Biography
2008
Since the release of "La Revolución Sexual" last November, 2007, so many things have happened that it’s impossible to summarize them in these few lines; the press has unanimously loved the album and turned it into a classic in the history of music in this country from the very first day it went on sale. But the most important thing has been how the fans flocked to the stores, longing to get their hands on this delicious collection of songs, placing the album on the best-selling lists in Spain for three consecutive weeks, which is a serious feat for an independent album. The fans’ unconditional support has been and is absolutely fundamental in understanding what many call “la Guillemania”, and not without reason – Guille is a magnetic and special person who has won the heart of his fans; his albums and his songs instantly become a reflection of our own lives and his concerts, in addition to being an original and different audiovisual and technological experience, they have also become an explosion of happiness and liberation, an exercise charged with emotion and paradisiacal satisfaction. Madrid was the chosen city for setting off the “La Revolución Sexual” tour with two incredible nights in the mythic club El Sol, with tickets sold-out days before the concert and absolutely desperate fans unable to get tickets to see their favorite group. They have all been promised a new date in Madrid on March 10th, when “La Revolución Sexual” will unfold in all its glory in Joy Eslava, one of the nicest and most elegant clubs in the capital.
Success and full houses in their concerts in Murcia (Auditorio), Bilbao (Santana 27), La Coruña (Playa Club) and Bilbao (Breogain).
LA CASA AZUL was one of the artists chosen via MySpace for the pre-selection party for TVE’s “Salvemos Eurovisión”. The winning group would represent our country in the EUROVISIÓN 2008 festival (Belgrade). The gala takes place on March 8.
Throughout the year they play in the most important festivals in Spain: Cultura Pop (Madrid), Valladolindie (Valladolid), Día de la Música (Barcelona), Murcia Sound (Murcia), Pop-Arb (Arbúcles), APTC (Zaragoza), FIB (Benicassim), Contempopranea (Badajoz), Semana Grande San Sebastian, Altaveu (Barcelona), BAM (Barcelona), Lemon Pop (Murcia), CamOn (Alicante), FIZ (Zaragoza), Benvinguda (Valencia), Periferias (Huesca), Fiestas Mayores patronales de Benidorm, Palma de Mallorca…etc
In July, the video “Esta Noche Solo Cantan Para Mi” is shown in the Ocho y Medio club in Madrid. The video-clip was directed by Domingo González, with whom the group has worked before and who has always known how to understand and perfectly convey the song, showing the most intimate side of LA CASA AZUL, put never losing sight of the imaginary and artful world that characterizes the group. MTV made a Making of the Video with it, (perfect to learn how a LA CASA AZUL video is created and to listen to declarations from Guille as well as many others who float around in the blue universe).
LA CASA AZUL write the theme song for the TV3 program “Els 25”. “Vull Saber-ho Tot de Tu” is another super-hit for the group, an explosive and catchy melody, outstanding arrangements, references to disco and lyrics, written in Catalan for the first time, about the televised world.
In September they perform in the MTV BAM Music Week festival in Barcelona; more than 20,000 people gather to watch the live recording of LA CASA AZUL’s concert for MTV. The moment was immortalized thanks to MTV’s cameras, which caught every unique and special moment of the performance.
After a very active year, the group decides to take some time off and they give their last concert of the “Lav Revolución Sexual” tour on December 20th in Palma de Mallorca. 2009 will be a year in which Guille is working on new songs in the studio both for LA CASA AZUL and for MILYWAY.
2009
Guille is invited to participate in the 30th anniversary party for the program on “Flor de Pasión” on Radio 3.
A performance by LA CASA AZUL is chosen by Rockdelux magazine as one of the best national live performances of the year.
LA CASA AZUL performs at the Indietracks Festival in July. This is their only concert of the year. The British festival Indietracks honours Elefant Records for the label’s twentieth birthday, giving it control of the organization of the main stage as a birthday present.
In September "La Nueva Yma Sumac (What the Revolution Left Us)" is released. It is a very special album, a limited edition album for fans, friends and lovers of pop. It is a sonic postcard depicting these last few months in the life of LA CASA AZUL, a small appetizer while we wait for the arrival of the group’s new album, which Guille is already working on and which will be out in 2010. While those new songs are in the works, this album will get us through the rest of this year and make the wait shorter for LA CASA AZUL’s newest album – though there are still more surprises on the way!!!
