Hello! We’re back with reports on the latest Matinée releases and results of our fifth annual fanclub poll so keep reading as you may be the winner of some free CDs!
Our latest release is the outstanding 20-track collection of singles, compilation appearances, and unreleased tracks from South London pop duo The Pines! Entitled ‘It’s Been A While’ (matcd043), the album showcases the strong songwriting, intricate guitars, and exquisite harmonies of amiable English gent Joe Brooker and legendary American songstress Pam Berry. Smart students of indiepop know Joe is a prolific songwriter and one-half of English pop duo The Foxgloves, while Pam’s distinguished resume includes association with notable indie bands of the last decade including Belmondo, Black Tambourine, Bright Coloured Lights, The Castaway Stones, Glo Worm, The Seashell Sea, The Shapiros, The Snowdrops, and Veronica Lake, plus guest spots on recordings by The Clientele, Jasmine Minks, The Lucksmiths, The Relict, and The Saturday People. She’s also the subject of a track on the recent #2 on the Billboard charts album from Sub Pop megastars The Shins!
Beginning in 2000, The Pines released a series of limited edition singles for international record labels Annika (Spain), Becalmed (UK), Foxyboy (USA), Gifted (Australia), Long Lost Cousin (UK), and Matinée (USA) and contributed compilation tracks to collections by Chickfactor (USA), Papercuts (UK), and Red Square (USA). In addition to highlights from these releases, ‘It’s Been A While’ includes three songs from a rare self-released Christmas CD and unreleased covers of songs by Young Marble Giants and The Cat’s Miaow.
As expected, The Pines continue their regime as music press darlings. Diskant called the album “a must-have record,” adding “Pam Berry is one of the most recognizable voices in American indiepop, with a dulcet croon and a perfect sense of timing and timbre, and we’ve stuck with her since her days in the fetishized Black Tambourine though her work with The Pines, with good reason. Meanwhile, Tasty described the album as “over an hour of gorgeousness,” Erasing Clouds wrote “these 20 songs contain a bounty of breakups, hurt feelings, lonely nights, and reconciliations, and a cornucopia of gorgeous moments, of two singers’ voices joining each other to perfectly express a feeling,” and Chickfactor concluded “it’s a joy to hear, so get one already!”
You can see the full tracklisting, read reviews, and listen to songs on the catalog page. The CD is available now from your favorite shop or the Matinée mailorder so get going because The Pines are ace and you know you need some of their magic in your life!
Our second new release is the remarkable ‘Feel Good Factor’ EP (matinée 063) from new Glasgow act The Hermit Crabs! Band members Melanie Whittle and Des McKenna are veterans of Scottish favorites California Snow Story, while John Ferguson and Tony McDonald complete the current lineup. Lead track ‘Feel Good Factor’ is rich with instrumentation and simply spectacular…the sort of song that comes along only once in awhile but sticks with you forever. The track is one of the winners in Scotland’s Burnsong song writing competition so prepare for something truly remarkable. Have a listen to it on the sounds page and you’ll see what I mean. Nice, eh?
The EP also features ace exclusive songs ‘China Girl,’ ‘Vegan Vows’ and ‘I Spend My Time’—three more quality tracks featuring violin, classical guitar, keyboards, superb vocals and strong lyrics. Perfect for fans of Camera Obscura, Tender Trap, Belle and Sebastian or Sambassadeur, the Hermit Crabs are a very welcome addition to the Matinée roster.
We’re happy to report that the press loves our newest band just as much as we do! Among the excellent reviews so far, I’d Rather Be Fat Than Be Confused called the EP “essential listening,” adding “Feel Good Factor does everything you’d hope it would, the kind of upbeat song that’ll have you clapping your hands and skipping round your room like you’ve just got your hands on a copy of Tigermilk’s original vinyl pressing.” Tangents described it as “sweet succinct Pop that snaps and crackles in all the right places,” while All Music Guide called it “classic Scottish indie pop,” and Tasty declared it “a thousand times better than anything Belle and Sebastian have done in the last four or five years.”
The Hermit Crabs continue to turn heads, with CDReviews.com calling them “Glasgow’s latest band-to-be-heard,” Eardrums concluding “definitely a band to watch in 2007,” and Aversion.com suggesting “Scotland might have another minor sensation brewing.”
You can read all the magnificent reviews on the catalog page. The EP is available now from your favorite record merchant or the trusty Matinée mailorder. The band is currently working on its debut album for release later this year so now’s the time to get hip to one of the greatest new bands we’ve heard in a long time!
In other top news, thanks to everyone who voted in our fifth annual Matinée Fanclub poll! The results are now posted on the archive page and summarized below:
The prestigious album of the year award goes to ‘Math and Physics Club’ (matcd042) from Math and Physics Club (60 votes), followed by “Out To Sea’ (matcd041) from Brighter (42) and ‘It’s Been A While’ (matcd043) from The Pines (22).
In the singles category, Harper Lee captured the top spot with the ‘He Holds A Flame’ EP (matinée 061) earning 40 votes. ‘A Hiccup In Your Happiness’ EP (matinée 060) from The Lucksmiths and ‘Feel Good Factor’ EP from newcomers The Hermit Crabs (matinée 063) were the other top picks, earning 39 and 27 votes respectively.
