The US Postal Service strikes again, increasing rates as they do this time every year. The latest increase is significantly more dramatic than in the past, however, especially for our international customers.

While the postage rates are unfortunately out of our control, we have decided to help offset the increase in postage cost by slashing prices on virtually the entire Matinée catalog. All CD albums (typically priced $10 each) are now discounted from 10 to 40 percent so you can pick up some new music for less. New album prices vary from $6 to $9 with a few mini-albums even cheaper.

Similar deals are now in effect for all CD singles (usually $5 each but now priced from $2.50 to $4.50) and 7” singles (usually $3 or $5 each but now priced from $2 to $4.50).

These new lower prices are in effect at least through the end of February as we get used to the new postal rates. While our lower prices will take some of the sting out of the postal rate hike, here are some additional tips for making the most of the new rates:

1. Order multiple items together instead of one at a time. For many countries, ordering two or three 7” or CDs will cost the same or nominally more than ordering just one. If you change a quantity in the cart you can easily see the effect of adding extra items to an order.

2. First class rates apply to domestic orders up to 13 oz. at which point you bump into the higher Priority Mail rates. For international shipments, first class rates apply up to 4 pounds and there is a massive jump in postage once you exceed this limit.

3. The Priority Mail flat rate envelope is your friend! Currently priced at $5.60 (domestic) or $23.95 (international), this package can hold up to twelve compact discs or twelve 7” singles. A mix of 7” and CDs is also possible in one envelope but you should limit the total number of items in this case to about ten to best protect the contents. Please note that 10″ and 12″ records cannot ship in a Priority Mail flat rate envelope so please ignore this option if your order contains such items!

4. The Priority Mail flat rate boxes are potentially the best bet for larger orders. The medium flat rate box is currently priced $12.35 (domestic) or $59.95 (international) and can hold up to 35 7” singles, 30 CDs in jewel case, 40 CDs in digipak, or 80 CDs in minijacket or eco-wallet … or a combination of these formats. The large flat rate box is currently priced $16.85 (domestic) or $77.95 (international) and is even larger. Both flat rate boxes can accommodate 10” records but not 12” records. For reference, all of our CD albums are in digipak except matcd008, matcd009, matcd015, matcd018, matcd024, matcd033, matcd034, matcd035, matcd039, matcd040, matcd046 and matcd056 which are in jewel case. Starting with matcd062, all CD albums are in eco-wallets which in addition to looking very smart are also incredibly light and have no plastic tray. For CD singles, all releases from matinée 015 through matinée 049 are in slimline cases (about the same size as a digipak), and all releases from matinée 051 through matinée 084 are in slim cardboard minijackets. If these catalog numbers mean nothing to you, please see the catalog page for details.

5. We do offer media mail shipping as an option for domestic orders, but you may find the first class rate is cheaper or just marginally more expensive. Media mail is incredibly slow and not recommended for orders, especially vinyl in the summertime!

6. If you are ordering multiple releases of different formats, you may find that splitting the order into two minimizes the postage cost. This is especially true if you want just one 10” record and everything else can fit inside a Priority Mail flat rate envelope.

7. We have programmed the new rates into the shopping cart, but in some cases we may be able to save you money with an alternate shipping method than the one you selected at the time of checkout. In this case we will notify you by email and refund any excess postage paid.

8. Postage is FREE for all digital downloads so if you’re not after physical product you’re in luck!

We will continue to work with our trusted mailorder partners to give you additional options for ordering Matinée goods. Our friendly distributor is Darla Records (USA) and they ship all available Matinée releases to countless places across the globe and have a great mailorder too.

Current releases can also be obtained from our pals at Apple Crumble (Japan), Beethobear (Taiwan), Carrot Top (USA), Fraction Discs (Sweden), Hands and Arms (France), Jigsaw Records (USA), Locomotiva Discos (Brazil), Norman Records (UK), Pebble Records (UK), Rhythm Records (UK), Rough Trade (UK), Stone Records (Japan), Violet and Claire (Japan), and Vollwert Records (Germany), among others.

We will continue to explore additional international partners to help ensure availability and decent prices for our releases despite the impact of the recent postal rate increase. Thanks for your patience and hopefully your continued support … please take advantage of the sale prices to pick up some new music today!

