Hello pop lovers and happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate it! I happen to love it but my wife is not such a
fan so we tend to splash out on other minor February holidays like Groundhog Day instead. Funny thing though…
here in California they don’t make as big a deal over Groundhog Day as they do on the East coast because the
weather is always pretty nice. For those of you from other countries who have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s
not important… just a silly American holiday celebrating or mourning the remaining weeks of winter but it’s all a
sham anyway. Especially when your winter is 70 degrees every day. But back to pop music…
We are on the brink of a great run of new singles, with five new releases in about as many weeks! First up is the
brand new 5-tracker from Simpático I mentioned last month. Called the “Club Life” EP
(matinée 044), it features five of the strongest songs to date from our jet-setting
Jason Sweeney and the first new material since “The Difference Between Alone & Lonely”
(matcd016) album last March. The most upbeat song penned by Jason since
the days of Sweet William, the title track contains a smart electronic edge that makes it thoroughly modern and a
potential dancefloor filler if we lived in a more tolerable universe. The full tracklisting and a soundclip of “Club Life”
can be found on the catalog page, and you can preorder this title on the
order page now for delivery on the official release date of March 10th. In other Simpático
news, one of Jason’s many 2003 projects is a grand plan to create a series of videos for Simpático songs and the
first of these (“Arrogance”, taken from the last LP) is now up on the band website.
Following on the 24th of March is the second single from Nottingham tunesmiths The Liberty Ship! The
band released its debut “I Guess You Didn’t See Her” 7″ last summer to general applause and positive reviews that
drew comparisons to heavy hitters like the Weather Prophets, East Village, Hurrah! and even the Byrds. Now
they’re back with four enticing new songs on the “Northern Angel” EP (matinée 046)
and we think it’s just swell. The title track has perfectly jangling guitars, harmonica, tambourine and one of the
catchiest choruses we’ve heard in a long while. It will have you shaking your hip like a beatnik in four minutes flat.
The EP also includes “This World” and “Small Lives” (both with Marc Elston on lead vox) and “Final Kick” featuring
more mean tambourine and ‘shipmate Rachel Eyres at the helm. You all know what Marc sounds like from the first
Liberty Ship 7″ and his previous hits as Bulldozer Crash, but wait until you fall in love with Rachel’s voice before you
ascertain your opinion of this exciting young band. A soundclip of the lead track is up now on the
sounds page, so have a listen and check back soon to order your very own copy.
In what seems to be par for the course these days, vinyl singles tend to face absurd delays before finally seeing
the light of day. I suppose that’s one reason why most other indie labels have abandoned them? Following a fairly
ordinary delay and a fairly extraordinary delay, we are proud to announce release dates for new 7″ singles by The
Young Tradition and The Snowdrops!
The Young Tradition 7″ (matinée 043) is the first fruit of a partnership
between a Swedish lad named Erik Hanspers and fellow Californian Brent Kenji (The Fairways, Uni, The Guild
League). The two have still not met, collaborating instead through the marvels of our international postal service
and a keen shared sense of songwriting. For their debut they chose the songs “California Morning” and “All Up
To Me” and what wise choices! Both songs are beautifully orchestrated, with jangling guitars, keyboards, trumpet,
rich melodies and superb vocals that will cause you to return the needle to the start to have another listen again
and again. We’re completely hooked and already look forward to future recordings from this unique band. The
single will be released on March 31st, but you can have a listen now to the “California Morning” soundclip on the
sounds page. We’ll be adding a Young Tradition artist page to the site very soon.
The Snowdrops 7″ (matinée 029) is a double A-side featuring “Mad World”
and “Don’t Buy Anything” and as we mentioned in various news updates during the past 16 months, one of those is
a cover of a massive hit by Tears for Fears that all of you know and love (unless you are 19 or younger, in which
case you may not have heard it since it was originally released 20 years ago). So yes, we faced some
extraordinary delays with the single for various reasons but now we are prepared to come clean and admit that it
was all just a stalling tactic so we could release it EXACTLY 20 years after the original (which in our version of the
history of the world was released on March 31st,1983 so we’ll release our version on March 31st as well). Of
course, I made some or most of that up. The release date is for real though. The band is an occasional
collaboration of indie legends Keith Girdler (Beaumont, Blueboy, Arabesque, Lovejoy), Dick Preece (Lovejoy,
Beaumont) and Pam Berry (The Pines, Shapiros, Glo Worm, Castaway Stones, Black Tambourine, etc.) so it’s a
no brainer for most of you and will probably sell out rather quickly. Fact. Which is good because the catalog
number is matinée 29 so it should be getting on in age by now anyway. We’ll be adding a Snowdrops artist page
to the site and a soundclip shortly, but for now, why not check out the handsome new
Snowdrops website hosted by those crafty kids at IndiePages?
