Wow – we had no idea how hungry some of you were for new Matinée vinyl! Since posting news last month of a new crop of 7” singles on the way we’ve heard from many a fan inquiring about preorders and release dates and generally panicking that you may not be quick enough for one of the 500 copies we’re pressing. While I’d like to think we live in a world where 500 copies of a new single from Math and Physics Club or Bubblegum Lemonade sell out in a week I suspect we’ll have enough copies to go around for a little while but I’d love to be proven wrong…

As we await arrival of test pressings on both singles, we are starting preorders for each to satisfy this unprecedented public demand so please check the Matinée shop to reserve your copies. I can’t give a precise arrival date for these but anticipate something by June 1st which I guess isn’t too long a wait now is it? In case you missed the news bit last month on our new line of 45’s, here’s the skinny:

Glasgow popkids Bubblegum Lemonade get ready for summer with a new three-track red vinyl 7” ‘Caroline’s Radio’ (matinée 074) in nifty hand-numbered sleeves! The title track is a fantastic Scottish pop hit that pays homage to offshore pirate radio station Radio Caroline and the single features exclusive b-sides ‘Stalling and Laughing’ and ‘Looking To The Sun’. While we wait for the vinyl to arrive, you can preview ‘Caroline’s Radio’ on the sounds page and reserve your copy now in the Matinée shop.

Seattle popstars Math and Physics Club preview upcoming album ‘I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ (matcd055) with a limited 7” pressing of brilliant new song ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ (matinée 075) in another hand-numbered sleeve and on ice blue vinyl! The first release from the band since their ‘Baby I’m Yours’ EP (matinée 066) in 2007, ‘Jimmy’ is a certified song-of-the-year contender backed with exclusive non-album b-side ‘The Sound of Snow.’ You can preview ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ on the sounds page and preorder your copy in the Matinée shop RIGHT NOW!

As mentioned above, both singles are limited to 500 copies and come with free download coupon so your iPod will love them as well. The releases will be available on the usual download sites as well so please don’t despair if you don’t own a turntable.

The forthcoming ‘Life Returns To Normal’ 7” (matinée 076) from Northern Portrait and ‘Get-To-Bed Birds’ 7” (matinée 077), from The Lucksmiths are still at least a month away so no luck on those preorders yet. Once they’re off to the pressing plant we’ll update you on exact timing and give you plenty of preorder notice so you won’t be disappointed.

The new album ‘Dealing in Antiques’ (matcd056) from fetching Finländares Cats on Fire is nearly ready so it’s time to disclose the full release details. The album is an extraordinary 20-track collection of sold-out EP and single tracks from the band’s past plus assorted rarities, unreleased tracks, and a few recent recordings too.

The impressive tracklisting includes: 1. Your Woman; 2. Poor Students Dream of Marx; 3. Never Land Here; 4. Crooked Paper Clip; 5. Something Happened; 6. On His Right Side; 7. Don’t Say It Could Be Worse; 8. My Friend In A Comfortable Chair; 9. You Will Find Me Where You Left Me; 10. Solid Work; 11. Higher Grounds; 12. They Produced A Girl; 13. Honey Your Baby; 14. The Smell of An Artist; 15. Your Treasure; 16. The Cold Hands of Great Men; 17. Draw In The Reins; 18. Happiness is Chemistry; 19. Stars; 20. The Hague.

We’ve added soundclips for some current favorites on the catalog page and a free download of ‘Your Woman’ is up for grabs on the Matinée sounds page.

And yes, if you’re thinking ‘Your Woman’ sounds strangely familiar it is indeed a cover of the ’90s #1 hit by White Town! Writing about the song on the Cats on Fire website diary, lead singer Mattias Björkas had this to say: “I met Jyoti Mishra for the first time in a cabin in Kviberg, Gothenburg. Mattias of Cosy Den had invited him to play his club a second time, and I was asked if I wanted to come along and meet him in Kviberg. I immediately thought he was one of the most intelligent, kind and funny persons I’d ever met. He was genuinely interested in what we were doing and what we had to say, which has meant a lot to me. To cover this brilliantly subversive song was pure bliss.” Watch for additional diary entries with insight on other album tracks throughout the month.

