Happy Valentine’s Day pop lovers! Our gift to you this month is a stack of brand new certified POP! recordings
from the Matinée hit factory so settle into your chair for the latest news…
A fitting start to this Valentine newsletter is the release today of the new album ‘Everybody Hates’ (matcd035)
by Lovejoy! Worth the wait you ask? Of course! The third album from Seaford’s finest is the follow-up to the
classic ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ album in 2002. Since then, Lovejoy has contributed tracks to several top
indie compilations, released a 45 on fashionable UK label Unpopular Records, and played a handful of notable
shows in England, Spain and Sweden. Expanding on the multilayered sound of previous releases with a refined mix
of guitars, keyboards, and percussion plus irresistible melodies and exceptional harmonies, ‘Everybody Hates’
contains nine new Lovejoy compositions including the radio friendly hits ‘Sid Vicious’ and ‘Petrol Stars’ plus a
sparkling cover of ‘Drug Autumn’ by Matinée labelmates The Windmills. Featuring literate songs peppered with
commentary on the music business, relationships, politics and pop culture, ‘Everybody Hates’ is undoubtedly the
strongest Lovejoy release yet. See the catalog and sounds
pages for full tracklisting and soundclips. All CD preorders were mailed today, and if you didn’t preorder you can
get your very own copy now on the order page. The CD will be available in shops from
next week.
The ‘Fools in Love’ CDEP (matinée 054) from The Happy Couple is the
first of three great new CD singles released on February 28th. The first German act on the Matinée roster, The
Happy Couple is a duo of Janehoney and Tom Hilverkus who live in Hamburg and also run the excellent
Félicité Singles Club record label. Among their fine releases is the debut
Happy Couple 45 the ‘Four Seasons’ EP for which hip Swedish fanzine Try Happiness concluded “they do
everything just right.” And that, my friends, is all you need to know about The Happy Couple. This new four song
EP is an instant classic incorporating all the right influences but with a modern sound: lead track ‘Another Sunny
Day’ sounds nothing like the band of the same name but perhaps a little bit like Sarah labelmates Even As We
Speak. ‘Hopeless Case’ and ‘The Pop Kid’ could double as long lost Shop Assistants gems, while ‘Don’t Call It’
recalls classic recordings from Marine Girls or Revolving Paint Dream. As if that weren’t enough to sell you, the
single was masterfully produced by Ulric Kennedy (The Golden Dawn, The Catalysts, The Void, The Mixers) and
Dannie Vallely (The Void, The Catalysts) who collectively helped provide a bright glossy finish to the four songs.
In reviewing an advance copy of the single, English e-zine Speakers
Push The Air declared ‘Another Sunny Day is anything but another indie pop song. On the contrary, here’s
one that keener-eared radio programmers should immediately slot in to the same schedule space once occupied
by the Boo Radleys’ ‘Wake Up Boo!’: the hallowed three and a half minute pop turf leading us out of the news and
weather. It’s immediate, it’s pop in bloom and it deserves to be ear candy for the nation this spring.” We couldn’t
have said it better. Fans of Pipas, Tender Trap, Club 8 and The Pines take notice! You can listen to ‘Another Sunny
Day’ on the catalog or sounds pages now, and order
the EP exclusively from the Matinée mailorder as well. The official release date is
February 28th but we’ll have copies available this week if you just can’t wait.
Also out February 28th is the debut ‘Weekends Away’ CDEP (matinée 056) from
Seattle quintet Math and Physics Club! The first American band to join the Matinée roster in five years,
Math and Physics Club are really something special and fully justify the media frenzy around them already.
Respected Seattle radio station KEXP awarded them ‘Your New Favorite Band’ status last month and has played
several songs from the forthcoming single already. The station also hosted the band in-studio last month for a live
performance and interview and invited them back for another visit March 9 at 9:00 am Pacific time. KEXP streams
live on the web so if you don’t live in Seattle you can listen online by clicking here.
The debut EP includes the wonderful title track plus ‘Sixteen and Pretty,’ ‘Love, Again’ and ‘When We Get
Famous’…four A-sides with jangling guitars, expert drumming, tambourines, violin, handclaps and keyboards plus
excellent lyrics. Fans of The Smiths, The Housemartins, Trash Can Sinatras or The Lucksmiths will be delighted by
this release and it is merely the beginning of the superb songs the band has to offer. You can listen to ‘Weekends
Away’ on the catalog or sounds pages, and order the
EP exclusively from the Matinée mailorder right now! The official release is February 28th
but we’ll have copies available this week so you can be the first kid on your block with a copy. Preorders are very
strong already so some of you will have to settle with being second on your block but hey, that’s pretty cool too.
