Another Tuesday, another new release! We really are spoiling you. This week it’s the debut album ‘Doubleplusgood’ from Scottish favorites Bubblegum Lemonade and here are the enticing details:

matcd048
BUBBLEGUM LEMONADE – DOUBLEPLUSGOOD

Tracklisting:
1. A Billion Heartbeats
2. Beautiful Friends
3. I’ll Never Be Yours
4. Tired Of Sleeping
5. Last Time I Saw Andrew
6. Susan’s In The Sky
7. Penny Fountain
8. My Dreams Of You
9. Lost Summer Days
10. Here They Come
11. Tyler
12. Last Weekend

Fantastic debut album from Scottish pop favorites Bubblegum Lemonade! Following smash singles ‘Ten Years Younger’ (matinée 064) and ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ (matinée 069) earlier this year, the band delivers its all-important debut album just in time for holiday shopping and it’s a grand one of course!

‘A Billion Heartbeats’ kicks the album off with a 150 bpm adrenalin rush—if the Jesus and Mary Chain had studied anthropology they may have written something like this. Meanwhile, ‘Beautiful Friends’ is a paper thin celebration of surface beauty sort of like The Byrds’ ‘Lady Friend’ re-written by the Valentines, and ‘I’ll Never Be Yours’ is big chorus pop featuring Sandra from fellow Glasgow pop outfit Strawberry Whiplash on backing vocals. Think The Only Ones meets The Primitives with the recommended daily dosage of tambourines and you’re nearly there.

‘Tired Of Sleeping’ is a jangledelic ode to sleeping with the radio on, complete with multi-tracked 12-string Rickenbacker action straight from the early days of Creation or Cherry Red. ‘Last Time I Saw Andrew’ moves us into the ‘90’s with a lazy, looping, slow burning nostalgia somewhat like a cross between Slowdive and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. It’s dream pop-tastic. ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ is the title track from Bubblegum Lemonade’s second single. An everyday tale of an air hostess and her slacker boyfriend caught up in a Romeo and Juliet type scenario, it’s a sunshine wall of pop with Rickenbacker guitars, tambourines and nice organ bits. A classic!

‘Penny Fountain’ opens side two of the album with some Paisley Underground inspired bittersweet guitar pop. It’s a swinging mini epic that should have been another single. ‘My Dreams Of You’ contains Rickenbacker riffs, harmony vocals and portamento keyboards. Catchier than Byrd flu, it’s west coast indie pop art and the perfect prelude to the sixties come down sunshine guitar pop with guitar freak out ending that follows in ‘Lost Summer Days’.

Subliminally suggested by Vance Packard, ‘Here They Come’ masks criticism of the morally corrupt elements of the advertising industry behind jangling guitars and rich harmonies, while ‘Tyler’ is Rickenbacker pop about a cat. You don’t get many pop songs about cats these days, do you? Finally, ‘Last Weekend’ is some eighties sounding, major seventh acoustic strumming with strings and tambourine about the breakup of a long distance relationship. The band was going for Felt meets The Field Mice but ended up with Prefab Sprout instead. Ha!

With an educated nod to its influences, remarkably catchy songs, and stunning pop melodies, Bubblegum Lemonade remind us that old school indie is always in style. ‘Doubleplusgood’ is a superb example of the vibrant new music coming out of Glasgow and another modern classic from Matinée!

For band photos, soundclips, and more information please see the catalog and artist pages, or visit the Matinée and Bubblegum Lemonade pages on Myspace.

You can listen to four songs on the Matinée sounds page, or tracks from the album rotating weekly on MySpace, or 30-second samples of all the songs on iTunes. As always, we have a copy reserved just for you on the Matinée order page or in your favorite record shop today. An essential purchase, don’t you think?