As we mentioned previously, the band is celebrating the new release with two very special California shows later this month—May 29 in Los Angeles sponsored by Hungry Beat and May 30 headlining the prestigious San Francisco Popfest! Please see the band website for more details.

In the meantime, you can preorder ‘Dealing In Antiques’ RIGHT NOW from the Matinée shop. The album is officially released in North and South America on May 18th but we are shipping preorders from the 12th which is just around the corner really.

As we await an avalanche of new Matinée releases in May and June, here’s what the cool kids were buying in April. Any wagers on who can topple Northern Portrait from the top of the hit parade?

10. Would-Be-Goods – Eventyr CD
9. Cats on Fire – Our Temperance Movement CD
8. Pale Sunday – Shooting Star CDEP
7. Math and Physics Club – Math and Physics Club CD
6. Strawberry Whiplash – Picture Perfect CDEP
5. Math and Physics Club – Baby I’m Yours CDEP
4. Various – The Matinée Grand Prix CD
3. The Electric Pop Group – Seconds CD
2. Northern Portrait – Napoleon Sweetheart CDEP
1. Northern Portrait – Criminal Art Lovers CD

With our spring release schedule nearly set, we figure it’s time to break the exciting news that Matinée is back in the vinyl business after a few years away! Yes, you read that right so get your turntable in top shape again in anticipation of new vinyl goodies in the coming months.

Kicking things off, late May sees the very welcome return of Scotland’s Bubblegum Lemonade with new 7” single ‘Caroline’s Radio’ (matinée 074). The title track is a sublime new slice of POP! and the single features exclusive b-sides ‘Stalling and Laughing’ and ‘Looking To The Sun’ all on beautiful red vinyl…yes way! The single is limited to 500 copies but will also be available on the usual download sites so don’t despair if you don’t actually own a turntable. All singles come with a free download coupon so they are iPod friendly as well. More release details and preorder information to follow as soon as we confirm the release date. In the meantime, you can preview ‘Caroline’s Radio’ on the sounds page right now!

Also scheduled for the new release racks in late May is the ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ 7″ (matinée 075) from our Seattle pals Math and Physics Club! The first release from the band since the magnificent ‘Baby I’m Yours’ EP (matinée 066) in 2007, ‘Jimmy’ is an instant song-of-the-year contender backed with beautiful b-side ‘The Sound of Snow.’ This one’s limited to 500 copies on ice blue vinyl (including free downloads) and you can preview ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ on the sounds page today! Look for release details and preorder information shortly.

Also in production is a ‘Life Returns To Normal’ 7” (matinée 076) from Northern Portrait and a 7” pressing of The Lucksmiths farewell recording ‘Get-To-Bed Birds’ (matinée 077), both with stellar b-sides of course. Watch for further release details on these singles and a few others very soon.

Switching to new album news, Cats on Fire return to the new release shelf next month with a 20-track compilation of sold-out EP and single tracks from their past plus assorted rarities, unreleased tracks, and a few recent recordings too. The ‘Dealing in Antiques’ collection (matcd056) is released in May and the band is celebrating by headlining the San Francisco Popfest at the end of the month. Rumor has it they’ll be in Los Angeles just before as well. Watch for release details, preorder information, show details and more in the coming days. Meanwhile, check out album track ‘Honey Your Baby’ playing on the sounds page today!

We are also currently finalizing artwork for the highly anticipated sophomore album ‘I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ (matcd055) from Math and Physics Club! The album features ten new gems from the only American band on the Matinée roster and let me be the first to say the album is definitely worth the wait! While the official album release is in June, the band will have copies available when they join Cats on Fire at the San Francisco Popfest next month. Release details, preorder information, and sound previews all coming very soon!

