Add Void’s Best of January Mix

So this is what we listened to in January. In a month where a post-new year fug seemed to hang for a bit longer than ususal, it was a relief to find such an array of tracks to capture our attention.

It was a pretty solid month in all; Tim Hecker, Time Wharp and Parts and Labor gave us teasers of albums still to come, we  marvelled at new full releases from Deerhoof, Richard Skelton’s side project AR and Shigeto, while Women may be on permanent hiatus, but their track on the split 7″ with Cold Pumas et al gave us a timely reminder of just why they’ll be missed if they do decide to call it a day.

Meanwhile, going forward we’ve got releases to look forward to from James Blake, Föllakzoid, Julianna Barwick and, with any luck, some new material from Tune Yards. Happy February y’all.

Get the full tracklist and download for free here

Picture is by Kurt Tong, another photographer currently exhibiting at George and Jørgen.

Women/Cold Pumas/Fair Ohs/Friendo split 7″

Nice little four track split EP just out from Brighton-based label Faux Discx, featuring a couple of our current faves Women and Cold Pumas. Listen here for free. Or buy here for only £3. Bargain.

Images courtesy of the very cool Dan Reeves.

Add Void’s Ten from 2010#5

Apologies for the long time coming on this mix. Christmas and New Year took a heavy toll on wallets, waistlines and wi-fi connectivity (struggled a bit to keep the alliteration in that), but now we’re back on board the blog bus (whereas that badboy just rolled off the tongue) so saddle up for our remaining six end of year mixes. And please don’t point out that it’s 2011, everyone else has done theirs and that we should be moving on. It’s not helpful. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The last couple of years have seen a dramatic shift in the sound-boards of what we can loosely term ‘indie’ bands. After increasingly weak offerings from the hopefuls of five or six years ago, the jangly, danceable, pseudo-post-punk style has either totally died away or become mollified into radio-friendly, sing-along indie-cum-pop, played as Gaga respite on Mainstream FM. Recently though, the influences of Sonic Youth, Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine and Neu! have become far more prevalent and trends are now veering towards scuzz, dirge, noise and a much more laconic aesthetic. So, without further ado, here’s a selection of some of the best tracks from 2010 that we feel can be loosely categorised in this way. Heads down, eyes shut, enjoy.

Click here to get the tracklisting and to download the mix for keeps.

Photo is from Walker Evans’s Polaroid series, probably some of the most beautiful photographs ever taken. You can find more of them, along with A LOT of other REALLY incredible images at the astoundingly good site, American Suburb X.

Accidental Misogyny

Women played at Cargo last night. They were pretty good. Had that thing where they sound like loads of people but at the same time like none of them. It would now be possible, and it’s often the done thing, to reel off a list of influences or similarities or whatever they are. But when it’s not conducive to conveying their sound or effect it just becomes an academic exercise in proving that the author knows various reference points and therefore has some kind of authority on the subject. Which, in this case, he doesn’t. So where to go from here?

I had a few drinks with friends before the gig and then I had some at the venue before and during the show and I enjoyed the gig and felt elated and saw on the way out that they were selling t-shirts and it’s always nice to get a band t-shirt, not necessarily out of support for the band or as a statement of your cultural preferences, more so that they are quite often interestingly designed, one-off pieces and so I had a look over the ones on sale and they had this one with a blocky, quasi pop art abstract screen print design and I thought, sweet, I’ll have that so I did but when I got it home I realised that it contained the titles of the band and their new album so I now own a t-shirt that says WOMEN – PUBLIC STRAIN and I look like I’ve bought a ‘comedy’ misogynistic t-shirt from Toplad or shit-college-humour.com or wherever else peddles the kind of crap t-shirts that say things like I HEART DRUNK GIRLS or I LOVE EVERY BONE IN A WOMAN’S BODY (ESPECIALLY MINE) or THE MAN (with an arrow pointing upwards), THE LEGEND (with an arrow pointing downwards). I’m not one of those. Honest.

Here are some tracks of theirs. See if you like.