Greetings happy customers! Yes, we have started off 2005 with a bang but there is so much more on the way. In addition to new releases from The Lucksmiths, Math and Physics Club, The Happy Couple, Lovejoy, and Pipas, this month we report on three further albums coming your way in a matter of weeks (and now available for preorder), opportunities to catch Matinée bands playing live in the US this spring, and assorted other treats. Dear reader, we present the latest Matinée news:

Making its way into shopping baskets across the globe is the splendid new ‘San Francisco’ CDEP (matinée 057) from The Lucksmiths! Featuring new songs ‘The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco,’ ‘Young and Dumb,’ and ‘The Winter Proper’ plus a splendid cover of the venerated Bee Gees’ classic ‘I Started A Joke,’ the band’s first release since 2003’s ‘A Little Distraction’ (matcd027) is a very welcome return indeed. The lead track is taken from the forthcoming album ‘Warmer Corners’ (matcd039) scheduled for release early next month. Initial reviews for the single are in, with All Music Guide proclaiming it “as fine an artifact as they have yet produced…another example of indie pop at its best proving once again that you just can’t go wrong with the Lucksmiths.” Meanwhile, Tangents reports “The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco is a real gem with one of those memorable sing-along chorus lines that stick in your head for days on end and that you find yourself singing aloud at bus stops,” while Losing Today declared it “absolutely perfect.” If you don’t have a copy yet, you can listen to the title track on the catalog or sounds pages and order the EP from the Matinée mailorder or in your favorite shop right now. More on the new album plus tour dates below!

Also making a grand entrance is the debut ‘Weekends Away’ CDEP (matinée 056) from Seattle quintet Math and Physics Club! Radio giant KEXP has been championing the single since before its release and hosted the band for a second in-studio visit last week. The station broadcasts on the web and the response has been fantastic so special thanks to John Richards and everyone at KEXP for their support. All Music Guide has joined them in praise of the single, calling it “a four track gem that manages to escape any charges of imitation by delivering four very strong songs loaded with tender emotion and easy going charm.” Erasing Clouds contend “Weekends Away might seem somewhat typical at first glance, but in the end it will sweep you off your feet,” while Losing Today concluded “A classic all said and done.” The EP includes the wonderful title track plus ‘Sixteen and Pretty,’ ‘Love, Again’ and ‘When We Get Famous.” You can listen to ‘Weekends Away’ on the sounds page and order the EP from the Matinée mailorder or your favorite record emporium as we speak. The single is selling very well so make sure you get a copy soon because they’re talking about it at all the coolest parties and you want to stay hip right? No pressure…

The third of our magnificent trio of singles is the ‘Fools in Love’ CDEP (matinée 054) from German duo The Happy Couple! Featuring terrific tracks ‘Another Sunny Day,’ ‘Hopeless Case,’ ‘The Pop Kid’ and ‘Don’t Call It,’ the EP is a modern classic incorporating all the right influences. In early review action, All Music Guide proclaimed “this is the kind of EP that leaves you breathlessly anticipating a full-length record from the Happy Couple [and] nice proof that the classic sound of indie pop is alive and well and thriving. In the UK, Speakers Push The Air declared “It’s immediate, it’s pop in bloom and it deserves to be ear candy for the nation this spring,” while Losing Today called it “another slice of pristine pop… top-drawer loveliness, warming harmonies a la Boo Radleys beaming so bright you could get a West Coast tan just by sitting in the same room.” Fans of Shop Assistants, Pipas, Even As We Speak, Tender Trap, or Club 8 watch out because The Happy Couple just might be your new favorite band by this time next week! You can listen to ‘Another Sunny Day’ on the catalog or sounds pages now, and order the EP from the Matinée mailorder or your favorite shop in mere minutes. You know you want it…

Also featured on a new release shelf near you is the brilliant new album ‘Everybody Hates’ (matcd035) from Lovejoy! Our friends at Fraction Discs have declared it “an early contributor to your album-of-the-year list” and we couldn’t argue with that now could we? The Swedes are always right. The follow-up to Lovejoy’s classic 2002 album ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ (matcd018), the album expands on the multilayered sound of previous releases with a sophisticated mix of guitars, keyboards, and percussion plus exceptional melodies and harmonies. ‘Everybody Hates’ contains nine new Lovejoy compositions including our favorites ‘Sid Vicious’ and ‘Petrol Stars’ plus a sparkling cover of ‘Drug Autumn’ by Matinée labelmates The Windmills. Peppered with commentary on the music business, relationships, politics and pop culture, the album is the strongest Lovejoy release yet. The sounds page now features full-length previews of ‘Sid Vicious’, ‘Petrol Stars’ and ‘Everybody Hates Us And We Don’t Care’ so have a listen and see what you think. Nice eh? You can get your very own copy right now from the Matinée shop, your favorite mailorder, or any decent record shop. Lovejoy are currently weighing offers for live shows in England, Sweden and Denmark so watch this space for the latest news.

If the thought of four new releases in the past month overwhelms you, sit back because there’s more! In a matter of weeks we will have brand new full-length additions to the Matinée catalog from Pale Sunday, The Young Tradition and The Lucksmiths!

The debut album ‘Summertime?’ (matcd037) from Brazilian trio Pale Sunday is finally ready and in the hands of our trusty pressing plant! Since release of the fantastic “A Weekend With Jane” EP (matinée 049) in 2003, the band has contributed superb tracks to the ‘Matinée 50’ (matinée 050) and ‘Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware’ (matcd030) compilations while completing the 10 songs for this debut full-length. The album is loaded with all the essential POP! ingredients…jangling guitars, sing-along choruses, sha-la-la’s, handclaps, trumpets, tambourines, keyboards, and perfectly undulating melodies. Sometimes the guitars get all noisy and fuzzy in classic shoegaze fashion but in the end the spirit of C-86 wins out. The album features one song sung in the band’s native Portuguese which it goes without saying is the most beautiful language in the world. 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. You can preview three of those on the catalog page and preorder the CD right now on the Matinée order page. The official release date is in late April but we should have copies earlier in the month. Hurrah!

Also now at the pressing plant and scheduled for April release is the debut album ‘Northern Drive’ (matcd038) from The Young Tradition! Renowned for creating its classic debut single “California Morning” (matinée 043) entirely through the post, the duo of Erik Hanspers and Brent Kenji finally met in San Francisco last year to add vocals and additional instrumentation to ten songs recorded in Erik’s native Sweden. The result is a sophisticated mix of classic pop sounds with a strong 60s vibe throughout. Featuring a combination of guitars, keyboards, and strings with prominent bursts of trumpet, flute, and saxophone, this is no simple indiepop record. Brent’s distinctive vocals will of course appeal to fans of The Fairways but the album has the potential to reach a much broader audience if we do our job properly. 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. You can preview four songs on the catalog page, and preorder the CD right now on the Matinée order page. The CD is officially released in late April but we should have copies earlier in the month so the wait is nearly over!

Our final imminent release is the brand new album from your favorite Australians The Lucksmiths! Entitled ‘Warmer Corners’ (matcd039), the album is the follow-up to their excellent ‘Naturaliste’ album from 2003 and dare we say it, this is the best album yet! As usual, there are lots of guitars, some soothing basslines, and a singing drummer who’s far better than Phil Collins, but this time there’s also a horn section having a party, a string section who dig Phil Spector, some fiery organs, and a lazy pedal steel. The full tracklisting is: 1. A Hiccup In Your Happiness; 2. The Music Next Door; 3. Great Lengths; 4. Now I’m Even Further Away; 5. The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco; 6. Sunlight In A Jar; 7. If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home Now; 8. Young And Dumb; 9. Putting It Off And Putting It Off; 10. I Don’t Want To Walk Around Alone No More; 11. The Fog Of Trujillo; 12. Fiction. With off-kilter guitar riffs, dreamy harmonies, trumpets galore, some brilliant Rickenbacker jangle, Orange Juice ripoffs, dancefloor sizzlers, a little bit of wah-wah, a hobo lament, some rocking whistling, and even a little zydeco wigout, it’s everything we’ve always wanted in a Lucksmiths album and more! You can preview four songs on the catalog page, and preorder the CD right now on the Matinée order page! The CD is released April 11 but we should have copies by the the week prior and can ship all preorders then. The CD is released in Australia via Candle Records and in the UK via Fortuna POP!

The Lucksmiths are planning short Australian and US tours in support of the new album, joined by top bands including Matinée labelmates Pipas and Math and Physics Club on select shows! The dates are as follows:

Australian tour:
March 30 – Ballarat @ Karova Lounge with The Ladybug Transistor + Fred Astereo
April 1 – Adelaide @ Jade Monkey with The Ladybug Transistor + Fred Astereo
April 2 – Fremantle @ Mojo’s with The Ladybug Transistor + The Bank Holidays
April 7 – Canberra @ Tilley’s with The Ladybug Transistor (All Ages)
April 8 – Sydney @ Annandale Hotel with The Ladybug Transistor + Fred Astereo
April 9 & 10 – Brisbane @ Troubadour with The Ladybug Transistor + Fred Astereo
April 15 – Melbourne @ Corner Hotel with The Ladybug Transistor + Fred Astereo
April 16 – Hobart @ The Venue with The Ladybug Transistor + Fred Astereo

US tour:
April 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Knitting Factory with Math and Physics Club
April 30 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop with Remedy & Wren + Math and Physics Club
May 1 – San Francisco, CA @ The Make-Out Room with The Mosquitoes + Scrabbel
May 2 – Eugene, OR @ Café Paradiso with Andrew Kaffer
May 3 – Portland, OR @ Berbati’s Pan with Andrew Kaffer
May 4 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern with Tullycraft + Math and Physics Club
May 5 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen with Pipas + The Icicles + Scotland Yard Gospel Choir
May 6 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Shuler’s Books with Pipas and The Icicles
May 7 – Boston, MA @ PA’s Lounge with The Ladybug Transistor and Pipas
May 8 – New York, NY @ The Knitting Factory with The Ladybug Transistor + Pipas + In Interview
May 9 – Philadelphia, PA @ Space 1026 with The Ladybug Transistor + Pipas + The Snow Fairies
May 10 – Washington, DC @ DC9 with The Ladybug Transistor + Pipas + Lil’ Hospital

Speaking of Pipas, you wouldn’t think that a January release would make it so far down the news page this quickly but with everything else going on that’s just the fate they find themselves in this month with their still quite new ‘Chunnel Autumnal’ CD (matcd036). As you know, the album is a reissue of the sold out Pipas debut originally released on 10” vinyl in 2001 with added bonus tracks from the debut Matinée 45, ‘A Short Film About Sleeping.’ It has been collecting accolades from various places, including the wonderful Tangents commenting “cool but welcoming, detached but involving, the contradictions of modern life rolled into Pop that similarly sounds strangely contemporary yet infused with the spirit of the Ancients all at once.” We can only grin and nod at the Erasing Clouds observation “after you’re done listening certain words and melodies and sounds come back to you and get under your skin,’ and the somewhat funny conclusion to the Splendid review: “Some people are born with a knack for writing simple, emotionally resonant songs—Pipas among them. The fact that much of Chunnel Autumnal sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom only adds to the disc’s down-to-earth charm.” The sounds page features three full-length previews for your listening pleasure, and the CD is available from the Matinée mailorder or all good shops now. The band is currently recording songs for a new album so stay tuned for more Pipas action soon!