In the coveted song of the year contest, Math and Physics Club took top prize with ‘Darling, Please Come Home’ (30 votes), followed by ‘A Hiccup In Your Happiness’ from The Lucksmiths (29), ‘He Holds A Flame’ from Harper Lee (24), ‘April Showers’ from Math and Physics Club (22) and ‘Feel Good Factor’ from The Hermit Crabs (20). ‘La La La Lisa’ from Math and Physics Club (17), ‘Made in England’ from Lovejoy (13), ‘Sleepydust’ from The Snowdrops (11), ‘Talking Backwards’ from Tender Trap (11) and ‘Wallflower’ from Brighter (8) completed the top ten.
In the favorite band category, The Lucksmiths held the number one spot again this year (44 votes), followed by Math and Physics Club (32), Harper Lee (19), Brighter (17), Tender Trap (13), The Pines (12), Razorcuts (12), Pipas (11), Would-Be-Goods (10), and The Fairways (9).
The Lucksmiths also topped the favorite Matinée release of all time category with last year’s ‘Warmer Corners’ (matcd039) album (26 votes). New release ‘Math and Physics Club’ (matcd042) from Math and Physics Club proved a serious contender (25 votes), while ‘Singles 1989-1992’ (matcd026) from Brighter (19), ‘R is for Razorcuts’ (matcd012) from Razorcuts (19), ‘Weekends Away’ EP (matinée 056) from Math and Physics Club (17), ‘Everything’s Going To Be OK’ (matcd020) from Harper Lee (16), ‘Slum Clearance’ (matcd005) from The Siddeleys (16), ‘Where Were We?’ (matcd019) from The Lucksmiths (15), ‘Out To Sea’ (matcd041) from Brighter (13), and ‘This is Farewell’ (matcd031) from The Fairways (12) completed the top ten.
Congratulations to all the Matinée artists and thanks very much to everyone who entered. We received responses from a record 21 countries this year, and the lucky winner of the five CD prize pack is Eric Atencio from Salt Lake City, Utah. Nicely done! Wish you had won? Join the Matinée Fanclub and you may be our next lucky winner.
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Your 2006 favorites continue to amass dazzling reviews in the music press, with All Music Guide calling the self-titled Math and Physics Club album (matcd042) “a solidly crafted, sweet-as-sugar pop record”, Pennyblack declaring ‘Out To Sea’ (matcd041) from Brighter “no mere collection of bits and scraps, many of the songs on this CD are longtime fan favorites and it seems that some of the unreleased songs may become favorites as well,” Aversion.com calling ‘England Made Me’ (matinée 062) from Lovejoy “a stunning reminder that guitars and keyboards and drum machines have been playing nicely together for years,” and Tasty commenting on the ‘He Holds A Flame’ EP (matinée 061) from Harper Lee: “Quite how a band can maintain such a high level of output is beyond me, but Harper Lee do it effortlessly.” Check the catalog pages for links to these and other recent reviews. As with all Matinée releases the order page is just a click away.
As part of our 2006 poll, one respondent suggested we provide updates on some out-of-the-spotlight Matinée bands and we think that’s a splendid idea so we’ll try to bring you up to speed on some happenings over the next few months. The short of it is that nearly everyone’s having babies and sleeping is taking precedent over new recordings, but we’ll start with three exciting bits and promise additional updates in the coming months:
Slipslide, despite producing one of those aforementioned babies, have been steadily working on songs for that difficult sophomore album. Last time we checked there was a splendid song called ‘You Won’t Find It Again’ previewed on the band’s Myspace page. Slipslide is also set to play the highly publicized March 2 London show with Sarah Records legends The Orchids + Lost and Lonesome stars The Zebras. Click here for show details.
Airport Girl have not had any babies that we know of, but have just released their difficult sophomore album ‘Slow Light’ on the excellent Fortuna POP! label following five years of recording and rerecording. The band’s Myspace page features a few teasers including a nice one called ‘Show Me The Way.’
Pipas have also not produced any babies yet (although this Chickfactor photo might suggest otherwise) but released their ‘Sorry Love’ album on their own Long Lost Cousin label last year. They have some other bits of news here.
Apologies to anyone who experienced problems with the Matinée mailorder in the past month. We had a server problem that caused a delay in some orders reaching us, but the trusty people at IndiePages saved the day and retrieved (hopefully) everything that went missing. If you placed an order recently and haven’t heard back please let us know. We are happy to have everything working just fine again.
If you’re after one of our spectacular new releases and are looking for something else to round out the order, perhaps you should contemplate one of the top sellers of the last two months. As you would expect, they’re all swell!
10. Lovejoy – England Made Me CDEP
9. The Lucksmiths – A Hiccup In Your Happiness CDEP
8. Harper Lee – He Holds A Flame CDEP
7. Math and Physics Club – Movie Ending Romance CDEP
6. Tender Trap – 6 Billion People CD
5. Math and Physics Club – Weekends Away CDEP
4. Brighter – Out To Sea CD
3. The Pines – It’s Been A While CD
2. The Hermit Crabs – Feel Good Factor CDEP
1. Math and Physics Club – Math and Physics Club CD
We’ve kept quiet about our 2007 release schedule but will return soon to divulge some news. It’s our 10-year anniversary so you know we have something planned!
Regards,
Jimmy