will be one of the first in a sporadic series of posts aiming to give you a selection of the MP3s we can’t feature more, or don’t feel strongly enough to write more about.

Sarathan Records got in touch to tell us about their new signing, Peter Bradley Adams. He has a new record out, “Leavetaking”, and some amazing songs up on his myspace.

Peter wrote a song called “So Are You To Me” for his sister’s wedding. Peter had so much demand for the sheet music for weddings that now he freely gives it out to any askers on MySpace. The eastmountainsouth version of this song has sold over 17,000 downloads without a speck of promotion or a single radio spin….

MP3: Peter Bradley Adams – Always

The Winter League got in touch to show me their myspace. They said about themselves:

The songs are at times hopeful, at times resigned to the overwhelming catastrophe…The loss of a land where maps are constantly redrafted to chart the eroding landscape, where cities regenerate in endless cycles and the monuments of the past fall into the sea.

Majestic brass rings out over chiming guitars and delicate pianos. Found sounds and whirring electronics fuse with textured strings, humming organs and rich choirs. The sound of a marching band at the end of a quiet and hopeless world.

See if you agree by downloading their Dead Leaves demo.
MP3: Winter League – Dead Leaves Demo

I love I’m From Barcelona. Like, full on love them. They’ve got a new album out in October, and this is the first single from it.
MP3:I’m From Barcelona – Music Killed Me

And, if you like that one check out the Adventure Kid remix of I’m From Barcelona vs Madonna. Slightly strange, but oh-so-good. Don’t be suprised if I have to take this one down shortly though… I’m sure we can all guess what Madonna’s people are like. (i.e. scary!)
MP3: Adventure Kid – Music Killed Me

Keane have a new album out at the end of the year, and a new song called Spiralling which they were giving away free last week on their official website. Personally I’m not a big fan of the new direction they’ve taken on this track, however you might like it…
MP3: Keane – Spiralling

Those crazy kids I’m From Barcelona have announced a string of UK tour dates in November in support of their new album, Who Killed Harry Houdini.

We first featured I’m from Barcelona on TGTF last September, and I’ve been waiting for a chance to see them for a while now, so should be good.

Tickets are on sale now at £10 each, and you can catch me at the London Scala date – I’ve booked my tickets, so if you’re there pop on by and say hi!

Monday 24th November – Manchester Ruby Lounge
Tuesday 25th November – London Scala
Wednesday 26th November – Brighton Concorde

This is the time of year it seems just about every credible publication is doing a “best of 2007″ albums, so I thought I’d join them and do a quick top 10 of my favourite albums this past year. I’ve chosen the top 10 from the 74 albums I’ve “acquired” (either downloaded / bought the CD of / been given the CD of). Disagree? Just say in the comments below.

• Memorable-ness – Does it have you humming it for days after? Can you remember snippets of lyrics?
• “Car factor” - Can you put it on play and leave it going without skipping any tracks / few tracks?
• Irritability - Can you have tracks on repeat without wanting to throw the CD out of the window?
• Musical quality – Is it likely to be a classic / seen as a highlight of the artist’s career?
• Enjoy-ability – Is it fun? Get you going?
• Innovation - How innovative is it?

10. Jack Peñate – Matinee
He may just be one man with a funny swirl over his name, but his album turned out to be one of the most consistent of the year. Many of the tracks are single-worthy, fun, danceable and just the sort of thing that goes down a storm at many end-of term parties.

Tales of bitterness, nights out, missed opportunities, and images of guys in smart suits akin to West Side Story make this album the first in my 2007 top ten.

Buy the CD on Amazon

9. Mika – Life in Cartoon Motion
Who couldn’t have heard Mika’s first single, Grace Kelly, which bothered the top 10 for a few months at the start of the year. Fun, simple pop tunes that live are just quality party tunes.

Many people claimed Mika was trying to capture Freddie Mercury, and yes, he does sound a tiny bit like him, but is completely different: the tunes are quite possibly more girly than anything Freddie did, and his shows are far more like an acid trip than Queen could ever pull off.

His come down tunes, “Relax, Take it Easy,” “Any Other World” and “Happy Ending” are quality tunes in their own right, comedowns for the end of the party. All in all a quality mixture of pop, rock, and pure fun.

My Live Review | Buy the CD on Amazon

8.The Wombats – A Guide To Love, Loss and Desperation
I only really got into this a couple of weeks ago after the release of “Let’s Dance To Joy Division”, but it was on repeat all the way home from the US, with their amusing tales of urban English life. Songs like “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” celebrate English irony brilliantly, tunes that just have everyone dancing for the hills.

They’re knowledgeable, and the whole album is very tongue-in-cheek, which is just what modern indie-pop should be.