With four new releases last month, the hit parade was anybody’s game so we were pleasantly surprised when one of the new kids on the block outpaced label veterans The Lucksmiths and Lovejoy and Pipas at the top. Nicely done! If early March sales are any indication they might just retain the top spot for awhile… Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. Harper Lee – All Things Can Be Mended CD
9. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD
8. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
7. The Guild League – Inner North CD
6. Various – The Matinée Winter Warmer CD
5. Pipas – Chunnel Autumnal CD
4. Lovejoy – Everybody Hates CD
3. The Happy Couple – Fools In Love CDEP
2. The Lucksmiths – San Francisco CDEP
1. Math and Physics Club – Weekends Away CDEP

Until next month,
Jimmy
x

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!

Happy New Year! We are geared up for Matinée’s best year ever so get ready for some exciting news. In addition
to reports on top new releases, this month we offer you two brand new Matinée artists, exclusive sounds, lists of
2004 favorites from Matinée artists and the results of the third annual fanclub poll!

The first of several new releases for 2005 is the fantastic new ‘Chunnel Autumnal’ CD (matcd036)
from international legends-in-the-making Pipas! This 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 somewhere along the way they became 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 original 10″ achieved a sort of legendary status with
many fans only hearing the songs live or on tape. This brilliant reissue CD adds three bonus tracks from the debut
Matinée 45, ‘A Short Film About Sleeping,’ collecting all Pipas songs previously unavailable on CD in one suave
matte finish digipak. The full tracklisting is: 1. Tout Va Bien; 2. Don’t Tell Me That; 3. Wells Street; 4. Moss Oval;
5. Amsterdam; 6. Bye Bye; 7. The Bobby; 8. St. Pancras; 9. A Short Film About Sleeping; 10. Troublesome; 11.
Fingerprints. The CD is available from the Matinée mailorder as we speak and in shops
from January 24th, and you can listen to soundclips on the catalog and
sounds pages right now. Pipas play a record release show in Athens, Greece on
January 21st at Club MAD with support from The Occasional Flickers. More information can be found
here. Pipas at the Acropolis coming soon…

Our other new release is the wonderful ‘Matinée Winter Warmer‘ CD (matinée
055) that came out last month to celebrate the beginning of winter. The CD contains ten wintery songs
especially recorded to keep you warm on those cold winter nights, but of course you can enjoy exclusive new
songs from Harper Lee, The Liberty Ship, The Lucksmiths, Melodie Group, and Pipas plus favorites from The
Fairways, Lovejoy, The Pines, Slipslide and The Windmills all year long. See the full tracklisting and listen to
soundclips on the catalog page. As with all the Matinée seasonal samplers it
sells for the price of a single so you really can’t go wrong now can you? Get it at the mailorder
or your favorite pop emporium now!

Looking ahead, February is shaping up splendidly with a great new album from Lovejoy and new singles
by The Happy Couple, Math and Physics Club and The Lucksmiths all ready for release.

The new Lovejoy album is entitled ‘Everybody Hates’ (matcd035) and it
is undoubtedly the best release yet from our Brighton friends. We have been talking it up for a few months now but
the wait is almost over because now it is just up to my pressing plant and our friendly UPS deliveryman to make it
happen. The first Lovejoy release since the classic ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ CD (matcd018)
in 2002, the CD includes great new songs ‘Everybody Hates Us And We Don’t Care’, ‘Petrol Stars’, ‘America’,
‘Drug Autumn’, ‘Sandcastles’, ‘Sid Vicious’, ‘Nicotine & Love’, ‘Because You’re Worth It’, and ‘This Could Be An
Ending’. We have posted three songs on the updated catalog page and ‘Sid
Vicious’ is also playing on the sounds page so hopefully those will keep you going
until we have copies in hand. The official release is mid-February but we will begin taking preorders at the end of
January so check the order page soon!

The ‘Fools in Love’ CDEP (matinée 054) is the debut Matinée release for our first
German act, The Happy Couple! Some of you might know them from their debut ‘Four Seasons’ 7″ on the
Félicité Singles Club last year but if not get ready for some instantly classic
indiepop 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? It
swings! ‘Hopeless Case’ and ‘The Pop Kid’ would have had a home on Subway Records in the late 80s and could
double as long lost Shop Assistants gems, while final track ‘Don’t Call It’ is the one that would make Creation
Records mogul Alan McGee smile and remember his classic recordings from Revolving Paint Dream. Fans of Club
8, Pipas, Camera Obscura, and anything from the Pam Berry or Amelia Fletcher songbooks should also stand up
and take notice. You can get a taste of the wonders of The Happy Couple by listening to ‘Another Sunny Day’ on
the catalog or sounds pages, and check out their new
artist page too! The band also has a great website
of its own so pay them a visit to learn more about their secret world. We will have copies of ‘Fools In Love’
exclusively at the Matinée mailorder in mid-February (official release at the end of the
month) but will take preorders from February 1st so check the order page soon! We now have limited copies of
their debut 7″ too so make sure to add that to your order before they are gone for good.

As if one new band weren’t enough, we are also very excited about our first American act in five years – Math
and Physics Club from Seattle, Washington! Longtime students of the Matinée sound know we have gone
awhile without signing an American band and our good friend Mike Babb at Microindie
Records even questioned whether the band tricked me by posting their demo from the UK in hopes of getting a
listen. In reality we are thrilled to have a band from the US on the Matinée roster and even though Seattle is roughly
1200 miles from Santa Barbara it’s almost like having a local band compared to everyone else in England and
Australia and Sweden and Brazil and Germany. Of course they are brilliant too! Their debut release is the
‘Weekends Away’ CDEP (matinée 056) and it includes the wonderful title track
(now playing on the sounds and catalog pages) plus
‘Sixteen and Pretty,’ ‘Love, Again’ and ‘When We Get Famous.’ The sound is perfect jangle pop that is not a
thousand miles away from The Smiths, Trash Can Sinatras, The Lucksmiths or Magnetic Fields at times. We have
now added a Math and Physics Club artist page to the site, but you should pay a
visit to the band’s own website too for more about them and
additional soundclips. The band has a buzz about them already and we have just sent the debut release off to the
pressing plant this week. Legendary Seattle radio station KEXP is playing songs
from their demo and has scheduled an in-studio performance for them this coming Saturday January 22nd at 6:00
pm pacific standard time (eight hours behind the UK, nine behind continental Europe, and something approaching a
day behind Japan and Australia). You can tune in as it is streamed
live, but the show should be archived if you are not in the US and can’t be bothered to wake up for a listen. The
band also plays a live show January 28th at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle with Cantona. We will have copies of
‘Weekends Away’ exclusively at the mailorder in mid-February (official release
at the end of the month) but will take preorders from February 1st so check the order page soon because these
guys are already a shoe-in for best new band of 2005!

Joining our new Matinée bands with a fresh single in February are old favorites The Lucksmiths! Has it
really been 16 months since ‘A Little Distraction’ (matcd027)? The band marks
its triumphant return with the splendid new ‘San Francisco’ EP (matinée 057)
featuring new songs ‘The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco,’ ‘Young and Dumb,’ ‘The Winter Proper’ and
‘I Started A Joke.’ The lead song is a preview of their forthcoming album scheduled for release this Spring, while
the others are non-album tracks including a brilliant cover of the much adored Bee Gees’ classic ‘I Started A Joke.’
You can listen to the title track now on the updated sounds or catalog
pages. We will have copies of the ‘San Francisco’ EP exclusively at the Matinée mailorder in mid-February (official
release at the end of the month) but will take preorders from February 1st so check the order
page soon to reserve your copy. The single is co-released with Australian label Candle
Records and the band is celebrating the release with a series of Australian shows next month: February 5th in
Brisbane, February 12th in Sydney and February 18th in Melbourne. See the Lucksmiths
or Candle websites for details, and stay tuned for more news about the forthcoming album and possible dates in the
US and Europe.

Following that fantastic lot of singles, March will bring the debut album from Brazilian favorites Pale Sunday!
Entitled ‘Summertime?’ (matcd037), the album features ten great new songs
and is their first release since the much celebrated “A Weekend With Jane” EP (matinée 049)
in 2003. The full tracklisting for the album 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. We have added three soundclips to the catalog page and ‘The
White Tambourine’ is also spinning on the updated sounds page so check it out! More
release details next month.

Also scheduled for March release is the debut album ‘Northern Drive’ (matcd038)
from internationalists The Young Tradition! While the duo produced its classic debut single “California
Morning” (matinée 043) entirely through the post, they met to record this new
album and the results are stunning, incorporating broad influences ranging from classic indiepop to jazz to AM
radio softpop. Don’t be scared…it’s a magnificent mix and you can hear samples on the updated catalog
and sounds pages. The full tracklisting for the album 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. More release details on this next month too! Also mark your calendars for the
debut live performance of The Young Tradition on Saturday March 18th in Vasteras, Sweden. We’re not sure where
yet but will let you know next month.

In other news, thanks to everyone who voted in the third annual Matinée Fanclub
poll last month! The winner of the coveted “record of the year” award is ‘All Things Can Be Mended’ from
Harper Lee (37 votes). It seems to be a favorite with nearly everyone as it has shown up on numerous
year-end lists on music websites across the globe. Other top release honors went to ‘Bitter Club’ by Pipas
(30 votes) and ‘This is Farewell’ by The Fairways (24 votes). Congratulations!

As always, there was little consensus on the favorite song ever released on Matinée, with 130 different songs
receiving at least one vote. Only ten songs emerged with four or more votes each this time: “T Shirt Weather” by
The Lucksmiths (11 votes), “Train Not Stopping” by Harper Lee (9), “Untidy Towns” by The Lucksmiths (8),
“California Morning” by The Young Tradition (8), “Sunday, Lovely Sunday” by Edson (6), “Barbapapa” by Pipas (5),
“Killjoy” by Brighter (4), “Anita O’Day” by The Pines (4), “Jean C” by Pipas (4) and “Sorry To Embarrass You” by
Razorcuts (4). Although the top votes tend to go to older releases on the label we are happy to see recent songs
from The Pines, Pipas and The Young Tradition making a splash.

