Greetings! More new releases plus announcement of two summer singles and another new band on the Matinée roster…hurrah! Here’s the skinny:
First up is the spectacular debut album ‘Summertime?’ (matcd037) from Brazilian trio Pale Sunday! The band turned heads with its 2003 single ‘A Weekend With Jane’ (matinée 049) earning acclaim from international music press and comparisons to indie legends Another Sunny Day and Razorcuts plus contemporary bands Brideshead and Aerospace. Since then, the band has contributed covers of Smiths and Sportique songs to Matinée compilations ‘Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware’ and ‘Matinée 50’ while writing and recording the ten new songs for this album. ‘Summertime?’ has all the essential POP! ingredients…jangling guitars, addictive choruses, tambourines, trumpets, handclaps, sha-la-la’s and perfect melodies. Sometimes the guitars get fuzzy in classic shoegaze fashion but in the end the bright shimmering pop songs and spirit of ’86 take over. The band wears 80s British pop influences on its sleeves but somehow manages to sound completely modern with some of the catchiest songs of the year. In addition to nine English language hits the album features one song in the band’s native Portuguese, which of course is the most beautiful language in the world.
In reviewing the record, hip UK fanzine Tasty called it “the best indie pop album of the year so far” and of course Tasty is spot on with its reviews so what are you waiting for? You can listen to ‘The White Tambourine’, ‘My Punk Girl’ and ‘Strangeways’ on the sounds page and order the CD right now from the Matinée webshop or your favorite pop emporium. To celebrate the album, Pale Sunday has launched a new website and plans to announce live dates soon. Nice.
Also now available from shops around the globe is the magnificent debut album ‘Northern Drive’ (matcd038) from internationalists The Young Tradition! Comprised of Swedish multi-instrumentalist Erik Hanspers and Japanese-American vocalist Brent Kenji (formerly of The Fairways and Skypark), the duo created its classic debut single ‘California Morning’ (matinée 043) entirely through the international postal service in 2003. The single generated lofty praise from all corners, including favorable comparisons to 60s legends The Byrds, The Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel; 80s favorites The Springfields, Sea Urchins and Teenage Fanclub; and contemporaries Belle & Sebastian, The Ladybug Transistor and Camera Obscura. Transcending decades with seriously impressive songwriting and beautiful orchestration, the duo gained attention before physically meeting in San Francisco last year to record the songs for this debut album. ‘Northern Drive’ includes ten new Young Tradition classics featuring jangling guitars, keyboards, and strings plus prominent bursts of trumpet, flute, and saxophone along with supremely rich melodies and Brent’s enchanting vocals. Fans of the Fairways will undoubtedly rejoice but 60s pop aficionados should take note as well because this album is a sophisticated pop mix that will delight indie kids and hip parents alike.
Venerable music reference All Music Guide awarded the album a very impressive four-and-a-half stars, saying “The Young Tradition have crafted a real gem of a record, full of emotion, hooks, and depth…an instant classic album.” You can preview ‘California Morning’, ‘Pink Opaque’, ‘Northern Drive’ and ‘Now You Know’ on the sounds page and order the CD right now from the Matinée webshop or in stores. Stay tuned for details of potential European live appearances this summer.
The latest Lucksmiths full length ‘Warmer Corners’ (matcd039) is flying off the shelves and onto many midyear ‘Best of 2005’ lists. The album is receiving tremendous reviews and is on pace to be one of the top sellers for the label. Some of our favorite recent press quotes include the Erasing Clouds comment “Warmer Corners offers everything I would want in an album, which is why I plan to play it again and again and again and again…until their next one comes out,” and Stylus Magazine writing “the Lucksmiths deserve much more than merely being weighed against other acts from the so-called “twee” roster. Warmer Corners is a terrific and thoroughly enjoyable effort from a largely underappreciated band.”
The recent whirlwind US tour was a great success including several sold out shows so thanks to everyone who helped with booking, promotion, loaning equipment, or providing accommodation for the band. We have a handful of leftover tour t-shirts shipping back to us right now and will offer them via the mailorder later this month. The band is scheduled for an interview with the BBC in two weeks which will be used on the BBC America program ‘Global Hit.’ The feature will air in July or August and we will provide transmission details once confirmed. In the meantime, you can preview four songs from ‘Warmer Corners’ on the sounds page, and see complete release details and all current reviews on the catalog page. The CD is available now from the Matinée shop and all good retailers.
In addition to celebrating these new albums, we are just finalizing details for two exciting summer singles:
First up is an excellent new release from Seattle quintet Math and Physics Club! While the band’s debut release ‘Weekends Away’ (matinée 056) continues to collect accolades and sales, they have wasted no time in recording another classic single, the ‘Movie Ending Romance’ EP (matinée 059). In addition to a brilliant title track, the EP includes new songs ‘White and Grey’ and ‘Graduation Day’ plus a cover of The Beach Boys song ‘You’re So Good To Me.’ These four songs prove the overwhelming success of the band’s debut EP was no happy accident. Straight off an appearance at last weekend’s Sasquatch Festival in Washington and a recent feature in Seattle Weekly, Math and Physics Club has been invited to play this year’s San Francisco Popfest on July 9 and is working to confirm a few Pacific Northwest shows around that time as well. Check the band’s website for complete show details. ‘Movie Ending Romance’ is now previewed on the sounds page. The single is scheduled for release in late July but we will have advance copies available at the San Francisco show so hope to see you there!