The inaugural Copenhagen Popfest is just two weeks away and if you haven’t seen this lineup already get ready to blow your tax return on a last minute ticket to Denmark! The festival features 18 great bands from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the UK including Matinée all-stars Northern Portrait, The Electric Pop Group, Cats on Fire, and Gregory Webster. Is anybody in?

Northern Portrait and The Electric Pop Group have new interviews posted on their artist pages, and there are two recent Matinée features now added to the archive page if you’re after a nice read.

In other news, Matinée releases are now in stock at two great new shops—Jigsaw Records in Seattle, Washington and Hands and Arms in Paris, France. Both have great selection at decent prices plus online facilities so you can order from anywhere!

We have big release news to share later this month, but in the meantime please peruse our list of top sellers for the months of February and March. Surely you have all of these already?

10. Strawberry Whiplash – Who’s In Your Dreams CDEP
9. Cats on Fire – Our Temperance Movement CD
8. The Electric Pop Group – Sunrise CDEP
7. Pale Sunday – Shooting Star CDEP
6. Strawberry Whiplash – Picture Perfect CDEP
5. Various – The Matinée Grand Prix CD
4. Northern Portrait – Napoleon Sweetheart CDEP
3. Northern Portrait – The Fallen Aristocracy CDEP
2. The Electric Pop Group – Seconds CD
1. Northern Portrait – Criminal Art Lovers CD

It’s great to see so many people in love with the new album ‘Seconds’ (matcd053) from Sweden’s The Electric Pop Group! We happen to think it’s pretty amazing too but acknowledge our natural bias so it’s always good to have affirmation from independent sources like the brilliant Erasing Clouds concluding “The Electric Pop Group’s full-length Seconds is one of the best I’ve heard in years (and I hear a lot of them, believe me).”

In other recent review action, Pop Matters called the album “perfect stuff for those needing a something-like-the-Smiths fix” and Indie-mp3.co.uk declared it “an album which, from the opening bars of the first track, has grabbed me hook, line and sinker and I have played almost nothing else over the past few weeks.” Delusions of Adequacy concluded “the Electric Pop Group continues to impress by bringing us ten brilliant new tracks,” while Russell’s Reviews wrote “the sound of skinny boys swaying and fringes flopping in the wind—lots of tender guitar lines and sumptuous melodies to drawn you in and get you hooked.”

Please see the catalog page for full reviews and other release details, and check the sounds page to score a free download of lead track ‘Not By Another’. If you haven’t already, you may want to pick up the band’s 2008 ‘Sunrise’ EP (matinée 067) as it features four songs not on the album and they’re ace as well.

The Electric Pop Group will join Northern Portrait in Denmark next month for the Copenhagen Popfest and is lining up additional European dates so watch here or check the band’s Myspace for details. We are hoping to bring them to America sometime soon as well!

The lineup of the always brilliant Indietracks Festival in England is taking shape and we are very excited that our very own Pale Sunday are among the featured artists this year! The band is getting plenty of good attention following the release of the ‘Shooting Star’ EP (matinée 073) in January and some of our favorite recent quotes include Pennyblack Magazine calling the EP “a cracking collection of songs” and All Music Guide reporting “the group still has the same wistfully jangling feel that will endear them to fans of classic groups like the Razorcuts.”

Despite hailing from Brazil, the band receives loads of favorable comparisons to classic Scottish pop groups. In reviewing the EP, In Love With These Times wrote “the title number is newly confident, a strident, riproaring popsong which combines the necessary “we’re back!” feel with a whiff of mid-period BMX Bandits,” while Brill Dream concluded “this is pop sunny side up, joyfully reminiscent of Teenage Fanclub and even the early pop prowess of Super Furry Animals. Try listening to the sun soaked title song without the smells of BBQ’s and freshly cut grass wafting up your nostrils.”