Completing a March 31st trifecta is a single that will take even the most devout Matinée insiders by surprise. The
“A is for Alphabet” EP (matinée 047) from Razorcuts is a 5-track CDEP
combining one song from last October’s “R is for Razorcuts” CD with four beloved Razorcuts classics that for
various reasons (mostly the fact that it already had 21 songs on it!) were left off the compilation. Given the
excessive praise for the CD, we have breathed new life into four more songs to craft a sublime EP that should
make a lot of you smile from ear to ear. Joining the title track on this EP is the final song from the Flying Nun 12″
(“First Day”), another magnificent album cut from The World Keeps Turning (“Snowbound”) and two rarities from the
sought-after 7″ on Bob Stanley’s Caff label (“Sometimes I Worry About You” and “For Always”). All songs have
been remastered to sound extra sparkly. Full details and a soundclip for the title track are up now on the
catalog page.
There may be a sixth single out by the end of March too but Airport Girl is being rather taciturn about it at
the moment. I think it will look like the image at right and I think it will contain four songs…the title track “Do You
Dream In Colour?” plus “When You Fall” (previewed on last August’s Matinée Summer Splash CD), “Been Waiting”
and “Easier to Smile” which may or may not feature some bongo playing and handclaps and backing vocals by
yours truly while I was in Nottingham last summer. Sorry for being rather vague but that’s all I know at the moment.
It may come out in March or it could be September. The catalog number is matinée 037 for anyone who keeps
tracks of these things. For now, you can hear a soundclip for “When You Fall” on the current
sounds page.
In addition to these superb singles, we are finalizing work on a few new albums. The “France on a Bicycle”
compilation (matcd010) is still in progress, but there is not much to say about it other than what we reported
last month.
I can, however, provide some details on the spunky new Sportique mini-album “Communiqué no.9”
(matcd024) because we have just had the pleasure of a nice California visit from
Mr. Gregory Webster himself! In addition to his daily duties of helping me carry loads of mailorder parcels off to the
post office and selecting which of the delicious Santa Barbara eateries we would try for lunch, he also delivered
some mighty fine master tapes for this forthcoming classic! It’s an 8-song mini-lp and we are working again with
WIAIWYA Records to release this on CD and lovely 10″ vinyl. The full
tracklisting is: 1.The Edgeware Kick-back; 2.Arthouse Cinemas; 3.Angry Street; 4.Other Peoples’ Girlfriends;
5.Tips for Artists Who Want To Sell Records; 6.Stereotype; 7.Communiqué no.9; 8.Requiem for the Avant-Garde.
Anyone who saw Sportique live in the past 12 months will recognize a few of these hits. Our current favorite is
“Other Peoples’ Girlfriends” which is now playing on the sounds page so go have a
listen! The scheduled release date is April 28th, and full details are up now on the
catalog page.
The “Matinée 50” compilation is coming together nicely too, with new versions of classic Matinée hits by The
Lucksmiths, Sportique, The Windmills, Airport Girl, Would-Be-Goods, The Siddeleys, Harper Lee, Razorcuts, The
Visitors, Melodie Group and more reinterpreted by just about everyone who has ever recorded for the label.
Sixteen tracks are confirmed to date, and the few we’ve heard are great! We’ll keep the tracklisting a secret for
awhile longer, but pencil this in as a May release.
If live music is your thing, we have details on some rare appearances by Matinée artists over the next two weeks.
First off, The Windmills play three UK dates: February 21st at Agricultural College in Chelmsford, February
22nd at The Grand in Leigh on Sea, and February 24th at The Dublin Castle in London. Check the
Windmills website for last minute details, and come say hello if you
are at the London show. I’ll be the nerd in the audience with a lousy new haircut (who knew you needed to be
fluent in Spanish to get a decent haircut in California?)