Historic day here in the States you know. Oh, there’s a small matter of an election of course but the big news is today also marks the official release of the new album ‘First Frost’ from Australian favorites The Lucksmiths! Here’s all you need to know to support your favorite (pop) candidates:

matcd049
THE LUCKSMITHS – FIRST FROST

Tracklisting:
1. The Town and the Hills
2. Good Light
3. A Sobering Thought (Just When One Was Needed)
4. California in Popular Song
5. South-East Coastal Rendezvous
6. The National Mitten Registry
7. Day Three of Five
8. Never and Always
9. Lament of the Chiming Wedgebill
10. How We Met
11. Song of the Undersea
12. Up With the Sun
13. Pines
14. Who Turned On the Lights?

Over the course of 15 years and almost as many albums and international tours, Australian popstars The Lucksmiths have penned some of the most adored songs this side of the pop underground and built up a massive international fanbase in the process.

Most recent studio album ‘Warmer Corners’ received considerable praise, with Pitchfork calling it “idiosyncratic but accessible, literate but unpretentious, gentle but not weak, sincere not so much in presentation as in presence”. Two singles lifted from the album — “A Hiccup in Your Happiness” and “The Chapter in Your Life Entitled San Francisco” — both received heavy rotation across the globe. The latter also found its way onto Qantas Airlines in-flight playlist in 2006 — an achievement not celebrated lightly by a band with an enduring penchant for the somewhat ridiculous and irrelevant.

More recently, 2007 saw the release of a b-sides, rarities, and live compilation entitled ‘Spring a Leak’ with an accompanying set of US tour dates. At 45 songs in length, this exhaustive double-CD was well received and hearty enough to sate even the most impoverished Lucksmiths fan whilst awaiting a new batch of songs. In reviewing the album, Time Out Chicago declared “If a band can be this good on its cast-offs, imagine what the albums are like”.

A trip to Tasmania has yielded ‘First Frost’—the finest and most dynamic Lucksmiths album to date. Camped out in the wilderness, the band was free to explore and expand the musical palette, and with all four members contributing songs, the end result is a 14-song masterpiece bound to surprise anyone who thought they had The Lucksmiths pegged as sounding too much like The Lucksmiths.

On the album, the bands’ trademark lyrical hooks shine warmer than ever. Opening cut “The Town and the Hills” sets out some of the album’s central themes, examining the distance (geographical and metaphorical) between city and country. Meanwhile, “California in Popular Song” is a sweet slice of sun-kissed pastoral pop that combines sweeping strings, a throaty low-down guitar, some gentle fingerpicking and Tali White’s pensive vocal to become your new favorite Lucksmiths song.

Recent live hits, the jangly “Good Light” and the surprisingly glam-rockin’ “A Sobering Thought (Just When One Was Needed)” —the latter concerning a late-night drunken escapade at a public swimming pool ¬—both receive a fine rendering on ‘First Frost’. Elsewhere on the album, The Lucksmiths’ familiar strum is traded in for brief dalliances with a disorderly fuzz pedal, a choir of misplaced mittens, and a bird that just wants to know why you got drunk. Intrigued?

For band photos, soundclips, and more information please see the catalog and artist pages, or visit the Matinée and Lucksmiths pages on Myspace.

You can listen to four songs on the Matinée sounds page, or tracks from the album rotating weekly on MySpace, or 30-second samples of all the songs on iTunes. Of course, we have a copy reserved just for you over on the Matinée order page or in your favorite record shop today. You know you need this one…

Four new releases = big shakeup on the Matinée Hit Parade. Here are the top sellers for October:

10. Strawberry Whiplash – Who’s In Your Dreams CDEP
9. Bubblegum Lemonade – Ten Years Younger CDEP
8. The Lucksmiths – Spring A Leak 2xCD
7. Northern Portrait – The Fallen Aristocracy CDEP
6. Bubblegum Lemonade – Susan’s In The Sky CDEP
5. Northern Portrait – Napoleon Sweetheart CDEP
4. Bubblegum Lemonade – Doubleplusgood CD
3. Would-Be-Goods – Eventyr CD
2. The Guild League – Speak Up CD
1. The Lucksmiths – First Frost CD

