NEW: Math & Physics Club: "Baby, I'm Yours"

The other day I was in the library on the verge of screaming 'cause I had so much work to get done, so I decided to do the only logical thing: Procrastinate even more, of course, and make a mixtape ensuring my happiness. At the top of the playlist? Math & Physics Club's latest, the titular track from their Baby I'm Yours EP, released last week from Matinee. I saw the band perform this track when they played at Matinee's 10th Anniversary Bash in September, and I knew this song was just the thing to elevate my mood, which had been dampered by a little too much silent film theory and semi-useless facts about the French Revolution!

Matinee's got a lot going on these days, what with the latest Lucksmiths album, a Hermit Crabs EP, forthcoming stuff from new signees like Strawberry Whiplash, Bubblegum Lemonade... And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

LISTEN:
"Baby, I'm Yours" [MP3]

ON THE WEB:
MAPC's website
Matinee Records

Exerpts From The SB Independent Article on Matinee Records

I was overwhelmed a few weeks ago around the time of the Matinee Records 10th Anniversary Concert, which I attended but never blogged about. It really was exciting and fun, seeing Santa Barbarians getting together to listen to Australia's Lucksmiths and Seattle's Math & Physics Club (not to mention Oxnard's own Maria!) play at Red's Cafe downtown near the harbor. All the bands sounded great live, and smiles were ear to ear on everyone's faces. I was a fan of the label before moving to Santa Barbara for school, back when I randomly fell in love with the Pale Sunday and the Young Tradition, so imagine my excitement when I realized the label was in town! I came across this article from the SB Independent this morning, and it's got a lot of great information about the label and its founder, Jimmy Tassos (who pretty much runs Matinee all by himself!).

“Jimmy has not only been a tremendous help, but a great friend to us for a long time now, and that’s one of the really great things that has come out of this band,” said the Lucksmith’s Marty Donald. “It’s more important for us to work with people who are passionate about music than those who are concerned with how many records we’re going to sell. And I think Jimmy has shown that with that approach, success will come.”

With 10 years of history now behind the label and a legacy that has Matinée Recordings firmly established as one of the leading collectors of pristine pop, Tassos is turning his attention toward the future. The reality of the music industry is that, for good or bad, you never know what lies around the corner. And with some of Matinée’s longer serving artists currently on hiatus, Tassos is now fostering some new blood, which will ensure that the next 10 years will be just as dynamic as the first.

“There is so much about a label that is out of your control,” confided Tassos. “You never know what bands are going to get popular or who is going to sell, or even what is going to happen with bands — whether they’re going to continue recording, or if they’re going to break up. A lot of the bands I’ve worked with have been around for a while and are now busy with life and music is taking a backseat. So, in the last two months, I’ve signed five new bands. It’s a very exciting time for [us].”

You can read the rest of the article by Brett Leigh Dicks online (which I definitely recommend doing).

New Tracks From Lucksmiths Compilation + Tour Info

Tali White, Marty Donald, Mark Monnone and Louis Richter have been playing music as the Lucksmiths since 1993!

After kicking off a tour in support of a new album, Spring A Leak, the Lucksmiths will be swinging through Santa Barbara to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of Matinee Records (Math and Physics Club, Maria and Lucksmiths side-project the Guild League will also be on hand to celebrate the good times and good tunes). The Australian band's 2-disc album includes 45 rarities, including a number of covers and b-sides nobody's ever heard. "Rushes of Pure Spring" is exactly what its title suggests, delivering a delicate and beautiful melody that's everything you could want or expect from the Lucksmiths covering a song by the Ladybug Transistor, and "Once Again" is an upbeat, bouncy, energetic pop song about giving a failed relationship another chance, optimistic and twee to the very end.

TOUR DATES:
09/21 - LOS ANGELES, CA @ El Cid
09/22 – SANTA BARBARA, CA @ Reds Espresso
09/23 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA @ 12 Galaxies
09/24 - SEATTLE, WA @ Crocodile Café
09/25 - PORTLAND, OR @ Holoscene
09/26 - CHICAGO, IL @ Schubas
09/27 - CAMBRIDGE, MA @ TT The Bears
09/28 – NEW YORK, NY @ The Knitting Factory
09/29 - BROOKLYN, NY @ Europa
09/30 - WASHINGTON, DC @ DC9
10/01 - DURHAM, NC @ Duke Coffeehouse
10/02 – ATHENS, GA @ Caledonia Lounge
10/03 – NEW ORLEANS, LA @ venue TBC
10/04 – AUSTIN, TX @ Emo’s

LISTEN:
"Once Again" [MP3]
"Rushes Of Pure Spring" (Ladybug Transistor cover) [MP3]

ON THE WEB:
The Lucksmiths' website
Matinee Records website
Purchase the album here

Sept. 22 -- MATINEE BASH in Santa Barbara

Mark your calendars: Santa Barbara's own Matinee Records (which has been home to Math & Physics Club, Strawberry Whiplash, the Fairways, Bubblegum Lemonade, the Tender Trap, Pipas, the Lucksmiths, etc.) will have a birthday bash here in Santa Barbara on Sept. 22 (according to Math and Physics Club's MySpace). So far, all I've heard is that Math and Physics Club will be playing, but I'll keep you updated on more information as it comes to me. Also, the tracklisting for the band's Sept. 2007 EP, Baby, I'm Yours, is as follows:

TRACKLIST:
1) "Baby, I'm Yours"
2) "Nothing Really Happens"
3) "In This Together"
4) "Do You Keep A Diary?"

LISTEN (from previous album/EPs):
"Weekends Away" [MP3]
"Movie Ending Romance" [MP3]
"Darling, Please Come Home" [MP3]

ON THE WEB:
Math and Physics Club's website
MAPC's MySpace
Matinee Records' website

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Bubblegum Lemonade!

Bubblegum Lemonade... Does a band name get much cuter than this? Probably not. Bubblegum Lemonade is another new addition over at Santa Barbara's Matinee Records (click here for the write-up on Strawberry Whiplash, who also hail from Glasgow). The band's debut EP will be available in September, featuring "Ten Years Younger," "The Tomorrow People," "Unsafe At Any Speed," and "That Thing You Do." I almost hope that last song is a cover of the song from the movie of the same title, but almost don't because it took me five years to get that song out of my head. Hearing it done with the band's blend of JAMC-style fuzziness and delicate Byrds-ian harmonies would surely be incredible. On that note, here's something that might tide you over/make you really hyper with anticipation until the EP comes out.

LISTEN:
"Ten Years Younger [MP3]

ON THE WEB:
Bubblegum Lemonade's MySpace
Matinee Records website

Strawberry Whiplash

While Santa Barbara hasn’t got a whole bunch of awesome venues, it is the home of Matinee Records. They’ve got a number of exciting releases to look forward to. They’ve put out the latest Math & Physics Club album, and are responsible for albums by cult indiepop favorites like The Lucksmiths, The Tender Trap, Pipas… the list goes on and on. Anyways, they’ve recently added Glasgow-based Strawberry Whiplash to their repertoire of killer artists, and the band fits in perfectly with those aforementioned bands. They’ve got a JAMC vibe going on, what with the shimmering wall of fuzzy guitar sounds and perfect attention to pop melodies. Their EP, Who’s In Your Dreams, will be available in a few months. In the meantime, open iTunes, play the song, and prepare to hit repeat. Repeatedly.

LISTEN:
"Who's In Your Dreams" [MP3]

ON THE WEB:
Strawberry Whiplash's MySpace
Matinee Records website

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