In the favorite band category, The Lucksmiths captured the number one spot (33 votes), followed closely by
Harper Lee (29), Pipas (26), The Pines (14) and Would-Be-Goods (14).

The Matinée website (46 votes) and Pop Polar (13) won the best mailorder
category; while IndiePages (15) and Tangents (7) topped
the best music website/magazine list. We also asked your opinions about what bands, if any, should be
considered for a future retrospective release along the lines of what we have done for The Visitors, Remember Fun,
The Siddeleys, Razorcuts and Brighter. Nearly 70 bands were suggested, with the most votes cast for James
Dean Driving Experience (8), Blueboy (6), East Village (6), The Orchids (6) and The Sugargliders (5). All I can say
is at least one of these bands has contacted us already so we’ll see what we can do…

Congratulations to all the Matinée bands and thanks very much to everyone who entered! The lucky winner of the
five CD prize pack is Dimitra Liakou from Greece. Hurrah! Wish you had won? Join the Matinée
Fanclub to stay hip to this sort of thing. See the archive page for a full poll summary.

We also surveyed all the Matinée artists at the end of the year regarding their favorite things of 2004 (bands,
records, films, books, etc.) and as expected there was a great variety in the responses. See full responses from
members of Airport Girl, The Happy Couple, Harper Lee, The Liberty Ship, Lovejoy, The Lucksmiths, Math and
Physics Club, Melodie Group, Pipas, Simpático, The Snowdrops, Sportique, The Windmills, Would-Be-Goods and
The Young Tradition on the archive page or simply by clicking here.

This update has gone rather long so we’ll skip the usual reviews summary for recent releases and just remind you
that brilliant albums from The Guild League, Harper Lee, Would-Be-Goods and The
Fairways came out last summer and autumn and they are all widely adored in the music press so get straight
on over to the order page to secure your very own copies. New reviews are posted now on
the catalog pages. There are only 50 left of the Matinée 45
holiday ornament too and it is only available in the Matinée shop so if you want one act quickly!

We had a fantastic two months to end 2004 with the mailorder so thank you all for your orders. The top sellers
for November and December combined are:

10. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD
9. Sportique – Love & Remains 7″
8. Razorcuts – A is for Alphabet CDEP
7. Harper Lee – Bug 7″
6. Would-Be-Goods – The Morning After CD
5. Sportique – Don’t Believe A Word I Say 7″
4. The Guild League – Inner North CD
3. Harper Lee – All Things Can Be Mended CD
2. Matinée 45 holiday ornament
1. Various – The Matinée Winter Warmer CD

Until next month,
Jimmy!

Hey news seekers! It has been too long since the last update I know but you’ll soon forgive me because this
update is full of late breaking news including announcements of four imminent releases, two brand new Matinée
artists, some scintillating 2005 releases, our annual Matinée fanclub poll, excellent reviews of our current new
releases, a handful of upcoming gigs and a special sale at the mailorder. Not bad eh?

The first of the new releases is a wonderful new compilation called ‘The Matinée Winter Warmer‘
(matinée 055). The fourth in our series of popular seasonal samplers, it follows
2001’s ‘Matinée Spring Collection’ (matinée 026), 2002’s ‘Matinée Summer Splash’
(matinée 040), and 2003’s ‘Matinée Autumn Assortment’ (matinée
051). Each of the previous editions featured a mix of exclusive tracks, previews of forthcoming releases and
classic songs from new releases and this one is no exception. The CD features exclusive new songs from Harper
Lee, The Liberty Ship, The Lucksmiths, Melodie Group and Pipas along with a rarity from The Pines and previously
released gems from The Fairways, Lovejoy, Slipslide and The Windmills. All of the songs are winter or holiday
related to warm you up during the upcoming season. The tracklisting is: 1. Slipslide – Baked Alaska; 2. The
Fairways – Winter Song; 3. Pipas – Boxes; 4. The Windmills – When It Was Winter; 5. Harper Lee – Bad Christmas;
6. The Liberty Ship – Photograph; 7. The Lucksmiths – The Winter Proper; 8. The Pines – High Street; 9. Lovejoy – I
Dream of Angels; 10. Melodie Group – Jingle Bells. Check the catalog page for
soundclips! It’s a good one so count your pennies because as always with our seasonal samplers, this one sells
for the mere price of a single! The CD is released December 13th but if you preorder a copy now we’ll ship it that
day so you’ll have it in time for the holidays.

As 2004 draws to a close, we are sad to report this is the first year since the label started in 1997 that we have not
released a 7″ single. While this is a simple acknowledgement of the poor state of the U.S. record industry with
regards to vinyl sales, it is still a poignant moment since the format is what got us into the business seven years
ago. Since then, we have released a total of 25 amazing slabs of 7″ vinyl and they remain among our personal
favorites. A handful of the early singles have sold out and several others are pretty close to depleted but they all
contain fantastic songs that are mostly unavailable on CD. If you don’t have a complete collection yet, why not give
your turntable a holiday present this year and pick some up?! From now until January 3rd, we are
offering all 7″ singles at just $2 each (and while we’re at it, all CD singles at just $4 each)… holy Batman!

Speaking of 45s, matinée 45 was always a troublesome spot on the discography for us because it naturally begs
for a 7″ release but how could we possibly choose which of the fine Matinée artists would have it? A 7″ compilation
was considered but the severe limit on the length of the songs meant we could only invite three or four bands to
participate and that seemed an impossible choice as well. We wrestled with this for the past few years and
skipped over the catalog number sometime last Spring to avoid making a decision. Then last Christmas it hit us…
we’d make a 7″ vinyl 45 that wasn’t a 45 at all! The result is the magnificent brilliance of the Matinée 45 holiday
ornament (matinée 045)! What? That’s right, an ornament to hang on your favorite holiday greenery. We took
ours outside to search for the perfect place for a photo shoot, and given the tropical nature of Santa Barbara, we
narrowed it down to a hibiscus bush, a bougainvillea vine, or a lemon tree. I tried scaling one of the palm trees but
they’re quite tall so in the end the hibiscus won the contest. Now our lawyers want us to make it perfectly clear
that THIS ORNAMENT CONTAINS ABSOLUTELY NO MUSIC! Yes, it looks just like a tiny 45 rpm record…
grooves and all…but we’re fairly certain it would ruin your stylus if you played it so just hang it up and enjoy it for
years to come. We know it’s so late 80s Factory Records to assign catalog numbers to non-music items, so call
us crass commercialists if you must but we suggest you do so quickly because there are only 200 of these and
they will likely sell out before too long. You can preorder one now and we’ll mail it the week of the 13th (along with
the new ‘Winter Warmer’ CD perhaps…or some of those wonderful 7″ singles?). Now, back to the music…

Skipping ahead to January, make plans for new releases from Lovejoy and Pipas! The new Lovejoy album
(matcd035) is called ‘Everybody Hates’ [Lovejoy]…get it? They’re clever like
that. The first Lovejoy release since the classic ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ CD (matcd018)
in 2002, the album features fantastic new songs ‘Everybody Hates Us And We Don’t Care’, ‘Petrol Stars’,
‘America’, ‘Drug Autumn’, ‘Sandcastles’, ‘Sid Vicious’, ‘Nicotine & Love’, ‘Because You’re Worth It’, and ‘This
Could Be An Ending’. We suffered an artwork delay with the release but all is on track for a January release so
check the mailorder page to preorder it next month. For now, you can listen to the
brilliant song ‘Sid Vicious’ on the sounds page or go to the catalog
page for additional cuts ‘Everybody Hates Us’ and ‘Petrol Stars.’ We promise it’ll be worth the wait.

The new Pipas release is actually not very new at all but a reissue of the band’s magnificent debut
mini-album ‘Chunnel Autumnal’ which was released in 2000 on the Long
Lost Cousin imprint. It was a 10″ vinyl release and limited to 300 copies so the vast majority of the immense
Pipas fanbase never got a copy of their own. It’s the band’s ‘Tigermilk’ if you will… But we lovely folks here at
Matinée have worked tirelessly to remedy that wrong by reissuing it using newfangled CD technology! The resultant
‘Chunnel Autumnal’ CD (matcd036) is a suave digipak that combines the eight
songs from the original 10″ release with three bonus tracks from the debut Pipas 7″ ‘A Short Film About Sleeping’
(matinée 035) which is nearly sold out as well. The CD therefore collects all Pipas
songs previously unavailable on CD into one handy package! The full tracklisting is: 1. Tout Va Bien; 2. Don’t Tell
Me That; 3. Wells Street; 4. Moss Oval; 5. Amsterdam; 6. Bye Bye; 7. The Bobby; 8. St. Pancras; 9. A Short Film
About Sleeping; 10. Troublesome; 11. Fingerprints. Check out the sounds page for a
preview of ‘Wells Street’ and the new catalog page for ‘Tout Va Bien’ and ‘A
Short Film About Sleeping.’ We think you’ll like what you hear. Pipas are promoting the new album at two
upcoming live shows: December 10th at the Chickfactor Mon Gala
Papillons at Bush Hall in London with the Television Personalities, Stevie Jackson and Mascott; and Club MAD in
Athens Greece on January 21st.

In other top news, we are very pleased to announce two new Matinée bands! The first is a duo called The Happy
Couple who hail from Hamburg in northern Germany. We first took notice of them a year ago when the label
they run (Félicité Singles Club) placed second (to Matinée of course!) in the
best label category of the annual Indiepop list poll. After
swapping some records we soon fell in love with their debut release, the ‘Four Seasons’ EP. Shortly thereafter they
sent us some wonderful demos and we knew we were hooked. That debut Félicité 7″ went on to receive nice
reviews around the world and as of this writing hovers on the edge of selling out. The band has just finished
recording its debut release for Matinée—the ‘Fools In Love’ EP (matinée 054) – including new songs ‘Another Sunny
Day,’ ‘Hopeless Case,’ ‘The Pop Kid’ and ‘Don’t Call It.’ We are working on artwork now so pencil this in for release
early next year. If you missed hearing the debut Happy Couple release, we’ll soon have the last 30 remaining copies
available via the Matinée mailorder so get there quickly before this sells out for good. The
band has a very informative website here that includes soundclips of
several songs, and we have just added ‘Another Sunny Day’ to the Matinée sounds
page as a preview to the single. Finally, we are working to finalize a new Happy Couple artist page on the Matinée
site so check back soon for more information on this exciting new band!

