Matinée have been very busy since the last article I did on them - so much so that they've actually put out a number of other things since this batch of releases I have here. But even though these aren't their latest releases I still feel they're worth writing about. For those unfamiliar with Matinée, it's an indiepop label very much in the spirit of various labels from the mid 80s to early 90s when the indiepop scene was in full bloom. I'd say it is one of the premier indiepop labels of today.

The Guild League include amongst them members of The Lucksmiths, Sodastream and Art of Fighting, as well as Candle Records artist Richard Easton. Their debut EP is out as a CD on Matinée, Jet-Set...Go! The title track is an ode to travelling, with quiet bits and comparatively raucous strumathons... it's a slightly off-centre 90s-style indiepop thing. Then there's two demo tracks; A Faraway Place starts off with some quirky handclapping and percussion, then there's some acapella vocals... very effective and something you don't often hear in the indiepop scene. Cornflakes is a minimal acoustic song, primarily voice and guitar with occasional percussion and whistling.

The Lucksmiths themselves have had several releases out on Matinée and the latest I have is Midweek Midmorning, a 3 song CD EP of melodic old-school indiepop with strummy and jangly guitars and occasional brass on the title track. Point Being has a very strong and catchy chorus and is one of the best songs I've heard from this band.

The Windmills released one single in the 80s and were never heard of since, but at the start of the new millennium resurfaced on Matinée, continuing in much the same style as where they left off. There have been several Matinée releases from this band, the latest I have being Walking Around The World, starring a pair of Converse trainers on the cover. Their music is very mid-80s-ish jangly indiepop reminiscent of the sort of bands that turn up on the Sound of Leamington Spa compilations; somewhat unsurprisingly a track from The Windmills' original 80s single was featured on volume one of that series.

The Matinée Summer Splash is a 12 song compilation album selling for the price of a single, consisting mainly of rarities, exclusive tracks, and songs not yet released at the time of the compilation coming out. There's the melancholic jangle of Harper Lee; the excellent sophisticated indiepop-with-oomph of Would-Be-Goods; Airport Girl who mix trumpet driven upbeat indiepop with melancholic indiepop and a slightly quirky twist; the non-twee indiepop with 60s-ish elements of Slipslide; the upbeat old-school indiepop of Melodie Group; quirky electropop from Pipas; Sportique whose track here is much more of an indiepop thing than their punk-influenced Modern Museums album; the janglepop of The Windmills, The Liberty Ship, Lovejoy and Kosmonaut; and The Pines who perform a minimal yet still sophisticated version of Patsy Cline's Leavin' On Your Mind.

Pipas are Mark Powell (ex-Bella Vista and Moonlings) and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez. Their album A Cat Escaped is out now on Matinée. Whereas most Matinée bands are guitar based, Pipas mix guitar-based indiepop with electronic beats and synths. Barbapapa combines ba-ba-bas and other sung vocals with spoken vocals, but most songs here are thoroughly melodic. Sometimes tinged with melancholy but usually favouring a happier sound, Pipas make great pop music that is often rather twee but avoids being excessively sugary. They also inject some quirky/changey bits into the sound, especially in the case of Cruel & Unusual (which was also included on the Matinée Summer Splash). Cute pop that goes far beyond what most cute pop bands are capable of; I can really recommend this.

Lovejoy (ex-Blueboy and Spinning Wheels) and Harper Lee (featuring Keris of Brighter, Hal and Trembling Blue Stars and Laura of Kicker) both have their second albums out now on Matinée. Lovejoy's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? shows a change of direction for the band, introducing more of an electronic sound. The title track is along similar lines to The Wake when they were still on Factory, and elsewhere there are reminders of other Sarah bands who experimented with electronica, such as The Orchids, The Field Mice and Tramway (whilst Tramway weren't an out and out electronic band, they used electronic beats and some of the beats on this album are very like those used by Tramway). There are still guitar-based songs here as well, but the band sound far less like their former bands these days. A while ago Lovejoy did a Biff Bang Pow! tribute 7" which included an acoustic version of The Beat Hotel. This song also appears here but in a full band version which sounds like 80s indiepop meets mod. Night on Earth is brilliant indiepop-meets-80s-synthpop. Don't You (Wish You'd Never Met Me)? is melancholic indiepop that's reminiscent in places of Brighter, though more overtly electronicy than they ever were. Nothing Happens Here also mixes a Brighteresque jangly guitar with electronic beats and synth. This album is described by the label as 'possibly the band's strongest release to date' and I'm inclined to agree.

Harper Lee's second album is Everything's Going To Be OK. Whilst not much like Kicker, they are very much like Brighter and are basically a continuation of where Brighter left off. There's the jangle, there's the synthesized horns and other Brighteresque synth sounds, and most of all the ability to come up with some of the most melancholic songs ever written. The only major difference is the swearing, which you never got with Brighter. Also, This Better Life adds a fairly dancey beat and some atmospheric effects to the otherwise Brighter-ish sound. The songs here are very moving and very emotional; if the melancholy expressed here isn't genuine then Keris and Laura are very good fakes. If you were ever a Brighter fan you must check out this album (and other Harper Lee records).

More info from matineepop@hotmail.com

BACK TO AQUAMARINE