Two days later we’ll be in Spain for the first ever continental dates from Lovejoy and Harper Lee!
Join us February 26th in Barcelona (Sala Razzmatazz 3), February 28th in Madrid (Sala Barbarella) and March 1st
in La Coruña (Sala Playa Club). All dates are with Trembling Blue Stars. The previously scheduled Valencia date
on the 27th fell through but the bands will be busy with interviews and a radio show that day and there may be
another Madrid date added so check the Canciones Huérfanas
website for the latest. Muchas gracias to Angel of Canciones Huérfanas for coordinating the shows!
The Matinée mailorder will be closed from February 19th through March 5th while we are in London and Spain,
but we will be answering emails from the road and can ship all orders when we return on the 6th.
In press action, check out a groovy new interview with Roy Thirlwall of Melodie Group on the Pennyblack
website in which he talks about changing the name of his band every so often to keep things fresh. Close to
40 reviews of recent releases have come in since the last update and they are all now posted to the release pages
accessed via the catalog page. Some of our favorite quotes include:
“… a gem of a record that swings, sashays and skips through grey urban streets pricked with the hope of Spring.
Private Transport is a gorgeous album that holds an enviable arsenal of talent and texture, and is certainly one of
the delights of the year so far.” Tangents
“There is a strong balance of dynamics throughout with a nice mix of up-tempo tracks and ballads and even a
dazzling near-a cappella tune, the album-closer “A Faraway Place.” Private Transport is an early favorite for an
indie pop best of 2003 list.” All Music Guide
“An interesting, intelligent diversion of pop… Updownaround is a fine debut album from a proven talent.”
Mundane Sounds
“This is just perfect jangle pop that will make any fans of East Village and Go Betweens very happy!
Recommended!!” Pop Polar
“I happen to think Pipas are the brightest stars in the Matinée constellation. The shyness of their last EP has been
usurped by a glowing self-confidence. There are tints of Birdie, Stereolab, Strawberry Switchblade in here but
there’s a freshness and continentalism to their sound. … ‘Barbapapa’ is St. Eteinne’s ‘Nothing Can Stop Us’ but
from the rough side of town.” Wide Open Road
“Such is the sound of Pipas, who have made one of the sweetest pop albums of the year and which, incidentally,
with “Being with you is like killing Bob Dylan – if I had to do it I would die.” contains the year’s finest line too. Get
’em while they’re hot.” Careless Talk Costs Lives
“Razorcuts always sounded like the greatest summer of your life, three minutes at a time. Listening to R is for…,
a 21-track collection of the group’s recordings, one can scarcely believe the songwriting partnership of Tim Vass
and Gregory Webster was a product of such an aesthetically unforgiving era; but this, too, is why it now transcends
it.” Exclaim Magazine
“Razorcuts, at their finest, were the sounds of innocent abandon on acid; naiveté on speed. Or alternatively the
music of a heaven where the headline band is Curt Boettcher jamming with Joey and Dee Dee. That good. That
special.” Careless Talk Costs Lives
“The Lucksmiths are making the best music of their career and this disc is an essential part of any indie pop
collection.” All Music Guide
“The Lucksmiths make me smile, The Lucksmiths let the sunlight creep from behind the clouds and guide it
streaming through the windows, catching the cigarette smoke curling through the room.”
Tangents
“Melancholy often goes down best with superbly crafted melodies and harmonies; these two songs are more proof
of that.” Erasing Clouds
“…road music at its finest, and the lingering sentiments of “Desert Song” in particular hang long in the mind.”
In Love With These Times
“The amount and quality of territory covered by the Windmills on 2002’s Walking Around the World EP is staggering,
and that it is done with such grace and confidence should make listeners eager to hear what these British lads will
accomplish with their next LP.” All Music Guide
Finally, the top sellers from the month of January:
10. Slipslide – Four Day Weekend CDEP
9. The Windmills – Walking Around The World CDEP
8. The Lucksmiths – Midweek Midmorning CDEP
7. The Liberty Ship – I Guess You Didn’t See Her 7″
6. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
5. Various – Matinée Summer Splash! CD
4. Kosmonaut – Desert Song 7″
3. Melodie Group – Updownaround CD
2. Razorcuts – R is for…Razorcuts CD
1. The Guild League – Private Transport CD
Hope to see some of you in London or Spain later this month.
adios!
Jimmy
x