I have to admit that I didn’t get into I’m From Barcelona until the last week. I had heard a few of their songs and wasn’t overwhelmed. I kept meaning to listen to some more, mostly just because I loved the name (as Linda Richman would say: “I’m From Barcelona is neither a single person, nor are they from Barcelona…discuss.” In fact, not only are they not a single person, they are 29 people from Sweden, all with names like Henrik Olofsson, Julie Witwicki Carlsson, and Anna Fröderberg). Still, it was only a few days ago that I heard the following song, and have been hooked ever since:
Catchy as all get-out, like an amalgamation of every good Polyphonic Spree song, and about as fun as a song could imaginably be. The lyrics consist of only 6 lines repeated over and over, but with such enthusiasm and with such aural accompaniment that they never get old. This is by far my favorite song on their record, but the whole thing is great. They just got an 8.4 from Pitchfork, which might be a little higher than I would go, but not by a whole lot. This is the kind of album that deserves to be listened to, and enjoyed with a couple dozen of your best friends.
The album is Let Me Introduce My Friends, which has been out for a couple months internationally but is still unavailable except as an import in the States. However, it’s on iTunes, so get clicking! And check out their myspace page or the Hype Machine to hear a few more songs.
Oh, and check out the delightfully absurd video for “We’re From Barcelona.”