Full release details and more reviews can be found on the catalog page, and there’s a free download of ‘Shooting Star’ up on the sounds page so have a listen. Pale Sunday’s debut single ‘A Weekend With Jane’ (matinée 049) and album ‘Summertime?’ (matcd037) are having a bit of a sales renaissance thanks to the new single so if you didn’t discover them on original release now’s a great time to catch up so you can sing along at Indietracks!

Danish hitmakers Northern Portrait continue to impress with the debut album ‘Criminal Art Lovers’ (matcd054) generating smashing reviews all across the globe!

In recent press action, the esteemed Magnet Magazine wrote “swoon-worthy and charming, Northern Portrait is twee at its finest and Criminal Art Lovers is indie pop for the literati and fans of the Smiths,” while the always spot-on In Love With These Times concluded “Criminal Art Lovers sounds much as you thought and probably hoped it would, a patchwork quilt of mesmeric jangle, of lyrical ache and longing, of masterly song arrangement sugared with generous dabs of knowingly Mozza-esque vox.”

Meanwhile, the respected Pennyblack Magazine christened it “a fantastic album,” while Subpopstar concluded “Criminal Art Lovers proves massive budgets aren’t required to achieve stunning results,” and Indiefy suggested “forget those poor fools who still harp on about The Smiths comparisons and immerse yourself in an album which will still be standing tall at the end of the year. Fantastic stuff!”

Finally, top download merchant emusic recently selected Northern Portrait in its ‘Artists to Watch in 2010′ feature, writing “more than any year in recent memory, 2010 has already seen the arrival of a boatload of intriguing new talents, including Northern Portrait’s aching update of the Smiths’ sunny jangle.”

The catalog page has a bounty of great reviews and other release details, and the sounds page is featuring a free download of album highlight ‘New Favourite Moment’ right now so go get it!

We’ve just sold through the first pressing of ‘Criminal Art Lovers’ but a repressing is already on its way so don’t despair if you haven’t picked yours up yet. Unfortunately we can’t say the same for the band’s debut single ‘The Fallen Aristocracy’ (matinée 068) as that one is now completely sold out. We still have about 100 copies left of the second EP ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ (matinée 070) so get that while you can.

Northern Portrait is headlining the Copenhagen Popfest next month and planning additional live dates this summer. Stay tuned for details on live action and an ace new single as well!

Happy February! We’ve had a new release each of the last four weeks so not a bad way to start off the year. The reviews are starting to roll in now so we can rely on the pithy prose of the music press to help spread the word about the brilliance of these releases. Here are a few choice early quotes that help make my job today an easy one:

Our stunning new label compilation ‘The Matinée Grand Prix’ (matcd050) is a fantastic introduction to some of the best indie bands of today, and the always spot on A Layer of Chips calls it “a smashing little snapshot of an always loveable label.” Meanwhile, hip Danish blog Hits in the Car writes “Grand Prix is an absolutely amazing collection of indie pop tunes and darn close to being the perfect gateway to the genre as well as the Matinée roster,” Russell’s Reviews declares it “a marvellous collection that should inspire you to investigate the label’s back catalogue further,” and indie bible Indie-mp3.co.uk concludes “there isn’t a bad track on the set and it serves as a highly credible introduction to a merry band of minstrels who deserve some serious attention.”

You can see full release details and read these reviews and others on the Grand Prix catalog page. There is a free mp3 of the ace Simpático song from the album now featured on the Matinée sounds page so please have a listen. Among its many highlights, did we mention it includes the very last song ever recorded by our good pals The Lucksmiths? That is reason enough to set you scurrying but there are ten more equally valid reasons so off to the Matinée shop!