Buy the CD on Amazon

7. I’m From Barcelona – Let me Introduce My Friends
I’ll admit it, I didn’t think I’d like this album. 29 people on a record sounds like a recipe for destruction if you ask me, but somehow they pull it off without sounding as chaotic as the Polyphonic Spree do at times.

Songs like “We’re From Barcelona” are fun, simple tunes which has all the vibe of a secondary-school band gone pro. EP song “Britney” unfortunately doesn’t make an appearance on this album, but if it did, the album would be even higher up my list.

Buy the CD on Amazon

6. Band of Horses – Cease To Begin
Opening song, “Is there a Ghost” is enough for Band of Horses to deserve their 6th place position on this list. A quality, haunting tune that just captures the whole vibe of the album – musically capable, listener – accessible.

The entire collection sounds far more polished and consistent than their debut, “Everything, All the Time”, which whilst had moments of brilliance, failed to capture the consistency of this collection.

Buy the CD on Amazon

5. Radiohead – In Rainbows
A suprise release, Radiohead seemed to garner more headlines for their “Music Industry ruining” way of release and letting people choose the price they wanted to pay for the download of the tracks as an MP3 file.

However, the album wa, in my opinion, one of their strongest yet. A distinctly electronic feel, they combined their solo efforts into a collection that was strong, consistent, and interesting. I wouldn’t be suprised if it turns out to be one of their strongest of their career.

My Review of In Rainbows | Buy the CD on Amazon

4. Stars – In our Bedroom After the War
I bought this one on a whim – I didn’t know much about Stars, but quickly grew to love them. Songs like the haunting “Barricade”, the danceable “The Night Starts Here” and the yearning “Bitches in Tokyo” make for a collection that builds on their previous albums (which I’ve since acquired), and makes a strong and consistent collection that I’ll be listening to for months to come no doubt.

Buy the CD on Amazon

3. Tegan and Sara – The Con

They may be two lesbian identical twin sisters, but don’t let you think they’re a novelty act – far from it. They’re a quality duo, who make amazing short stories for the 00’s generation.

Produced by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, The Con is their most accomplished yet, full of drama like their previous records, but a bit more believable, and a bit more stable now that they’re settled down with partners. They seem happier, if that’s possible, which is always good.

Buy the CD on Amazon

2. The National – Boxer
The National’s fourth album, Boxer is a very consistent record, though unfortunately not quite as good as their break-through “Alligator”.

They seem to be more at home with themselves, not quite as angry as standout songs on Alligator “Mr. November” or “Lit Up”. Instead, all of the songs are accomplished, but not as much emotion, which is a shame

The National @ The Astoria Live Review | The National – Boxer – My Review | Buy the CD on Amazon

1. Bloc Party – A Weekend in The City
I’ll admit it here. I wasn’t a big fan of their debut, Silent Alarm. I thought it was crap. However, once I listened to A Weekend in the City I “got” Bloc Party, and fell in love with both albums at once.

Songs such as “I Still Remember” and “Sunday” are the standouts for me, both quality songs that deserve the huge audience Bloc Party have garnered. I’ve possibly listened to this album more times than any other album, and will continue to do so for 2008 no doubt.
My Album Review | Buy the CD on Amazon

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“Big doesn’t always mean better” my mum told me many moons ago, and indeed an ex-girlfriend also commented on much the same. However, in the case of Swedish exports I’m From Barcelona, big does mean better. The 29 piece jangly pop symphony offer a lesson in writing simple, slightly crazy tunes that sound, well, amazing.

Sounding like The Polyphonic Spree if they were Swedish, this collective manage to combine all the excitement and pure jubilation that the ‘spree have in their records with some quality indie-pop tunes that cross over between cult and pop by being extremely accessible.

Debut album “Let Me Introduce My Friends” opens with four would-be singles and received rave reviews from The Music Slut and Pitchfork, but possibly their greatest song is the marvellous off-album track and live favourite “Britney”. Featuring the (simply genius) lyric of: ‘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’, it looks set to be one song to transport them onto bigger things.

The album is full of energetic, memorable hooks that’ll have you humming along all day, and whilst the ‘Spree’s tracks can go on for up to 10 minutes on CD (let alone their live shows); most of Barcelona’s tracks are 3 minute pop wonders.

Led by the energetic (and Gogol-Bordello reject looks) Emanuel Lundgren, the 29-piece struggles to fit on most of the smaller stages that they’ve been touring recently, however hopefully in time they’ll come to play larger venues as they become bigger.

After the jump: video of I’m From Barcelona’s ‘We’re From Barcelona’ (confusing, eh?). Photo is from Martin Deutsch’s flickr stream under the Creative commons license.
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