Electro-industrial cousins Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly both released brand-new studio albums this year, and Bill Leeb — who launched FLA after leaving Skinny Puppy in 1985 — has a pretty great idea: a North American “Monsters of Industrial” tour featuring both acts.
This week’s Slicing Up Eyeballs Music Hour on Strangeways Radio celebrated the Best of 1984, with music from The Alarm, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Smiths, Husker Du, OMD, Hoodoo Gurus, U2, The Replacements, Echo & The Bunnymen, Midnight Oil, Lloyd Cole and more.
Peter Murphy and the Burning Shed label are honoring late Japan and Dalis Car bassist Mick Karn on what would have been his 55th birthday Wednesday with a “Download Day,” urging fans to buy Karn’s music in tribute to musician and to show that there is demand for it as a way of keeping his CDs in print.
New Model Army returns this fall with its 12th studio album and first in four years, a 14-track set dubbed Between Dog and Wolf on which the band debuts its new bassist and of which bandleader Justin Sullivan declares, “Sonically, this is the best album we’ve ever made, whilst creatively it has opened lots of new doors.”
The House of Love will follow up this year’s brand-new studio album She Paints Words In Red with a live CD/DVD package that will be recorded at a pair of special concerts at a 200-seat club in London this November and released on Cherry Red Records next year, the reunited band recently announced.
The unlikely pairing of Elvis Costello and The Roots this week debuted the first fruit of their new collaboration, premiering on Pitchfork the single and lyric video for “Walk Us Uptown,” the first single off the forthcoming Wise Up Ghost. The album is due out Sept. 17 on Blue Note Records.
Just days after manager Gary Morris told Australian media that Midnight Oil had been offered up to $200,000 per show to reunite and tour the U.S., the band has issued a statement saying it had no current plans to reform in the wake of Peter Garrett’s newfound unemployment, and that Morris was resigning his position.
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 