Greetings! We have a classic new album out today from Would-Be-Goods and here are the complete release details:

matcd047
WOULD-BE-GOODS – EVENTYR

Tracklisting:
1. Sad Stories
2. The Ghost Of Mr. Minton
3. In Bohemia
4. The Girl At No. 7
5. Venusberg
6. Melusine
7. Heart of Tin
8. Pleasure Island
9. Temporary Best Friend
10. Baby Romaine
11. Subtle Charm
12. Enemies of Promise
13. A Professor Momtchiloff Mystery

Highly anticipated fifth album ‘Eventyr’ from revered London quartet Would-Be-Goods is released 20 years after the classic debut album ‘The Camera Loves Me’ on ‘80s cult label él Records. It is their third album for Matinée Recordings, after the well received ‘Brief Lives’ (2002) and ‘The Morning After’ (2004).

“Sad stories are more beautiful” sings Jessica Griffin on the opening track, and those words could be the motto for the album as most of its songs are inspired by folk tales—timeless archetypal stories composed in northern Europe in the 19th century. ‘Eventyr’, meaning ‘adventures’ or ‘fairy tales’, was the title of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic collection of stories, and in songs such as ‘Melusine’ and ‘Heart of Tin’, the Would-Be-Goods show that tales of imagination can evoke the joys and sorrows of life more vividly than dreary realism. Some of the songs stay closer to home: ‘In Bohemia’, ‘The Girl at No. 7’ and ‘The Ghost of Mr. Minton’ depict the arty low life of midcentury London to magnificent effect. Musically, though, ‘Eventyr’ is not a folk album: the songs distill ‘50s and ‘60s styles into something entirely new, traveling through baroque pop, bossanova and rockabilly.

The album was developed slowly over two years and sees Andy Warren—formerly of Adam and the Ants and The Monochrome Set and bass player on the first two Would-Be-Goods albums—return to join Debbie Green on drums and backing vocals, Peter Momtchiloff on lead guitar, and Jessica on lead vocals and guitar.

Another classic album from a band that never goes out of style!

For band photos, soundclips, and more information please see the catalog and artist pages, or visit the Matinée and Would-Be-Goods pages on Myspace.

You can listen to four songs on the Matinée sounds page, or tracks from the album rotating weekly on MySpace, or 30-second samples of all the songs on iTunes. As always, there is a copy reserved just for you on the Matinée order page or in your favorite record shop today. Enjoy!

Quick update on the new releases: The albums from Would-Be-Goods, The Lucksmiths and Bubblegum Lemonade are all in stock and all advance orders have now shipped. The Guild League album arrives from the pressing plant on Wednesday, October 29 so if your order included one of those too it will mail on the 29th. Thanks again and hope you are enjoying the new albums! More new release news in a few days…

Greetings comrades! With six singles under our belt for the year it’s about time for some new Matinée POP! albums don’t you think? Alas, we have you covered with a pretty impressive lot too…

The splendid fifth album from incomparable London quartet Would-Be-Goods is ready for release later this month. Entitled ‘Eventyr’ (matcd047), it’s the first Would-Be-Goods album since the 2004 smash ‘The Morning After’ (matcd032) and so worth the wait. The album features 13 new recordings including a new version of ‘Temporary Best Friend’ which surfaced last year on the ‘Matinée Hit Parade’ compilation (matcd045). The full album tracklisting is: 1. Sad Stories; 2. The Ghost Of Mr. Minton; 3. In Bohemia; 4. The Girl At No. 7; 5. Venusberg; 6. Melusine; 7. Heart of Tin; 8. Pleasure Island; 9. Temporary Best Friend; 10. Baby Romaine; 11. Subtle Charm; 12. Enemies of Promise; 13. A Professor Momtchiloff Mystery.

We are previewing four tracks on the Matinée catalog page and rotating songs on the sounds page and also over on MySpace. The album is scheduled for official release October 28th, but we are taking preorders RIGHT NOW exclusively on the Matinée website and will ship copies beginning mid month. We’ll be sharing more about the album very soon but for now, enjoy the preview tracks and reserve a copy of your very own on the order page.

