While the possible demise of HMV has cast a long shadow over the week – our thoughts are with the 300 Irish staff whose jobs are in jeopardy – the good news is the universal acclaim that’s been directed at Villagers’ {Awayland} album. In the unlikely event that you haven’t already splashed out for a copy, the 11-track work of genius is streaming at
[link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums/Villagers.html[/link].
Wonder how we managed to set young Conor on fire in the current issue of Hot Press? The tricks of our pyromaniac trade are revealed at [link]www.hotpress.com/Villagers/news/Behind-the-scenes-at-Villagers-cover-shoot/9474183.html?new_layout=1[/link]
Conor J. also dropped by the HP Storeroom on Wednesday and treated us to two gorgeous acoustic tunes. Here's a sample, stay with hotpress.com for another (and quick chat) later today:

 
[link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/albums.html[/link] is also home to new album streams from Will And The People, José James, Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory, The Black Heart Rebellion, The Germans and former Girls man Christopher Owens’ whose solo Lysandre offering is beyond gorgeous.
[link]music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/1[/link] adds Dawn Richard, 2Cellos, Terra Terra Terra, The Lone Bellow, Recovery Council and the West Of Memphis OST to the mix; [link]music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/spinner#/1[/link] lets you try Free Energy, Willy Mason, Erin McKeown, Holopaw, Midnight Spin, The Capsules and Rice Cultivation before you buy and [link]www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen[/link] chips in with Widowspeak and Aaron Neville.
 
They’re not downloadable – boo! – but NPR’s live Local Natives and David Byrne and St. Vincent shows are both worth a goo.
 

 

 
Sticking with the visual treats, and our 3 Voor 12 pals had their cameras out for Kodaline ([link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/playerpage.program.17647154.html[/link]) and the totally wonderful Chvrches ([link]3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/playerpage.program.17668015.html[/link]) at Eurosonic.
The latter Glaswegian outfit also have a stack of great tunes streaming at [link]soundcloud.com/chvrches[/link]
 
It’s very kind of Kieran Hebden to gift us 0181, a collection of Four Tet rarities from what was obviously his highly creative 1997 to 2001 period.
 

 
It’s a warm Free Music Friday welcome to Pitchfork Advance, which has Toro Y Moi, Foxygen, Esben The Witch, Fidlar and Yo La Tengo streams for your aural pleasure at [link]pitchfork.com/news/49146-hear-new-albums-from-toro-y-moi-foxygen-esben-and-the-witch-mountains-via-pitchfork-advance[/link]
 
 
[link]www.xlr8r.com/mp3[/link] keeps on giving with dance freebies from Matpat, Monoak, Rone, The Same, Archie Pelago and the brilliantly monikered Nordberg who ignore O.J. Simpson’s future indiscretions.
 
There’s more fancy widget-ry from London electrodubbers Darkstar who are streaming their News From Nowhere album ahead of its February 1 release.
“Take your time, immerse yourself,” say their label. “For this reason, skipping tracks is disabled. We are proud to share this record with you. Warp x.”
 

 
 
 
Free Music Friday also highly recommends ‘Loaded’, the banging new tune London grime merchant Rawz Artilla and New Machine, AKA Plan B’s guitar-playing right-hand man Adam Jordan who spent his formative years in Wexford.
 

 
Camper Van Beethoven are back and celebrating their 30th birthday with the wonderful ‘Someday Our Love Will Sell Us Out’ and its parent La Costa Perdida album. Don’t ever leave us again, guys!
 
[link]www.spin.com/articles/camper-van-beethoven-la-costa-perdida-stream-david-lowery-interview[/link]
 

 
Meanwhile, Mudhoney turn 25 and do the present giving with this taster from their ninth studio outing,Vanishing Point. ‘The Only Son Of The Widow From Nain’ confirms that there hasn’t been any of this mellowing malarkey.
 

 
 
 
Also exciting us enormously is the Andre 3000 and Big Boi – that’s Outkast to you! – assisted remix of Frank Ocean’s ‘Pink Matter’.
 

 
Thom Yorke whets appetites for the Atoms For Peace album, with a 25-minute, Nigel Godrich-assisted megamix for Dazed & Confused. It’s all killer no filler, with tunes from his aforementioned supergroup, Liars, and Anstam, two Radiohead rarities and previously unheard solo material. Get it while it’s hot!
 
[link]www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/15418/1/dazed-confused-february-2013-thom-yorke[/link]
 

 
Disgustingly fresh-faced Australian DJ/producer sensation Flume manages to Destiny’s Child’s ‘Say My Day’ into his genre-bending mix for The Fader.
 

 
 
Britney Spears celebrates leaving the US X Factor with the rather excellent [link]www.dropbox.com/s/0ckw9qaeo5t914v/Gimme More SE Remix 1.mp3[/link] remix of ‘Gimme More’; I Am Kloot’s Let It All In gets a pre-release stream at [link]www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2013/jan/14/i-am-kloot-let-it-all-in-stream[/link]; [link]soundcloud.com/search?q=youth[/link] lagoon introduces us to one of The National’s favourite one man bands, Youth Lagoon; Swedish electroppers Sally Shapiro will swap you the Electric Youth-assisted ‘Starman’ for an email address and [link]www.complex.com/music/2013/01/ep-premiere-raekwon-lost-jewlry[/link] has a stream of the new Raekwon EP, which with 12-tracks is actually a full-blown album.
 
Hank Williams’ granddaughter Holly Williams is giving away acoustic versions of three of the tracks that grace her new The Highway album.
Like all Noise Trade offerings its free, but tips are appreciated!
 

 
Next up from the Noise Trade stable we have Futurebirds, an Athens, Georgia country rock outfit so laid back they’re almost comatose and Broken Anchor, an LA outfit who are rather partial to Band Of Horses, Fleet Foxes and the Beach Boys.
 

 

 
 
Fools Gold label boss A-Trak has put together a super-tasty January mix, which includes offerings from himself, Alt-J, Boys Noize, John Dahlback, Benny Banassi & Pink Is Punk and man of the moment Kendrick Lamar.
 

 
Hot Press Hot For 2013 star Joey Bada$$ drops the brilliant ‘Unorthodox’ with DJ Premier producing. We’ll be chatting to the young Brooklyn man in question in an upcoming issue.
 

 
Jose Gonzalez’s band Junip preview their self-titled new album with the gorgeous ‘Line Of Fire’.
 

 
Hip Portland bluegrassers Black Prairie treated NPR listeners – and now Free Music Friday clickers – to this whoopin’ and a hollerin’ download set.

 
Free Music Friday is deeply saddened by the news that former Dr. Feelgood man Wilko Johnson has been diagnosed as suffering from terminal cancer of the pancreas.
A true one off, you can check out why he’s such a very special man below:
 

 

 

 
Which is were we bid you a fond adieu for another week. Make sure to keep bombarding @stuartclark66 with your links and all the best to the HMV 300.