Manel is an indie pop band from Barcelona who sing in Catalan. They released their first album in 2008. They describe their musical style as a synthesis of pop and folk music. Critics have linked their style to that of other Catalan-speaking musicians such as Pau Riba, Jaume Sisa, and Antònia Font. History The members of Manel met while attending Costa i Llobera school in Barcelona. They first came to public attention as finalists in the 2007 Sona9 music competition, in which they were awarded the Premi Joventut. With the prize money they were able to cover the production costs of their debut album, Els millors professors europeus Els millors professors europeus (The Best European Professors), whose title alludes to a lyric of the song Pla quinquennal. The album, recorded at Estudis Nòmada 57 between June and October 2007 and produced by Discmedi, was released the following year to critical acclaim. The Catalan magazine Enderrock pronounced it the best pop-rock album of the year. In its issue of January 2009, Rockdelux described it as the third best Spanish album of the previous year, while the magazine MondoSonoro rated it the seventh-best. The video for Dona estrangera, directed by Sergi Pérez Mañas, was awarded the prize for best video at the 2008 Cinemad festival. Apart from the songs featured on Els millors professors europeus, the group's repertoire includes cover versions of No t'enyoro by Els Pets, La Tortura by Shakira, and Common People by Pulp. It wasn't long until Manel became a sociocultural phenomenon in the Catalan-speaking world, giving rise to a considerable number of new Catalan-speaking pop groups, among whom, distinguished by the sales numbers they have achieved, are Els amics de les arts. Els millors professors europeus went gold, selling more than 30 000 copies. 10 milles per veure una bona armadura Their second album, from which two songs (Aniversari and Boomerang) were released in February 2011, went on sale on 15 March 2011 titled 10 milles per veure una bona armadura. In ten days, it became the best-selling album in Spain. The title comes from a phrase pronounced by Kenneth Branagh in Much Ado about Nothing. In its first week, it sold more than 10,000 copies and reached number 1 on the CD sales chart in Spain, something which hadn't happened with a Catalan disc in more than 15 years. This second album was also released on vinyl.