The new album ‘Seconds’ (matcd053) from Sweden’s The Electric Pop Group is also just out and an absolute triumph for the band. Gothenburg taste merchants Fraction Discs conclude “with ten beautiful and brittle gems picking inspiration from the English 80’s and early 90’s, this is a perfect pop album,” while Burning World writes “The Electric Pop Group have just released their debut album for Matinée and to call it a treat is understating the case.” Closer to home, Austin Town Hall confesses “I haven’t been able to get The Electric Pop Group out of my head, and I don’t think that I really want to either,” and A Layer of Chips suggests “you’re not going to hear many of these songs at your local indiepop knees up, but for nights in during a cold winter, you’ll struggle to find another album that’ll keep you company as well.”

Please see the catalog page for full reviews and other release details. Lead track ‘Not By Another’ is available as a free download on the Matinée sounds page and because we like you so much, you can also download ‘The Way It Used To Do’ from a secret location here. It’s a good one, eh? Now that you’re convinced about the album, you may also want to pick up the band’s 2008 ‘Sunrise’ EP (matinée 067) as it contains four exclusive songs and they’re outstanding as well. The band is working on select live dates in the coming months so please check here or the band’s Myspace page for details.

Danish legends-in-the-making Northern Portrait are basking in the success of the debut album ‘Criminal Art Lovers’ (matcd054) with great reviews popping up everywhere at the moment. Among our early favorites, the mighty Aversion.com come right out and say it: “After 23 years without a band able to approximate The Smiths’ formula, it’s hard to fault Northern Portrait for finally getting it right, isn’t it?” English biggie God Is In The TV take a slightly more artful approach, writing “this could indeed be your new favourite moment and if the queen really is dead, then Northern Portrait are perfect regal successors!” The cool kids at Just Played hit the nail on the head, writing “literate, emotive indie is often hard to find and when another band pop up delivering captivating songs to such a high standard it’s cause for celebration,” while the ever-trusty All That Ever Mattered conclude “it’s impossible to not love this album right from the start.”

The catalog page has lots of reviews and other release details, and the sounds page is featuring a free download of album highlight ‘New Favourite Moment’ so go get it! You can now download the title track ‘Criminal Art Lovers’ here too as an example of something slightly different. If you don’t have copies of the band’s earlier EPs ‘The Fallen Aristocracy’ (matinée 068) and ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ (matinée 070) you better hurry as they are selling fast again on the strength of the album and may not be around for long. The band has several imminent dates in the UK and Spain plus others coming up in Denmark and elsewhere so please visit them on Myspace for details.

The new single ‘Shooting Star’ (matinée 073) from Brazil’s Pale Sunday is also just out and making friends in the UK music press in particular. Among our favorites, Russell’s Reviews describes the songs as “bright and breezy pop…effortlessly cool…sweet stuff indeed” and suggests comparisons to The Lucksmiths, Velvet Crush and Teenage Fanclub, while A Layer of Chips say “not many bands do it better…reminds me of labelmates Math and Physics Club, with a touch of Siesta’s louche, lounge-pop thrown in.”

Check out release details on the catalog page and enjoy the free download of ‘Shooting Star’ over on the Matinée sounds page. Pale Sunday are ace so in addition to the new EP you may want to pick up the stunning debut single ‘A Weekend With Jane’ (matinée 049) and their album ‘Summertime?’ (matcd037) as both will help make winter a whole lot shorter this year.

While we’re at it, recent single ‘Picture Perfect’ (matinée 072) from Scotland’s Strawberry Whiplash has amassed loads of great reviews which are now collected on the catalog page. Some places that get it especially right include the venerable Magnet Magazine calling the EP “four sunny tracks with sweet, girlish vocals and plenty of fuzz and reverb,” and the all-powerful All Music Guide suggesting “indie pop fans looking for a sugar fix along the lines of The School or The Pains of Being Pure at Heart would be well-served to check out this little disc.” The Indie Handbook conclude “Strawberry Whiplash reach a degree of excellence in the opening measures of this EP that few bands can even dream of and manage to sustain it throughout all four tracks without ever becoming pretentious,” and The Devil Has The Best Tuna deliver the best pull quote of all, writing “an EP that’s as sweet as a chocolate covered strawberry dipped in sugar and indier than Steve Lamacq’s ipod, Strawberry Whiplash deserve a place in your heart.”

