Absolutes

Barcelona | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 25, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nbd
• ASIN: B000UJ48TU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,537 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

With "ABSOLUTES," Barcelona have crafted a vibrant collection of stadium-sized anthems and reflective ballads, unified by soaring melodies, lush arrangements, and singer/keyboardist Brian Fennell's persuasively personal lyricism. Intricately orchestrated songs like "Stars" and "It's About Time" are animated by a dramatic sonic scope, with Fennell's remarkable vocals conveying an ardent yearning for emotional release. Such exuberant and evocative music invites a powerful kinship between the band and its audience, a bond which only serves to stir the Seattle-based trio's creative spirit.

"To have people - I don't know who they are and they don't really know who I am - feel some strong connection to the words I've written," says Fennell, "that's one of the most magical things about what we do."

Fennell played piano and guitar in a few teenage bands before attending Seattle Pacific University and embarking on his own self-described "solo guy" career. Inspired by such singer/songwriters as Teitur and Brett Dennen, he soon became a popular fixture on Seattle's musically fertile coffeehouse scene. In 2005, Fennell recorded a solo album, "SAFETY SONGS," accompanied in the studio by his best friend, producer/musician Brian Eichelberger. Upon the album's release, the solo guy asked Eichelberger and fellow Seattle Pacific University students Chris Bristol (guitar/vocals) and Rhett Stonelake (drums) to join him for gigs.

"We very quickly realized that it was going to be something more than a backing band," Bristol says. "We all came to the idea that if we were gonna do it as a band, we were gonna do it as a band. It might've started out as a singer/songwriter thing, but Barcelona really hit the ground running as a group."

Dubbing themselves Barcelona, the band began playing in and around Seattle. Influenced by independent-minded combos such as Lovedrug and Copeland, as well as the more esoteric sounds of artists like Sigur Rós and Rufus Wainwright, the fledgling group fashioned a dynamic widescreen sound which elevated the intimate power of Fennell's songwriting.

Barcelona swiftly found themselves the object of major label attention, but just as they were poised to sign on the dotted line, the proposed deal fell though. What initially seemed a crisis proved an opportunity which sparked the band's ambitious energy. Barcelona took the bull by the horns and began touring on a regular basis, travelling up and down the west coast. Before long, they had developed a fervent fan following from Seattle to San Diego.

"It was all kinda do-it-yourself," Fennell says, "which was something we prided ourselves on."

"Looking back on it," Bristol says, "that deal falling through was one of the best things that have happened to us as a band. It forced us to explore the world as an indie band and you learn a lot doing it on your own. The amount of knowledge that we've gained from those experiences is priceless."

With a publishing deal providing the capital, Barcelona set to work creating their debut album. The band spent much of 2006 recording in studios all over Seattle, co-producing alongside Eichelberger (who also guided the towering string arrangements). Melding newer material with a re-recorded trio of "SAFETY SONGS" (including "Response," "Numb," and "Colors"), the resulting "ABSOLUTES" expertly captured the breadth of the band's musical ambition.

"It ended up a combination of songs I'd written before Barcelona," Fennell says, "and new songs we wrote as a band. Somehow we were lucky enough to have that be cohesive. These songs written over this span of time and transition led to what we felt was a strong full-length record of songs that made sense together."

Released in August 2007 on the band's own NBD Music, "ABSOLUTES" received rave reviews from coast to coast. "Barcelona has captured fleeting emotions and indescribable feelings," opined the Boston Globe, "and put them into the slightly more tangible forms of music and lyrics." "Not only the best local debut of 2007," declared Seattle Weekly, "it might be the best local release, period, of 2007."

Eichelberger left the line-up in late 2007, opting to focus on his burgeoning career as producer and engineer. Carrying on as a trio, Barcelona spent much of the next year honing its sound by criss-crossing the continent on three national tours, including treks with Low vs. Diamond and Sherwood. By December 2008, the band was ready to further explore its possibilities by signing with Universal Motown.

"As time goes on," Bristol says, "you realize that you can only do so much. We were just ready. Having other people behind us, we can achieve much more."

Believing that "ABSOLUTES" has not yet reached its fullest potential audience, the band decided to reissue their debut, amended with a number of recent songs, recorded in January 2009 at Death Cab For Cutie drummer Jason McGerr's Two Sticks Audio. The new material - which includes the outsized "The Takers" and the elegiac ballad, "Come Back When You Can" - point to an even greater confidence than before, a skillfulness and self-assurance gleaned from countless nights on the road. In addition, Barcelona made time to re-re-record one of Fennell's original "SAFETY SONGS" in "Colors."

