They dared to try their first compositions with renditions of of U2, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam. Suddenly they realized that they needed a voice to lead their still incipient tunes. After several intents with people close to them, (friendships prevailed above the musical criteria . . .) and after Pablo's casual encounter with Amaia, they decided to incorporate a feminine voice to the group, which from that day became a quintet.

During an entire year, they endeavored to meet every Friday afternoon after class to play music. With more hope than musical knowledge they began to compose songs that a year later would be included in their demo. With many weekends of unlimited (and unproductive) distractions on their backs and limited financial resources, they were able to come up with a demo track that at best could be classified as –endearing-.

After playing with unequivocal success in the competition Pop-rock City of San Sebastian, the group started to work on a new demo geared to the next competition. "The Ear" won first place on that second occasion. The group remembers the moment of the awards ceremony as one of the happiest of their life.

They then decided to try their luck in the recording world. To their surprise they received a call confirming the interest of a multinational label for them to record an album. Led by the hand of Sony Music they arrived at the studio of Alejo Stivel in Madrid. Little by little, they started loosing their provincial fear of the big city and eventually dared to take the subway by themselves.

Finally they finished recording 'DILE AL SOL', the first work for the new group. With "El 28" playing in the radios throughout the whole country, the band could not walk down the street without hearing their music. The public was very receptive to the new group and the demand grew for live performances. From Christmas of '98 until the end of '99, "The Ear" performed in more than 150 concerts. Nearly half a million people have enjoyed the group's live appearances and everyone agrees that they have a solid fresh sound and great stage presence.

After a period of rest which is good for a band to assimilate so many new experiences (fans, interviews, pictures, TV), they started writing their second album. Filled with new ideas and overflowing with energy, 'EL VIAJE DE COPPERPOT' does not disappoint, as it still maintains the spirit of "The Ear". A new producer and a deluxe studio made the recording of this new album a rich and unforgettable experience for the group.

The next step is the group's next tour, offering live performances from their new album for their fans.

"EL VIAJE DE COPPERPOT"

(COPPERPOT'S JOURNEY)

The group certainly continues to approach pop music as a game. A game, which is neither bound by conventional rules nor shortsighted, and that is by no means characteristic of those musicians who believe that musical maturity substitutes musical happiness.

The title of La Oreja De Van Gogh's second album is 'EL Viaje De Copperpot'. Inspired by the peculiar adventures of the Goonies, a very unique group of kids. This new album will surely consolidate the success of 'Dile Al Sol'.

Along their journey, the Goonies find themselves forced to desperately gather enough money in order to save their home from being repossessed. The trail of an antique treasure is followed with the aid of a map, eventually leading to the abandoned skeleton of Chester Copperpot, an archeologist who had taken the same path years before, loosing his life in the attempt. The Goonies fare better than mister Copperpot and manage to retrieve the treasure. Although they were just a pack of ingenious kids, they out-skilled even the most professional treasure hunters.

Such a strange journey is definitively reminiscent of La Oreja De Van Gogh's own. With their peculiar style and approach to the musical process, they have achieved a success that many other bands, have not yet experienced. And not only are they a successful band; they are also great friends. Amaia Montero, Vocals; Pablo Benegas, guitar; Alvaro Fuentes, Bass; Xabi San Martin, keyboards; and Haritz Garde, drums, unite to form the band's quintet, which has remained unmodified since its formation. Without ever being contaminated by the fatigue of endless touring or ego-driven internal rivalries, the groups continuous cohesiveness has lead them to create yet another set of twelve songs that defy classification. This second album is further evidence of the lack of musical insight displayed by those who regarded their first album as the immature work of inexperienced beginners.

'El Viaje De Copperpot' is initiated by a mixture of rhythms that blend to form "Cuidate", a first single designed to recapture the attention of the fans of the first album. "Cuidate" also serves as warning for the rest to come. The song oscillates between the sounds of reggae and conventional pop, with Amaia's voice gently insinuating the longing sounds of blues and beat solitude. La Oreja De Van Gogh create an atmosphere where the word "farewell" is in no way related to sadness.

As a continuation to the introduction to the album, the sudden music hall, cabaret, and carrousel sounds of "Paris", can be appreciated as a sentimental tune that, without any explicit references to Ville Lumiére, presents vocal and string arrangements with a taste of soul. A very different feel follows "Dicen Que Dicen," an entertaining tribute to the Witch of Averia. Is there any twenty-something kid who didn't grow up watching that character from Alaska every Saturday on TV? Well, this is just to give a little perspective as to how unusual 'El Viaje De Copperpot' can be.

The following track, "La Playa", elicits the calm of equatorial landscapes, reminiscent of white sand and blue waters. Despite its sobriety, the songs ends triumphantly and serves as a preamble to "La Chica Del Gorro Azul", a track that returns to the band's more distinct and frontal pop sound. Next comes the rhythm in crescendo of "Mariposa", created by the perfect relationship between voice, keyboards and loops, which become increasingly enriched by the progressive addition of other instruments to the song's texture. Who are we and where are we going? Does coincidence truly exist? What would have been of each and every one of us had our parents waited just one more second before making love? These are Amaia's questions as she revolves around the universe in what she calls the "butterfly effect", which is nothing but the chain of inevitable coincidences and consequences that result in any event, however insignificant these may be. Who would have thought that La Oreja De Van Gogh had such philosophical dispositions?

With a title that inevitably creates references to the film world, comes "Los Amantes Del Circulo Polar". Not being directly related in any form to the recent film of the same title, the song brings us cosmic verses that recreate the atmosphere of a relationship that can never be. However, the song's allegories of impossible loves could never be understood if they weren't preceded by the sophisticated words of "Tantas Cosas Que Contar", and the peculiar perspective "Tu Pelo" brings to one of the most unnoticed aspects of living with the person one loves: the hair he or she leaves behind on the pillow every day.

Towards the end of this peculiar journey we find "La Reina Del Pop", a song with a theme charged with irony and which calls for profound reflection as it oscillates between establishing a parody and paying tribute to the world of divas and stars. Such a glamorous and contrived world would have never permitted the flexibility of style necessary to compose a song like "Desde El Puerto", a marching tune that is as deliberate as any other in the album. This is the way the album ends, with a track that is majestically composed and performed.

By popular demand "Desde El Puerto" found its niche in 'El Viaje De Copperpot', demonstrating the band's active presence in the current pop scene they enjoy a much more respectable status than that of one-album acts who cover the walls of adolescents rooms everywhere. In this latest effort, produced by Nigel walker, La Oreja De Van Gogh has elaborated a record with solid, modern rhythmic foundations. With a well-balanced and tasteful use of recording technology, the band wisely plays or programs the base for each song. The songs for this second album were composed in record time, between the months of January and March, considering the fact that 23 original songs were created. Only twelve of them were chosen to form the album. Songs of farewell and other unhappy circumstances, with La Oreja De Van Gogh's unique touch; can sound lively and even cheerful.