Following massively popular singles ‘Ten Years Younger’ (matinée 064) and ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ (matinée 069), Scotland’s Bubblegum Lemonade have completed work on the all-important debut album ‘Doubleplusgood’ (matcd048). The album includes 12 new bubblegum classics: 1. A Billion Heartbeats; 2. Beautiful Friends; 3. I’ll Never Be Yours; 4. Tired Of Sleeping; 5. Last Time I Saw Andrew; 6. Susan’s In The Sky; 7. Penny Fountain; 8. My Dreams Of You; 9. Lost Summer Days; 10. Here They Come; 11. Tyler; 12. Last Weekend.

We are featuring four tracks on the Matinée catalog page and rotating songs on the sounds page and also over on MySpace. The album is scheduled for release November 11th but we are taking preorders RIGHT NOW exclusively on the Matinée website and will ship copies around the middle of the month. In the meantime, enjoy the preview tracks and reserve your copy now on the order page.

A new album from Australia’s The Lucksmiths is always reason to celebrate, but as it’s been nearly four years since ‘Warmer Corners’ (matcd039) was released, their new one ‘First Frost’ (matcd049) has us jumping for joy! Released in conjunction with the fine people at the Lost and Lonesome Recording Company in Australia and Fortuna POP! in the UK, it’s another classic Lucksmiths album for your collection. The album features a few songs previewed by the band during live dates last year and a whole lot of new ones, including: 1. The Town and The Hills; 2. Good Light; 3. A Sobering Thought (Just When One Was Needed); 4. California In Popular Song; 5. South-East Coastal Rendezvous; 6. The National Mitten Registry; 7. Day Three of Five; 8. Never and Always; 9. Lament of the Chiming Wedgebill; 10. How We Met; 11. Song of the Undersea; 12. Up With The Sun; 13. Pines; 14. Who Turned on the Lights?

Four key album tracks are featured on the Matinée catalog page and we’re rotating songs on the sounds page and on MySpace as well. The album is scheduled for release November 4th but we are accepting preorders RIGHT NOW exclusively on the Matinée website and will ship copies beginning mid month. Reserve your very own copy now on the order page.

As if those three weren’t enough, we also await copies of the brand new third album ‘Speak Up’ (matcd051) from Australian collective The Guild League! Last gracing the Matinée discography with the ‘Inner North’ (matcd034) set in 2004, the band has played a whole lot of live dates in the meantime and recorded 10 new classics for this album, including: 1. Mouse vs. Mountain; 2. If Not Now…; 3. Dead Hour; 4. Suit Fits; 5. The Idea; 6. Where’s The Colour?; 7. Brains; 8. Limited Express; 9. 17 Summer; 10. Incandescent.

The Guild League launch ‘Speak Up’ with a live date October 12 for the lucky people of Melbourne. The rest of us mortals will have to settle for the CD until we convince them to take the show on the road outside Australia. We’re showcasing four album tracks on the Matinée catalog page and rotating songs on the sounds page and on MySpace. The album will be officially released next month but we are taking preorders RIGHT NOW exclusively on the Matinée website and will ship copies from October 27th. Yep, it’s on the order page as well so what exactly are you still doing here?

If you have visited the Matinée sounds page lately you may have noticed that in addition to a whole lot of streaming audio files, we are now hosting a selection of high quality mp3s for your downloading pleasure. The current offerings come from our latest releases, and we will be sharing tracks from four upcoming albums in the coming weeks too. We are planning to feature select tracks from the back catalog on a rotating basis as well so check back often if you want to sample some great pop from the label.

