Whew! Right down to the wire getting in a March update but then again, there are other things happening in the world
so I suppose we can be excused. You’ve undoubtedly reached this page because you are looking for an escape, so
escape we shall give you in the form of some overdue pop music news!
Out now and (as Madonna once sang) causing a commotion is the brand new “Club Life” EP (matinée 044) from Simpático. Five of the greatest songs EVER penned by Jason
Sweeney on one convenient EP is just too much to miss. While reviews of the Simpático album “The Difference
Between Alone & Lonely” (matcd016) were uniformly excellent, we doubt anyone
could have predicted the quality of this new EP. The most upbeat song penned by Jason since the days of Sweet
William, “Club Life” boasts a hypnotic rhythm track that could make it a potential dancefloor filler if we lived in a more
tolerable universe. The balance of the EP further hones the characteristic Simpático recipe of atmospheric pop blending
layered, swirling guitars with keyboards, heaps of reverb, exceptional songwriting and warm, emotional vocals. The
tracklisting and a soundclip of “Club Life” can be found on the catalog page and your
very own copy can be obtained now via the order page so get it.
Also out now is the second single from Nottingham quartet The Liberty Ship! Last summer, their debut single
“I Guess You Didn’t See Her” (matinée 036) earned them a clutch of favorable reviews
and new fans across the globe. Following the addition of a drummer and a number of successful live dates in the UK,
the band is back with the solid four-song “Northern Angel” CDEP (matinée 046). The
title track has nice jangling guitars, harmonica, tambourine and one of the catchiest choruses we’ve heard in a long
while. Listen for yourself on either the catalog page or the sounds page and you’ll see what I mean. The three b-sides are all great too, especially
“Final Kick” featuring some beautiful lead female vocals.
Following last October’s retrospective collection “R is for.. Razorcuts” (matcd012),
we have managed to negotiate the release of a further EP worth of songs from the Razorcuts archive, combining
lead cut “A is for Alphabet” from the aforementioned retrospective with four more beloved and much requested classics.
The signature Razorcuts jangle is in full effect throughout this EP, from the formative simplistic beauty of rare early demo
tracks “Sometimes I Worry About You” and “For Always” to the Gene Clark inspired lushness of “Snowbound.” It
makes a fine companion to the recent retrospective album or a fantastic introductory sampler in its own right. Check
out the title track now playing on the sounds page, and feel free to preorder this EP now via
the order page. The official release date is April 14th but we should have copies sooner than
that.
Pale Sunday is a very exciting new band from Brazil and their debut “A Weekend With Jane” EP (matinée 049) will be on every hipster’s shopping list when it comes out April 21st. While
demonstrating a love for classic bands from the Creation and Sarah rosters, the band manages to sound entirely modern
with four of the catchiest songs we have heard in a long while. Think perfectly jangling and sometimes fuzzy guitars,
sing-along choruses, superb melodies and sha-la-la’s set upon a beefy rhythm track and you’ll have an idea of what we
mean. The title track is now spinning on the sounds page and we’ll soon start taking
preorders so get ready for your new favorite band!
Also now scheduled for the 21st is the debut single from The Snowdrops! I am beginning to feel like the boy
who cried wolf in describing this single and most of our regular readers could probably write this paragraph for me. For
those that couldn’t, what we have here is a double A-side 7″ (matinée 029) featuring
“Mad World” and “Don’t Buy Anything” and 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.) Just so you know we’re not bluffing again, we’re now featuring “Don’t
Buy Anything” on the sounds page and we have the vinyl in our hands. Once we have
assurance that the sleeves are on course for delivery we’ll start accepting preorders. Next month this will be squarely
in the released category or I will fire myself and get somebody in here to run things a bit better in the future. The band
is in action once again with a song just completed for the Matinée 50 compilation and thousands of ideas for the
follow-up release which we (that’s me or the new guy I’m hiring…pay attention!) will get in your hands in record speed.
Now, the debut 7″ from The Young Tradition (matinée 043) is somewhat out of
my hands as we await the delivery of yet another test pressing…but we’ve been assured this is the one that will set the
world on fire. We’ve told you their story before…two chaps named Erik Hanspers and Brent Kenji who have never
actually met but have created two of the finest popsongs nevertheless. Of course Brent has some experience in these
matters, having created some very fine popsongs for Matinée in the past with his group The Fairways and also as a collaborator in the very fine Guild League. The songs on this 7″ are called “California Morning” and “All Up To
Me” and both are beautifully orchestrated, with jangling guitars, keyboards, trumpet, rich melodies and superb vocals.
