As the calendar nears December, it’s the perfect time to make a playlist for your iPod filled with holiday songs, right? Luckily, we have just the thing for you…

Our ‘Matinée Holiday Soirée’ EP (matinée 078) came out last holiday season and contains exclusive seasonal songs from top Matinée hitmakers Bubblegum Lemonade, Champagne Riot, Math and Physics Club, Northern Portrait, and Strawberry Whiplash! Smart people called it “a smashing little EP,” “a holiday staple for years to come,” and “the perfect gift for your pop loving friends,” Other kids in the know described it as “the perfect way to start the festive season with a bang,” “a welcome addition to the world of holiday music,” and “stunningly brilliant.” It’s on sale at the moment for a mere $4 too so add that to your Christmas list!

While you’re in the shop, you should probably select one of the ace ‘Matinée Winter Warmer’ CDs (matinée 055) too because it contains ten more seasonal songs from label favorites The Fairways, Harper Lee, The Liberty Ship, Lovejoy, The Lucksmiths, Melodie Group, The Pines, Pipas, Slipslide, and The Windmills. Selling for a mere $2.50, it’s the perfect stocking stuffer for someone special.

Stop the presses! We just discovered ten more of the previously sold out Matinée 45 holiday ornaments from 2004 (matinée 045) too so grab one of those while you can! All three items are available now in the Matinée shop.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday – pah! Here at the Matinée shop your gift-giving dollars, pounds, Euros, krone, and yen go even further than usual as we have just launched our annual holiday clearance sale! We have lots of half-price 7” and cd singles as low as $1.50 each, and cd albums starting at $5 each. With the continued weak US dollar these are * really * great prices for our international friends in particular. Take advantage of the savings to pick up some nice gifts for you and your pals. Please see the Matinée shop for details. The sale runs until January 1st but get there quick as there is a growing batch of releases that are very close to selling out forever. Happy holidays!

We are keeping more than a few secrets at the moment in preparation for our 15th anniversary next year but here’s one we are letting slip early because it’s just too exciting to keep to ourselves: we have a brand new Matinée artist!

Azure Blue is the solo project of Sweden’s Tobias Isaksson, known to some from the popular Labrador Records bands Laurel Music and Irene. With Azure Blue, Tobias has hit pure gold so we are truly honored and excited to present the debut album ‘Rule of Thirds’ (matcd059) in collaboration with hip Swedish label Hybris.

The nine-track album is a perfect pop classic that recalls various 1980’s favorites like New Order, OMD, or Pet Shop Boys but also verges at times into the realm of introspective pop done more recently by people like the wonderful Swedish artist Airliner or the British act Quigley. The songwriting is really impressive and of course you know the strength of that voice already. We are previewing the album with the superb track ‘The Catcher In The Rye’ which you can listen to below.

There is also a video for the song and you can watch it right here:

Azure Blue – The Catcher in the Rye from Jonas Börjesson on Vimeo.

‘Rule of Thirds’ is on course for December release but we will begin taking preorders in a few weeks once we confirm the final details. Watch this space for complete release information soon because you’re about to discover your new favorite band!

Just off to the pressing plant is an amazing new 7” single from Strawberry Whiplash! The ‘Stop, Look and Listen’ EP (matinée 080) is a three-track 7” on translucent red (natch) vinyl and in addition to the smash title track it has two exclusive b-sides called ‘In The Blink Of An Eye’ and ‘Luck Is The Residue of Design.’

If everything goes as planned we’ll have copies in early December for some stocking stuffer action but you’ll be able to preorder the vinyl and download the single even sooner than that. Watch for complete release details in two weeks.

In the meantime you can stream the title track RIGHT NOW on the handy Soundcloud player below. Everyone deserves a treat the week of Halloween right? The band’s brilliant debut album ‘Hits In The Car’ is on course for release in early 2012.

Have you missed us? It’s been a relatively quiet year for Matinée but we are working behind the scenes as we gear up for a big 15th anniversary celebration in 2012! In the works are splendid new releases from Bubblegum Lemonade, Cats on Fire, Math and Physics Club, Northern Portrait, and Strawberry Whiplash, plus glimmers of new activity from The Electric Pop Group, The Hermit Crabs, Would-Be-Goods and more. We also have a new band or two coming on board but those details are still top secret.

In the meantime, you should know that the Matinée mailorder is closed from October 26 through November 6 while we traverse through Italy. It’s our last hurrah before the nonstop anniversary release schedule kicks in. Watch for details on the first of the new releases very soon…

New music alert! Spectacular Scots Strawberry Whiplash are nearly finished with 15 new songs that will comprise a brand new 7” single and debut album scheduled for release later this summer.

The 7” will contain ‘Stop Look and Listen’ plus ‘In The Blink Of An Eye’ and ‘Luck Is The Residue of Design’ and they’re all pretty much fantastic. The debut album is called ‘Hits In The Car’ and should contain a dozen or so further tracks. We’ll reveal the tracklisting and further release details next month. In the meantime, watch for an exclusive preview of ‘Stop Look and Listen’ soon.

Math and Physics Club is getting ready for five July dates in England and Scotland, the first of which is one month from today! Here are details on the rather spectacular shows:

Monday, July 25 in Glasgow, Scotland @ The Captain’s Rest with Bubblegum Lemonade, The Hermit Crabs, and Very Truly Yours. Indietracks warm-up presented by Half My Heart Beats.