Also coming soon is a fantastic new single from London trio Tender Trap! While the band is a new addition to the Matinée roster they have an esteemed discography already on premiere indie labels Elefant, Fortuna POP!, and K Records…and of course band members Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey, and DJ Downfall individually and collectively have a celebrated past with indie legends Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research and Sportique. So while no real introduction is necessary, we are truly excited to welcome Tender Trap to the Matinée roster and to announce details of their first new material in several years. The debut Matinée release is a four song CDEP (matinée 058) featuring the superb lead track ‘Talking Backwards’ which will appear on a forthcoming album of the same name later this year. The single also features non-album tracks ‘Ampersand,’ ‘Friendster’ and ‘Cómo Te Llamas?’…the latter taken from a recent Spanish-only single on Elefant Records and featuring ace vocal duties from fellow Matinée megastar Lupe Nuñez-Fernandez of Pipas! We have just added ‘Talking Backwards’ to the Matinée sounds page and will be finalizing artwork and other release details this month so stay tuned for more information on the single and album soon.
The debut Math and Physics Club EP ‘Weekends Away’ (matinée 056) continues to be a favorite with everyone…in fact the original pressing sold out in just two months but we now have a fresh supply to meet the fervent demand. It’s a great feeling to have a hit single again because the format is all but forgotten in this country! The EP includes four songs-‘Weekends Away’ (now playing on the sounds page), ‘Sixteen and Pretty,’ ‘Love, Again’ and ‘When We Get Famous.’ The single is in regular rotation at some of the best radio stations in the land including KEXP and WOXY. Meanwhile, Splendid is one of the latest media outlets praising the single, writing “these four short, simple tunes quietly announce the arrival of a great new band.” Even Pitchfork could not ignore this one, writing “sounds like The Clientele performing the first Smiths record after a Saturday night alone with Go-Betweens B-sides.” This, as you know, is hearty praise in Pitchfork-speak. Check out all the reviews on the catalog page. If you don’t have this single already get on board because Math and Physics Club are ace and now the world is finding out what made us smile from ear to ear when we discovered them last year.
The second of three magnificent recent singles is the ‘San Francisco’ EP (matinée 057) from The Lucksmiths. Now every Lucksmiths release is bound to be a hit but when you have a lead song as convincing as ‘The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco’ you know you’re in for something good. Additional tracks ‘Young and Dumb,’ ‘The Winter Proper’ and ‘I Started A Joke’ only sweeten the pot and believe me when you get to the end of this EP all you can do is hit the repeat button to play it all again. The single has amassed a multitude of positive reviews, including Delusions of Adequacy recently writing “This is the indie-pop band [to which] all others should be compared.” Check out all the reviews on the catalog page. ‘The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco’ is now featured on the sounds page and the EP is available from the Matinée mailorder and all other usual suspects.
The third release in our recent singles trilogy is the ‘Fools in Love’ EP (matinée 054) from German duo The Happy Couple! Featuring wonderful tracks ‘Another Sunny Day,’ ‘Hopeless Case,’ ‘The Pop Kid’ and ‘Don’t Call It,’ we’ve said the EP is a modern classic and the numerous reviews now featured on the catalog page confirm it. In recent review action, Splendid said “Sweet English-as-a-second-language female vocals elevate Fools in Love; the Hamburg-based group finds the same mature yet sexy tone that Ivy has and the Hidden Cameras aspire to.” Meanwhile TweeNet wrote “lead track ‘Another Sunny Day’ is probably my favourite pop song of the year…full production, great hooks, Janehoney’s lovely voice and the ba-ba-bas make it one of the songs that stays on repeat for hours.” Of course we agree. You can preview ‘Another Sunny Day’ on the sounds page now. The EP is available from the Matinée mailorder and all reputable record retailers.
Don’t forget we also have shining new releases from Lovejoy and Pipas at the moment. ‘Everybody Hates’ (matcd035) from Lovejoy continues to impress while ‘Chunnel Autumnal’ (matcd036) by Pipas is quickly becoming another modern classic. See the catalog pages for release details and reviews. Both bands are plotting live appearances this summer so check here or the band websites for details.
Pipas are one of several Matinée artists currently threatening new recordings. Others include Would-Be-Goods, Slipslide, Harper Lee, Sportique and The Snowdrops…really! If you haven’t figured it out yet part of the Snowdrops mystique is the tendency to postpone releases for months and months but the long delayed ‘Sleepydust’ EP (matinée 053) is about to have a brand new song called ‘The Boy with the Hummingbird Eyes’ added to it and this will surely make you smile. Other releases are in the planning stages so stay tuned for exclusive soundclips and release details in the coming months.
Now, a quick word about demos: We receive eight or ten emails a week from bands inquiring if they can submit a demo for consideration and of course this is our own fault because we have no stated demo policy on the website. We do accept demos but we are dreadfully behind on listening to them at the moment. We hope to rectify this situation in the next month so feel free to send anything you like to the following address: Matinée Recordings, Post Office Box 2181, Santa Barbara, CA 93120 USA. You do not need to contact us first. Please note that the release schedule is booked nearly a year out so we are not necessarily looking for new bands but then again we weren’t looking for Math and Physics Club last year and look where they are now. Please do not email us mp3s because we will never write you back. If you have further questions about submitting a demo please write to the matineepop@hotmail.com address and if you are one of the bands that recently sent a demo thanks for your patience! We will get back to you.
Finally, the three new albums all made strong debuts on the hit parade with The Lucksmiths’ ‘Warmer Corners’ taking top honors. Following are the top sellers for April and May combined:
10. Lovejoy – Everybody Hates CD
9. Harper Lee – All Things Can Be Mended CD
8. The Guild League – Inner North CD
7. Pipas – Chunnel Autumnal CD
6. The Happy Couple – Fools In Love CDEP
5. The Lucksmiths – San Francisco CDEP
4. Pale Sunday – Summertime? CD
3. The Young Tradition – Northern Drive CD
2. Math and Physics Club – Weekends Away CDEP
1. The Lucksmiths – Warmer Corners CD
Until next month,
Jimmy
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