Our second new band is a brilliant five piece from Seattle, Washington called Math and Physics Club.
Now we get a lot of demos here at Matinée HQ and sometimes we fall a wee bit behind listening to them but for
some reason the demo package sent by this band made us take notice. Perhaps it was the unabashed praise for
Matinée described in their cover letter or their use of sans serif fonts…in any event I played the demo as soon as I
got home from the post office. There it was again…that rare feeling of excitement the first time you hear a new
band that makes you smile from ear to ear. A short email exchange and a hastily scheduled conference call later,
we won the bidding war that was ensuing among international indie labels and started making plans for the debut
‘Weekends Away’ EP (matinée 056) for release early in 2005. In addition to the title track, the single will include
‘Sixteen and Pretty’ and ‘Famous’ and a fourth song that is still undecided but the choices are all fantastic so this
release will be solid from start to finish. For now, you can check out ‘Weekends Away’ playing on the updated
sounds page and check back in a few weeks to view their Matinée artist page. The
band has its own website here too so pay them a visit
because they just might be one of your favorite bands in a few months time.

Also on the new release horizon, we are finalizing details for the brilliant debut album ‘Summertime?’ (matcd037)
from our Brazilian friends Pale Sunday! The reaction to their debut single ‘A Weekend with Jane’
(matinée 049) was exceptional and the band followed up with admirable
contributions to the ‘Matinée 50’ (matinée 050) and ‘Romantic and Square’ (matcd030)
compilations. Now they are back with 10 brand new songs to celebrate the Brazilian summertime. The tracklisting
for the album 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. We’ll provide more release
details in the next web update but check the sounds page soon because we’ll be
adding some preview tracks shortly.

New releases from The Lucksmiths, The Young Tradition and The Snowdrops are also
coming together for release early in the year. Look for more details in January.

Switching to our superb current releases for a moment, the brand new ‘Inner North’ CD from Australian collective
The Guild League is earning favorable reviews near and far, with Tasty
saying “Inner North may well be the best album released this year, and even a contender for the best ever released
on Matinée,” while Vanity Project
called it “a shot in the arm of early summer sunshine, with a vague hint of dampness in the air” and Inpress said “a
seamless blend of music and poetry, of word and emotion…one of the best albums of the year so far.” The album is
available now in the shops or via the Matinée mailorder. You can preview four tracks on
the album’s catalog page or download an mp3 for the stunning song ‘Citronella’
on the sounds page. Yes folks, this one’s a gem.

Meanwhile, the excellent third album ‘All Things Can Be Mended’ (matcd033)
from English duo Harper Lee is serving to adorn its already impressive resume further. Among the latest
reviews, All Music Guide
called it “solid indie pop craft perfect for wallowing in heartbreak and ennui,” while Aversion.com
declared it “the perfect soundtrack for autumn…putting melancholy before melodrama, Harper Lee makes the sort
of record that’ll make lonely record geeks, awkward outcasts and even with-it hipsters stop and take a tender
moment of reflection.” In a similar vein, Friends
of the Heroes said “written in black and white, [the album] will wrap its arms around you and draw you into the
slow rhythmic sinking feeling that it creates. It will snatch you from the busy everyday world, into one where there is
time to stop and take stock of your life.” We happen to think the album is brilliant and as it is about to enjoy its
third straight month as the top seller at the mailorder it seems to be having a good
response with you as well. Preview tracks ‘Everybody Leaves,’ ‘Stupid’ and ‘This Is The Sound That A Heart Makes
When It’s Breaking’ are now playing on the sounds page so have a listen if you want to
sample an album that is showing up on ‘best-of 2004’ lists already.

The wonderful ‘The Morning After’ CD (matcd032) from London quartet
Would-Be-Goods is another album that has made scores of friends in a very short time. The latest batch
of reviews include Pennyblack
calling it “a welcome antidote of sophistication” and Vanity Project
describing it as “downbeat indie-pop in a similar style to the Delgados and Drugstore [with] fizzy garage moments
giving it an extra kick.” Meanwhile, Kitten
Painting declared “this is the sound of ‘indiepop’ pulling on a chic outfit and growing up. The key word is
elegance. Keeping your dignity whilst all around you are losing the plot is sometimes the only stylish option.” Yes
indeed, and Would-Be-Goods are clearly the most stylish band around at the moment so get on board and see
what the fuss is all about. The album is now available worldwide in shops or via the trusty Matinée
mailorder, and you can sample ‘Big Cat Act,’ ‘The Morning After’ and ‘Miss La-Di-Dah’ if
you like on the sounds page. Would-Be-Goods play a special UK show Saturday,
December 4th at The Wheatsheaf on High Street in Oxford with The Relationships and are making plans for
additional shows in early 2005 so watch this space for details.

As the year draws to a close it’s time to reflect on the wonderful releases our talented artists made possible this
year with our second annual Matinée Fanclub Poll! The poll includes the usual
questions about favorite releases of the year, favorite bands and favorite songs, but we’ve added a few new
questions about reissues and music magazines to help us with our market research. There is also a catchall ‘what
can we do better’ question at the end where we welcome any thoughts you have about the label (bands you want to
hear more of, website suggestions, touring ideas, etc.) Please let us know what you think! Everyone who enters is
eligible to win a prize of five free releases of your choice. To enter the poll, simply submit your answers by January
3rd. Cast your vote and you just may be the lucky winner!

As we mentioned above, all 7″ and CD singles are on sale from now until the January 3rd so get over to the
mailorder and complete your Matinée singles collections today before they sell out for
good. The top sellers on the hit parade last month were:

10. The Visitors – Miss CD
9. Various – Matinée 50 CD
8. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
7. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD
6. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
5. Razorcuts – R is for Razorcuts CD
4. The Pines – True Love Waits Volume 2 CDEP
3. Would-Be-Goods – The Morning After CD
2. The Guild League – Inner North CD
1. Harper Lee – All Things Can Be Mended CD

This is the last proper update of the year but we will be adding lots of behind the scenes content to the site in
December so have a look for more information on forthcoming releases, two new artist pages, fresh soundclips,
and year-end favorite lists from all the Matinée artists. The artist of the month feature is on hold for a few months
but will return in February with new band features and exclusive mp3 downloads only available via the website.

Seasons greetings to everyone and thanks again for all your support this year!
Jimmy
x

Hello popular music fans and welcome to the latest dose of Matinée news!

Our newest release is the spectacular sophomore album “Inner North” (matcd034)
from Australian act The Guild League! Originally heralded as a side project of Lucksmiths
vocalist/drummer Tali White, The Guild League is now a living, breathing entity with live shows and press interviews
and everything. Anyone who thought the band’s 2002 debut album “Private Transport” (matcd023)
was something…just wait until you hear “Inner North!”

While the previous album celebrated the magnificence of international travel, the new album is all about the wonders
of hometown Melbourne’s inner north suburbs. Guitar, cello, piano, drums and brass shape The Guild League sound,
with Tali’s distinctively polished voice at the forefront. A self assured and cohesive second album, “Inner North” is
unhurried, wryly humorous, proudly diverse and humbly beautiful. Local hip culture magazine Inpress called it “one
of the best albums of the year so far” and we’re sure it will make many a year-end list as well.

Visit the sounds page to preview ace album tracks ‘Citronella’, ‘The Storm’ and
‘Scientists.’ Full release information, tracklisting and all current reviews are now up on the updated
catalog page so go there for the latest. You’ll be glad you did.

Our second new release is the classic third album “All Things Can Be Mended” (matcd033)
from English duo Harper Lee! One of Matinée’s consistently popular acts, Harper Lee has earned fanatical
reviews for its three singles and previous albums “Go Back To Bed” (matcd009)
and “Everything’s Going To Be OK” (matcd020). The new album builds on the
duo’s signature sound – intricately layered guitars, keyboards, percussion and vocals – with the addition of
enhanced electronica, trumpets, and backing vocals.

In reviewing the album, Erasing Clouds
called it “a truly beautiful album” with “song after song of perfect melodies and harmonies, beautifully constructed
arrangements and textures, and succinct lyrics filled with pain.” Meanwhile, those dependable editors at
Tasty acknowledged the album’s “proper,
grown-up angst, not some pretend-gothic nonsense that hangs around city centres trying to skateboard.” As
always, Sam Tasty knows what’s what.

Surely the most impressive Harper Lee record to date, “All Things Can Be Mended” is a masterpiece in modern
melancholy. See the sounds page to preview tracks ‘Everybody Leaves’, ‘Stupid’ and
the epic ‘This Is The Sound That A Heart Makes When It’s Breaking.’ The catalog
page includes full release details, tracklisting and all current reviews so check it out because Harper Lee rule
okay?

Moving on to other fresh goods we find the brilliant new album “The Morning After” (matcd032)
from London quartet Would-Be-Goods! Their fourth album overall and perhaps the most eclectic to date, the
album features 12 classic new songs demonstrating the elegance, charm, eccentricity, style and wit that makes
Would-Be-Goods one of the most beloved bands in the history of indiepop.

Among the wonderful early reviews for the album, Indiepages awarded it “favorite Would-Be-Goods
record yet” status, Erasing Clouds called it “a
perfect example of pop songcraft,” and Excellent
Online described it as “elegant and timeless guitar pop…smart, sexy and classic.”

We happen to think it is the most extraordinary Would-Be-Goods records so far, but don’t trust us – visit the
sounds page for full soundclips from the album, and see the catalog
page for release information, tracklisting and all current reviews. This one’s a gem that you really shouldn’t miss.

“The Morning After” is released in the UK via Fortuna POP! and
Would-Be-Goods play a special London album launch party Sunday October 24th at 7:30 pm at The Betsey
Trotwood (56 Farringdon Road, nearest tube Farringdon). Special guests include fellow Matinée all-stars Slipslide,
plus Michaelmas and a deejay set from indiepop guru Peter Hahndorf . Tickets are £5.00
advance, £6.00 at the door.

In addition to some splendid new releases, we are also celebrating all things Sportique this month as they
serve as Matinée artist of the month for October! One of the earliest Matinée signings and our first venture into the
English pop scene, Sportique has the distinct honor of releasing the very first Matinée album, 1999’s “Black Is A
Very Popular Colour” (matlp001). Two 7″ singles – “Love and Remains”
(matinée 007) and “Don’t Believe A Word I Say” (matinée
017) – quickly followed before Sportique turned up the guitars and ventured deeper into the vaults of musical
history to produce the magnificent mini-albums “Modern Museums” (matcd015)
and “Communiqué No. 9” (matcd024). Critics and fans alike went wild, the band
lived large on two brief US tours and then it all went quiet. As always with Sportique, we never know what to expect
from the future so for now we will simply revel in their splendor at every given opportunity for the next 30 days.
Hurrah!

