The other day I was thinking about my favorite Northwest indie albums this year. And so far "Where Hearts Go Broke," from Seattle's Hotels, is firmly on top of the heap.

Like a gang of hipster favored bands in recent years, Hotels channels the stylish post-punk gloom of Joy Division, the Smiths and Bauhaus, but they're way more charismatic, energetic and fun to watch than, say, Interpol.

By all means check them out at intimate, local venues, like the New Frontier where they played Friday night. It's only a matter of time before they upgrade to the theater circuit.

These clips are from Friday night. The first kicks off with a lush number called "Near the Desert, Near the City," my favorite cut from the new album, before the band brings the tempo back up with "Port of Saints." Oy! But the last one is the debut of a new song called "From the West" that got everyone pretty riled up as the set wound down.

Stay tuned since I've got one more on deck, maybe the best clip of the bunch. But I've got to check in with the band and figure out what it's called before I post.