Benicàssim
CD 2005
Compiling songs for others to listen to is – above and beyond a gratifying exercise in sequencing and sharing impressions for everyone who is into music – a way to get closer to people, which can range from the merely informative / didactic, to a type of flirting in search of a certain “scene”, and even the purest and most heartfelt declaration of love. But, first and foremost, compiling songs is a way to seek out spiritual accomplices in an attempt – which will prove desperate with the passing of time – to preserve the atmosphere and sensibilities of the moment, which is what is supposed to make the compilation unique.
This is our intention: to capture unique and one-of-a-kind moments in the purest style of Rob Fleming – the protagonist of the Nick Hornby novel High Fidelity (1995) – and just like him, anxious and with a lump in our throat, we strive to attract the attention of someone – in this case, that someone is you.
This is nothing new. Since 1997 we have been approaching our compilations with the same love and care. Making the best possible selection of songs, putting them in the order that we feel to be the most appropriate and including all the information that any FIB lover or music lover might want to have at hand. But times change and needs can change along with them.
The bottom line is that here you have another year – and this is the eleventh – and another compilation of artists performing at the Festival. As always, there’s a bit of everything.
Bad girls like Peaches – “Who defies roles and takes charge of the microphone in a kind of lubricious ritual.”
Bad boys like Oasis – “With their intense and catchy songs and guitar solos that are as eloquent and expressive as the lyrics they adorn”; and Kasabian – “These guys for Leicester have constructed “Kasabian”around ten pillars that exude highly flammable ingredients.”
Good guys like The Tears – “The Tears’ songs are based on the trust of inspiration and on the search for moments of self-questioning, reflection and closeness”; Keane – “‘Hopes and Fears’ is a record that is all about intimacy, detailed and thorough work and satisfaction” – as well as The Posies, Deluxe and Lori Meyers.
A Man and A Woman like The Kills – “It almost seems like they’re hiding something in their no-frills compositions – they go straight to the point, no beating around the bush”; and The Raveonettes – “Ignoring fashion trends and getting down to the essence seems to be the driving force behind the music of Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner.”
Lonely guys like Richard Hawley – “There are certain artists whose music is timeless in appeal, and Richard Hawley belongs to this group of the chosen few”; Daniel Johnston – “Above and beyond the special experience of seeing and hearing him live, the real value of this musician lies in each and every one of his songs”; Devendra Banhart – “An array of settings and songs that define a musician who defies contemporary categories”; and our own Refree – “Perhaps Raül Fernàndez could explain his secret of how he builds bridges between his songs and listeners without the listeners even knowing that “La Matrona” (Acuarela, 2005) is taking control of their attention.”
Men In Black like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds –“Intense, dramatic, raw, stark and naked are words that have commonly been used to describe the lyrics and music of Nick Cave for almost twenty-two years now, ever since the day he decided to cross over to the other side along with The Birthday Party.”
Extraordinary guys like The Cure – “Robert Smith and his band mates have always been loaded with symbols that have nourished a career which has marked new forms of expression for music.”
Freeks like Matthew Herbert –“Kitchen appliances, food, tools and just about anything he could get his hands on – it’s all valid as long as it serves his purposes and feeds a dialogue that is not without its ideological thrust.”
Happy guys like LCD Soundsystem – “The triumph of rhythm as the underlying foundation and the panoramic vision of its representations are just a few of the talents James Murphy displays with great precision on his self-titled debut album, released on his own label, the revitalising DFA, as well as on EMI – and it is no doubt one of the best albums to come out this year”; !!! – “The band, led by Nic Offer – former singer of the hardcore band Yah Mos –, came to be in 1995, with movement as its rule of thumb – thus the rhythmic intensity driving its songs”; and Radio 4 – “With ‘Stealing of a Nation’ (Astralwerks, 2004), the band has cemented its reputation as one of the most compelling driving forces on the dance floor today.”
Guys with lots of talent like Yo La Tengo –“Yo La Tengo’s career continues to be an example of intuition, talent and dedication”; and The Wedding Present – “Like a good student of pop-music history, David Gedge has amassed and incorporated many memorable melodies.”