It’s straight in at number one for Northern Portrait as the ‘Pretty Decent Swimmers’ 10” (matinée 086) is released today as the top seller in the Matinée shop. That’s no surprise really given the fantastic early reception to the single:

“Pretty Decent Swimmers proves once again that it’s the arrangement and execution of the songs, not the mere style of them, that sets Northern Portrait apart. The opening ‘Happy Nice Day’ is instant: it’s a tumbling travelogue, high-velocity jangle ringing out from every pore, dripping with a sweetness somewhere between sherbet fountain and champagne fountain (and just as fizzing) … from Denmark via Santa Barbara, the first classic single of the year.” —In Love With These Times, In Spite Of These Times

“In terms of quality you’d have to say that pretty decent is an understatement.” —Sounds XP

“Happy Nice Day is as strong a song as the band have written, and Bon Voyage is a kind of Velvet Underground-meets-Orange Juice romp through a holiday romance ripped asunder by a lack of bravado, which reminds me of ‘Queen is Dead’-era Smiths.” —A Layer of Chips

“Pretty Decent Swimmers takes [Northern Portrait] in one bound into the upper echelons of the Scandoindiepop model.” —Sweeping The Nation

“Some of the most accomplished music the band has crafted to date … it’s early in the year, but you’re going to have to try real hard to find such a splendid piece of pop for the rest of the year.” —Austin Town Hall

“Feels like a classic right from first listen.” —The Sound of Confusion

The absolutely beautiful 10” record on transparent swimming pool blue vinyl is out now and available from your trusty Matinée mailorder plus smart record merchants around the globe including Darla Records (USA), Beethobear (Taiwan), Fraction Discs (Sweden), Hands and Arms (France), Jigsaw Records (USA), Locomotiva Discos (Brazil), Pebble Records (UK), Rough Trade (UK), Stone Records (Japan), Vollwert Records (Germany) and others. The digital version is available for immediate download from the usual suspects as well including the Matinée shop.

Please see below for complete release details including audio previews of all four songs. What a way to kick off our 2013 collection!

Okay … the moment you’ve all been waiting for is finally here! Our first release of 2013 is the highly anticipated ‘Pretty Decent Swimmers’ 10” (matinée 086) from adored Danish indie purists Northern Portrait! The official release date is January 22 but you can order it right now exclusively from the Matinée shop and get a free immediate download as well!

Northern Portrait debuted in 2008 with two very well received EPs—‘The Fallen Aristocracy’ (matinée 068) and ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ (matinée 070)—both of which sold out almost instantly upon release. The band’s consummate debut album ‘Criminal Art Lovers’ (matcd054) enjoyed widespread international acclaim in 2010 including numerous appearances on year-end favorite lists, and the ‘Life Returns To Normal’ 7” single (matinée 076) on elegant clear vinyl was released later that same year.

The band has charmed live audiences in Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and USA over the years, including performances at the Indietracks Festival and popfests in Copenhagen, Limoges, Madrid and San Francisco.

The fantastic new ‘Pretty Decent Swimmers’ EP is available on deluxe 10” color vinyl and digital formats, and features the first new recordings from the band in over two years.

Lead track ‘Happy Nice Day’ is three and a half minutes of straightforward power pop inspired by Swedish pop idols The Wannadies. It is an ode to the joys of traveling and casual meetings in hotels, airports and pen friend sections from Tokyo to Stockholm to Hamburg to Nice and beyond.

Meanwhile, ‘Greetings From Paris’ explores the difficulty in admitting when reality doesn’t exactly match expectations and ambitions. It’s a superb slice of Nordic guitar pop that builds to an especially melodic conclusion.

Side two opens with the playful and jaunty ‘Bon Voyage!’, a song about short term holiday attractions gone wrong … but with a slight twist. Musically sunny and shimmering, the song is a guitar driven sunbath and pool dive all in one. Bon voyage indeed!

Powerful and jangly, closing track ‘I Feel Even Better’ is an escapist’s dream come true. Lyrical elements from the Cheers theme song in reverse accentuate the desire to get away, while autoharp and 12-string guitar add a bright sparkle to the general bounciness of the song.

‘Pretty Decent Swimmers’ is pressed on transparent swimming pool blue vinyl and limited to 1000 hand-numbered copies in a luxurious sleeve featuring fashionable Los Angeles water ballet troupe Aqualillies on the cover.