As resident artist of the month, we have revisited the Sportique artist page,
adding links to interviews and a poll to determine the favorite Sportique song of all time. Everyone is in election
mode now anyway so get there to cast your vote! There are numerous Sportique songs now featured on the
sounds page too, including the rare track ‘One for the Road’ taken from the band’s
debut 45. Of course all Sportique titles are on sale this month only at the mailorder so
take this opportunity to complete your collection today because some titles are very close to selling out.

In forthcoming release news, we sincerely apologize for the delay in the new Lovejoy album “Everybody
Hates” (matcd035). This week we’ll blame it on the fact that Microtek have still
not configured Macintosh OS-X operating software for the Matinée scanner. If anybody out there knows how to get a
G-5 to recognize a Scanmaker X12 scanner please let me know! We are finalizing the Lovejoy artwork and hope to
have news next month for it plus other new releases scheduled from Pipas, Pale Sunday, The
Young Tradition and more. We also have some special holiday surprises planned, so stay tuned!

The recent “This is Farewell” CD (matcd031) from San Francisco’s dearly
departed Fairways continues to accrue positive reviews across the globe. In four short months the album
appears on its way to joining the upper echelon of the most celebrated Matinée releases.

Among its zealous reviews, Losing Today called it “so contagious that
you’ll find resisting the charms of these gems a serious battle of wills,” The
Big Takeover described it as “sort of a sunnier American take on early Everything But The Girl but with a guy
singer,” and Pop Matters lauded the
album as “a set of sad, beautiful, wide-eyed songs.”

If you haven’t heard The Fairways already, have a listen to the album preview tracks on the sounds
page to see what everybody is raving about. See the catalog page for full release
information, tracklisting, and all current reviews. The album really is a modern indiepop classic and an essential
release for any Matinée enthusiast.

The website now boasts nearly 50 new reviews for some of the latest releases. Check the catalog
pages and get set to practice your Dutch, English, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish
because this batch is a truly international one.

Finally, new releases and artist of the month The Windmills dominated the September hit parade. Here are the
top sellers from last month:

10. The Windmills – Sunlight CD
9. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
8. The Windmills – Walking Around the World CDEP
7. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
6. The Windmills – Now is Then CD
5. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD
4. The Guild League – Inner North CD
3. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD
2. Would-Be-Goods – The Morning After CD
1. Harper Lee – All Things Can Be Mended CD

If you are behind on your Matinée catalog or need some holiday gift ideas, pay a visit to the Matinée mailorder
today. You won’t be disappointed! We’ll have a special visitor in Santa Barbara for a week in early November so if
you get a note from Marky Lucksmith Monnone in your next parcel consider yourself among the lucky!

Until next month
Jimmy
x

Hey now! Apologies for the delay in this monthly update and also for its brevity…we had a baby last week so time is
short! Here is a quick summary of what’s happening in the world of Matinée. Please see the
previous update for further details on all new releases, and look for a proper update
in early October.

The wonderful “All Things Can Be Mended” CD (matcd033) from Harper Lee
is now out! Listen to soundclips on the sounds or catalog
page, and look for it in a shop near you or via the Matinée mailorder. Also see the latest
Tasty fanzine for a brand new
Harper Lee interview including perspectives on the new album, live shows, and the Boo Radleys!

The magnificent fourth album from Would-Be-Goods is called “The Morning After” (matcd032)
and it is also now available in a shop near you or via the Matinée mailorder. The band has
launched a brand new website and plays a live show
October 4th at Water Rats in London with Call and Response. The latest
Tasty also
features a Would-Be-Goods interview, including some words on the new album, él Records, and the challenge of
describing the Would-Be-Goods sound.

In other new release news, the outstanding second album “Inner North” (matcd034)
from Australia’s The Guild League is now available for sale! The official release date is September 27th
but we have copies now so order your copy today for the quickest delivery. It’s a keeper I promise.
See the sounds or catalog page for soundclips.

Our September artist of the month is The Windmills! I really can’t say enough about the Windmills…they
are one of my personal favorite bands and responsible for no fewer than seven distinguished Matinée releases. As
resident artist of the month, we have updated the Windmills artist page with
new content including a video for their last single “What Was It For.” We are also now accepting votes for the
Windmills favorite song poll so let us know which songs make you smile. There are lots of Windmills songs now
featured on the sounds page too, including the rare track ‘Dolphins’ taken from the
band’s 1988 debut 45. Check it out! All Windmills titles are on sale this month only at the mailorder
so take this opportunity to complete your collection because The Windmills rule okay?

On the new release horizon, look for the brand new “Everybody Hates” CD by Lovejoy and “Sleepydust” EP
from The Snowdrops, plus new releases from Pale Sunday, The Young Tradition, Pipas,
and a brand new Matinée band all in the works! More details next month I promise.

Would-Be-Goods staved off a late month rally from Harper Lee to rule the August hit parade.
Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
9. Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD
8. The Siddeleys – Slum Clearance CD
7. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
6. The Liberty Ship – Tide CD
5. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD
4. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
3. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD
2. Harper Lee – All Things Can Be Mended CD
1. Would-Be-Goods – The Morning After CD

The mailorder is now back to normal operation…apologies for any shipping delays the past seven days. Back in
a few weeks with a proper update!

xx-Jimmy

A very august update this month as we await the release of four splendid albums from four of our popular Matinée idols!

First up is the brilliant new CD “The Morning After” (matcd032) from beloved London
quartet Would-Be-Goods! Following the celebrated album “Brief Lives” (matcd017)
in 2002, the band expanded to a four piece lineup with Jessica Griffin (lead vocals and guitar) and Peter Momtchiloff (lead
guitar) welcoming the addition of ex-Headcoatees member Debbie Green (drums and backing vocals) and current Pipas
star Lupe Nuñez-Fernandez (bass and backing vocals).

The current lineup adds a wonderfully rich dimension to the classic Would-Be-Goods sound. The album features new
songs ‘Pantomime Devil’, ‘The Morning After’, ‘Bluebeard’, ‘Big Cat Act’, ‘Le Crocodile’, ‘Too Old’, ‘What Adam and Eve
Did Next’, ‘I Broke the Spell’, ‘The King of Lace’, ‘Miss La-di-dah’, ‘Innocent Abroad’, and ‘Dear St Valentine.’ The new
songs demonstrate that the Would-Be-Goods have lost none of their melancholy charm or wit while perfecting a classic
guitar pop sound. Although we acknowledge our proprietary bias, we still regard it as the strongest Would-Be-Goods
release to date!

You can preview “The Morning After”, “Big Cat Act” and “Miss La-di-dah” now on the sounds
or catalog pages. The album is available RIGHT NOW exclusively via the Matinée
mailorder or in shops from August 23rd, so what are you waiting for?

Also now available exclusively from the Matinée mailorder is the third album “All Things Can Be
Mended” (matcd033) from Brighton duo Harper Lee! One of the most popular
Matinée acts since release of their debut single “Dry Land” (matinée 014) in January
2000, Harper Lee has earned passionate reviews for its singles and previous albums “Go Back To Bed”
(matcd009) and “Everything’s Going To Be OK’ (matcd020).

Band members Keris Howard and Laura Bridge layer guitars, keyboards, percussion and vocals in an intricate manner
that is uniquely Harper Lee. The new album builds on the duo’s signature sound with the addition of enhanced electronica,
trumpets, and backing vocals, plus additional upbeat flourishes that recall the poppier moments from Howard’s former
bands Brighter and Hal. The album features new Harper Lee classics ‘Everybody Leaves’, ‘Left-handed’, ‘I Don’t Need To
Know About Your Wonderful Life’, ‘Let Me Know’, ‘Stupid’, ‘Autumn’, ‘Isn’t This Where We Came In?’, ‘This Is The Sound
That A Heart Makes When It’s Breaking’, ‘Everything’s Going To Be OK’ and ‘There Is A Light In Me That’s Gone’.

We are now spinning “Stupid” on the sounds page, while the
catalog page also features “Everybody Leaves” and “This Is The Sound That A Heart
Makes When It’s Breaking.” It is the strongest Harper Lee record to date, but you know you want it notwithstanding our
humble opinion so order your copy exclusively via the Matinée mailorder TODAY or from your
favorite shop from September 6th.

The latest band featured in our Artist of the Month series is the fantastic Nottingham quartet The Liberty Ship!
One of the more recent additions to the Matinée roster, they quickly made their mark with the standout singles “I Guess
You Didn’t See Her” (matinée 036) and “Northern Angel” (matinée
046) in 2002 and 2003. Early this year the band released its impressive debut album “Tide” (matcd029)
to even greater fanfare. These releases have earned the band numerous favorable reviews and comparisons to pop greats
East Village, The Weather Prophets and The Byrds. In addition, the band has contributed exclusive songs to all of the
recent Matinée compilations and has an abundance of other great songs just waiting for release. During the past two
years the band has developed its live self and now delivers spectacular but criminally rare live performances. If you’ve
missed hearing The Liberty Ship so far, you owe it to yourself to pay an immediate visit to the Matinée
sounds page. Just listen to that ‘Northern Angel’ chorus…pretty catchy eh?

To commemorate their Artist of the Month residency, we have updated the Liberty Ship artist
page with new text, links to interviews, and a poll to determine your favorite Liberty Ship song. The artist page also
features a fantastic video for ‘Northern Angel’ and a cheeky Liberty Ship FAQ for all you fan obsessives. The
sounds page now features three Liberty Ship mp3s, including a brand new exclusive song
called ‘Jackie Paper’s Dream’ which is only available for download this month. Of course all Liberty Ship titles are on sale
at the mailorder throughout August so get in on the action today because these kids are ready
to become your new favorite band.

Voters in the July Artist of the Month poll named ‘Train Not Stopping’ as the top Harper Lee song, just one vote
ahead of its b-side ‘I Could Be There For You.’ Now do you believe you need that single?
The debut single ‘Dry Land’ took third place. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Now scheduled for September release is the brand new “Inner North” CD (matcd034)
from Melbourne Australia’s The Guild League! We had some delay with the album’s artwork thanks to an
indolent Australia Post, but all seems to be sorted now so we’ll work double time to get the release back on track.

