When you think of
indie pop
in 2003, odds are Santa Barbara label
Matinee
springs to mind fairly soon in the process. They have a lineup that contains some of the best
groups in the U.K. and Australia.
The Matinee Autumn Assortment!
is a ten-track label sampler that has rare tracks, remixes, and songs from recent and forthcoming releases from their top artists. The best band on the label,
the Lucksmiths
, is represented by the excellent
"After the After Party"
from their recent mini-album
A Little Distraction
. Previously unreleased tracks include
Slipslide
's jangly
"Love Split,"
Harper Lee
's typically gloomy
"Autumn,"
and
the Would-Be-Goods
' atypically tough
"Morning After."
Tunes from upcoming albums include
"Baseball Caps and Novas"
from
the Liberty Ship
's
Tide
LP, the dusty epic
"I've Got Mexico"
Airport Girl
's hotly anticipated
Notes and Tones
, and
"Summer Snow"
the Windmills
'
Now Is Then
.
The Pines
' autumnal
ballad
"A Rainy Day"
is borrowed from an EP on
Foxyboy Records
. Two remixes round out the collection nicely:
the Pipas
"Don't Remix"
Lovejoy
"Strike a Pose,"
which is a remix of their
"Night on Earth."
The EP is a nice introduction to the label, a must for
devotees, and more proof that the
crew knows the score. ~ Tim Sendra