You can listen to “California Morning” on the sounds page now, and we’ll start accepting
preorders once we have a schedule for vinyl delivery.
Note to self: why are we still releasing vinyl singles?
Finishing off the month April 28th is the new mini-album “Communiqué No. 9” (matcd024) from Sportique! Their first release since their astounding “Modern
Museums” (matcd015) album last January, the album includes eight new songs and
will be released on CD and very limited 10″ vinyl in conjunction with WIAIWYA
Records. Produced by the hottest property in London right now – Liam Watson at Toerag – this is the sound of
music stripped of artifice…eight fantastic new songs that will instantly lodge in your brain. Our favorite “Other Peoples’
Girlfriends” is now spinning on the sounds page, and we will begin accepting preorders
shortly on the order page once advance copies arrive at Matinée HQ. The band will preview
the album at three UK dates later this month (details below).
Coming up in May are great new releases from Airport Girl and Slipslide! The “Do You Dream In Colour?” CDEP
(matinée 037) from Airport Girl will in fact have the tracklisting I suggested it
might last month, with “When You Fall”, “Easier to Smile” and “Been Waiting” joining the title track for one fantastic little
EP. It is the first release from our Nottingham pals since 2001’s album “Honey, I’m An Artist” (matcd011) and what a welcome return it is! Check out “When You Fall” up now on the
sounds page.
The debut album from Slipslide is also nearly finished and scheduled for May release. Entitled “The World Can
Wait” (matcd025), the album includes 11 new classics from the Graeme Elston
school of melodies and is the first Slipslide release since the superb “Sleeptalk” 7″ (matinée
031) in 2001. The tracklisting for the album is: 1. Sleeptalk, 2. Back To Work, 3. Baked Alaska, 4. The Right Time,
5. Watching, Waiting, 6. Halfway Over Town, 7. Signs Of Life, 8. X Supplies The Answer, 9. Palm House Crawling, 10.
Will You Lead Me?, 11. The World Can Wait. We expect it will take the world by storm so prepare to be dazzled.
There is an audio clip on the sounds page now for “Baked Alaska” so have a listen.
Two releases stuck in the art department include the now mythical “France On A Bicycle” compilation (matcd010) which
is nearly ready to go except I hate the cover I’ve designed …and the debut Matinée single from The Pines!
Entitled “True Love Waits, Volume 2” (matinée 048), the CDEP includes the tracks Ungrammatical, Anita O’Day, Marie
Claire, Familiar, and The Rest. I have changed my mind six times about which is my favorite, but today I’ll give the nod
to “Familiar” since we already posted it to the sounds page for your listening pleasure.
More on these releases next month.
The deadline for artist submissions to the “Matinée 50” compilation is coming up, and it looks to be a brilliant
album from start to finish. We have songs confirmed from Airport Girl, The Fairways, The Guild League, Harper Lee,
Kosmonaut, The Liberty Ship, Lovejoy, The Lucksmiths, Melodie Group, Pale Sunday, The Pines, Pipas, Simpático,
Slipslide, The Snowdrops, Sportique, The Visitors, Gregory Webster, The Windmills, and Would-Be-Goods, and there
may be at least one more if all goes as planned. They are all covers of songs previously released by another band on
Matinée, including most of the artists just mentioned plus The Siddeleys, Edson, and Monterey. Everything we have so
far is superb, but expect a few surprises because many of the bands are branching beyond the realm of their usual
sound for a unique take on an old classic. Every day is like Christmas around here as we receive masters for this very
special compilation, and we’ll be working hard to get it ready for release as soon as possible. We will reveal the full
tracklisting in the next update.
In addition to Matinée 50, the summer should bring new releases from Pipas, Lovejoy, Harper
Lee, The Windmills, The Fairways, The Lucksmiths and a very special retrospective
CD from a band you all know and love, so stay tuned.
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In live reports, three cheers for Angel at Canciones Huérfanas for
his splendid job coordinating Spanish dates for Harper Lee and Lovejoy last month. It was all rather
hectic but what a fantastic week! The Spanish crowds were unbelievably enthusiastic and genuinely gracious. It was
nice to meet so many people who appreciate the work of the bands and the label and we will hopefully be back in Spain
for more Matinée events later this year.