In other news, cool kids are talking about our latest releases and making some heads swell. Here’s a sampling of what a few are saying about the ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ EP (matinée 070) from Northern Portrait and the ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ EP (matinée 069) from Bubblegum Lemonade:

“Truly glorious stuff.” —Indie-mp3.co.uk

“Hearing the new Northern Portrait EP, “Napoleon Sweetheart”, one’s tempted to ask where the bloody hell they were in the late 80s, when we were all crying out for the new Smiths and being fobbed off instead with a plethora of anaemic, uber-ropey carbons…Northern Portrait are nigh-irresistible…this is pop deluxe.” —In Love With These Times…

“All four songs on this EP could have been the a-side of a single.” —Eardrums

“Susan’s in the Sky is all ’60s pop, massive reverb and drones that is the best Jesus and Mary Chain song the Reid brothers never recorded.” —Aversion.com

“As great as Bubblegum Lemonade was when it seemed like Razorcuts and the Mary Chain reborn, it’s even better when it just sounds like Bubblegum Lemonade. This is a hit record with unobvious hits.” —Heaven Is Above Your Head

“Just Like You is the Mary Chain inspired tune that Glasvegas think they have made…Another wonderful example of pop music from the Matinée stable, a label that can do no wrong at present.” — Indie-mp3.co.uk

Northern Portrait are also establishing themselves as international radio favorites, earning ‘song of the week’ honors on Spanish National Radio, enjoying the spotlight on Gideon Coe’s show on BBC 6 Music, securing the coveted ‘song of the day’ spot on KEXP in Seattle, and (finally) getting exposure on Danish National Radio with four weeks in a row at #2 on the alternative chart Det Elektriske Barometer alongside biggies like Sigur Ros, TV on the Radio and Beck.

Unsurprisingly, Northern Portrait and Bubblegum Lemonade hold atop the Matinée Hit Parade. Here are the top sellers for September:

10. The Hermit Crabs – Saw You Dancing CD
9. Matinée Recordings t-shirt
8. The Lucksmiths – Spring A Leak 2xCD
7. Math and Physics Club – Math and Physics Club CD
6. Strawberry Whiplash – Who’s In Your Dreams CDEP
5. The Electric Pop Group – Sunrise CDEP
4. Bubblegum Lemonade – Ten Years Younger CDEP
3. Northern Portrait – The Fallen Aristocracy CDEP
2. Bubblegum Lemonade – Susan’s In The Sky CDEP
1. Northern Portrait – Napoleon Sweetheart CDEP

Back with some very big news in a few days…

Hello! We have classic singles out today from Northern Portrait and Bubblegum Lemonade so here are the complete release details:

matinée 070
NORTHERN PORTRAIT – NAPOLEON SWEETHEART EP

Tracklisting:
1. I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me
2. Sporting A Scar
3. In An Empty Hotel
4. Our Lambrusco Days

Stunning second single from new Matinée favorites Northern Portrait! Upon release of their debut ‘The Fallen Aristocracy’ EP earlier this year, the accolades started pouring in for this new Danish band: “as perfect as jangling guitar pop can get”… “an instant classic”… “the bar has been set very high indeed”…“these songs are second to none”… “outstanding is an understatement”…“a modern pop classic”…“single of the year!” The EP has topped the Matinée best sellers chart every month since its release with good reason.

On the highly anticipated ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ EP, the band worked to expand its sound slightly while retaining the classic appeal of its debut. The brilliant lead track ‘I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me’ was the second song ever recorded by the band but has been completely remixed and remastered for this EP. Featuring jangling guitars, keyboards, superb vocals and bright melodies, the song is a three-minute classic inspired by the feeling of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

‘Sporting A Scar’ is the first of three additional tracks on the EP—thematically close but more self-reflective than the lead track, with especially superb lyrics and more breezy keyboards. It’s another gem! ‘In An Empty Hotel’ is a short and catchy tune about the clash between hopeful dreams and the practical problems that can occur, while the nearly epic ‘Our Lambrusco Days’ is a slightly sentimental and warm ballad with relatively simple instrumentation and open guitar tuning giving the song a special sound.

Reviewers of the first EP rightly questioned how Northern Portrait could possibly follow such a strong debut single. The band has responded in brilliant fashion, as ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ is another solid contender for single of the year. The bar has been set very high indeed. Limited to 1000 copies in custom minijacket sleeve.

