Greetings popfans and hope you are enjoying your summer so far! Things are especially good here this week as we present another splendid new chapter in the Matinée discography:
Just back from the pressing plant is the highly anticipated ‘Movie Ending Romance’ EP (matinée 059) from Math and Physics Club! The band’s debut ‘Weekends Away’ EP sold out almost immediately, thanks in part to tremendous support from hip radio stations KEXP and WOXY plus a groundswell of underground buzz around the band. In reviewing the EP, venerable music publications pulled out all the punches, with All Music Guide calling it “a four track gem that manages to escape any charges of imitation,” Losing Today concluding “a classic all said and done,” Pitchfork reporting “sounds like The Clientele performing the first Smiths record after a Saturday night alone with Go-Betweens b-sides,” and Splendid hailing Math and Physics Club “a great new band.”
With ‘Movie Ending Romance’, the Seattle quintet proves the success of its debut was no fluke. The title track is one of those seamless summertime janglers with soaring guitars, lots of tambourines and a precise drumbeat that will put a skip in the step of indie hipsters across the globe. ‘White and Grey’ is an earnest song featuring exquisite strings, keyboards, and wailing harmonica plus some magnificently poignant vocals. ‘Graduation Day’ is a swinging pop hit with more jangling guitars, tambourine, violin, and great lyrics – perfect for summertime beach parties and a possible contender as the best MAPC song to date. Closing track ‘You’re So Good To Me’ is a Pacific Northwest take on a Beach Boys classic and a mighty fine one at that.
The single is officially released today although we had advance copies last weekend at the San Francisco Popfest. Math and Physics Club were among the featured performers, playing a brilliant set on the Saturday night bill with Remedy ‘n Wren, The Autocollants, The Consultants and The Baskervilles. The band also performed live on KALX radio Saturday afternoon with various Popfest bands. To promote the new release, Math and Physics Club have a handful of upcoming Seattle dates including a record release show at Chop Suey on July 28th, a special appearance at the Seattle Art Museum on August 18th, and a spot at the Bumbershoot Arts Festival on September 4th. See the band website for complete show details. You can also read a new MAPC interview at ace website You Aint No Picasso, based in Kentucky which of course wins lots of points with us.
The band is currently working on its debut full-length scheduled for release early next year. In the meantime, you can score copies of ‘Movie Ending Romance’ and ‘Weekends Away’ from the Matinée order page or any decent record shop. Soundclips for the two title tracks are now playing on the sounds page if you need a taste. I might go have a listen myself as I write a bit more…
Also performing at the San Francisco Popfest was Gregory Webster of Razorcuts and Sportique fame and oh, what a set! All hits: Love and Remains … I Heard You The First Time …. Don’t Believe A Word I Say … I’ll Still Be There … Art & Shopping … Sorry To Embarrass You … plus cameo appearances on Razorcuts covers by Math and Physics Club (A is for Alphabet) and The Autocollants (I Won’t Let You Down). Greg and DJ Downfall (of new Matinée signings Tender Trap) visited Santa Barbara last week en route to San Francisco and, being the perfect houseguests they are, helped me listen to 30-some demos that have come in over the past few months. It was a good night and helped me nearly catch up so if you are one of the bands that recently sent a demo and want to check in feel free to email us.
Speaking of Tender Trap, details of their debut Matinée release are now final. While the band is a new addition to the Matinée roster they have an esteemed discography already on top indie labels Elefant, Fortuna POP!, and K Records…and of course band members Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey, and John Stanley (aka DJ Downfall) individually and collectively have a celebrated past with indie legends Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research and Sportique. The long-awaited follow-up to the debut Tender Trap album ‘Film Molecules’, the new release is the four song ‘Language Lessons’ CDEP (matinée 058) featuring 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 ‘Unputdownable,’ ‘Friendster’ and ‘Cómo Te Llamas?’…the latter taken from a recent Spanish-only single on Elefant Records and featuring fellow Matinée megastar Lupe Nuñez-Fernandez of Pipas in duet with Amelia. It’s a winner! We are still deciding on artwork so the exact release date is undetermined but should be in September. We will report on the album tracklisting and release details next month. In the meantime, ‘Talking Backwards’ is now playing on the sounds page if you just can’t wait. It’s on high rotation here at the moment and is sure to be a hit on your late summer playlists.
Switching to some recent gems, the fantastic debut album ‘Northern Drive’ (matcd038) from The Young Tradition is now available in shops worldwide. Comprised of Japanese-American vocalist Brent Kenji (formerly of The Fairways and Skypark) and Swedish multi-instrumentalist Erik Hanspers, the duo created its classic debut single ‘California Morning’ (matinée 043) entirely through the postal service in 2003. The single earned praise from all corners, including 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.
