Hello news seekers and a happy holiday season to you all! We’ve wrapped up our 2003 release schedule with two
November gems and our 16th and 17th new records of the year. Plus, we have some very exciting releases planned
for next year, so sit back for a quick update on the world of Matinée.
Our latest release is the splendid third album from The Windmills! New records from The Windmills always
cause a commotion around these parts, as we think they make one of the most harmonious rackets today. Entitled “Now
Is Then” (matcd028), the album features 11 great new songs: 1. Ever to Exist; 2. Beach
Girls 1918; 3. Now Is Then; 4. Footprints; 5. Walking Around the World; 6. Your Fingers and Mine; 7. Something Spring;
8. Across the Playing Fields; 9. Amelia; 10. Summer Snow; 11. Time Machine. All
Music Guide provided the foremost review, saying: “Now Is Then is strong in every department; the songs are rich
and full of emotion, the guitars ring and strum like they should, and Roy Thirlwall’s vocals are deep and poignant, falling
firmly in the style of crooners like Robert Forster, Lawrence from Felt, and Nick Heyward.” We said last month that the
album could prove to be the band’s defining moment to date, so add this to your holiday shopping list now and discover
one of our favorite albums of the year. Check the sounds page for previews of a couple
choice tracks. We’re sure you’ll like what you hear.
Also now featured on a new release shelf near you is the latest in our popular series of seasonal Matinée samplers, the
Matinée Autumn Assortment (matinée 051)! Released to commemorate live
performances in England and Spain last month, the album includes previously unreleased tracks, previews of forthcoming
albums, and exclusive songs from ten top Matinée artists. The tracklisting is: 1. Would-Be-Goods – Morning
After; 2. Slipslide – Love Split; 3. The Lucksmiths – After the After Party; 4. Harper Lee –
Autumn; 5. The Pines – A Rainy Day; 6. The Liberty Ship – Baseball Caps and Novas; 7. Airport
Girl – I’ve Seen Mexico; 8. The Windmills – Summer Snow; 9. Pipas – Don’t Remix; and 10.
Lovejoy – Strike A Pose. In reviewing the album, the highly reputable editors at
Tasty had this to say: “It is a measure of this fantastic label’s brilliance
that it can simply chuck out cheap priced samplers of the quality of this one…All in all, a perfect little package.” The
album sells for the price of a single so this one should be an easy addition to your shopping cart. A few tracks are now
featured on the sounds page if you’d like to try before you buy, but at 50 cents per song
how could you go wrong?
The next release for the label is the magnificent debut album “Tide” (matcd029) from
The Liberty Ship! This Nottingham band just keeps getting better and better, and should win lots of new fans
with their first full-length release. The tracklisting is: 1. Finer Feelings; 2. Chords Drag You Down; 3. Final Kick; 4.
Precious Time; 5. Coast; 6. Cabin Fever; 7. Shine On; 8. Baseball Caps and Novas; 9. I’ll Try; 10. Stars Above; 11.
Actually; 12. Yuri Gagarin. Reviews of the band’s two Matinée singles suggested The Liberty Ship were on the verge
of greatness, and we’re happy to report they have attained that lofty goal with this superb album. We are delighted to
have it as our premiere release of 2004, so squirrel away a $10 bill someplace so you don’t come up short after your
holiday spending frenzy – this one you’ll definitely want. We will accept preorders starting next month and have copies
available exclusively via the Matinée mailorder until its official release January 5th. Until then, have a listen to some
preview tracks on the sounds page.
Our 30th album release is a daring compilation entitled “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” (matcd030) … and the exceptionally
bright among you may recall that phrase from the run-out groove of a certain single by 80’s mega-legends The
Smiths! The keen management here at Matinée happen to think The Smiths are the greatest band of all time so we
asked our talented coterie of artists to take a stab at a Smiths cover and compiled this special tribute album to mark the
20th anniversary of the band. Yes, we know there have been Smiths tributes already but none of them in our humble
opinion come anywhere close to paying proper respect to the brilliance of the band so we’ve had a go ourselves.
Offering a mix of songs from throughout the band’s venerable career, the contributors include: The Pines, with a
jingly-jangly version of the hit “Ask”; Pale Sunday, providing a magnificent bossa-nova and shoegaze reworking of
“I Know It’s Over”; The Lucksmiths, who approach the mighty “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” as a duet
and come out smelling of roses; Slipslide, with an expertly crafted cover of “Please Please Please Let Me Get
What I Want”; Pipas, adding a great dance beat to the early classic “This Night Has Opened My Eyes”;
Lovejoy, contributing an admirable cover of “Girlfriend In A Coma”; Would-Be-Goods, with an unforgettable
version of “Back To The Old House”; The Young Tradition, putting their polish on a slowed-down version of “Sheila
Take A Bow”; Simpático, with a convincing rendition of “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore”; The Guild League
, glam-ing up the already glam hit “Panic”; The Liberty Ship, attacking the rollicking “Sweet and Tender
Hooligan” in fine fashion; and The Snowdrops, with a splendid live recording of the single “Bigmouth Strikes
Again.”
A demonstration of our profound hubris? You bet! Preparing ourselves for cries of blasphemy? Of course! It’s at the CD
plant now and we will have copies available sometime in late December exclusively via the
mailorder. Otherwise, look for it in shops in January. There are a few soundclips now playing
on the sounds page for anyone who just can’t wait.
We have nearly finished the 2004 release schedule, and at this point can announce new records early in the year from
Pipas, Lovejoy, The Young Tradition, The Snowdrops, and The Fairways
(really)! More news on these and other 2004 releases next month.