For band photos, soundclips, early reviews and more information please see the catalog and artist pages, or visit the Matinée and Northern Portrait pages on Myspace.

matinée 069
BUBBLEGUM LEMONADE – SUSAN’S IN THE SKY EP

Tracklisting:
1. Susan’s In The Sky
2. Surfin’ USB
3. Just Like You
4. Holocaust

Scottish wonderkids Bubblegum Lemonade debuted early this year with an outstanding single ‘Ten Years Younger’ that earned song of the day honors on influential radio station KEXP and amassed countless positive reviews in the music press including favorable comparisons to influential 60’s popstars (The Velvet Underground, The Monkees, The Byrds) and 80’s indie legends (Jesus and Mary Chain, Razorcuts, Biff Bang Pow!). Before delivering the all important debut album, the band pause for a moment to release a spectacular second EP!

Title track ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ is an everyday tale of an air hostess and her slacker boyfriend caught up in a Romeo and Juliet type scenario. It’s another sunshine wall of pop with Rickenbacker guitars, tambourines and nice organ bits. A short dose of California sunshine perfect for all seasons.

Among the EP’s exclusive extra tracks, the cleverly titled ‘Surfin’ USB’ is a proper jangle with fuzzy guitars and a nice Beach Boys coda, while ‘Just Like You’ continues the California theme in a 150 bpm mini classic drenched in Mary Chain feedback with a mix of fuzz and surf guitars. Closing track ‘Holocaust’ is a superb cover of the legendary Big Star classic featuring a mix of Rickenbacker and acoustic guitars.

Once described as “the perfect C86 pop band that just happened to turn up 22 years behind schedule,” Bubblegum Lemonade deliver instantly memorable songs with brilliant pop melodies. ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ is another remarkable success for Matinée and a vibrant reminder of the essential new pop coming out of Scotland. Limited to 1000 copies in custom minijacket sleeve.

For band photos, soundclips, early reviews and more information please see the catalog and artist pages, or visit the Matinée and Bubblegum Lemonade pages on Myspace.

Both EPs are on all back to school shopping lists so stop by the order page or your favorite shop today! Both EPs should appear on iTunes shortly so if you’re after digital copies your wait is nearly over. You can listen to ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ and ‘I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me’ in their entirety on the Matinée sounds page, or tracks from each EP rotating weekly on MySpace, or 30-second samples of all the songs on iTunes. Enjoy!

Following a down-to-the-wire battle with Bubblegum Lemonade, Northern Portrait has replaced itself atop the Matinée Hit Parade. Here are the top sellers for the month of August:

10. The Lucksmiths – Warmer Corners CD
9. Matinée Recordings t-shirt
8. The Pines – It’s Been A While CD
7. Math and Physics Club – Baby I’m Yours CDEP
6. Strawberry Whiplash – Who’s In Your Dreams CDEP
5. Bubblegum Lemonade – Ten Years Younger CDEP
4. The Electric Pop Group – Sunrise CDEP
3. Northern Portrait – The Fallen Aristocracy CDEP
2. Bubblegum Lemonade – Susan’s In The Sky CDEP
1. Northern Portrait – Napoleon Sweetheart CDEP

Look for more news and exclusive soundclips from new releases in just a few days…

Hey, we’re skipping the beach today to let you know the official release date for sparkling new EPs from Bubblegum Lemonade and Northern Portrait is set for September 2, so march into your favorite shop and demand they secure you copies then, or indulge yourself RIGHT NOW exclusively via the trusty Matinée shop! We have copies shipping daily and we’ll throw in free postcards for you too. Here are the details:

Scottish wonderkids Bubblegum Lemonade debuted early this year with an outstanding single ‘Ten Years Younger’ (matinée 064) that earned song of the day honors on influential radio station KEXP and amassed countless positive reviews in the music press including favorable comparisons to influential 60’s popstars (The Velvet Underground, The Monkees, The Byrds) and 80’s indie legends (Jesus and Mary Chain, Razorcuts, Biff Bang Pow!). Before delivering the all important debut album, the band pause for a moment to release a spectacular second EP (matinée 069)!