The album contains a data track with the video for “La Nueva Yma Sumac” in the Spanish and Japanese versions, as well as a screensaver for computers and mobile phones.
Guille Milkyway (LA CASA AZUL) is takes on the task of creating the incidental music for the movie “Yo, También” (Me, too). The soundtrack is atypical, with simple, bare pieces based around emotionally charged piano melodies that just as easily express great joy as sink into deep despair and frustration. Guille also takes charge of the movie’s theme song, a 70s style rumba also entitled “Yo, También”, which is something along the lines of the first recordings by LAS GRECAS or LOS AMAYA but boasts that magical touch typical of our maestro’s compositions. The result is a complete success from top to tail that will stay in our heads and be hummed and sung until we’ve had our fill. All of Guille’s new compositions illustrate the wide variety of styles that cohabitate in his mind, and go to show that nothing is impossible for one of the best musical composers of today.
"La Nueva Yma Sumac (What the Revolution Left Us)" makes the Spanish bestseller list.
“Yo, Tambien” is shown publically for the first time and meets with complete critical success. The San Sebastián Film Festival gets the movie off to a running start, and all signs indicate it will be of the most interesting independent films of 2010. The film is Álvaro and Antonio’s directorial debut, Pablo Pineda’s acting debut, Guille Milkyway’s soundtrack debut and the first important project for our recently created “Elefant Music Supervision”. All of this only intensified our excitement and our celebration of the two Silver Conch awards the film received in the 57th edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival, for best actor Pablo Pineda and best actress Lola Dueñas, both of whom are amazing on the screen, magical in real life and now constitute, thanks to the Festival, a “timeless couple”.
LA CASA AZUL is nominated for the special award for “Best Live Performance” for their concert at the Indietracks Festival in July. Guille Milkyway and his androids have to compete against bands like PET SHOP BOYS, MERCURY REV, Andrew Bird, THE DIRTY THREE, FRIENDLY FIRES, LILY ALLEN, MGMT, NOVELLE VAGUE, Patrick Wolf, TOM JONES, THOM YORKE, BON IVER and PJ Harvey, among others.
"La Revolución Sexual" is chosen as one of the best albums of the last ten years by Rockdelux magazine.
LA CASA AZUL wins at the UK Festival Awards. They are awarded the “Virtual Festivals Critics' Choice Award”, beating out artists like PET SHOP BOYS, THE SPECIALS, Thom Yorke, Carl Cox, THE PRODIGY and ALABAMA 3.
The UK Festival Awards are the Oscars of the England’s music festival industry. They are the only awards devoted to recognizing and rewarding the colossal human effort that goes into creating the most important festival scene in the world. Established in 2004 and organized by Virtualfestivals.com (the world’s top music festival website), the new edition of the UK Festival Awards was celebrated live on Thursday, November the 19th in London in a ceremony in which, in addition to the “Virtual Festivals Critics' Choice Award” won by LA CASA AZUL, 20 more prizes were awarded including BLUR's award for “Best Headliner”, Glastonbury for Best Festival and KINGS OF LEON’s award for “Anthem of the Summer” for “Sex on Fire”.
LA CASA AZUL’s impressive performance at the Indietracks festival in England in July, coupled with the charisma Guille exudes in live shows and a great party atmosphere in the audience enabled LA CASA AZUL to win this well-deserved award, which more than validates the talent and professionalism of the team that carried half of Spain with it on the "La Revolucion Sexual" tour which culminated in this final performance in England.
"Yo también (Me, too)" competes in the “World Cinema Narrative" category at the Sundance Film Festival (USA). Its soundtrack has already gone down in Elefant Records’ history and we feel very proud. “Yo, también”, the movie’s theme song by LA CASA AZUL, is becoming a huge hit in Spain and will likely triumph outside Spain as well.
2010
In January LA CASA AZUL is nominated for a Goya (Spanish cinema award) in the category of Best Original Song for “Yo, también”. On the 23rd of January a reception for all 2010 Goya finalists is held at the Real Casa de Correos in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid. Guille Milkyway attends the event with Lola Dueñas and Pablo Pineda, the film’s stars.
After the whirlwind of the past couple of years, both nationally and internationally, Guille takes another leap forward with his Goya nomination.
On the 14th of February the official Goya award ceremony is held in the Municipal Auditorium of Madrid, and Guille Milkyway walks off with the prize for “Best Original Song” in a well-deserved recognition of his talent.