The Guild League is of course the brainchild of Tali White, respectable singer and stand-up percussionist of fellow
Melbourne trio and international jetsetters The Lucksmiths. Musically, the intricate guitar and rich cello of core Guild
League members Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez and Cressida Griffith shape the “Inner North” sound. Around this rides White’s
rhythm guitar and galloping piano, the exemplary work of drummer-about-town Marty Brown (Art of Fighting), and bursts
of brass from Guild League guru/engineer Craig Pilkington (The Killjoys). As always, Tali wraps his distinctive voice
around words that warm and chill in equal measure. The album features great new songs ‘Animals’, ‘The Storm’, ‘Trust’,
‘Citronella’, ‘Shot In The Arm’, ‘Why Wait?’, ‘Time Please Gents’, ‘Scientists’, ‘Fingers Of Sun’, ‘Falling Ovation’, ‘Where
Are You Now?’ and ‘Shirtless Sky’.

We have just added ‘Citronella’ to the updated sounds page, and you can find ‘Scientists’
and ‘The Storm’ on the catalog page. Have a listen and we think you’ll agree that this
album is even better than the Guild League’s spectacular debut “Private Transport” (matcd023)
from last year. We’ll take preorders for the album shortly so check the order page soon to get
an advance copy. The band plays three album launch shows in Australia in the next few weeks: August 21st in
Melbourne at The Corner, a free lunchtime show on September 1st in Wollongong at Wollongong Uni, and September
2nd in Sydney at Hopetoun Hotel.

In other forthcoming release news, we are perfecting the artwork for the brand new “Everybody Hates” CD
(matcd035) from Lovejoy! The master arrived at the end of last month and we
have been listening to the album nearly nonstop ever since. The first Lovejoy release since the very well received “Who
Wants To Be A Millionaire?” (matcd018) in 2002, the album features fantastic new
hits ‘Everybody Hates Us And We Don’t Care’, ‘Petrol Stars’, ‘America’, ‘Drug Autumn’, ‘Sandcastles’, ‘Sid Vicious’,
‘Nicotine & Love’, ‘Because You’re Worth It’, and ‘This Could Be An Ending’. Lovejoy previewed a few of these at the
We & You festival last month in Sweden so there is already a lot of anticipation for the album.

We’ll schedule its release for late September but should have advance copies earlier in the month exclusively via the
at the mailorder so check there for an early copy. For now, you can listen to the wonderful
track ‘Sid Vicious’ on the sounds page or go to the catalog
page to also preview ‘Everybody Hates Us’ and ‘Petrol Stars.’

Our most recent release, “This is Farewell” (matcd031) by The Fairways,
continues to receive rave reviews. Some of the choice recent quotes include Mundane
Sounds writing “the spark of brilliance that the Fairways had may never again be lit, but ‘This is Farewell’ will always
warm your soul,” Erasing Clouds observing “a showcase
of the skill of writing perfect songs, with melodies, harmonies and structures to die for, but also a running conversation
about love and loneliness and heartbreak,” and 75 or Less saying “indie pop
hasn’t sounded this tender and unspoiled since the Cat’s Miaow played their final chords some years back.

As we’ve previously reported, “This is Farewell” is the swansong Fairways release, featuring eight previously unreleased
songs, two tracks from their sold out ‘Darling, Don’t You Think?’ 45 (matinée 009), a
song from a limited split single with The Aislers Set, and two tracks from a 2001 tour CD. The album is available NOW in
shops worldwide. You can preview ‘The Back Of Her Hand’ plus ‘Winter Song’ and ‘Emily’ on the sounds
page…but just trust me on this one and save yourself some time: click here to order the CD today!

Finally, while June and July artists of the month The Lucksmiths and Harper Lee dominated the hit parade, The Fairways
still reigned supreme. Here are the top sellers for last month:

10. Razorcuts – R is for Razorcuts CD
9. Harper Lee – Train Not Stopping CDEP
8. The Lucksmiths – Friendless Summer 7″
7. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
6. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
5. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD
4. The Lucksmiths – Midweek Midmorning CDEP
3. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
2. The Lucksmiths – A Little Distraction CD
1. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD

see you in September!
Jimmy
x

Ooh, we’re a bit late with the news this month but hey, it’s summer and we live at the beach! We will do our best to
keep sand out of your orders. It’s all good this month, with a fresh new release and an armload of forthcoming classics
coming your way.

Now featured on a new release shelf near you is the fantastic “This is Farewell” CD (matcd031)
from beloved San Francisco pop darlings The Fairways! One of the greatest American indiepop bands of all
time, The Fairways were one of the first artists associated with Matinée after we saw them play at the Galaxy Hut in
Arlington, Virginia back in 1998. We released their debut “Darling, Don’t You Think?” single (matinée
009) soon thereafter and hometown label Paris Caramel followed up with the album “Is Everything Alright?” a few
months later. The band toured the USA and Japan and built an impassioned following across the globe but the promise
of a second album never materialized and the band drifted apart. While bassist Jen Cohen played in fellow San Francisco
hitmakers The Aislers Set, vocalist Brent Kenji went on to form Matinée duo The Young Tradition. “This is
Farewell” is the swansong Fairways release, featuring eight previously unreleased songs, two tracks from their sold out
Matinée 45, a song from a limited split single with The Aislers Set, and two tracks from a 2001 tour CD.

The album already has a handful of fans, with Vanity
Project describing it as “autumnal pop, caught between a cooling West Coast summery jangle and an early
December be-cardiganed bowlie group cuddle,” Tasty
praising its “jaunty little buggers that seem to worm their way into your heart without much effort at all,” and
Tangents saying “This Is Farewell is exactly what it says it is; a last lingering
look and a hand raised in goodbye by a band most never knew existed. Sometimes that’s the sweetest sound of all.”

You can preview album tracks “The Back Of Her Hand” plus “Winter Song” and “Emily” now on the sounds
page. The release is available in all good record shops and mailorder emporiums now, or you can get a copy straight
from the friendly Matinée shop and we’ll send you some free postcards too! We assume all
Fairways fans are already hip to the sounds of The Young Tradition, but if not, you may wish to check out the
impressive debut “California Morning” CDEP (matinée 043) while you’re in the shop.
You will not be disappointed. There’s a preview of that on the sounds page too so have a listen.

In other top news, our July Artist of the Month is the wonderful Harper Lee! Now, I say nice things about every
artist of the month of course and usually list a few songs that are among my personal favorites from the ever-growing list
of Matinée hits but this is the ONLY month that I can truthfully say that the artist of the month has created the BEST
SONG EVER released on the label! So what is it? The debut single “Dry Land” (matinée 014)
and its equally beautiful b-side “No Happy Ending” are certainly top contenders. So is the follow-up single “Bug”
(matinée 019) and “Only Connect” from the first album “Go Back to Bed”
(matcd009). The competition really heats up with second album “Everything’s Going
To Be OK” (matcd020), with the positively spectacular songs “Fine Bones” and “I Can
Bear This No Longer.” But honestly, the third single “Train Not Stopping” (matinée 032)
is where you really get quality for your money, as it contains the celebrated title track and the exclusive “I Could Be
There For You” among its three songs. “Train Not Stopping” takes top honors for me, but the great things about Harper
Lee is that the songs are so very personal that different people are captivated by different songs. As if the five current
releases do not provide enough fodder for a favorite song list, the band is about to release an extraordinary third album
“All Things Can Be Mended” next month (see details below). The album already contains some new favorites so the
record books will surely be rewritten soon enough.

As with all of our celebrated Artists of the Month, we have updated the Harper Lee artist page
with new text, links to all interviews, and at last, a photo! The page also includes a definitive poll requesting your favorite
Harper Lee song so cast your vote and we’ll see which songs come out on top. The sounds
page now features five Harper Lee mp3s, including brand new song “Stupid” from the forthcoming album. Naturally, all
Harper Lee titles are on sale at the mailorder this month only so take advantage of the savings
to complete your collection today!

June Artist of the Month poll participants selected “Untidy Towns” as the top song by The Lucksmiths, with
“T-Shirt Weather” and “Southernmost” close behind. “The Golden Age of Aviation” and The Cassingle Revival” rounded
out the top five. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Following a relatively quiet spring release schedule, our summer POP! collection is nearly ready and here are the sizzling
details:

The spectacular fourth album from revered London act Would-Be-Goods is scheduled to finish at the pressing
plant this week! As reported previously, the album is called “The Morning After” (matcd032)
and features new songs Pantomime Devil, The Morning After, Bluebeard, Big Cat Act, Le Crocodile, Too Old, What Adam
and Eve Did Next, I Broke the Spell, The King of Lace, Miss La-di-dah, Innocent Abroad, and Dear St Valentine.

Jessica Griffin, enigmatic star of eighties cult label él records, is still at the helm, with her crew of elegant rascals – Peter
Momtchiloff, guitarist (Talulah Gosh, Razorcuts, Heavenly, Scarlet’s Well) and occasional songsmith; Debbie
Green, drummer and darling of the London nineties garage scene (Headcoatees); and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez, bass
player and co-founder of cosmopolitan East London quietists Pipas. These twelve songs demonstrate that the
Would-Be-Goods have lost none of their melancholy charm or wit but have moved beyond the ornate eclecticism of their
acclaimed third album “Brief Lives” (matcd017) to a classic guitar pop sound ranging
from new folk through tango to garage rock. Love songs to lions, frolics in the Garden of Eden, French casanovas and
personal demons await you.

You can preview “The Morning After” plus “Big Cat Act” and “Miss La-di-dah” now on the catalog
page. We are currently taking preorders for the album exclusively via the Matinée mailorder and
will begin shipping CDs the first of August. The official release date is August 23rd if you are looking in the shops. The
CD is a co-release with the excellent Fortuna POP! label in the UK so you
can chase one down there if you are so inclined.

Also scheduled for an August 23rd release is the astounding new “All Things Can Be Mended” CD (matcd033)
from current Matinée Artist of the Month Harper Lee! When we wrote about the album last month we had only
heard the demo versions of several songs, but now that the final mixes are here I can honestly report that the album is a
true masterpiece! Band members Keris Howard and Laura Bridge interplay guitars, keyboards, percussion and vocals on
ten brand new recordings entitled Everybody Leaves, Left-handed, I Don’t Need To Know About Your Wonderful Life, Let
Me Know, Stupid, Autumn, Isn’t This Where We Came In?, This Is The Sound That A Heart Makes When It’s Breaking,
Everything’s Going To Be OK and There Is A Light In Me That’s Gone.

