Now housed at art brut interview blog page.
Now housed at david devant & his spirit wife interview blog page.
Now housed at luminescent orchestrii interview blog page.
Matinée Recordings: A Beginner’s Guide
Matinée Recordings is an independent label based in Santa Barbara, California. The label began in 1997 and in seven years has earned a reputation as one of the leading indiepop labels in the world, releasing more than 80 records by 30 different bands.
In its first three years, Matinée released mostly 7" singles by acclaimed acts Sweet William (Australia), Bella Vista (USA), The Lucksmiths (Australia), Sportique (UK), The Fairways (USA), Monterey (USA), The Windmills (UK) and Ego (France). In 1999, the label hosted the first Matinée live showcase aboard a boat in Paris, followed by successful US dates for The Lucksmiths.
In 2000, the label expanded its international base with new signings Harper Lee (UK), Lovejoy (UK), Edson (Sweden), and Melodie Group (UK). It also undertook its first archival release, working with late 80s English band The Visitors on a retrospective compilation. The expanding roster and growing sales helped secure UK label distribution via Shellshock.
The following year saw the release of 18 records from Matinée artists. New 2001 signings included Airport Girl (UK), Simpático (Australia), Slipslide (UK), and Would-Be-Goods (UK), along with archival releases from UK acts The Siddeleys and Remember Fun. Capitalizing on a solid catalog of English acts, Matinée continued expanding live promotion of its artists with numerous label showcases in London.
With a growing fan base and international notoriety, Matinée released 16 releases in 2002. In addition to records from label veterans, 2002 brought debut releases by Pipas (UK), The Liberty Ship (UK), The Guild League (Australia) and Kosmonaut (UK), as well as the fourth archival release from English indie legends Razorcuts. The year included US dates for numerous Matinée bands as well as label releases and bands topping many year-end polls.
Beginning 2003 with new distribution deals in Sweden, Spain, and Korea, Matinée continued promotion of its international roster to even bigger audiences. The year brought the release of 18 titles from label artists—now among the most popular indiepop bands in the world—plus new bands Pale Sunday (Brazil), The Pines (UK), The Snowdrops (UK), and The Young Tradition (Sweden). Brighter (UK) provided the fifth Matinée archival release with a collection of songs previously released on Sarah Records. The label celebrated the release of its 50th single with the compilation “Matinée 50” featuring 20 Matinée artists covering songs previously released on the label. The album coincided with the San Francisco Popfest, featuring The Lucksmiths, Pipas and Gregory Webster among its performers. Matinée artists toured England, Scotland, Sweden, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, USA, Canada, Japan, and Australia in 2003, and the label captured the “best label” award in the annual Indiepop List poll.
As 2004 began, Matinée released its most ambitious project to date— a tribute to legendary 80s English band The Smiths. Entitled “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware,” the compilation features 12 Matinée artists covering classic songs from the Smiths songbook. New releases from Liberty Ship, Pipas, Fairways, Would-Be-Goods, Lovejoy, Snowdrops, Harper Lee, Guild League, Pale Sunday, and more are scheduled for the year. For news, soundclips, and to subscribe to the label’s monthly newsletter, visit http://www.indiepages.com/matinee.
Here's a look at some of their recent output.
A record that oozes sophistication, harking back to beat-pop and post-folk of the 60’s whilst also encompassing a late 80’s/early 90’s guitar pop tenderness. The playing is calm and professional without being life-affirming. A touch of Dylan can be found in there as well as a hint of Van Morrison and more recent players such as Orange Juice and the Go-Betweens. Skif
Various - Romantic And Square Is Hip And Aware
Released to celebrate the 50th single release on Matinee, the ‘50’ are represented by 20 slices of shimmering guitar pop, many of which, like The Snowdrops and Pipas are not afraid to add a shiny electronic edge to their Sarah-like base. In some cases though it is not always easy to discern one Matinee act from another, but it’s definitely worth getting if you enjoy a gentler, kinder music. The ‘Romantic and Square...’ Collection is a little more intriguing though. When a label with a roster which is largely occupied by guitar pop acts decides to ask them all to contribute to an LP paying tribute to THEE guitar pop act, you're unlikely to be struck by many radical departures from the original. Indeed the majority of the melodies here stay true to the Morrissey/Marr originals. So the Smiths it is then and this isn't the first tribute LP afforded to them. It's not an unworthy set though, by any means. The excellent Pines give 'Ask' a coastal serenity, while Pipas bring a tired lethargic charm to 'This Night Has Opened My Eyes'. Elsewhere, Pale Sunday's 'I Know It's Over' has a robotic sheen, and The Guild League put 'Panic' on the streets of the East End with a chirpy Cockney-ish approximation. An entertaining set, not sure what S.P.M. Would make of it though. Skif
This represents the third long player from the Essex outfit. Some very nice tunes amongst the 11 tracks, particularly the affecting soft-step of ‘Ever To Exist’, the Weddoes-like driving jangle of the title track, the slight ‘Comfortably Numb’-like disaffection of ‘Footprints’ while the brush drumming and guitar chiming gives a delicate melancholy to ‘Your Fingers And Mine’. Skif
Sijis records has been set up to promote and enhance the international experiment music scene. Our aim is simple - to bypass any [sub]standard methods of industrial music making and distribute music by trade, internet and word of mouth, avoiding the unnecessary evils of advertising, PR and the usual techniques that might make it easy to buy hamburgers anywhere in the world, but sure as hell make it difficult to hear interesting music. We wish to make it clear we are up for 21st century barter, so make us an offer if you don't want to part with your hard earned deneiros amigos!