On December 1st the digital version of LA CASA AZUL’s new single, “Todas tus amigas”, goes on sale. The single will include the cover of “Vacaciones” that was recently released on the tribute album to Carlos Berlanga, “Viaje Satélite alrededor de Carlos Berlanga”, as the B-side. "Todas tus amigas" is a song about suffering and about how liberating it is to be aware of other people’s suffering. It is about death’s inexorableness and escapism as a valid method of dealing with pain and fear. Sometimes we think it is impossible that certain people are suffering when outwardly they seem confident and well balanced. Learning that even these people can carry a profound hurt deep inside them can sometimes, frankly, be comforting and occasionally helps to trivialize one’s own suffering.
“Todas tus amigas” Nº1 on iTunes!!!
On December 13th the video-clip of “Todas tus amigas” released a video masterfully directed by Nadia Mata Portillo. And then in 2011 we will be able to enjoy "La Polinesia Meridional", LA CASA AZUL’s highly anticipated new album and their corresponding tour.
2011
Their new album, “La Polinesia Meridional”, on sale November 28th.
LA CASA AZUL is back with a huge collection of songs that will feed and light up the dance floors of half the planet, as well as the hearts of the group’s thousands of fans and followers who are spread out over all 7 continents. The album is an ode to escapism (usually denoted as the “cowardly” way of avoiding reality, but so necessary in our lives in order to obtain that balance that keeps us afloat) and to melody (that fundamental ingredient of pop music). Guille Milkyway’s new songs give proof of a love equally divided between Phil Spector, Norman Harris, ELO, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, PIZZICATO FIVE, the RAMONES and THE STYLE COUNCIL.
LA CASA AZUL’s musical universe is a continuous time travelling; “La Polinesia Meridional”, which packs in all of Guille Milkyway’s tastes, can sound totally classic, in the time-period sense of the word, as well as absolutely modern and ground-breaking. The album is a huge explosion of sounds and influences from so many different periods and styles, unprejudiced and exuberant in every way. The melodic elements of the album become the true protagonists over everything else. Despite having more complex structures than ever before, with layers and layers of sound, of distortion, of absolute noise, of multiple arrangements and general baroque stylings, what makes the songs on “La Polinesia Meridional” stand out is precisely their melodic components and the small details that form the songs. TEENAGE FANCLUB’s “Hang on” could be a clear example of how noise can be much more moving because a brilliant melody lives right alongside it.
“La Polinesia Meridional” is a magical album on which Guille shows himself to be more transparent than ever. It is a work that manifests its disorientation in the face of the unstoppable passing of time (“¿Qué Se Siente Al Ser Tan Joven?”) and in the face of a world in a state of decline, a system that is falling apart in a hostile and decadent environment (“Sálvese Quien Pueda”, “Europa Superstar”). The lyrics, effectively, express certain pessimism and high levels of resignation before the downfall, but even so, throughout the album, flecks of optimism can be seen (“La Fiesta Universal”, “Los Chicos Hoy Saltarán A La Pista”, “Una Mañana”, “La Niña Más Hermosa”) with the return to simplicity and beauty and the consequences of holding on to love as the only way of maintaining a lively attitude in the face of reality.
This album talks a lot about suffering and the inability to get over that suffering (“Sucumbir”, “Colisión Inminente”, “Terry, Peter Y Yo”). Many of the songs are like screams of rage and helplessness, screams that try to be captivating and, above all, beautiful. Guille’s emotional exhibitionism in the songs’ lyrics is much greater on this album than on any other song before now, but the language he uses throughout tries to be closer to us and simpler than ever.
29/11/2011 LA CASA AZUL: Success of "La Polinesia Meridional"
09/12/2011 LA CASA AZUL: One week in “La Polinesia Meridonal”
2012
25/01/2012 LA CASA AZUL: Tour “La Polinesia Meridional”
07/03/2012 LA CASA AZUL: Amazing Live Performance and Video of âLa Polinesia Meridional
19/03/2012 LA CASA AZUL: Release a vinyl single with the Nesquik songs "Nesquik Time"
20/03/2012 LA CASA AZUL: “Como Un Fan” 2012 Extended reedition [Mini-LP 10”]
09/10/2012 MILKYWAY “Up, Up And Away (Home Demos 1993-2002)”
07/11/2012 GUILLE MILKYWAY: is working on the play “La Dona Vinguda Del Futur”
Videos:
La Polinesia Meridional Directed by Jean-Marie Marbach