"We completely believe in `ABSOLUTES,'" Stonelake says, "but it was great to be able to add something recent that marks our current progression."

"All of us were much more confident in where we were going," agrees Bristol. "We walked into this studio experience much more prepared, with songs that we really believed in."

Barcelona also took the opportunity to have "ABSOLUTES" remixed by three-time Grammy Award winning producer/engineer Michael H. Brauer (Coldplay, John Mayer, My Morning Jacket). The sonic tweaking amplified the album's already substantial power, bringing out the full force of the band's spirit and emotion.

"It brings the record to the next level," Bristol says, "making it sound the way we've always heard it in our heads."

Barcelona is now poised to share that unbridled sound with as many people as possible. Having fully devoted themselves to their passionate pop, the band is now in the dizzying position of actually seeing their dreams become a reality.

"We've always had to have separate jobs so we had supplemental income to do this," Fennell says. "We believed in it so hard that we would drop everything to do it. Now that we're able to do this full time, it's a surreal place to be in."

"We're firm believers that what we have is a gift," adds Stonelake. "To be able to play music and have people be receptive to it, that's a huge blessing."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This album will surprise many people!!, September 25, 2007

By 

freshnewmusic (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolutes (Audio CD)

First off, I'm not the type of person who rants and raves about albums too often. However, this album just might be the best I've heard in quite a while. For those of you who like to "discover" bands before they become popular, keep an eye on Barcelona. Soon you will be the indie insider who "listened to these guys before they were even a band." Give a listen to their album and you will discover a band that has yet to be "discovered."

Barcelona plays piano/guitar driven rock that is truly beautiful. Their alternative rock sound { "It's About Time" and "Stars" are stand-out tracks} incorporates intricate rythyms and massive guitars that set them apart from a market saturated by twenty-and-thirty-something alternative rock bands. In addition to this, they mix in just the right number of slow, string-accompanied, falsetto-driven songs to carry the album to the next level. Tracks like "First Floor People," "Get Up, Get Up, Get Up," and "Please Don't Go" showcase Brian's outstanding voice and will make you second-guess that this is their debut album. You are left with the feeling that these guys know how to make good music, period. They incorporate musical elements from many bands yet don't sound lie any in particular. From beginning to end, this album will take you on a journey that you won't want to end. I wish I had another chance to listen to it for the very first time.

I know that there are countless CD's realeased every day, but it would be well worth your time to check this one out. This CD is just too good for you to ignore.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expectations blown!, April 28, 2009

By 

Kelly Hansen "Kelly Hansen" (Palo Alto, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Absolutes (Audio CD)

I am one of the people who bought the original Absolutes (released 9/07) and literally listened to the album until the disc wore out. While I was excited for this iteration, I expected simply a tweaked-up version of the original. Wow, were my expectations blown! If you are in the same boat and have bought-and-loved the original version, it is well worth checking Absolutes 2.0 out.

Absolutes is a transcendent listening experience from start to finish. The sound is clean, honest and ruminative. Barcelona's piano driven melodies and earnest lyrics incite an emotional and cerebral connection to the music. This release was remixed by three time Grammy winner Michael H. Brauer (Coldplay, John Mayer), and now the songs masterfully ride the fence of raw and refined in a way that will give you chills down your spine. The arrangements are natural and thoughtfully created in a way that allow Brian Fennell (Vocals, Piano), Rhett Stonelake (Drums) and Chris Bristol (Guitar) to shine as individual contributors yet radiate as a group. It's apparent that these college friends love creating music, as every key of the piano, tap of a cymbal and strum of the guitar is done so with intention, skill, and spirit.

While Barcelona is receiving raving reviews and is creating fans around the world, Absolutes could have been released 50 years ago to acclaim. It is timeless, reflective and without question worth checking out. I give Absolutes my highest recommendation and insist you experience it, too!
[...]

Similar artists: Coldplay, Keane, The Fray, Jack's Mannequin, Death Cab for Cutie.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars stick to the original, August 12, 2009

By 

Jared Moody "jaredmoody" (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Absolutes (Audio CD)

I love Barcelona, but found that I far prefer the original 2007 release to the remixed tracks. In my opinion the new mixes don't capture the drive and energy of the songs like the original did.

Of course the new tracks that are only on this album are great and I would for sure recommend either buying both or listening to both and then purchasing the tracks not on the other album.