Dear website…sorry we’ve been ignoring you. It’s just so easy to post quick bits of news on the new Matinée Facebook page so we’ve been hanging out over there lately. Sign up as a fan and we promise you won’t miss a thing. Watch for more news posted here in the next few days too!

Great to see some of you in Los Angeles and San Francisco this weekend at the Cats on Fire and Math and Physics Club shows! They were ace, don’t you think?

Four brand new releases means a big shakeup on the Matinée hit parade. After six months on top of the chart, Northern Portrait are slumming it down at number seven. Meanwhile, Math and Physics Club take over as the new number one. Here are the top sellers for May:

10. Pale Sunday – Shooting Star CDEP
9. The Electric Pop Group – Seconds CD
8. Cats on Fire – Our Temperance Movement CD
7. Northern Portrait – Criminal Art Lovers CD
6. Strawberry Whiplash – Picture Perfect CDEP
5. Various – The Matinée Grand Prix CD
4. Bubblegum Lemonade – Caroline’s Radio 7″
3. Math and Physics Club – Jimmy Had A Polaroid 7″
2. Cats on Fire – Dealing In Antiques CD
1. Math and Physics Club – I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do CD

The new album from Cats on Fire is out now! Here are the details:

matcd056
CATS ON FIRE – DEALING IN ANTIQUES

Tracklisting:
1. Your Woman (unreleased White Town cover, 2010)
2. Poor Students Dream of Marx (unreleased track, 2004)
3. Never Land Here (from Draw In The Reins CDEP, 2006)
4. Crooked Paper Clip (unreleased track, 2004)
5. Something Happened (from Solid Work 7”, 2003)
6. On His Right Side (unreleased track, 2008)
7. Don’t Say It Could Be Worse (unreleased track, 2004)
8. My Friend In A Comfortable Chair (from Happiness Is Chemistry 7”, 2004)
9. You Will Find Me Where You Left Me (from Solid Work 7”, 2003)
10. Solid Work (from Solid Work 7”, 2003)
11. Higher Grounds (from Draw In The Reins CDEP, 2006)
12. They Produced A Girl (from Empty Town demo, 2002)
13. Honey Your Baby (from Solid Work 7”, 2003)
14. The Smell of An Artist (from Draw In The Reins CDEP, 2006)
15. Your Treasure (unreleased track, 2004)
16. The Cold Hands of Great Men (from Draw In The Reins CDEP, 2006)
17. Draw In The Reins (from Draw In The Reins CDEP, 2006)
18. Happiness is Chemistry (from Happiness Is Chemistry 7”, 2004)
19. Stars (from Empty Town demo, 2002)
20. The Hague (from The Matinée Grand Prix compilation, 2010)

Extraordinary 20-track collection from Finnish indie favorites Cats On Fire features sold-out EP and single tracks from the band’s past plus assorted rarities, unreleased tracks, and recent recordings too.

Previous Cats On Fire albums ‘The Province Complains’ (2007) and ‘Our Temperance Movement’ (2009) earned the band favorable comparisons to indie legends The Smiths, Felt, Orange Juice and Pulp. The albums amassed notable reviews in the music press, including coverage by All Music Guide, The Big Takeover, NME, Q Magazine, and Pop Matters, among others. The band has played countless international shows across Scandinavia, continental Europe, the UK and the US, including sets at Sweden’s prestigious Emmaboda festival, the Indietracks festival in England, and the New York City popfest.

The wonderfully generous ‘Dealing in Antiques’ (matcd056) is a comprehensive collection of non-album tracks of various origins. Some of the songs were brought down from the attic, and some of them up from the cellar. Some were simply brought forward to a more prominent place in the house, while others were polished a bit. The album features two tracks from the band’s ‘Empty Town’ demo in 2002, six songs from limited edition and long sold out Finnish 7” singles ‘Solid Work’ and ‘Happiness is Chemistry’ from 2003 and 2004, and five tracks from the 2006 ‘Draw In The Reins’ ep on fashionable Swedish imprint Fraction Discs.