Now if anyone can follow the preceding two paragraphs of superlatives it’s our old friends The Lucksmiths
with the splendid new ‘San Francisco’ EP (matinée 057)! Featuring new songs
‘The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco,’ ‘Young and Dumb,’ and ‘The Winter Proper’ plus a brilliant cover
of the adored Bee Gees’ classic ‘I Started A Joke,’ the EP is the band’s first release since 2003’s ‘A Little
Distraction’ (matcd027) and is co-released with Australian label
Candle Records. The lead track is taken from a forthcoming
Lucksmiths album scheduled for release in April, while the other three are non-album tracks exclusive to this
release. You can listen to ‘The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco’ on the catalog
or sounds pages, and order the EP exclusively from the Matinée mailorder
right now too. The official release is February 28th but we’ll have copies available this week so get in on some
new Lucksmiths action today! The band is currently booking a short US tour for late April and early May including
tentative dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Grand Rapids, New York, Philadelphia,
and Washington. More tour details coming very soon!
Already featured on new release shelves across the globe is the fantastic ‘Chunnel Autumnal’ CD
(matcd036) from Pipas! This CD is a reissue of the sold out Pipas
debut originally released on 10” vinyl in 2001. At the time, Pipas were just another unknown South London duo
writing songs to record on their laptops but since then have become an international sensation…selling thousands
of records, topping countless year-end lists, and charming live audiences in England, Scotland, Spain, Sweden,
Italy, Denmark, Australia, USA and Greece. Needless to say the original pressing of 300 was not sufficient to meet
demand and as a result the eight songs that comprised the 10” achieved a legendary status with many fans only
hearing the songs live or on tape. This reissue CD adds three bonus tracks from the debut Matinée 45, ‘A Short
Film About Sleeping,’ collecting all Pipas songs previously unavailable on CD into one handy package. See the
catalog and sounds pages for the tracklisting and
soundclips. The CD is available from the Matinée mailorder and in shops now but since
nearly every recent order has contained one of these you knew that already right? A little bird told me we may have
some US dates for Pipas in 2005 so watch this space for details.
Also flying off the shelves is the latest in the series of Matinée seasonal samplers ‘The Matinée Winter
Warmer’ (matinée 055). The CD features exclusive new songs, rarities and
seasonal classics from top Matinée artists The Fairways, Harper Lee, The Liberty Ship, Lovejoy, The Lucksmiths,
Melodie Group, The Pines, Pipas, Slipslide and The Windmills and as with all Matinée seasonal samplers it sells
for the price of a single so it’s a great way to catch up with some of the current bands on the label. In reviewing the
CD, the impeccable editors at Tasty zine
said “the usual suspects line up for the seasonal round of exceptional indie tunes on the finest label in the world”
while Erasing Clouds advised “pay
attention to Matinée in 2005…as always they have a lot of great music in store for us.” Check out the catalog
and sounds pages for full tracklisting and soundclips. The CD is available from the
Matinée mailorder or in shops now!
Now scheduled for March release is the debut album ‘Summertime?’ (matcd037)
from Brazilian popstars Pale Sunday! Since release of the wonderful “A Weekend With Jane” EP
(matinée 049) in 2003, the band has contributed brilliant tracks to the ‘Matinée 50’
(matinée 050) and ‘Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware’ (matcd030)
compilations while writing and recording the 10 new songs for this highly anticipated album. The full tracklisting is
1. The White Tambourine; 2. Mary; 3. Sunday Morning; 4. Twiggy Superstar; 5. My Punk Girl; 6. Sweet Goodbye;
7. A Safe Place; 8. 1978; 9. She’ll Never Be Mine; 10. Strangeways. Soundclips are now playing on the
catalog and sounds pages. We will divulge
complete release details and start taking preorders next month.
Also scheduled for March release is the debut album ‘Northern Drive’ (matcd038)
from The Young Tradition! Heralded for producing its classic debut single “California Morning”
(matinée 043) entirely through the post, the duo of Erik Hanspers and Brent Kenji
(former lead singer of The Fairways) met in San Francisco to record this album and the result is an outstanding mix
of classic indiepop and AM radio softpop. The full tracklisting is 1. Gone Are The Days; 2. California Morning; 3.
Pink Opaque; 4. Footprints; 5. Triangle; 6. Northern Drive; 7. Now You Know; 8. Whores; 9. Endlessly; 10.
Everything We Knew. Soundclips are now playing on the catalog and
sounds pages. We will reveal more details and start taking preorders next month.
The latest reviews for recent albums from The Guild League, Harper Lee, Would-Be-Goods
and The Fairways are now posted on their catalog pages. Surely you have copies already but if not you
may wish to get straight to the order page to remedy that situation.
As expected, Pipas topped the January hit parade with the new ‘Chunnel Autumnal’ CD. Here are the top sellers
for the month:
10. Would-Be-Goods – The Morning After CD
9. Harper Lee – All Things Can Be Mended CD
8. Various – Romantic and Square Is Hip and Aware CD
7. The Guild League – Inner North CD
6. Matinée 45 holiday ornament
5. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
4. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
3. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
2. Various – The Matinée Winter Warmer CD
1. Pipas – Chunnel Autumnal CD
adios,
Jimmy!