We keep forgetting that endless summer doesn’t apply far from Santa Barbara and that some of you actually expect news from us now that it’s officially autumn, so here we go…
Our latest release is the magnificent ‘Movie Ending Romance’ EP (matinée 059) from Math and Physics Club! Judging from our postal receipts the past month it’s hard to believe everyone doesn’t have one of these already and with very good reason because our Seattle pals have delivered another winner. The title track is a summertime jangler with soaring guitars, tambourines and a drumbeat that will put a skip in the step of indie hipsters across the globe. ‘White and Grey’ is an earnest song featuring strings, keyboards, and harmonica plus some magnificently poignant vocals. ‘Graduation Day’ is a swinging pop hit with more jangling guitars, tambourine, violin, and great lyrics—a possible contender as the best MAPC song to date. Closing track ‘You’re So Good To Me’ is a Pacific Northwest take on a Beach Boys classic and a mighty fine one at that.
The band adds to its stockpile of positive reviews in the music press: Friends of the Heroes called the EP “without doubt the perfect summer record,” while Canadian hipsters Left Hip wrote “Movie Ending Romance is one of my faves from the dazzling current Matinée roster.” Erasing Clouds continued its string of spot-on reviews, saying “the feeling that Math and Physics Club is aiming to write classic pop singles may be merely because these songs are so damn good that throwing the word classic around doesn’t seem disingenuous.” Finally, Tasty delivered our choice quote: “If you thought that the quality quotient down at Matinée was every gonna wane, think again. This is the best single they’ve released in a while, and, amongst a throng of very great singles, too. ‘Movie Ending Romance’ by Math and Physics Club is quite simply stunning.”
Soundclips on the sounds page, of course, or just click straight to the order page so you’re not the last person on your block with a copy. The band is currently working on songs for its debut album and my, oh my, is it gonna be good!
Following the success of recent singles from Math and Physics Club, The Happy Couple and The Lucksmiths, we are officially declaring the single is not dead (!) despite industry reports to the contrary. To validate this point we are finalizing two more singles for imminent release:
First up is the highly anticipated return of London trio Tender Trap with the ‘Language Lessons’ CDEP (matinée 058)! The follow-up to the 2002 album ‘Film Molecules,’ the EP features lead track ‘Talking Backwards’ (a preview of the band’s forthcoming second album later this year) plus non-album tracks ‘Unputdownable,’ ‘Friendster’ and ‘Cómo Te Llamas?’ As you probably know, Tender Trap is Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey, and John Stanley who individually and collectively are responsible for various hits as Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research and DJ Downfall. On this EP they are in top form, and joined by special guests Claudia Gonson (The Magnetic Fields) on two songs and Lupe Nuñez-Fernandez (Pipas) on another. The single is scheduled for release late next month but ‘Talking Backwards’ is playing on the sounds page now if you just can’t wait. We have just added the official Tender Trap artist page to the site as well so check that out if you are keen to learn more about the band.
Also scheduled for release at last is the ‘Sleepydust’ EP (matinée 053) from The Snowdrops! The artwork is actually finished for this one so we are just waiting on the final master recording to get it into production. This has been a long time coming but not without good reason and you will be rewarded for your patience. You see, The Snowdrops aren’t really a band but instead a figment of the imagination of the inimitable Keith Girdler (Blueboy, Beaumont, Lovejoy). Core “members” include Dick Preece (Lovejoy) and Pam Berry (The Pines, etc.) but you never know who might contribute something in the end. They communicate only via handwritten note usually delivered by carrier pigeon. The Snowdrops are also the only band we know that designs artwork first and then attempts to record songs that fit the sleeve. At this stage it’s a five-track EP including a very Pet Shop Boys-inspired title track with brilliant lead vocals from Keith plus backing from Pam. You can listen to that on the current sounds page. Other tracks include a beautiful atmospheric number called ‘Too Cold To Snow’ (partly responsible for our desire to not release it in the summer), a wonderful new song called ‘The Boy With The Hummingbird Eyes’ with Dick on lead vocals and a guest appearance from Keris Howard (Harper Lee, Brighter), a short one called ‘Teddy Dragons’ and a remix of ‘Sleepydust’ with more Pam (always a good thing) and some other nice touches. Most likely out in November, but we’ll keep you posted…
 |
 |
 |
Earlier this year we released fantastic albums from The Lucksmiths (matcd039), The Young Tradition (matcd038) and Pale Sunday (matcd037). We’ve written about them a lot already so check the archives if you are a sucker for my prose or simply click straight to the catalog pages for complete release details, soundclips and reviews. There you’ll also find details on other 2005 releases from Pipas (matcd036), Lovejoy (matcd035), The Lucksmiths (matinée 057), Math and Physics Club (matinée 056), and The Happy Couple (matinée 054). Not a bad year for Matinée, eh?