In addition to packed shows in Barcelona, Madrid and La Coruña, the bands performed acoustic sessions for
Radio Nacional de España and Viaje A Los Sueños Polares, and we were
interviewed by RNE in Madrid and Radio Ciutat Vella in Barcelona. Muchas gracias to Angel for coordinating everything,
driving us through the Spanish towns and countryside, and accommodating our challenging vegetarian requests.
Thanks also to Luis, Munci and Rafa at Elefant Records for their splendid
hospitality, Julio Ruíz at RNE for the excellent radio broadcast, Edu and everyone else at Radio Ciutat Vella, Señor
Sound for his technical wizardry, and all the wonderful people we met across Spain.
If you missed it, here are a few photos from our journey: Lovejoy at Sala Barbarella in Madrid, Harper Lee at Sala
Barbarella in Madrid, and all of us at the RNE studio (left to right: Dick (Lovejoy), Luis (Elefant), Angel (Canciones
Huerfanas), Munci (Elefant), Jimmy (Matinée), Julio (RNE), Alex (Harper Lee), Keris (Harper Lee), Laura (Harper Lee),
Bob (Trembling Blue Stars), and Beth (Trembling Blue Stars).
For those in and around London, April is shaping up to be the best chance EVER to see a Matinée band playing live,
with no fewer than five bands in action:
The Windmills start things off with an April 3rd show at the Hope & Anchor in Islington. They are on about 9:30
so get there early! The band also plays Thursday, May 22nd at the Bull & Gate in Kentish Town. I should have more
details on that show next month.
On April 6th, Pipas play a surprise date at the Betsey Trotwood in Farringdon along with a band called the
Cut-Outs featuring a former Fat Tulip. Remember them? Not sure which tulip it is but it should be a good night no
matter what. This just in…the Cut-Outs apparently also feature Sean Price of Airport Girl! Sometimes we’re the last
to know about these things…
Would-Be-Goods play on Saturday, April 12th at The Arts Café, 28 Commercial Street in London with a band
called Florida who I suspect are not from our infamous southern state. Would-Be-Goods are currently working on new
songs so you may just get treated to something very exciting if you go.
Traveling south to sunny Brighton on Wednesday the 16th will reward you with a rare live set from Sportique,
playing the Careless Talk Costs Lives Disco at The Albert. The
band also plays Wednesday April 30th at Bitterscene in Chelmsford with
Kicker, and Saturday May 3rd at a Track & Field show at the Arts Café, London with the Radio Dept. and Kicker. All
shows are highly recommended! Kicker is always fantastic live, even if we
know them best around these parts as the “other” band for Laura Bridge of Harper Lee. Check out their fine releases on
the Track & Field label. The Radio Dept. is the latest Swedish
sensation with a brilliant new record out on Labrador in Sweden and
Shelflife in the US.
A rare gig with Slipslide will occur on Friday, April 18th as part of a massive show at The Garage with Ballboy,
Bearsuit, Fosca, the Cut-Outs and two others. I think this is a Strange
Fruit event, and tickets are on-sale now through The Garage and Ticketmaster. This is a great lineup with Ballboy
supporting a recent album on SL Records, Bearsuit celebrating their new
release on Fortuna POP!, Fosca keeping it real for the legendary
Shinkansen, and the Cut-Outs apparently still sporting a former
Fat Tulip (and Sean).
In non-UK action, Pipas are set to be the first Matinée band to play in Italy with dates confirmed April 18th in
Milano, April 19th in Genova and Bologna, and April 20th in Rome. Check the Long Lost Cousin site for complete details.
Finally, The Lucksmiths are in action in Australia this month promoting their brand new album “Naturaliste” out
on Candle. If you’re lucky enough to be around Melbourne at the
moment, check them out Wednesday the 2nd at the Evelyn Hotel (special 10-Year anniversary show with The
Steinbecks and Droplet), Sunday the 6th at Gaslight Records (instore performance, 2pm), Monday the 14th at the
Museum Victoria lawn (all ages – 4:30 pm), and Saturday the 26th at the Corner Hotel (Melbourne album launch with
Rob Clarkson, Mid-State Orange and Smallgoods). For details on these shows and an up-to-the-minute schedule of
May dates across Australia, check out the band’s spiffy new website here.
If you’re here in the US, don’t despair because the new Lucksmiths album will be out courtesy of our good friends at
Drive In Records in April and the band will play a healthy dose of US
dates to support it in July and August. We will have copies of the new album available through the Matinée
order page later in the month. The band is recording a new single for Matinée for release
later this year, most likely to coincide with UK and European dates in October.