Switching now to some recent hits, our four autumn releases are all basking in the glow of exceptional reviews in the
music press. The “Singles 1989-1992” CD (matcd026) from Brighter has
earned plenty of applause in just a few short weeks, with In Love With These Times
praising us for “dusting off this particular legend for exposure to a new and thankful generation of music lovers,” and
All Music Guide
concluding “once again Matinée proves itself to be just about the best pal an indie kid could have.” Fair enough. If you
missed the details on this retrospective release in last month’s update, here’s the
skinny in just nine letters: essential! Collecting 15 songs from four legendary singles Brighter released on Sarah Records
between 1989 and 1992, the album is just one of the highlights of our star-studded year. For more details, check out the
band’s artist page, or listen to a few clips on the sounds
page. Keris Howard of the band will return to the studio early next year with Laura Bridge, the other half of his current
band Harper Lee, to record the follow-up to their 2001 masterpiece “Everything’s Going To Be OK”
(matcd020). To tide you over until then, Harper Lee contributed the excellent outtake
“Autumn” to our recent “Matinée Autumn Assortment” sampler (matinée 051).
Also making friends in the music press is the “True Love Waits, Volume 2” CDEP (matinée
048) from The Pines! Erasing Clouds
said “True Love Waits Volume Two gives us love in all its sadness and beauty, within some of the best-written pop songs
you’ll hear,” while Tasty summarized it as “most lovely.” We couldn’t
have put it better ourselves. Of course The Pines are a London duo of Joe Brooker and Pam Berry, two talented
individuals who are also members of The Foxgloves and The Snowdrops respectively. They have just finished recording a
brilliant cover of The Smiths hit “Ask” for the “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” compilation
(matcd030) announced above. Check out their artist page for more information on
previous releases, and see the sounds page for a taste of The Pines’ enchanting sound.
Swedish-American duo The Young Tradition has earned instant recognition with its debut hit “California Morning”
(matinée 043). Among the lofty praise for this new release,
IndiePages called it “a perfectly joyous masterpiece of light and airy indiepop,”
Splendid said “the beginning of a
long tradition of fine music from this pop duo…well worth your time,” and
Tasty dubbed it “cracking grown-up pop.” The single is dazzling from start
to finish and just the beginning in a series of fine popsongs from this young band. Next release for the duo is a cover of
“Sheila Take A Bow” on our upcoming Smiths tribute album “Romantic and Square…” (matcd030)
followed by the debut Young Tradition album next year. Have a listen to “California Morning” now featured on the
sounds page and you should be hooked.
The Lucksmiths continue their reign as press darlings with the new mini-CD “A Little Distraction”
(matcd027). Recent reviews came from
Mundane Sounds, which
called it “an unsurprisingly wonderful record by an unsurprisingly wonderful pop band on an unsurprisingly wonderful pop
label,” and Rock City, predicting the
band “could quite easily replace such staid dullards as Travis and The Thrills as your newest and most charming friends.”
The band just concluded the European leg of its 2003 tour and heads back to Australia for some well deserved time off.
They contributed a splendid version of the Smiths classic “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” to the “Romantic and
Square…” tribute CD (matcd030), and now look forward to summer days in the
southern hemisphere.
The updated catalog pages also include great new reviews of our summer hits – the Matinée
50 compilation (matinée 050), Airport Girl EP
(matinée 037), and Slipslide album (matcd025).
In particular, we should point out the second mention of The Thrills in one week of Matinée reviews – this time courtesy of
Do Something Pretty fanzine who, in
reviewing the new Airport Girl EP, said “The Thrills can f#@k off and make way for Airport Girl…the real retro, feel
good/feel bad, West Coast, pop-tastic musical treat.”
Starting this week we are conducting a poll of your favorite 2003 releases through
the Matinée fanclub and every entry will give you a chance to win five free CDs of your choice! If you are not yet a
member of the fanclub, you can remedy that by visiting our fanclub page today. The list
of contenders includes:
2003 albums…
Melodie Group – Updownaround CD (matcd022)
The Guild League – Private Transport CD (matcd023)
Sportique – Communiqué No. 9 CD (matcd024)
Slipslide – The World Can Wait CD (matcd025)
Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD (matcd026)
The Lucksmiths – A Little Distraction CD (matcd027)
The Windmills – Now Is Then CD (matcd028)
Various Artists – Matinée 50! CD (matinée 050)
Various Artists – The Matinée Autumn Assortment CD (matinée 051)
2003 singles…
The Snowdrops – Mad World 7″ (matinée 029)
Airport Girl – Do You Dream In Colour? CDEP (matinée 037)
The Young Tradition – California Morning CDEP (matinée 043)
Simpático – Club Life CDEP (matinée 044)
The Liberty Ship – Northern Angel CDEP (matinée 046)
Razorcuts – A is for Alphabet CDEP (matinée 047)
The Pines – True Love Waits Volume Two CDEP (matinée 048)
Pale Sunday – A Weekend With Jane CDEP (matinée 049)
We will announce the poll results in the January update.
In an effort to make room for great new 2004 releases, we are having a massive warehouse clearance sale on all back
catalog releases. This is our biggest sale to date, but it only lasts through the end of the year so head to the
order page now to take advantage of the savings!
Brighter took over the number one spot on the hit parade, for what looks like an extended residency. Here is the
top ten from October:
10. Slipslide – The World Can Wait CD
9. Pale Sunday – A Weekend with Jane CDEP
8. Razorcuts – A is for Alphabet CDEP
7. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
6. Airport Girl – Do You Dream In Colour? CDEP
5. The Pines – True Love Waits, Volume Two CDEP
4. The Lucksmiths – A Little Distraction CD
3. Various – Matinée 50! CD
2. The Young Tradition – California Morning CDEP
1. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
We’ll be back in January with brand new releases, 2004 release news, annual top ten lists from Matinée artists, the
results of the year-end poll and much more. In the meantime, happy holidays!
Jimmy
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