Title track ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ is an everyday tale of an air hostess and her slacker boyfriend caught up in a Romeo and Juliet type scenario. It’s another sunshine wall of pop with Rickenbacker guitars, tambourines and nice organ bits. A short dose of California sunshine perfect for all seasons. Among the EP’s exclusive extra tracks, the cleverly titled ‘Surfin’ USB’ is a proper jangle with fuzzy guitars and a nice Beach Boys coda, while ‘Just Like You’ continues the California theme in a 150 bpm mini classic drenched in Mary Chain feedback with a mix of fuzz and surf guitars. Closing track ‘Holocaust’ is a superb cover of the legendary Big Star classic featuring a mix of Rickenbacker and acoustic guitars.

Once described as “the perfect C86 pop band that just happened to turn up 22 years behind schedule,” Bubblegum Lemonade deliver instantly memorable songs with brilliant pop melodies. ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ is another remarkable success for Matinée and a vibrant reminder of the essential new pop coming out of Scotland. The single is limited to 1000 copies in our patented custom minijacket sleeve and it’s a nice one!

Also now available is the stunning second single from new Matinée favorites Northern Portrait! Upon release of their debut ‘The Fallen Aristocracy’ EP (matinée 068) earlier this year, the accolades started pouring in for this new Danish band: “as perfect as jangling guitar pop can get”… “an instant classic”… “the bar has been set very high indeed”…“these songs are second to none”… “outstanding is an understatement”…“a modern pop classic”…“single of the year!” The EP has topped the Matinée best sellers chart every month since its release with good reason.

On the highly anticipated ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ EP (matinée 070), the band worked to expand its sound slightly while retaining the classic appeal of its debut. The brilliant lead track ‘I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me’ was the second song ever recorded by the band but has been completely remixed and remastered for this EP. Featuring jangling guitars, keyboards, superb vocals and bright melodies, the song is a three-minute classic inspired by the feeling of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. ‘Sporting A Scar’ is the first of three additional tracks on the EP—thematically close but more self-reflective than the lead track, with especially superb lyrics and more breezy keyboards. It’s another gem! ‘In An Empty Hotel’ is a short and catchy tune about the clash between hopeful dreams and the practical problems that can occur, while the nearly epic ‘Our Lambrusco Days’ is a slightly sentimental and warm ballad with relatively simple instrumentation and open guitar tuning giving the song a special sound.

Reviews of the first EP rightly questioned how Northern Portrait could possibly follow such a strong debut single. The band has responded in brilliant fashion, as ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ is another solid contender for single of the year. The bar has been set very high indeed. This one’s also strictly limited to 1000 copies in a deluxe matte finish minijacket and you know you need one of those.

Cool kids are doing their back to school shopping early and picking up both EPs so get to the order page to secure yours today. Both EPs should appear on iTunes early next month so if you’re after digital copies your wait is nearly over. You can listen to ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ and ‘I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me’ in their entirety on the Matinée sounds page, or tracks from each EP rotating weekly on MySpace. Enjoy!

In other top news, we are working on artwork for our next batch of releases which include magnificent new albums from Would-Be-Goods, The Lucksmiths, Bubblegum Lemonade and The Guild League! In the next few weeks we’ll be adding release details and exclusive song previews to the website and featuring a variety of the new songs on MySpace so stop on by if you’re keen to hear some fresh new music. Everything should be underway by the end of the month and you won’t believe how good these are. Watch this space…

Hey, it’s summer in California so can you forgive us for not sitting in front of the computer lately? We’ve amazing news to share but it will have to wait a few more weeks as we pull it all together. Now, where’s that suntan lotion?