The album delivers more of the acclaimed melancholy for which Harper Lee is so renowned, but also some upbeat
flourishes…trumpets, New Order-style electronica, and even a dash of outright lyrical optimism. While the album has
a modern feel to it, we’ll go ahead and admit that fans of the poppier moments from the Brighter and Hal back catalogs
will not be disappointed. The album also features two opportunities to hear (at last!) wonderful backing vocals from
Laura. It is the most impressive Harper Lee record to date and an essential purchase for anyone reading this update.

The sounds page features “Stupid” among the Artist of the Month mp3s, while the
catalog page also includes soundclips for “Everybody Leaves” and “This Is The Sound
That A Heart Makes When It’s Breaking.” We will take preorders for the album in early August in advance of its release
on the 23rd, so check back soon to reserve a copy.

Another imminent release is the second full length album “Inner North” (matcd034) from
Australian export The Guild League! Originally formed as a 16 member pan-pacific collaborative side project by
The Lucksmiths front man Tali White in 2001, The Guild League released the jaunty single “Jet-Set…Go!”
(matinée 039) and the wonderful debut album “Private Transport”
(matcd023) the following year. On the eagerly anticipated new album they have
condensed the line-up and geographical focus of the band. Described as “twelve songs about turning points, trust and
the sky” the album is the culmination of a fertile period of songwriting between White and guitarist Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez.
Often performing as a trio with cellist Cressida Griffith, the Guild League has built an ever-increasing following.

Musically, the intricate guitar playing of Pintos-Lopez and Griffith’s rich cello form the core of the “Inner North” sound.
Around this rides White’s rhythm electric and rough shod, galloping piano, the ever-exemplary work of drummer-about-town
Marty Brown (Art of Fighting) and bursts of brass from Guild League guru/engineer Craig Pilkington (The Killjoys). As
ever, White wraps his distinctive voice around words that warm and chill in equal measure. Having gelled as a band, The
Guild League has produced a self assured and cohesive second album. “Inner North” is unhurried, wryly humorous,
proudly diverse and humbly beautiful.

The album features great new songs Animals, The Storm, Trust, Citronella, Shot In The Arm, Why Wait?, Time Please
Gents, Scientists, Fingers Of Sun, Falling Ovation, Where Are You Now? and Shirtless Sky. We are just finalizing the
artwork and should have copies available in early August for preorder. For now, have a listen to preview track “Trust” on
the sounds page.

Switching to live news, Pipas play a single show in Sweden this week, followed by a mini-tour of the UK with
California band The Frenchmen and London act The Cut Outs (featuring members of Airport Girl and The Fat
Tulips). The Liberty Ship join them on the Nottingham date of the tour. Later this month, Lovejoy
previews songs from the forthcoming album “Everybody Hates” (matcd035) at the We
& You Festival in Sweden and The Lucksmiths play a handful of Australian dates. Finally, The Guild
League have an album launch next month in Australia. Here are all confirmed dates for July and August:

16 July: Pipas + The Honeydrips in Stockholm, Sweden @ Trädgården
21 July: Pipas + The Frenchmen + The Cut Outs in London, UK @ The Betsey Trotwood
22 July: Pipas + The Liberty Ship + The Frenchmen + The Cut Outs in Nottingham, UK @ The Rescue Rooms
23 July: Pipas + The Frenchmen + Velodrome 2000 + The Cut Outs in Sheffield, UK @ Classic Rock Bar
24 July: Pipas + The Frenchmen + The Cut Outs + The Seven Inches in Leeds, UK @ The Fenton
23/24 July: Lovejoy in Malmö, Sweden at the We & You Festival
29 July: The Lucksmiths in Ballarat, Australia @ Karova Lounge
30 July: The Lucksmiths + Paper Tiger in Adelaide, Australia @ Jade Monkey
31 July: The Lucksmiths + Mid-State Orange + Richard Easton in Melbourne, Australia @ Hi Fi Bar
6 August: The Lucksmiths + Anthony Atkinson in Hobart, Australia @ The Venue
7 August: The Lucksmiths + Anthony Atkinson in Launceston, Australia @ Royal Oak
21 August: The Guild League in Melbourne, Australia @ The Corner Hotel (album launch)

Finally, in June hit parade action The Fairways crushed the competition with their new album “This is Farewell”
(matcd031). Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. Melodie Group – Updownaround CD
9. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
8. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
7. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″
6. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
5. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
4. Various – Matinée 50! CD
3. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
2. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD
1. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD

More news and great new music next month!

regards,
Jimmy
x

Hurrah! That familiar sound of the UPS truck struggling to make it down our narrow streets here in Santa Barbara can only
mean one thing: time for a new release! This time it is the long-awaited swansong from The Fairways called
“This is Farewell” (matcd031). One of the most beloved bands on the international
pop scene, this San Francisco quintet produced highly melodic songs coupling jangling guitars, piano, organ, flute and
strings with the melancholic voice of lead singer Brent Kenji. In one energetic burst at the turn of the century The
Fairways released a brilliant debut single and album, contributed tracks to several international pop compilations, toured
the USA and Japan, and placed a song in a mainstream Miramax film. Despite glowing reviews and an ardent following
across the globe, the promise of a highly anticipated second album never materialized and the band drifted apart. While
bassist Jen Cohen played in fellow San Francisco hitmakers The Aislers Set, Kenji went on to form the celebrated
Matinée duo The Young Tradition. The 13 tracks on this CD include eight previously unreleased songs that
formed the basis of that elusive second album, two tracks from their sold out “Darling Don’t You Think” 45
(matinée 009), a song from a limited split single with The Aislers Set, and two tracks
from a 2001 tour CD. In addition to signature Fairways originals, the album includes cover versions of songs by Japanese
pop group Three Berry Icecream, venerable American songwriter Walter Donaldson, and Scottish indie legends Jesse
Garon and the Desperadoes. You can find the CD in shops on June 28th, or get a copy right now exclusively via the
Matinée mailorder! Fairways fans in the Philippines please note that the CD is released on
Universal Records there on July 16 so look for that soon.

In other top news, the Matinée Artist of the Month for June is The Lucksmiths! As the band with whom we have
worked the longest (first release in September 1998!), The Lucksmiths are responsible for some splendid moments in the
Matinée history. Two of the band’s most popular songs, “T-Shirt Weather” and “Untidy Towns”, first saw release right
here on Matinée. During the last six years, we have released a total of eight Lucksmiths records: the “Untidy Towns” 7″
(matinée 004) in 1998, “Southernmost” 7″ (matinée 008)
and Staring At The Sky 10″ and CD (matlp004) in 1999, “T-Shirt Weather” 7″ and CDEP
(matinée 018) in 2000, “Friendless Summer 7”
(matinée 027) in 2001, “Where Were We?” CD (matcd019)
and “Midweek Midmorning” CDEP (matinée 042) in 2002, and “A Little Distraction” CD
(matcd027) in 2003. The band has also contributed exclusive cover versions to the “A Smile Took Over” EP
(matinée 005), “La Boda Guatemalteca” CDEP (matinée 034),
“Matinée 50” compilation (matinée 050), and the “Romantic and Square is Hip and
Aware” CD (matcd030), covering Boyracer, The Bedridden, The Siddeleys and The Smiths respectively.

Following a bustling 2003 touring the world in support of recent releases “Naturaliste” and “A Little Distraction,” the band
is taking it relatively easy at home in Melbourne, Australia this year. They are presently working on new songs for their
next album scheduled for release in early 2005.

As resident artist of the month, The Lucksmiths have a freshly updated artist page
with a snazzy new photo and links to countless interviews, plus we’ll be adding video clips for “Midweek Midmorning” and
“Downside to the Upstairs” shortly. The page also includes a definitive poll requesting your favorite Lucksmiths song
released on Matinée and everyone who enters has the chance to win a special prize. We’re not sure what it is yet but
we’ll find something groovy for you. The sounds page now features five Lucksmiths mp3s,
including the rare track “Boat” which was previously only available to about 150 people invited to the 2001 wedding of
Matinée mogul Jimmy and his wife Mary. We received so many requests for the song that we decided to make it
available as an mp3 to coincide with the Artist of the Month celebration. Of course, all Lucksmiths titles are on sale at
the mailorder this month only so complete your collection today. A few early titles have sold
out but we still offer most releases so get ’em while you can!

May Artist of the Month poll respondents selected “Baked Alaska” as the favorite Slipslide song, with “Sleeptalk”
and “Palm House Crawling” close behind. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Our next release is the brilliant new Would-Be-Goods album “The Morning After” (matcd032).
We’ve had a slight delay with the release due to licensing issues but all looks resolved now and the CD is moving forward
at the manufacturing plant. We should have copies available for preorder next month. As reported in May, the tracklisting
is 1. Pantomime Devil, 2. Morning After, 3. Bluebeard, 4. Big Cat Act, 5. Le Crocodile, 6. Too Old, 7. What Adam and
Eve Did Next, 8. I Broke the Spell, 9. The King of Lace, 10. Miss La-di-dah, 11. Innocent Abroad, 12. Dear St Valentine.
We believe it’s the strongest Would-Be-Goods release to date so mark this one on your shopping list as an essential
purchase. You won’t be disappointed. In the meantime, have a listen to preview tracks “Morning After” and “Miss
La-di-dah” on the catalog page.

Our friendly new postman has just delivered a wonderful CD containing demos of 10 brand new songs from Brighton duo
Harper Lee! The songs are simply magnificent and if all goes as planned the band will finish recording the
album later this month. Provisionally entitled “All Things Can Be Mended,” the album will include typically cheery songs
called I Don’t Need to Know About Your Wonderful Life, This is the Sound That a Heart Makes When It’s Breaking,
Left-handed, Let Me Know, Everything’s Going To Be OK, Stupid, There is a Light In Me That’s Gone, Everybody Leaves,
Isn’t This Where We Came In? and possibly one more. Expect signature Harper Lee melancholy with splashes of
flavor (including trumpets!) that recall the poppier moments of lead vocalist Keris Howard’s former bands Brighter and Hal.
Look for more details next month.

Other albums nearing completion include the third full length “Everybody Hates” from Lovejoy and the sophomore
effort “Inner North” from The Guild League. Watch this space for release details. The Guild League play a rare
live show this month in Australia, while Pipas embark on a mini-tour of the UK and Lovejoy heads to Sweden for a festival
appearance. Here are confirmed dates for June and July:

12 June: Pipas w/ Language of Flowers in Glasgow, Scotland @ The Winchester Club
18 June: The Guild League w/ Duckdive and Paul Greene in Melbourne, Australia @ The Empress
21 July: Pipas w/ The Frenchmen and The Cut Outs in London, England @ The Arts Café
22 July: Pipas w/ The Frenchmen and The Cut Outs in Nottingham, England @ The Rescue Rooms
23 July: Pipas w/ The Frenchmen and The Cut Outs in Sheffield, England @ TBA
24 July: Pipas w/ The Frenchmen and The Cut Outs in Leeds, England @ TBA
23/24 July: Lovejoy in Malmö, Sweden at the We & You Festival

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the t-shirt poll in the May update. We are still accepting input so if you
are interested in sporting any of the Matinée bands on your chest please let us know on the
fanclub page. We plan to have a few new designs ready next month.

