We once again whirl around the world and across genres to represent some fine new music. The Matinee ’18 July 12th has the usual nine selections. It’s a very diverse group, featuring indietronica, ’90s Brit-wave, film-noir, post-punk, indie folk, indie rock, guitar-pop, and shoegaze. There’s also a retro vibe to the majority of songs. Champagne Superchillin’ – “Gipsy Ferrari” (Brooklyn, […]

Happy June everyone! To celebrate the arrival of one of the grandest months of the year, The Matinee ’18 June 1st features some sizzling and some cool new tunes. A few alumni of our mini-playlists are making another appearance while there are a few newcomers worthy of your attention. We start things off, though, with a cinematic number that will […]

The Matinee ’18 May 29th edition is filled with plenty of new bands or artists. Some are so new that they have a limited social media presence. Most of the musicians listed below have small followings, so now is the time to get on the bandwagon so you can tell your friends in the future that you knew about them […]

Awesome new music with shorter descriptions are on order for The Matinee ’18 April 17th. Rockers, anthemic numbers, and intimate tunes are all featured. Let’s get to it! BILK – “Spiked” (Essex, England) RIYL: The Clash, The Strokes, Shame Essex trio BILK may still be hovering under the radar, but soon enough Sol Abrahams (vocals/guitar), Luke Hare (bass), and James […]

The Matinee ’18 April 12th edition features nine songs as usual. The descriptions, however, are much briefer because I’m on holidays. Let’s be honest – you’re here for the music and not necessarily what I have to write. With that being said, let’s get to the music.   Beach Skulls – “That’s Not Me” (Liverpool & Manchester, England and Glasgow, […]

Greatness has been long predicted for City Calm Down, following the release of their critically received second EP, Movements, in 2012. Their debut album, 2015’s In a Restless House, which was an extraordinary piece of brooding indie rock in The National mould, garnered the band acclaim in their native Australia, as the record peaked at 25 on the ARIA chart […]

After playing several shows during SXSW, The Foreign Resort headed north for an 11-date tour in Canada, starting in Quebec City and driving across to Vancouver. On March 21st, the Danish post-punk/darkwave trio brought the show to the House of Targ, giving people a great excuse to bundle up and go out on a Wednesday night. The band was one of […]

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Strangely enough, the Saturday Sampler March 17th edition features no Irish music. Instead, these nine singles are the work of talents from England, Netherlands, USA, and Wales. Afterpartees – “Two Kinds of Lovers” (Horst, Netherlands) RIYL: Wilco, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr. Say hello to Afterpartees, a Dutch band we recently discovered even though they have been around since 2011. […]

This week we’ve changed the schedule a bit, so there won’t be a Melodic Tonic. Instead, The Matinee ’18 February 21st edition is today’s spotlight on new music. Due to the last-minute change, the descriptions are tighter than usual, and we would like to send our apologies to the artists and bands that the shorter pieces. For readers and listeners, […]

The Bold and the Beautiful. The Young and The Restless. And of course, As the World Turns. These are not merely titles of soap operas but another way to describe the nine songs featured on The Matinee November 21st edition. There are some stunning songs on the list, a few tunes that will get you up and moving (or possibly […]

Old and new favorites collide on The Matinee November 17th edition. The mini-playlist has some sweet melodies and heartbreaking ballads plus a few upbeat numbers to get you in a perky mood. Although we usually list the songs alphabetically, we have to start with the return of a young woman who has amazed us when she introduced herself a little […]

We’ve changed things up today, so instead of the Melodic Tonic we’re sharing The Matinee November 15th edition. The mini-playlist’s tile might be different and the author is the other guy, but one thing is definitely the same – you’ll only find great new music from around the globe. And since we’ve already stirred the pot, the artists/bands are listed […]

We head off on another globetrotting adventure on The Matinee November 7th edition. There are nine songs in this mini-playlist, and each artist / band represents a different country. In other words, no single country is represented twice. Well sort of not represented twice (you’ll see below where one artist is based in one country but was born in another). […]

The ten songs on the Saturday Sampler November 4th have two things in common. First, a retro vibe filters across each and every one of them with some tunes recalling great bands of the past and others taking classic genres into the future. Second, they are all filled with fantastic stories. A few are cinematic in nature, others are optimistic, […]

The Matinee November 3rd features get-up-on-your feet tunes, emotionally-moving numbers, and a song by a band with one of the great names in music history. You will be entertained, stunned, and just amazed by the talents of these nine bands and artists. Things get started with a humdinger of a disco-pop tune. argonaut&wasp – “Prove It To You” (Brooklyn, USA) […]

For the most part, the Saturday Sampler September 9th edition has some upbeat and infectious earworms. There are, of course, also a couple of dark, throbbing tunes, but we think you’ll be completely engrossed by them, too. Be forewarned, these songs will cause plenty of head noodling and even some dancing, so warm up your appendages! Happy weekend, everyone!   […]

Yesterday, Wendy and Ben featured only two artists from the US on The Matinee August 25th edition. For the Saturday Sampler August 26th version, Hollie and Ben have upped the ante and opted to just have one American band. Do we succeed? Of course we did! The selection on the Sampler is enticing, featuring songs from artists in seven countries. […]

It’s the era of the singer-songwriter. If the radio is your source for new music, you are missing out on artists and bands who continue to one-up each other with their smart and biting lyrics. Even those who occupy the pop and electronica fields are crafting memorably tunes. The Matinee August 4th edition is evidence of how music is changing […]

Woolly mammoths reigned the northern hemispheres during the Ice Age, but as everyone knows they have long been extinct. They can now only be spotted in museums and history books, never to rise again. Now a different type of giant is re-awakening, having adopted the Latin form of its name as their own. Icelandic band Mammút have returned with a […]

The Saturday Sampler April 15th edition has plenty of sweet treats for your holiday weekend. These 9 songs from artists in England, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, and the US offer a variety of genres from indie folk to rap- and R&B-infused synthpop. Check back tomorrow when our Weekend Showcase playlist will include every song we’ve covered this week.   BNQT – “Unlikely […]