In the meantime, Northern Portrait make it five consecutive months atop the Matinée hit parade! Here are the top sellers for June and July combined:

10. The Hermit Crabs – Saw You Dancing CD
9. Brighter – Singles CD
8. The Pines – It’s Been A While CD
7. The Lucksmiths – Spring A Leak 2xCD
6. Various Artists – The Matinée Hit Parade CD
5. Math and Physics Club – Baby I’m Yours CDEP
4. Strawberry Whiplash – Who’s In Your Dreams CDEP
3. Bubblegum Lemonade – Ten Years Younger CDEP
2. The Electric Pop Group – Sunrise CDEP
1. Northern Portrait – The Fallen Aristocracy CDEP

Back in a jiffy…

New single alert! We are thrilled to report that the already rich Matinée singles discography will become all the richer with two brand new EPs this summer:

First up, Bubblegum Lemonade follow the success of their debut ‘Ten Years Younger’ EP (matinée 064) with an even stronger second single, ‘Susan’s In The Sky’! This classic new EP (matinée 069) features four songs that practically ooze sunshine and should soon be the soundtrack to your summer. The title track is one of the best songs we’ve heard in a long while and a quick scan of our recent releases will demonstrate just what caliber we’re talking about. No sense describing it for you though as it’s just been added to the Matinée sounds page and is also featured this week on Myspace. ‘Susan’ will appear on the debut Bubblegum Lemonade album later this year, but the remaining three EP tracks—‘Surfin’ USB’, ‘Just Like You’ and ‘Holocaust’—are exclusive to this release and oh so essential. Three songs are Bubblegum Lemonade originals while ‘Holocaust’ is a cover of the legendary Big Star classic. The master has just arrived so it’s off to the pressing plant this week and we should have copies in hand by early July with an official release date later in the month. Look for your chance to preorder it in a few weeks!

Also on course for release this summer is the superb second single from new Danish favorites Northern Portrait! Following closely on the heels of the debut ‘The Fallen Aristocracy’ EP (matinée 068), the brand new four track ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ EP (matinée 070) is another solid contender for single of the year. Featuring the brilliant lead track ‘I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me’ along with new gems ‘In An Empty Hotel,’ ‘Sporting A Scar’ and ‘Our Lambrusco Days,’ the EP should see the light just after the Bubblegum Lemonade single in July. We are still waiting on the master to arrive so no promises on the release date just yet but you can listen to the lead track now playing on the Matinée sounds page and also this week on Myspace. It’s another hit for sure! The debut Northern Portrait EP is outselling everything else in the Matinée catalog for the third month in a row and we expect swift returns on this new EP too so watch the order page as we’ll start taking preorders for this in a few weeks as well.

In other top news, The Hermit Crabs play their very first US shows this month as part of the New York City popfest! They are on the agenda for the Sunday June 15th 2pm recovery BBQ and farewell show at Union Pool with Australian legends The Cannanes among others. See previous link for complete popfest details. The Hermit Crabs have also just confirmed a show in Boston on June 19th but we don’t have the details on that just yet so best to check the band’s Myspace page for details. Wow, they have a lot of friends don’t they? I wonder if all 6000 are going to these shows? Better get your tickets soon! The band is playing in support of last year’s debut album ‘Saw You Dancing’ (matcd046) which continues to collect fantastic reviews as evidenced on the catalog page. They are a treat on the live front too, so make plans to catch them on this all-too-brief US visit. If you’re lucky they may preview songs from their upcoming new EP. Hurrah for Scottish pop!

Our spring clearance sale was such a success that we are extending the sale prices for another two weeks through June 15th. Don’t miss this opportunity to pick up classic Matinée back catalog releases and some new ones as well at bargain prices! There is something for every budget with 7” singles starting at just $1, cd singles at $2 and CD albums at $5. Check the order page for details as some titles are available in limited quantities.

Finally, Northern Portrait continues to rule the Matinée hit parade. Here are the top sellers for the month of May:

10. Brighter – Out To Sea CD
9. The Hermit Crabs – Saw You Dancing CD
8. Various Artists – The Matinée Hit Parade CD
7. The Hermit Crabs – Feel Good Factor CDEP
6. The Lucksmiths – Spring A Leak 2xCD
5. Strawberry Whiplash – Who’s In Your Dreams CDEP
4. Math and Physics Club – Math and Physics Club CD
3. Bubblegum Lemonade – Ten Years Younger CDEP
2. The Electric Pop Group – Sunrise CDEP
1. Northern Portrait – The Fallen Aristocracy CDEP