In May hit parade action, Pipas edged out the “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” CD for the top spot with their
new “Bitter Club” EP (matinée 052), while May artist of the month Slipslide slipped back
into the top ten thanks to some strong superlatives we threw your way in the last update. We’re a sneaky lot, no?
Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. Slipslide – The World Can Wait CD
9. Lovejoy – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire CD
8. The Guild League – Private Transport CD
7. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
6. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
5. Matinée t-shirt
4. Various – Matinée 50! CD
3. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
2. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD
1. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP

Back in 30 days with the latest.

take care!
Jimmy
x

Hello popular music lovers and thanks for visiting the Matinée site. We’re overflowing with news this month so pour
yourself a frosty beverage and sit back for the latest.

The highly anticipated album from The Fairways is finally…at the CD plant! Perhaps not what you wanted to
hear but hey, defunct bands move rather slowly. There appears to be a lot of interest in this release and we’re sorry
for its delay but I can finally disclose the complete release details. Entitled “This is Farewell” (matcd031),
the album is a collection of 13 songs recorded between 1998 and 2004 by our favorite San Francisco band. In fact,
they are probably our favorite American band considering they are the only one currently on the label. Since they
are technically broken up, I’m not sure what that means except maybe we need a new American band. In any event,
the CD includes eight previously unreleased songs that formed the basis of the band’s unreleased second album,
plus two tracks from their 2000 debut “Darling Don’t You Think?” 7″ (matinée 009),
two tracks from a 2001 tour CD on Dogprint Records, and a song from a limited split 7″ with The Aislers Set on
Yakamashi Records. The album includes cover versions of songs by Walter Donaldson, Three Berry Icecream, and
Scottish indie legends Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes. Here’s the full tracklisting: 1. Don’t Call Me Dear, 2. The
Back Of Her Hand, 3. Catch That Man, 4. The Rain Fell Down, 5. Starstruck, 6. Winter Song, 7. Casino Lights, 8.
Nowhere To Go, 9. Little White Lies, 10. Fine Day, 11. Emily, 12. Goodbye California, 13. This Is Farewell. You can
preview three tracks on the catalog page now. Although the official release date is
scheduled for late June, we will have advance copies available exclusively from the Matinée mailorder early next
month. Watch the order page for your chance to preorder the CD in a few weeks.

Also rather exciting is the upcoming fourth album from beloved English band Would-Be-Goods! Since their
splendid last album “Brief Lives” (matcd017) in 2002, the band has evolved into a
four piece with the addition of Debbie Green (ex-Headcoatees) on drums and backing vocals and Lupe Nuñez-Fernandez
(also of Pipas) on bass and backing vocals. They join Jessica Griffin (lead vocals and guitar) and Peter Momtchiloff
(lead guitar) to form a quartet that is equally impressive live and in the studio. The full band lineup adds a wonderfully
rich dimension to the songs, and the new recordings are their best to date.

The new album is called “The Morning After” (matcd032) and features a dozen
new classics: 1. Pantomime Devil, 2. Morning After, 3. Bluebeard, 4. Big Cat Act, 5. Le Crocodile, 6. Too Old, 7.
What Adam and Eve Did Next, 8. I Broke the Spell, 9. The King of Lace, 10. Miss La-di-dah, 11. Innocent Abroad,
12. Dear St Valentine. The CD heads to the pressing plant this week so we should have copies available for preorder
in early June. We’ll announce release details in the June update. For now, you can preview “Morning After” and
“Miss La-di-dah” playing on the sounds page.

Now, before you start drafting that email complaining that you have to wait another whole month for some new music
from Matinée (my, you’ve grown quite accustomed to 15 new releases a year, haven’t you?), we do have on offer a
brand new track from Slipslide! And best of all, it is completely free! Yes sir, Slipslide is the esteemed
Matinée Artist of the Month for May. Serious students of indiepop of course remember Slipslide leader Graeme
Elston from his previous labors in The Love Parade, Pure, and Eva Luna with a half-dozen releases on respected
labels Sugarfrost and A Turntable Friend. Slipslide bandmembers Matthew Hawes, Dave Masterman and Brychan
Todd had something do with these former bands as well but I can’t really remember the details and of course it
doesn’t matter because they’re all together now in the finest collaboration of all.

Yes, the recent cries of “best Matinée album to date!” have made Slipslide smile, but seriously, have you heard “The
World Can Wait” (matcd025)? It’s really that good…just read any of the fantastic
reviews collected on its catalog page and you’ll soon realize this is an album you
need to own. It contains two songs that I might just include on my “top ten Matinée songs of all time” list. “Baked
Alaska” and “Palm House Crawling” are the two, but reviewers all seem to like different ones so apparently there is
something for everyone here. Prior to the album, Slipslide released two fine singles in 2001 – the “Four Day Weekend”
CDEP (matinée 023) and the “Sleeptalk” 7″ (matinée
031). They have contributed tracks to nearly every Matinée compilation so far, and most of them are exclusive.
The band is currently recording songs for future releases and plays a rare live date June 2nd at The Bull & Gate in
London as special guests of The Seb Clarke Big Band. Slipslide take the stage at 9pm so get there early.

As resident artist of the month, Slipslide have a freshly updated artist page with
links to interviews, a special Popquiz, and a poll about your favorite Slipslide song. The sounds
page now features three Slipslide mp3s, including an exclusive track called “Eden” to tide you over until the band’s
next release. Of course, all Slipslide titles are on sale at the mailorder this month only.
We’re including free Slipslide buttons with all orders so get going!

April Artist of the Month poll respondents selected “Radio” as the favorite Lovejoy song, with “You Fell From
Grace” and “I Dream of Angels” close behind. Thanks to everyone who voted. Lovejoy is one of several Matinée
artists in the studio right now working on new recordings. If all goes as planned, we’ll have a new album in our hands
later this summer. New songs in progress include “Nicotine And Love” (previewed in last month’s Artist of the Month
feature), “America”, “Sid Vicious”, “Everybody Hates Us And We Don’t Care”, “Petrol Stars”, “Sandcastles”,
“Because You’re Worth It”, and “A Glimpse Of Blue.” We’ll announce release details soon.

The band has just released a great 7″ on UK label Unpopular
Records which is a new project of Alistair Fitchett of the wonderful Tangents
website. The 45 includes the tracks “Strike A Pose” and “Someone To Share My Life With” … a TV Personalities
song also made famous by Creation Records band Biff Bang Pow! The single is limited to just 500 copies and we
have 20 of them available at the mailorder while supplies last. There are two different
sleeves so check the Unpopular website for details and let me know if you have a preference.

Other Matinée bands in the studio include Harper Lee, The Guild League, The Snowdrops,
Pale Sunday, Airport Girl, and The Young Tradition so look for reports on more great new
releases next month.

A few Matinée bands are forsaking the sunshine to play some live shows in dark clubs. Here are confirmed dates
so far:

16 May: The Guild League in Melbourne, Australia @ Pony (+Splendid & Sophie Koh)
22 May: The Lucksmiths in Perth, Australia @ The Rosemount Hotel (+Showbag & The Bank Holidays)
02 June: Slipslide in London, England @ The Bull & Gate (+The Seb Clarke Big Band)
12 June: Pipas in Glasgow, Scotland @ The Winchester Club (+The Language of Flowers)
21 July: Pipas in London, England @ The Arts Café (+The Shadows of Doubt & The Frenchmen)

We don’t know much about some of these bands, but apparently The Seb Clarke Big Band are an 11 piece
Indie/Northern Soul band which should be fairly entertaining. The Frenchmen and The Language of Flowers both
release records via Shelflife so of course they are good. Finally, The
Shadows of Doubt is an exciting new band who at last roll call featured indie statesmen Gregory Webster (Razorcuts,
Sportique, etc.), Peter Momtchiloff (Would-Be-Goods, Heavenly, Marine Research, etc.) and DJ Downfall (Marine
Research and Tender Trap). So that should be fun.

There are also a handful of rumored Swedish dates, including The Shadows of Doubt and Lovejoy at
the We & You Festival in Malmö on July 23 & 24, plus The Pines
at another Swedish festival in July, and maybe the first live shows from The Young Tradition in Sweden as
well. It’s apparently the place to be this summer! We will provide details on these appearances in the next update.

Our recent releases continue to procure flattering reviews, with the “Bitter Club” EP (matinée
052) from Pipas on everybody’s list. Splendid
called the band “pop’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg” while Logo
Magazine wrote “an unexpected seam of sunshine pop… like a disinterested, disheartened Pizzicato Five.” New
album reviews include All
Music Guide calling our Smiths tribute CD “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” (matcd030)
“a lovely dedication to Manchester’s favorite sons,” Aversion.com
lauding “Now Is Then” (matcd028) from The Windmills as “an unfaltering
collection of uplifting pop that demands repeat listening,” and Logo
Magazine reviewing the “Matinée 50” compilation (matinée 050) and
saying “If you’re not sure what pop means these days, lend Matinée your ears for the most interesting – and satisfying –
lesson you’ll ever have.” Check out the latest reviews on the updated catalog pages, and pick up these and other
essential new releases today.

In other press action, this month we completed a “Beginner’s Guide to Matinée” for Vanity
Project fanzine and a great interview for Swedish fanzine Try Happiness. Tasty
also just published an interview with our Brazilian friends Pale Sunday. Look for more interviews next month.

With the warm weather here to stay, our supply of Matinée t-shirts is nearly gone. We have fewer than 20 Matinée
and 20 Razorcuts shirts left and when these designs are gone they’re gone so order now if you need some
summertime threads. We are planning to make new t-shirts this summer, so if you are interested please go
here and let us know which bands you’d most like on your chest and also your size. This
will help us effectively plan t-shirt orders.

Finally, April made it four straight months atop the Matinée hit parade for the “Romantic and Square is Hip and
Aware” CD. Can anything topple this? Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. The Windmills – Now Is Then CD
9. Slipslide – The World Can Wait CD
8. Various – Matinée 50! CD
7. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
6. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
5. Razorcuts – A is for Alphabet CDEP
4. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
3. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
2. Razorcuts – R is for Razorcuts CD
1. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD

See you in June!

regards,
Jimmy
x