For more release information, please see the catalog page and the Matinée page on Facebook. You can preview the entire single right now on the Soundcloud player below!

Please note: 10” vinyl is heavy and does not fit in any flat rate shipping envelopes so postage is relatively expensive for this item if ordered alone, especially for international orders. Your best bet is to order a few things at once as incremental postage for additional items is negligible. Northern Portrait’s beautiful clear vinyl ‘Life Returns To Normal’ 7” single (matinée 076) is a perfect addition!  Domestic customers: media mail shipping is a bit cheaper (and a lot slower) than priority but you get what you pay for and we strongly recommend not using media mail for vinyl records. This record is a beauty and we wouldn’t want to see it crushed by that giant box of textbooks your neighbor just ordered via media mail. Now, straight to the shop for a copy of this essential new release!

We have now counted all the votes in our 11th annual Matinée fanclub poll and here is a summary of the winners:

The 2012 Matinée album of the year award goes to the smash debut album ‘Hits In The Car’ (matcd060) from Scottish duo Strawberry Whiplash with 54 votes. Fashionable Finnish band Cats On Fire scored second place with 49 votes for their magnificent album ‘All Blackshirts To Me’ (matcd061), while Australian legends The Sugargliders placed third with 42 votes for the superb retrospective compilation ‘A Nest With A View’ (matcd062).

In very close voting in the singles category, Australian collective Bart and Friends took the prize with 35 votes for the ace ‘There May Come A Time’ EP (matinée 081). New Irish buzz band September Girls placed second with 33 votes for the enchanting ‘Wanting More’ 7” (matinée 085), while the excellent new EP ‘The Fake Stories About You and Me’ (matinée 083) from Brazilian band Pale Sunday took third place with 32 votes.

In the song of the year category, the infectious ‘Happy (When You Lived Here)’ from Pale Sunday came out on top with 21 votes. Other favorites of the year include ‘Wanting More’ from September Girls (19), ‘My Sense Of Pride’ from Cats On Fire (18), ‘There May Come A Time’ from Bart and Friends (17), ‘Stop, Look And Listen’ from Strawberry Whiplash (17), ‘The Liberation of Love’ from Charlie Big Time (14), ‘Ahprahran’ from The Sugargliders (13), ‘The Winter Song’ from Pale Sunday (12), ‘A Few Empty Waves’ from Cats on Fire (11), and ‘On The Spectrum’ from The Hermit Crabs (11).

In the favorite Matinée artist category, The Lucksmiths held the number one spot for the 11th straight year with 40 votes, followed by Northern Portrait (31) and Math and Physics Club (30) in the top three. Other favorite bands in 2012 voting include Brighter (22), Cats on Fire (21), Harper Lee (17), Strawberry Whiplash (17), Bubblegum Lemonade (14), The Electric Pop Group (13), and Bart and Friends (12).

Northern Portrait claimed the favorite Matinée album of all time category for the second year running with 30 votes for ‘Criminal Art Lovers’ (matcd054). Other favorites in the top five include ‘Singles 1989-1992’ (matcd026) from Brighter (19), ‘R is for Razorcuts’ (matcd012) from Razorcuts (17), ‘Math and Physics Club’ (matcd042) from Math and Physics Club (16), and ‘Slum Clearance’ (matcd005) from The Siddeleys (16). The Lucksmiths, Cats On Fire, Harper Lee, Brighter, Math and Physics Club, The Electric Pop Group, and Strawberry Whiplash had additional albums in the top tier.

Math and Physics Club took the top Matinée single of all time as their ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ 7” (matinée 075) earned 16 votes to lead the final category. ‘T-Shirt Weather’ 7” (matinée 018) from The Lucksmiths (15), ‘The Fallen Aristocracy’ EP (matinée 068) from Northern Portrait (15), ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ EP (matinée 070) from Northern Portrait (14), and ‘Untidy Towns’ 7” (matinée 004) from The Lucksmiths (13) also made the top five this year. Harper Lee, Math and Physics Club, Edson, Northern Portrait, The Hermit Crabs, Bubblegum Lemonade, Strawberry Whiplash and Would-Be-Goods had additional singles in the top tier.

Congratulations to all the Matinée artists and thanks very much to everyone who completed the poll. We had entries this year from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and USA. The lucky winner of the $50 Matinée prize drawing is Brent Farrand from Sacramento, California. Congratulations Brent!