Among the album’s unreleased tracks are four superb early recordings from 2004, an unreleased outtake from the ‘Our Temperance Movement’ recording sessions in 2008, new song ‘The Hague’ (previewed on the ‘Matinée Grand Prix’ compilation earlier this year), and a brand new cover version of the 1997 UK number one hit ‘Your Woman’ from White Town.

Spotlighting the brilliant evolution of Cats on Fire over the past eight years, ‘Dealing in Antiques’ is an essential anthology from one of today’s most popular indie groups. The band is promoting the album with a headline appearance at the San Francisco Popfest in May and their first ever trip to Hong Kong in June.

For band information, soundclips, early reviews, and more release details please see the catalog and artist pages, or visit the Matinée and Cats on Fire pages on Myspace.

We’ve added soundclips for five favorites to the catalog page and a free mp3 of ‘Your Woman’ is now available to download on the Matinée sounds page.

The CD is available now in the Matinée shop and shows up next week in hip record emporiums plus digitally via iTunes, emusic, Amazon mp3, Darla.com and other good digital providers. Enjoy!

The long-awaited second album ‘I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ (matcd055) from Seattle pop darlings Math and Physics Club is currently in the hands of our pressing plant so you’re just two weeks away from having one of your very own!

Math and Physics Club first captured our hearts in 2005 with the charming ‘Weekends Away’ EP (matinée 056), which quickly sold out of its initial pressing. The band’s brand of literate acoustic-based guitar pop has garnered frequent comparisons to bands like The Smiths, Belle and Sebastian, and labelmates The Lucksmiths, and their self-titled debut full length (matcd042) was named best indiepop album of 2006 by PopMatters. Picking up where their excellent 2007 ‘Baby I’m Yours’ EP (matinée 066) left off, Math and Physics Club return with their first long player in nearly four years.

‘I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ is a smashing collection of ten new pop gems, chock full of the chiming guitars and sweet melodies we’ve come to expect, but it also packs a punch their earlier work shied away from. Seattle producer Martin Feveyear helped the band dial in rich, clean tones reminiscent of their 80’s influences like The Housemartins, but with a decidedly modern luster. The ten tracks clock in at less than 25 minutes, showcasing the band’s knack for crisp arrangements and good sense to know when a song just doesn’t need that extra chorus.

First single ‘Jimmy Had a Polaroid’ starts out in familiar MAPC fashion, but as soon as the drums and bass rumble into the picture you realize this is no twee affair. As chiming guitars whirl through the choruses, the rhythm section keeps things driving at a fast clip that will surely get the kids dancing. It’s the sort of song that HAD to be released as a single so we’ve gone and pressed up 500 copies on ice blue 7” vinyl (matinée 075) with a great exclusive b-side too! Please see below for further single details.

The full album tracklisting is: 1. Jimmy Had A Polaroid; 2. We Make A Pair; 3. Trying To Say I Love You; 4. Everybody Loves A Showtune; 5. Love or Loneliness; 6. Will You Still Love Me?; 7. I’ll Tell You Anything; 8. The Internationale; 9. I’ve Been That Boy; 10. We’re So DIY!

You can preview several album tracks on the catalog page and download the single ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ for free from the Matinée sounds page RIGHT NOW!

The band is promoting the new album with an appearance May 30 at the San Francisco Popfest, and has scheduled a record release show in Seattle at The Crocodile on June 12th. Please see the band website for more details.

As luck would have it, you can now preorder ‘I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ from the Matinée shop as we speak. The album is officially released June 1st but we are shipping website preorders from May 25th because we like you so much. Don’t forget a copy of the ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ 7” (matinée 075) too!

While you’re in shopping mode, we recently came across a box of extra sleeves for the band’s long sold out debut single ‘Weekends Away’ (matinée 056) so we did a short run repressing of the EP and now have 100 fresh copies available for anybody that didn’t get it before it originally sold out. Hurry though—these won’t last long!

You can now find an official Matinée Recordings page on Facebook. There is another page floating about but we’re not sure who set that one up and it hasn’t been updated in ages so please check the new page for the latest news moving forward!

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!