All Music Guide awarded the album 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.” In other press news, Erik Hanspers recently completed an interview for Swedish magazine Musiklandet so practice your Swedish by clicking here. You can preview four songs from the album on the sounds page and order the CD right now from the Matinée webshop or from your favorite store. While you’re at it, we still have copies of the classic debut ‘California Morning’ EP (matinée 043) which includes exclusive non-album tracks ‘All Up To Me’ and ‘Isolation’…come on, you won’t be disappointed! The Young Tradition are swell.
The new Pale Sunday album ‘Summertime?’ (matcd037) also continues to impress. The Brazilian trio debuted with the 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.
Among the latest reviews, Finnish webzine One Chord to Another called it “a great summer soundtrack and one of the best indie pop albums in 2005,” while Italian kids-in-the-know Indiepop.it said “Summertime is a passionate rendition of Pale Sunday’s love for pop music…a record that speaks more about love (imaginary and real) than about summer, and an outstandingly good one.” You can also read an interview with Pale Sunday this month at Indiepop.it. If those superlatives aren’t enough to get you clicking to the order page, have a listen to ‘The White Tambourine’, ‘My Punk Girl’ and ‘Strangeways’ on the sounds page. ‘Summertime?’ is available now from the Matinée webshop or your favorite pop emporium, and if you don’t already have the ‘A Weekend With Jane’ EP (matinée 049) then you might just want to pick that up too because it contains four superb non-album tracks and the artwork is pretty ace too.
The tremendous press continues for the latest Lucksmiths masterpiece ‘Warmer Corners’ (matcd039). Some of our favorite recent reviews include Time Off Magazine calling it “an album that’s concurrently vibrant, restrained, mature and brimming with zeal,” Fufkin writing “effortlessly literate and terminally effervescent, this album is a gem,” and our local Santa Barbara Independent concluding “Warmer Corners brims with some of the finest indie-pop you are destined to be listening to this year.” 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. You know you want it.
During their recent US tour, The Lucksmiths stopped at KEXP radio in Seattle for an interview and in-studio performance which is now archived here. Also just up is a nice interview with PopMatters magazine. In other press action, the band completed an interview with BBC America that will feature on the Global Hit program on Friday, July 22nd. The feature is the last ten minutes of the BBC program The World, which airs on hundreds of radio stations in the US. Some of these stations also broadcast live on the web if you are not near a station or if you want to listen outside the US. The interview will be archived later this month on the Global Hit website, and we will add a link to it from The Lucksmiths artist page. This should be great exposure for the band, so when your granny asks you about The Lucksmiths at your next family reunion don’t be shocked!
Finally, we have about 50 Lucksmiths t-shirts available now from the Matinée mailorder. These are the same shirts they were selling on tour featuring the Lucksmiths guitar logo. The shirts are forest green (in adult medium and adult large) or indigo blue (in adult small and youth large). All shirts are Gildan 100% cotton and if you’re looking for a smaller size the youth large is your best bet. Shirts are just $10 each and they will likely go pretty fast so order now if you want one. We also have a handful of Matinée and Razorcuts t-shirts left for your summertime wardrobe so get ’em before they sell out for good.
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Our fine batch of Spring singles – ‘Fools in Love’ (matinée 054) from The Happy Couple, ‘Weekends Away’ (matinée 056) from Math and Physics Club, and ‘The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco’ (matinée 057) from The Lucksmiths – are all still making waves in the music press. Check out the latest reviews for each on the updated catalog page. All are four track EPs with exclusive non-album tracks and all come in our classic new custom minijackets which look really nice, especially when lined up on a shelf so you can read the tiny spines. Singles rule, don’t you think?
Finally, a quick roundup of happenings with some of the other Matinée hitmakers: The Windmills play a rare live gig with Picture Center July 30th at Water Rats in London…The Snowdrops really are finishing up their long delayed new single…Pipas are up to their usual jet-set lifestyle but promise new recordings by the end of the year…Lovejoy look set to play in Denmark this September… Slipslide are currently recording nearly a dozen new songs … Would-Be-Goods are planning a series of autumn dates in the UK and Spain…and Sportique are contemplating world domination with a slightly revised lineup. Stay tuned for details.
Right. I will leave you with a rundown of the top sellers for the month of June. Thanks, as always, for supporting the Matinée mailorder! We truly appreciate your patronage.
10. The Guild League – Inner North CD
9. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD
8. Pipas – Chunnel Autumnal CD
7. The Lucksmiths – San Francisco CDEP
6. The Happy Couple – Fools In Love CDEP
5. Lovejoy – Everybody Hates CD
4. The Young Tradition – Northern Drive CD
3. Pale Sunday – Summertime? CD
2. Math and Physics Club – Weekends Away CDEP
1. The Lucksmiths – Warmer Corners CD
Until next month,
Jimmy
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