The new “Matinée Holiday Soirée’ EP (matinée 078), with fantastic new and exclusive seasonal songs from Bubblegum Lemonade, Champagne Riot, Math and Physics Club, Northern Portrait, and Strawberry Whiplash, has received plenty of well deserved attention from the indie music press the past few weeks. In its review, the always sharp A Layer of Chips suggested “when you’re around your folks house on the 25th, and your Mum tipsily suggests putting on that bloody Cliff Richard album for the 15th year in a row, pour her another glass, sit her down and put The Matinee Holiday Soiree on the stereo instead. She’ll thank you for it.” Some of our other favorite quotes include:

“A holiday staple for years to come.” —Three Imaginary Girls

“Stunningly brilliant [and] arguably the most interesting Christmas compilation of 2010.” — Hits in the Car

“The perfect gift for your pop loving friends” — Austin Town Hall

“A smashing little EP from those nice folk over at Matinée” — God Is In The TV

“The perfect way to start the festive season with a bang.” — The Devil Has The Best Tuna

“A welcome addition to the world of holiday music.” — Erasing Clouds

As expected, the EP is our top seller at the moment so pick up a copy now so you don’t miss out!

The great holiday sale at the Matinée shop is keeping our elves nice and busy so we’re extending the sale prices through midnight on January 2. Please see the Matinée shop for all the savings.

Finally, there’s just over a week left to vote in the 2010 Matinée fanclub poll! Each person entering the poll is eligible to win a cool $50 worth of Matinée merchandise so you really have nothing to lose. Please see complete poll details on the fanclub poll page.

Thanks again for all your support in 2010 and best wishes for a superb new year!

The final Matinée release of the year is a very special Christmas single called ‘The Matinée Holiday Soirée’ (matinée 078) and here are the complete release details:

VARIOUS ARTISTS – THE MATINEE HOLIDAY SOIREE CDEP

Tracklisting:
1. Math and Physics Club – It Must Be Christmas
2. Northern Portrait – Leave The Trees Alone
3. Strawberry Whiplash – Santa Needs A Holiday
4. Champagne Riot – Xmas Safari
5. Bubblegum Lemonade – White Noise Christmas

Brilliant release featuring exclusive new seasonal songs from five of Matinée’s most beloved current artists.

Seattle’s Math and Physics Club arrive with sleighbells on, as ‘It Must Be Christmas’ successfully manages to knit candy canes, carolers, mistletoe, reindeer, Santa’s sleigh, snowflakes, stockings, and winter into an indie Christmas carol of their very own. Copenhagen’s Northern Portrait answer the challenge with an acutely jangling take on Christmas tradition called ‘Leave The Trees Alone’ which speeds along at a distinctly steady pace. Tis the season to be jolly, indeed!

Glasgow duo Strawberry Whiplash celebrate the season with a reverb-drenched and highly melodic nod to our overworked chubby pal up north called ‘Santa Needs A Holiday,’ while new label signing Champagne Riot from Copenhagen set the bar high with their debut Matinée track, the orchestral and hypnotic holiday love song ‘Xmas Safari’.

Finally, Glasgow’s prolific Bubblegum Lemonade deliver a Jesus and Mary Chain-infused tale of the telly going out on Christmas day called ‘White Noise Christmas.’ This is not your standard Christmas fare and we’re all the better for it! Five festive songs from Matinée’s finest, the ‘Matinée Holiday Soirée’ is a sparkling celebration of the season that will be an essential holiday staple for years to come. All five tracks are featured on the Soundcloud player below.

The single is in stock for immediate shipping so please visit the Matinée shop to secure your copy. If you just can’t wait, the songs are also available to download right now via the usual digital services. While you’re in the shop, you should probably pick up one of the ace ‘Matinée Winter Warmer’ CDs (matinée 055) too because it contains ten seasonal songs from The Fairways, Harper Lee, The Liberty Ship, Lovejoy, The Lucksmiths, Melodie Group, The Pines, Pipas, Slipslide, and The Windmills. It’s also now on sale! There are even some of the limited edition Matinée 45 holiday ornaments left too but best be quick as the stack is growing shorter every day.

Hey, it’s time for the annual Matinée fanclub poll! Every December we survey the Matinée faithful to see which new releases made your A-list and reward voters with free records in the process. We are accepting poll entries all month long so if you haven’t ordered the latest releases yet there’s still plenty of time to get them before votes are due.

The six 2010 album of the year contenders are ‘Sophomore Release’ (matcd057) from Bubblegum Lemonade, ‘Dealing In Antiques’ (matcd056) from Cats on Fire, ‘I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ (matcd055) from Math and Physics Club, ‘Criminal Art Lovers’ (matcd054) from Northern Portrait, ‘Seconds’ (matcd053) from The Electric Pop Group, and ‘The Matinée Grand Prix’ (matcd050) compilation. Surely one of our best years ever, don’t you think?

The six single of the year contenders for 2010 are the ‘Matinée Holiday Soirée’ EP (matinée 078) plus the ‘Get-to-Bed Birds’ 7” (matinée 077) from The Lucksmiths, ‘Life Returns To Normal’ 7” (matinée 076) from Northern Portrait, ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ 7” (matinée 075) from Math and Physics Club, ‘Caroline’s Radio’ 7” (matinée 074) from Bubblegum Lemonade, and ‘Shooting Star’ EP (matinée 073) from Pale Sunday. Now that’s a classy run of singles!

We are also collecting votes for song of the year, favorite Matinée artists, and favorite Matinée albums and singles of all time so please take a moment to vote for your favorites! As always, simply entering earns you a chance to win free music and this year a special $50 merchandise prize is up for grabs for one lucky winner. The poll closes January 1st so complete your entry today and best of luck in the draw!

If you haven’t picked up the latest releases yet now’s the time as our Matinée holiday sale is happening right now at the mailorder. Please see the Matinée shop for superb seasonal savings—7” singles starting at just $1 each, cd singles from $2 each, and cd albums as low as $5 each.

In addition to nice markdowns on virtually the entire Matinée catalog, we are offering an additional 10 percent off all orders $50 and above or 20 percent off all orders $100 and above through December 18th only. These discounts apply to everything in the catalog including new releases so take advantage of the savings to pick up some nice gifts for your friends!

Stock is perilously low on several titles so this may be your last chance at a few of these gems. There’s also another postal rate increase (boo!) scheduled in January so best to get things shipped before the new rates take effect. Happy holidays and thanks for all your support in 2010!

Finally, we have a new #1 on the Matinée hit parade with Bubblegum Lemonade claiming top honors with their brand new ‘Sophomore Release’. Here are the top sellers in the Matinée shop for the month of November:

10. Various Artists – The Matinée Winter Warmer CD
9. Various Artists – The Matinée Hit Parade CD
8. Bubblegum Lemonade – Caroline’s Radio 7″
7. Cats on Fire – Dealing In Antiques CD
6. Math and Physics Club – Jimmy Had A Polaroid 7″
5. The Lucksmiths – Get-to-Bed Birds 7″
4. Math and Physics Club – I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do CD
3. Northern Portrait – Life Returns To Normal 7″
2. Various Artists – The Matinée Holiday Soirée CDEP
1. Bubblegum Lemonade – Sophomore Release CD