Despite the volume of their output, they describe themselves as the ‘home of music with limited appeal’. Well, this is the fanzine of limited space, so we’ll be limiting ourselves in the description of sounds captured on the 9 releases they sent us. Here goes…
‘The Archduke Of The Furrycats’ by J.Torrance is unsettling; both in its dramatic sweeping amongst regimenting beats and with the cut-up jazz efforts, although ‘Coney Island Dogbiscuit’ pulls the elements together wonderfully. Johann Wlight’s ‘Dauswkn’ is 30 minutes of Kawabata-like slow-building static n’ drone, with tapping and dial-up squealing imbedded beneath, while Freiband’s ‘Sijis Rmx’ halves that time span on their one-tracker, seemingly capturing space and numbness onto a crackling 78. Failsafe’s ‘About Time’ begins with sounds akin to dropping lentils upon tin, with free jazz and dub mindsets lurking. Fourier’s CD remixes tracks by 4 label mates with the Mr. Mutton Deluxe effort particularly successful. Deluxe’s own effort ‘Not In The Lake’ is sociopathic cut-up n’ glitchcore with profoundly funky movements thrown in. Not one but two items from Sluggo, ‘Phases’ throbs and pulsates with idle threat, while the shorter compositions on ‘Completed Under Duress’ are, in places, even more sparse, with an assault on the senses from glitches and stabs elsewhere. Finally, Scott Taylor’s ‘Leaving Eden’ offers more unembellished soundtracks both claustrophobic and agoraphobic in their appeals to the natural world.
Butterfly Crush #6
Butterfly Crush always makes for a fine and spiriting read and this 6th edition is not exception. Comprehensive appraisals of LPs by the likes of Bobby Conn, Momus, Psychonauts and Foamboy, as well as a delightfully individual discussion of a recent Pet Shop Boys single. Aside from this interviews with The Uterus Woman and VP favourites The Party and a feature on Diamanda Galas mean that you’ll learn a thing or two and be entertained by Butterfly Crush. Get it for £1.30 from Peter Millar, 12 Glenarm Square, Belfast, BT10 0FD, UK. Email butterflycrushzine@hotmail.com for more info. Skif
Robots & Electronic Brains #13/Empty #8
Good idea this – if bands can have split singles and albums, why shouldn’t fanzines be able to have split editions? The 40 pages are split 22/18 in favour of Robots and the content of Jimmy Possession’s tome is as vivid and knowledgeable as ever, featuring interviews with S.K., Bad Timing and Serge. The Empty side, coming courtesy of the good folks at the Burning Emptiness micro record label in France, features no holds barred reviews as well as interviews with The Telescopes and Ultra Milkmaids. Once again with Robots, a sampler CD, ‘Half-Empty’ is given away with the issue, featuring no less than 36 artists from 5 labels (Deserted Village, Experimental Seafood, Loca, System Corrupt and Where It’s At Is Where You Are) as well as an extra free Guitare Brothers LP for us subscribers. Always a fantastic package, if you haven’t subscribed yet, do it today. Cheques for £4 to J. Thomas, R+EB, 133 Green End Road, Cambridge, CB4 1RW. www.come.to/robots. Skif
Shadowplay #8 & #9
Shadowplay are a very prolific fanzine team from the Nottingham area delivering their 8th and 9th issue in 9 months. The 8th issue features an interview with Pretty Girls Make Graves alongside articulate features on Intentions Of An Asteroid, reminiscences of the Leeds Festival 2002 and live reviews of Simple Kid, The NME Awards Tour, Spiritualized, Air and the Rescue Rooms 1st Birthday Party. Also inside are album reviews of The Mountain Goats, Electrelane and Franz Ferdinand as well as 'Mullet of the Month'. Issue #9 spends yet more time with the Soledad Brothers, plus live reviews of Simple Kid, Punish The Atom, Buck 65, Mower and Young Heart Attack as well as musings on LP's by Lambchop, The Vines, DJ Signify and Jackson Browne. Plus there's a whole lotta stuff about cake and an impassioned diatribe regarding the cult of Kurt Cobain. Get them free from here. Skif
Yellow Plastic
I’m not sure if anyone truly engages with this fanzine. Mind you, I don’t blame our readership, as this fanzine is just as ephemeral as the music we like to talk about. However, Yellow Plastic is a zine that says a little bit more, with highly personal, intellectual appraisals of music and work (and both in tandem). It looks beautiful, without being too stylised, and is a fascinating read. So, if you DO engage with this and appreciate what VP says, then I implore you to support this zine. Tis free with an A5 SAE to 177 Crompton Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, B20 3QX. Skif