As he prepares to embark on his U.S. tour next week, Morrissey has now announced a tour of arenas and larger venues in the U.K. and Ireland early next year in support of his forthcoming album Low in High School. The trek opens in Aberdeen on Feb. 16 and wraps up with London concerts on March 7 and 9.

R.E.M. has offered up the latest taste of its upcoming multi-disc 25th anniversary reissue of Automatic For the People in the form of a demo of the song “Photograph,” an AFTP-era track that, in its completed version, would feature a duet between Michael Stipe and Natalie Merchant and appear on 1993’s Born to Choose.

Wayne Hussey admits he’s no fan of live albums, but he knows other people like them, so he’s come up with a plan: The Mission will record one of its tour rehearsals — a more “controllable environment” than a concert — for release as a two-disc live set called Bending the Arc. Full details here.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds today revealed that Conway Savage, who plays piano and organ, and provides backing vocals, has been absent from this year’s Bad Seeds tour because he underwent surgery that was “largely a success” for a recently diagnosed brain tumor. Read the full statement from the band.

Two months after Mark E. Smith’s health forced the postponement of the first U.S. concerts by The Fall in more than a decade, the irascible frontman brought his long-running band back to the stage in the U.K. last week — strapped into a wheelchair, but still delivering his trademark vocal blast. See video of that performance here.

Cherry Red Records will follow up this year’s Manchester-centric box set with one that examines the legacy of Liverpool’s scene from 1976 to 1988, a 5-disc, 100-song collection that will feature music by Echo & The Bunnmen, The Teardrop Explodes, OMD, Wild Swans, Icicle Works, The La’s and more.

Morrissey today debuted the second track off his upcoming 11th solo album, Low in High School, via the lyric video you can see below for “I Wish You Lonely,” driven by its mid-tempo stomp and Moz’s insistent vocals. The song follows lead single “Spent the Day in Bed.” Hear the new song right here.

Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ 1977 debut Blank Generation — a landmark chapter in the history of New York City punk — will receive an expanded 40th anniversary reissue next month, with the original record paired with a disc of previously unreleased studio takes and live tracks. Check out the full tracklist right here.

Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs. All releases due out this Friday unless noted. This week’s releases include titles from The Dead Milkmen, Alison Moyet and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

“Dark Wave,” hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs’ Matt Sebastian, airs 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. EDT every Sunday on Sirius XM satellite radio’s 1st Wave (Channel 33). The most recent two episodes also are available via Sirius XM’s On Demand service for online subscribers. Get your full playlist right here.

Long-running Dutch darkwave favorites Clan of Xymox — the onetime 4AD act is still centered around founding member Ronny Moorings — will embark on a nine-date North American tour early next year in support of the group’s latest studio album Days of Black. See those dates right here.

The Ramones’ deluxe reissue campaign continues this fall with the 3CD/1LP expansion of the punk icons’ third album, Rocket to Russia, that will include two different mixes of the album, a host of unreleased studio recordings and a previously unissued live album recorded in 1977. Check out the full tracklist.

Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs. All releases due out this Friday unless noted. This week’s titles include The Smiths, The The, The Jam and Pet Shop Boys.