Various – The Matinee Hit Parade

Released to celebrate ten years of Matinee, this collection merely serves to underline what a strong roster that Matinee Recordings have, virtually no squad players in a team of this quality. It’s difficult to pick anything out of such greatness, but at a push I’d go for Would-Be-Goods sumptuous Temporary Best Friend and the near perfect pop of The Lucksmiths Good Light. But then there’s the delicate and deliberated My Only Inspiration by The Electric Pop Group, which is pretty great too, as is Clay Hips china like Failure. Anyway, you can see my problem. Even the bands I haven’t got round to mentioning are still good, its just they face stiff competition. Then you get The Hermit Crabs doing their delightful girl led thing with Sophia, The Guild League showing off the wonderfully woozy Call To Prayer, Strawberry Whiplash who fuzz it up with Summershine and The Pines, whose Train To Wycombe is like hearing choral singing on a sunny afternoon. Magnificent stuff.

The Matinee Hit Parade is out now on Matinee Recordings