Tuesday, July 26 in Manchester, England @ The Castle Hotel with Very Truly Yours, Moustache of Insanity, and The Sweet Nothings. Indietracks warm-up presented by Pull Yourself Together.

Wednesday, July 27 in London, England @ the Windmill Brixton with Very Truly Yours, Pocketbooks, and The Sweet Nothings. Indietracks warm-up presented by Spiral Scratch.

Thursday, July 28 in Nottingham, England @ The Chameleon with Very Truly Yours, Pocketbooks, and The Sweet Nothings. Indietracks warm-up presented by A Layer of Chips. Read the recent A Layer of Chips interview with the band here.

Saturday, July 30 in Derbyshire, England @ Indietracks Festival!! If you are heading to Indietracks, make sure to catch the Saturday afternoon set from the incomparable Graeme Elston (Slipslide, The Love Parade, Pure, Eva Luna) too!

The band is touring in support of their recent smash album I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ (matcd055) which surely you have by now? If not, have a listen to the smash hit single ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ for further convincing:

In reviewing the decidedly brilliant Bubblegum Lemonade album ‘Sophomore Release’ (matcd057) back in January, hip Seattle blog The Finest Kiss lauded the album’s “long lasting flavor” which has certainly proven true as it remains one of our top sellers more than six months following initial release. The album continues to generate great press as well, including these nice recent quotes:

“A highly enjoyable helping of indie surf pop.” —Clash Magazine

“Nearly pitch-perfect recreations of gold sounds from popular music’s past that are unleashed in quick two to three minute bursts.” —PopMatters

“A joyride through C86 country that finds its home somewhere in-between Jesus & Mary Chain’s Psychocandy and Primal Scream’s Sonic Flower Groove.” —The Big Takeover

“A perfect album.” —Pennyblack Magazine

For release details, band information, soundclips and more reviews, please see the catalog page. Operators are standing by in the Matinée shop with a copy just for you!

Perhaps in response to the official Campaign for Bubblegum Lemonade to Play Live, you can now make plans to catch the debut Bubblegum Lemonade live performance next month in Glasgow! It’s a bit of a Matinee showcase, as the bill has fellow Scottish popstars The Hermit Crabs showing welcome signs of life after a little break and our favorite American band Math and Physics Club who begin a week of UK dates that night leading up to their appearance at Indietracks at the end of the month. Fellow Indietrackers Very Truly Yours round out the bill. The show is Monday, July 25 at the Captain’s Rest in Glasgow and it’s courtesy of the nice people at Half My Heart Beats.

In other news, the cool kids at The Dumbing of America recently named Bubblegum Lemonade “the next big thing” and rewarded them with a nice chat about guitars, ‘60s pop culture, and new release plans.  There are already close to a dozen new Bubblegum Lemonade songs in progress so fingers crossed we may see a new release later in the year as well! In the meantime, have a listen to some stunning songs from ‘Sophomore Release’:

Apologies for the recent silence from the Matinée camp – we have exciting new releases coming this summer so watch this space for more details soon!

In the meantime, our big sale in the Matinée shop ends July 1st and for the next ten days EVERYTHING in the catalog is on sale including new releases so take this opportunity to pick up something good. Here are the top sellers for April and May:

10. Various Artists – The Matinée Grand Prix CD
9. Northern Portrait – Life Returns To Normal 7”
8. Bubblegum Lemonade – Caroline’s Radio 7”
7. Math and Physics Club – I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do CD
6. Northern Portrait – Criminal Art Lovers CD
5. Bubblegum Lemonade – Sophomore Release CD
4. Champagne Riot – Moonstruck CDEP
3. Math and Physics Club – Jimmy Had A Polaroid 7”
2. The Lucksmiths – Get-to-Bed Birds 7″
1. The Lucksmiths – Unfamiliar Stars DVD

In honor of our North Carolina Tarheels beating Duke to claim the regular season ACC basketball title, we are hosting our very own March Madness in the Matinée shop this month!

Please see the order page for mad price reductions on nearly the entire catalog—7” singles for just $1 each, cd singles for $2 each, and cd albums as low as $4 each.

There are a number of catalog items that are very close to selling out so if you see something with LAST COPIES! next to the title this may be your last chance to pick it up. The sale runs the entire month of March but get your order in soon for best availability.

All of this helps clear room for a bunch of smashing new releases we’ll start announcing next month. Stay tuned here and on the Matinée Facebook page for more news and exclusive previews.

As expected, new releases from The Lucksmiths, Champagne Riot and Bubblegum Lemonade hold the top three spots on the label hit parade. Here are the top sellers in the Matinée shop for the month of February:

10. The Lucksmiths – Warmer Corners CD
9. Math and Physics Club – I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do CD
8. Cats on Fire – Dealing In Antiques CD
7. Various Artists – The Matinée Holiday Soirée CDEP
6. The Lucksmiths – Spring A Leak 2xCD
5. Northern Portrait – Life Returns To Normal 7″
4. The Lucksmiths – Get-to-Bed Birds 7″
3. Bubblegum Lemonade – Sophomore Release CD
2. Champagne Riot – Moonstruck CDEP
1. The Lucksmiths – Unfamiliar Stars DVD