Marlon Rabenreither is a throwback to the days when songwriting was entrenched as a celebrated art form. The music he crafts under the moniker Gold Star is in a word – timeless. His first two albums, Dark Days and Big Blue, captured the energy and spirit of the late ’60s and ’70s when rock ‘n roll and folk-rock were at […]

The Matinee ’18 September 4th edition is filled with surprises. This includes the return of an indie star from abroad, songs that sound like one thing but reveal a different message in its lyrics, and playful tunes that will leave you smiling. CASTLEBEAT – “Research” (Brooklyn, USA) RIYL: DIIV, Ghost Wave, Daywave The summer may be over in some parts […]

The Matinee ’18 August 9th features a bit of everything – engrossing, intimate ballads; vibrant rockers; dark, mysterious enchantments; and catchy indie pop-rock. We begin with one of the great singer-songwriters today. Adrianne Lenker – “cradle” (Boston, USA) RIYL: Big Thief, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers Over the past three years, Big Thief have emerged as one of the most captivating […]

The Matinee ’18 August 6th includes a relaxed mix of singer-songwriter, indie rock, indie pop and a little bit of synthpop as well. Artists today represent Canada, the US and the UK today. We hope you find  your new favorite song or band today. Declan J Donovan – “Numb” (Harlow, England) RIYL: Nathan Ball, Rhys Lewis, Tom Speight Declan J […]

The Matinee ’18 July 31st is filled with marvelous tunes and stories. The songs are listed in reverse alphabetical order, except we begin with the long-awaited return of one of music’s geniuses. Phosphorescent – “New Birth in New England” (Brooklyn, USA)  Alternate streams: YouTube, Spotify RIYL: Phosphorescent, Matthew Houck Finally! At long last! It’s coming! Matthew Houck – a.k.a. […]

It wasn’t long ago – about two decades – when the southern US was the place to find the hottest, upcoming indie band. From Louisville to Athens, Georgia to Austin, outfits such as My Morning Jacket, Drive-by Truckers, Okkervil River, and Shearwater were transforming rock ‘n roll. Or more accurately, they were re-defining southern rock, bringing the music of Lynyrd […]

Another wide-ranging set of nine songs is featured on The Matinee ’18 June 12th. The mini-playlist commences with the return of one of indie rock’s great bands of the past two decades who set the tone for what comes after. Interpol – “The Rover” (New York City, USA) RIYL: Interpol, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Wolf Parade It’s hard to believe […]

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 […]

The Matinee ’18 May 17th features nine artists whom we’ve been quite bullish about in terms of their potential. All of them are long-time favorites. Similar to yesterday’s Melodic Tonic, this mini-playlist is dominated by women. As we like to say, women are music’s future now. Annabel Allum – “em(ily)” (Guildford, England) RIYL: Nadine Shah, Eliza Shaddad, Miya Folick Nearly […]

The Matinee ’18 May 15th – North American Edition features four of our long-time favorites plus two “newcomers”. The latter will be releasing their debut albums later this year. We kick things off, however, with one of the great artists of this decade.   Mitski – “Geyser” (Brooklyn, USA) Be the Cowboy by Mitski RIYL: St. Vincent, Japanese Breakfast, Lykki […]

The Matinee ’18 May 10th covers a lot of ground geographically and musically. You’ll be fist-pumping, dancing, or sitting back to absorb the tremendous songwriting. The mini-playlist commences with one of our long-time favorites.   THYLA – “Blame” (Brighton, England) RIYL: Estrons, Paramore, Wolf Alice Three years into their careers, Thyla are gradually moving up the popularity charts, but swimming […]

The Matinee ’18 April 16th includes 6 new tracks for your listening pleasure. We have an eclectic mix today from electronic, rock and synthpop, there is a little something for everyone today. Artists are representing Canada, Israel, Norway, Sweden, and The US today. We hope you find your new favorite song or artist today. Billy & Dolly – “Everything is […]

Rocking tracks, shimmering electronic / electro-pop numbers, two young English singer-songwriters to watch, and one of the most devastatingly beautiful songs of the year are featured on The Matinee ’18 March 27th edition. Several countries are yet again represented, once again demonstrating that music is one of the few things that unites us. Blush Response – “Cruel” (Adelaide, Australia) RIYL: […]

A younger Yo La Tengo would have used the current political climate to deliver music equivalent to a surging hurricane. Angular guitars, oft-kilter melodies, walls of feedback and reverb, crushing drums, and poignant lyricism were their trademarks with no two songs sounding alike. Their 15th album, There’s a Riot Going On, however, isn’t the typical YLT album. It is the […]

More booming rockers, a groovy funk-soul-disco-pop tune, some psychedelia, and one of the best songs of the year are all featured on The Matinee ’18 March 16th edition. We get things started with one of the great singer-songwriters of the past decade.   Courtney Barnett – “Need A Little Time” (Melbourne, Australia)  RIYL: Courtney Barnett When Courtney Barnett released […]

Today is International Women’s Day, which holds even more significance this year with the emergence of the #MeToo movement and the leadership women throughout the world have assumed to facilitate and cause social change. Many would like to use the slogan, “The future is female”, but for us they are also the present. They are the ones we now look […]

For nearly a decade, Titus Andronicus made a career of blasting their violent, unrelenting punk music in dive and underground bars across North America. They were limited to these venues not because of lack of interest but their music and frenetic live shows needed to be contained. The  were and still are a detonating stockpile of dynamite. Maybe over the […]

The Matinee ’18 March 5th includes an eclectic sampling of various artists, some of which will be attending the upcoming SXSW festival next week. We have a mix of singer-songwriter, indie rock, synth pop and indie pop. We hope you find your new favorite song or band. We have artists representing Canada, The US and The UK today. Allman Brown […]

Some combinations are predestine. Without John and Paul, The Beatles wouldn’t have existed. The aesthetic genius of Thom Yorke mixed with the maestro Jonny Greenwood have made Radiohead the band of the past two-plus decades. Now another pair demonstrating similar chemistry and brilliance are Olden Yolk, which is the project of Quilt member Shane Butler and multi-instrumentalist Caity Shaffer. While it’s […]

The Matinee ’18 February 16th is full of surprises with a few all-time favorites unveiling new songs to go with tracks from fast-rising “newcomers”. There’s a bit of almost everything below, from rockers to slow burners to melodic ballads. Happy Friday everyone! Courtney Barnett – “Nameless, Faceless” (Melbourne, Australia) RIYL: Courtney Barnett We still remember the day – one of […]