Various Artists - Matador at Fifteen WDvd Dig (46 tracks) +Album Reviews

Feliz 15th cumpleanos matador!

S. Will | long beach, ca | 10/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"so matador records is fifteen, and those that are fans can now quitely rejoice with a mellow collection of finely crafted musicianship. Not that mellow though. Disc one proclaims the herald of times past, with standout tracks from stephen malkmus in his post-pavement career overhaul, mogwai and yo la tengo. This much artistry almost seems too much. ONe wonders why the belle and sebastian selection has to be don't leave the light on baby, and not one from the explosive tour de force of if your feeling sinister, but that might have something to do with B&s' affiliation with jeepster records.

As if an eighteen track splattering of cut and paste dynamo wasn't enough, Matador gives the true fan an equally impressive collection of rarities. Ranging from the new found presence of AC newman, to the electro-twang of the new pornographers, this conglameration provides an itch that wants to be scratched. Standout tracks include the other half of that crazy Pavement breakup: the preston school of industry; their pablo wong remix of tone it down goes places i think matador never thought they were headed.

For the auditorly challenged, or visually inclined, there also comes a dvd filled with odds and sods to quench even the thirstiest of travellers.

Congratulations on reaching your quincenera. You have truely slayed the bull."

Matador is a force to be appreciated

Geoffrey R. Balme | raleigh NC | 04/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"no bad tracks

these are all matador acts currently, and a wonderful showcase of everything from blues to post punk.

nice guitar music, and some cute vocals.

highlights for me were New pornographers nad a great AC Newman tune.

Live Mission of Burma tracks

and Jon spencer material.

Lots of fun. and at a great price.

the Videos I've neglected, don't really care about video."

Some very talented bands, but a spotty celebration...

jon sieruga | Redlands, CA USA | 09/22/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I didn't know much about Matador's roster of talent until I got this package, but it offers up some great modern-rock tunes by bands you might not normally bother with. I was especially impressed with the New Pornographers (their song "The Laws Have Changed" is an instant classic) and Stephen Malkmus (whose guitar-driven "Church On White" is orgasmic). Pretty Girls Make Graves, Interpol, and Yo la Tengo have strong entries, but Belle and Sebastian are better represented on their discs. There's quite a number of songs on here that make no impression whatever (their band names and song titles are more clever than the music). The DVD includes videos which can easily be overlooked, but the booklet includes some very funny correspondence between Matador and (ahem) music-lovers. Not bad overall; an interesting, intriguing line-up with B-minus results."

No terrible teens

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 04/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Some labels just have a disproportionate number of really good bands. That's what I found out when I heard "Matador at Fifteen," the follow-up to the label's tenth-anniversary collection. The prior collection got me interested in several indie staples, and this one just confirmed my tastes.

There are quite a few bands that weren't compiled five years ago, such as Interpol, Seachange, the New Pornographers, Dead Meadow and Pretty Girls Make Graves. There's also Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, with the former frontman of indie classic Pavement. Which, despite being broken up, is still on this three-disc set.

Some of these groups weren't signed on five years ago, such as moody-rock band Thalia Zedek, or the lo-fi catchiness of New Pornographers frontman A.C. Newman. And there are artists and bands that are "still here." Japanese avant-poppist Cornelius, Yo La Tengo, Mogwai, Cat Power and Guided by Voices, like familiar faces at a class reunion.

The one flaw with this collection? At fifteen years and three CDs, it felt like they could have been more diverse. I love Interpol, the New Pornographers and Cornelius, but did they need to have three songs apiece, while Belle and Sebastian have one, and other good bands from Matador like Solex and Sleator-Kinney have.... zero. It would have been better to give each band one or two.

However, it does offer some good indie rock songs, and a pleasant listening experience. It shows these bands at best advantage, included some some acoustic versions of songs, live ones (Mission of Burma's slightly fuzzy rock song), and sometimes even trippy remixes (Preston School of Industry's bouncy "Tone It Down (Pablo Wong Remix"). Fans of those bands may want to check this out just for the more unusual songs.

"Matador at Fifteen" lacks the diversity of its predecessor, but it's still a solid cross-section of the label, and a good way to introduce yourself to indierock bands."

Good value, unremarkable new content

K. W. Schreiter | Conshohocken, PA | 11/29/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a longtime fan of the Matador Records roster, I already had most of the great 'Greatest Hits 1999-2004' tracks on Disc 1. I was generally disappointed with the 'Unreleased Tracks/Rarities 1999-2004' material on Disc 2. This set also contains 12 videos on a third disc which I watched once.

This 2 CD + 1 DVD set at a single disc price is an excellent value. Like the recent 3 CD Merge compilation, this would make a good gift and is worth 5 stars for new fans. However, the subpar new material makes it inessential for fans already familiar with Matador's output from the last five years."

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