The California indie label Matinée Records has been one of my favourite labels for a long time, and this new compilation of Matinée artists "The Matinée hit parade" does not make me stop loving the label. 13 songs by 13 bands, and not a single one of them are worth using the skip-button on your cd player for. This is an impressive compilation with 13 stand-out tracks, all in the "Matinée-style" of  jangly, (bitter)sweet, super-melodic popmusic. All songs on this album are exclusive, and I did not expect that the compilation would work this well as an album. I rarely find a compilation where the tracks work this well together, and it’s perfectly put together by the people at Matinée. Respect to them!

The artists on the matinée hit parade includes some "veterans" from the label roster, like Math and Physics club, The Lucksmiths, The Guild League, Harper Lee, Lovejoy and others + some album-debutants like The Hermit Crabs and several fresh signings on the label, like Bubblegum Lemonade, Strawberry Whiplash, Clay Hips and The Electric Pop Group.

The 1:52 minutes long opener from Math and Physics Club, "a little romance", is among the best I’ve heard from the band, and "Sophia" from The Hermit Crabs has every quality I missed on their debut album (don’t misunderstand me, - "Saw You Dancing" from the Hermit Crabs was quite a good album). The Would Be Goods’ "Temporary Best Friend"  is a brilliantly crafted popsong with a chorus that stays with you forever. For some reason I’ve never used much of my time on The Would Be Goods, but this album has made me go out and buy the band’s latest album "The Morning After" (which I also like a lot). The new band The Clay Hips impresses me with their beautiful and relaxed "Failure", with vocals that makes me warm inside. This track was in fact the first one that really hit me with its beauty, and I could listen to it over and over again without getting tired of it. The other new bands also does a brilliant job. Sweden’s The Electric Pop Group is a band I’ve kept my ears on for some time, and it’s great to hear their fine contribution on this album. Great track! Matinée records celebrates their 10 year aniversary  this year, and judging from these new bands, the future looks very bright for the label.

The Matinée label continues to be one of my favourites, and if you haven’t bought this gem yet, please do yourself a favor and get it at once.
This is as close to perfect a label compilation can get.

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BTW, I just have to say some words about the design of the album, which is beautiful. The actual cd looks like a 7" vinyl record, and it put a smile on my face when I opened the cover! Very nice!