Switching over to press action, we have six features to mention, including a chat with Lovejoy in Pennyblack
Magazine, words from Pipas in Tasty fanzine, articles on
Would-Be-Goods and new signings Pale Sunday in Esquizofrenia, and interviews with The Guild League in both
Mundane Sounds and
Tasty. We are just finishing up a new Matinée interview with Italian
webzine Musicboom too so look for that shortly.
More than 30 new reviews were added to the site this month. Some of our favorite quotes include:
“From toe-tappers to tear-jerkers, this is one collection that any pop fan won’t want to miss out on.”
Delusions Of Adequacy
“All told, Private Transport is a grand little affair that is much greater than the excellent “Jet Set…Go!” single hinted at.”
Mundane Sounds
“… this stuff is reminiscent of The Go-Betweens, Lloyd Cole and, for those familiar with them, East Village – but none
of those bands can boast a lyric like “In the hot, hateful summer/I’m a loser, I need a doctor,” as Roy intones on the
brooding “Inner Space 1971.” You don’t get enough people saying that sort of thing in indiepop. Take note, kids.”
The Big Takeover
“Cheers to Melodiegroup for a job well done.” Splendid
“Though less than 20 minutes in length, A Cat Escaped manages in this short time to be one of last year’s best and
most innovative releases, straying completely from the norm, with two tantalizing talents in Nunez-Fernandez and Powell
mixing complicated riffs and tongue-twisting lyrics with simplicity and an exact style purposefully taking their time to
eventually blow your mind.”
Pop Matters
“Pipas is cute and fun, but they deserve more than just a quick listen. With songs that are short but sweet, Pipas’ A
Cat Escaped will be stuck in your CD player for weeks.”
Delusions Of Adequacy
“OK, I don’t know how many different ways I can say “This band is amazing” without sounding like an idiot. Their debut
full-length of last year, Go Back To Bed, made my year end list and this is even better. Absolutely wonderful.”
Dagger
“Howard needn’t bother himself with connections to the likes of Radiohead, as — demonstrated by this gorgeous record
— his talent is strong enough to stand on its own.”
Pop Matters
“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.” Splendid
“During their run, Razorcuts recorded for both Subway and Creation, and their slightly dazed but irrepressible jangle-pop
defines those labels’ early aesthetics: nasal schoolboy harmonies, simple DIY melodies and everywhere the feeling of
that moment in ’60s pop when drugs were not quite there, yet everyone seemed to know they were on the way…As
such, this CD is one of the more compelling time capsules of that era currently available.”
Time Out Magazine
“This is a much-needed retrospective, containing colourful snippets of brilliance.”
Record Collector Magazine
“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 fact remains that The Lucksmiths are just about the most compulsively likeable group in the entire world. Their
songs are well-crafted, catchy as hell, witty and insightful; they have one of the most entertaining live shows around,
and overall, they’re just damn nice guys.”
Splendid
“The Lucksmiths’ Midweek Midmorning EP is a solid pop effort from a country known for its kangaroos and wild dogs.
… While the most popular Australian musical exports at the moment seem hell-bent on recreating Seattle grunge, the
Lucksmiths are decidely low-key. And they’re refreshingly cheery.”
Delusions Of Adequacy
In distribution news, popfans in Sweden should find it easier to locate Matinée releases in shops there thanks to a new
distribution deal with Border Music. We also have a new deal with Pastel Music in
South Korea so don’t hesitate to ask for the latest releases in your favorite shops.
If you prefer to buy your Matinée pop direct from the website, of course that’s fine with us too! Please note that several
of the early singles are close to selling out, so if you want any of the releases between matinée 001 and matinée 014
you may want to get them soon so you don’t miss out. Check the catalog page for the updated
discography. We recently added some great releases to the order page from Long Lost
Cousin, Annika, WIAIWYA and Fortuna POP! so happy shopping. A special combined February and March hit parade
returns Razorcuts to the top of the heap:
10. The Windmills – Walking Around the World CDEP
9. Kosmonaut – Desert Song 7″
8. The Lucksmiths – Midweek Midmorning CDEP
7. The Liberty Ship – Northern Angel CDEP
6. Simpático – Club Life CDEP
5. Melodie Group – Updownaround CD
4. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
3. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
2. The Guild League – Private Transport CD
1. Razorcuts – R is for…Razorcuts CD
peace
Jimmy
x