A Sunday Matinée...on a Wednesday...

Just a shout out for the upcoming Matinée Recordings compilation A Sunday Matinée, which will be out next month to celebrate the label's 15 years of existence. 15 (new, unreleased, rare etc.) tracks by 15 of the label's very finest artists, including brand new and much anticipated ones from long time blog favorites Northern Portrait and The Electric Pop Group. 5 of the tracks are up for streaming (and teasing) on SoundCloud and they sure promise that should you decide to buy the album (and why not?) you will be in for one massive indie pop fix.

The Matinée Grand Prix...

The Northern Portrait debut wasn’t the only album included in that parcel I received from Matinée Recordings on New Year’s Eve, and though I make sure to get my daily dose of Criminal Art Lovers it’s high time to listen to the rest of the contents. First “pit stop” is the compilation The Matinée Grand Prix, which contains 11 brand new recordings by some of the label’s finest. Normally I shy away from these kind of releases, as the quality of the entries often vary at little too much for my liking (bands seem to be "saving" their best efforts for their own releases). But be it the new track by Northern Portrait (which of course is downright wonderful) or the last song (ever?) recorded by The Lucksmiths, there really doesn’t seem to be one weak moments on this one. The Strawberry Whiplash contribution is exactly as noisy as expected, The Electric Pop Group shows that the “pop” is there for a reason, Clay Hips does indeed deliver their best Pet Shop Boys impression and on it goes! So basically what I’m saying is that “Grand Prix” is an absolutely amazing collection of indie pop tunes and darn close to being the perfect gateway to the genre as well as the Matinée roster.
+ Simpático - Australian Idle
+ Cats on Fire - The Hague