Guys with a future like Standard – “Seemingly repetitive poly-rhythmic patterns define their sound (two sets of drums, a drum machine and percussions) – a sound on which sound variations, thickening plots, intertwining guitars, an eye for detail and uplifting harmonies are brilliantly built”; Winter Camp – “The band is now ready to be heard, with their fresh and hot new music which reflects the good vibe of the friends who play it”; and Les Fauces – “Their idea was to draw on the basic sounds of rock-n-roll, garage and 70s punk and blend them with a modern and spontaneous vibe all their own.” These groups stand out together as the winners of the Project DEMO 2005 contests in their countries – Spain, France and Italy, respectively. That’s why we see a future for them; that’s why they’re performing at the Festival; and that’s why they have been included in this compilation.
Guys with quite a future like Kaiser Chiefs – “Kaiser Chiefs, named after a South African football team, are part of a new wave of rockers who were meant to perform on stage – live they make a thrilling impression at full volume”; Maxïmo Park – “Five guys from Newcastle Upon Tyne who say that they write pop songs about real life without any intensions of mythologizing their own”; andMando Diao – “Influenced by the vertiginous sounds of the most intrepid brands of garage and rock, the Swedish band Mando Diao synthesises an entire legacy on their latest offering, ‘Hurricane Bar’.”
And, as such, many men and women dedicated to the gratifying work of making music for the enjoyment of others. If you stop to think about it, nobody gives as much as they do for so little.
But that’s not all. Besides being a veritable silver platter serving up the best and most cutting-edge music out there, we round off the Festival with a select offering of other cultural activities taking place in conjunction – or almost – with the concerts. Our objective is that FIB Heineken be considered an all-encompassing entertainment event. A Short Film Festival, a Fashion Show, a Theatre Festival, a space for Dance, Summer Courses and an Artistic Route, with installations throughout Benicàssim, bode very well for this humanistic endeavour.
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Hello? Is This Thing On?
Ada
Lucky Charm
Athlete
If I Found Out
Basement Jaxx
Cish Cash (Feat. Siouxsie Sioux)
Carrie
Aloha Marii
The Cure
The End Of The World
Cycle
Confusion !!!
The Dalles
All Goes Down
Daniel Johnston
Everlasting Love
Deluxe
Cientos De Mentiras
Devendra Banhart
The Body Breaks
Diefenbach
Favourite Friend
Dorian
Te Echamos De Menos
Doves
Almost Forget Myself
Les Fauves
February Lullaby
Fax
Spellbound
Fischerspooner
Never Win
Four Tet
Smile Around The Face
La Habitación Roja
Scandinavia
Jori Hulkkonen
Lo – Fiction
Kaiser Chiefs
Na, Na, Na, Na, Naa
Kasabian
I.D.
Keane
Can’t Stop Now
The Kills
The Good Ones
Kings Of Convenience
I'd Rather Dance With You
Ladytron
Sugar
Lemon Jelly
Come Down On Me
Lori Meyers
Viaje De Estudios
Love Of Lesbian
Carta A Todas Tus Catástrofes
Mando Diao
God Knows
Matthew Herbert
On Your Feet
Maxïmo Park
Graffiti
Mouse On Mars
Wipe That Sound (Club Version)
Murcof
Mapa
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
There She Goes My Beautiful World
Peaches
Operate
Pepito
Tijuana Habana
The Polyphonic Spree
Diamonds Devotion To Majesty
The Posies
Conversations
Radio 4
The Death of American Radio
The Raveonettes
I Wanna Be Taken
Refree
Faltas Leves
Richard Hawley
The Ocean
The Robocop Kraus
All We Have Is Now
Souvenir
Toujours Toi
Sr. Chinarro
El Rayo Verde
Standard
On The Floor
Tarwater
TV Blood
The Tears
Autograph
Underworld
2 Months Off
The Wedding Present
Always The Quiet One
Winter Camp
Heartbreaking
Xiu Xiu
Bog People
Yo La Tengo
Little Eyes
The Zephyrs
A Friend