You can read the other ace reviews on the catalog page and download the splendid title track on the sounds page. This EP really is brilliant and the perfect companion to the band’s debut ‘Who’s In Your Dreams’ EP (matinée 065) from 2008. Strawberry Whiplash is currently working on songs for a debut album which hopefully will be out this year as well!

Looks like that order you’ve been meaning to place just got a little larger…

Finally, it’s no change atop the Matinée hit parade but the competition is fierce with four new releases. Here are the top ten sellers for January:

10. The Hermit Crabs – Correspondence Course CDEP
9. The Electric Pop Group – Sunrise CDEP
8. Cats on Fire – Our Temperance Movement CD
7. Northern Portrait – The Fallen Aristocracy CDEP
6. Strawberry Whiplash – Picture Perfect CDEP
5. Pale Sunday – Shooting Star CDEP
4. Northern Portrait – Napoleon Sweetheart CDEP
3. Various – The Matinée Grand Prix CD
2. The Electric Pop Group – Seconds CD
1. Northern Portrait – Criminal Art Lovers CD

We’ll be back soon with news about Matinée releases in the pipeline and something else that’s somewhat unexpected but fairly exciting.

matcd053
THE ELECTRIC POP GROUP – SECONDS

Tracklisting:
1. Not By Another
2. Out Of Sight
3. I Know I Will
4. Drawing Lines
5. My Only Inspiration
6. In The Back Of My Mind
7. The Way It Used To Do
8. Into Thin Air
9. We Never Made Up Our Minds
10. The Best Of Times

Sensational sophomore album from Swedish pop heroes The Electric Pop Group! Following the success of the band’s self-released debut in 2006 and the very well received ‘Sunrise’ EP (matinée 067) for Matinée in 2008, the band is back with ten magnificent new recordings that solidify their status as heir apparent to the pop throne once held by Matinée favorites Harper Lee and Sarah Records legends Brighter.

The new album ‘Seconds’ is a study in multilayered, shimmering pop featuring jangling electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and prominent keyboards plus rich bursts of tambourine, strings and other nice instrumentation. Among the album’s highlights, lead track ‘Not By Another’ is a melodic love song with chiming guitars, while ‘Out Of Sight’ mixes keyboards and guitars in an infectious pop hit with fantastic vocals and a soaring chorus.

One of the newest songs on the album, ‘The Way It Used To Do’ is catchy, continental pop with keyboards, jangling guitars, and an addictive chorus that recalls early Acid House Kings. Meanwhile, the band demonstrates it can also deliver modern shoegaze classics with ‘The Best of Times’ showcasing a muti-layered, hazy melancholy with hypnotic percussion.

The album also includes a new recording of ‘My Only Inspiration’, an Electric Pop Group favorite that first appeared on the ‘Matinée Hit Parade’ compilation (matcd045) in 2007, while ‘Into Thin Air’ features more chiming guitars and melodies-a-plenty and ‘We Never Made Up Our Minds’ is an especially beautiful, orchestral number.

An outstanding new entry to the Matinée discography, ‘Seconds’ is glistening jangle pop genius perfect for fans of Brighter, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The Field Mice or Harper Lee.

For band information, soundclips, early reviews, and more release details please see the catalog and artist pages, or visit the Matinée and The Electric Pop Group pages on Myspace. You can hear four songs on the Matinée sounds page, or tracks from the album rotating weekly on MySpace.

The CD is available now in the Matinée shop and from select record emporiums across the globe, plus digitally via iTunes, emusic, Amazon mp3, and other good digital providers. Enjoy!