In band news, we have added recent interviews and other features to the Lucksmiths and Math and Physics Club pages. Also, a handful of October live performances to add to your calendar:
October 1: Math and Physics Club at Neumos in Seattle, WA (KEXP benefit show with M83, The National, Athlete, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and John Vanderslice). The show is broadcast live on KEXP from 6pm – 9pm Pacific time so you can all listen in).
October 2: Pipas and Mark Monnone (The Lucksmiths) plus Michelmas at The Light Programme in London, England. See the Pipas website for more details.
October 22: Lovejoy and Pipas plus Love Dance and Professor Pez at Kamelon, Bergen, Norway (Some Gorgeous Accident festival). See the Kamelon website for show details.
We are starting a new back catalog spotlight feature this month, shining a light on some classics from our respected discography which is now approaching 100 releases! Each month we’ll feature one CD album, one CD single and one 7” single that we think deserve another chance in the spotlight. Each of the releases is also on sale for the next month if you are looking for buying suggestions or just want to complete your Matinée collection. This month, the honors go to:
Ah, The Windmills. We have released a total of seven gems from this Southend-On-Sea lot and each one has proven more astonishing than the last. So, no better place to kick off our back catalog album spotlight than their most recent full-length ‘Now Is Then’ (matcd028) from November of 2003. Including the should-have-been hits ‘Walking Around The World’ and ‘Summer Snow’ and ‘Now Is Then,’ the album is a solid one start to finish and earned the band the loftiest acclaim of its career. Among our favorite quotes, All Music Guide praised it as “classic guitar-driven indie pop… rich and full of emotion” while IndiePages awarded it “favorite Windmills record to date” status and Aversion.com called it “an unfaltering collection of uplifting pop that demands repeat listening.” Check out full reviews and soundclips on the catalog page. If you haven’t heard The Windmills yet this is a great place to start.
Yeah, we know you’ve heard it before…‘Train Not Stopping’ from Harper Lee happens to be my favorite song ever released on Matinée but you must admit, this EP (matinée 032) is rather spectacular. In addition to the flawless title track, the EP includes exclusive songs ‘I Could Be There For You’ and ‘The Sea Gently Lifting’ which are minor gems in their own right. The single had the unfortunate fate of being released on September 11th of 2001 so needless to say it was a bit difficult to get people jumping up and down about it back in the day. Over time it has established itself as a bit of a masterpiece but we reckon there are many of you out there who still NEED to hear this. In reviewing the single, Strange Fruit wrote “straightforward and very, very effective, a starkly moving and sparkling little gem,” while In Love With These Times concluded “I could happily do nothing but listen to these songs ‘til Christmas.” Our favorite press quote, however, came from the ever-trusty Tasty, saying “There’s only two of ‘em, but they make a sound like an orchestra on valium, filling every corner of a song.” What could I possibly say to follow that? Read more reviews and listen to the title track on the catalog page—this one’s a gem and no serious student of the label should be without it.
Our featured 7” is the debut release from Nottingham quartet The Liberty Ship. Released in June 2002, the single (matinée 036) includes two songs exclusive to this release—‘I Guess You Didn’t See Her’ and a splendid cover of Gene Clark’s ‘She Don’t Care About Time.’ A very promising debut indeed! IndiePages applauded its “jangly guitars that sparkle and shimmer and great boy/girl vocal harmonies,” while Tasty called it “one of the essential purchases of your pop-drenched summer” and In Love With These Times said “rich and laid-back, this is pop for all seasons.” Of course The Liberty Ship went on to release the stunning ‘Northern Angel’ EP and ‘Tide’ album the following year but the songs from this 7” remain exclusive to this release so get it while you can. The 7” is one of six Matinée 7” that came in a proper glued jacket instead of a foldover sleeve and it looks rather smashing if you ask me. Bonus points if you can tell me who the rock star is on the sleeve…
In merchandise news, we have nearly sold out of the Lucksmiths US tour t-shirts, and the Matinée and Razorcuts shirts are just about gone as well. Check the order page for color and size availability and order soon if you want one. We are taking preorders now for a small number of Math and Physics Club t-shirts…available in light blue adult sizes and pink ladies sizes with a nifty paper airplane design. This is the same shirt available at recent MAPC shows on the West Coast and we have just 30 available so go here now to secure yours. Shirts will ship next week as soon as they arrive. More shirts and a new range of buttons/pins/badges (call ‘em what you like) are on the way. Look for complete details on the fanclub page sometime soon.
Finally, a combined hit parade for July and August demonstrates further love for Math and Physics Club. Thanks, as always, for supporting the Matinée mailorder! Here’s the top ten:
10. The Guild League – Inner North CD
9. The Lucksmiths – San Francisco CDEP
8. Razorcuts – R is for Razorcuts CD
7. The Happy Couple – Fools In Love CDEP
6. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
5. Pale Sunday – Summertime? CD
4. The Young Tradition – Northern Drive CD
3. The Lucksmiths – Warmer Corners CD
2. Math and Physics Club – Weekends Away CDEP
1. Math and Physics Club – Movie Ending Romance CDEP
Back next month with more news!
Jimmy
x