Dinosaur Jr guitar savant J Mascis is no stranger to deliciously awkward interviews, so putting him head-to-head with “Portlandia” star Fred Armisen’s near-lookalike character Candace — co-proprietor of the Women and Women First feminist bookstore — was an inspired bit of promotion by Jagjaguwar Records.

This week’s new releases include ‘Anastasis,’ the first new album from Dead Can Dance in 16 years, plus a deluxe 20th anniversary reissue of Ride’s ‘Going Blank Again,’ a pair of 2CD singles compilations from Sparks, and the first album of new material in more than 19 years from deathrock pioneers 45 Grave.

Killing Joke unloaded a flurry of news this morning, announcing that “missing” frontman Jaz Coleman “appeared today from his retreat in the Western Sahara” as well as revealing plans for a 3CD ‘KJ in Dub’ remix project and the cancellation of a planned $300-a-ticket studio concert that was to have been filmed for a DVD.

This week’s round-up of headlines includes items about The House of Love, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Elizabeth Fraser, Robert Smith, World Party, My Bloody Valentine, New Order, Billy Bragg, The Stone Roses, Bob Mould, PiL, Paul Weller and more — plus our latest Auto Reverse mixtape.

As it’s now Aug. 12 in most parts of the world, Kate Bush’s new “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” [2012 Remix] has gone on sale through digital retailers around the world — although there’s still no sign of it on the U.S. versions of iTunes or Amazon.com. Nevertheless, you can hear the 5:31-long track via ATRL.

Back in May, we brought you initial news of Peter Gabriel’s plans for a multi-format, belated 25th anniversary reissue of his classic 1986 record ‘So’ — and now comes word that the album will be the subject of an 8-disc “Immersion” box set featuring four CDs, two DVDs, two vinyl records and a 60-page book.

The Cure’s Robert Smith is again teaming up with director Tim Burton, following up his contribution to the companion album to Burton’s 2010 version of “Alice in Wonderland” with a song on the upcoming Frankenweenie Unleashed!, a 14-track collection of songs “inspired by” the filmmaker’s new stop-motion creation.

Over the past week, former Cocteau Twins frontwoman Elizabeth Fraser played her first-ever solo concerts — and first full performances of any kind in 14 years — with a trio of shows in the U.K. that delivered, as promised, a mix of Cocteaus material with new arrangements and brand-new solo material from an anticipated album.

Karl Wallinger apparently is making good on his promise in March 2011 to mount “a whole tour of the U.S.A.” — albeit more than a year behind schedule — with this week’s announcement that World Party will tour America this September, with initial dates in Nashville, Tenn., and New York City already unveiled.

Like the New Order footage we posted today, this half-hour packageof The Cure performing at the Vieilles Charrues festival in France is top-quality stuff. The video was posted to The Cure’s Facebook page earlier today with the message that fans should “EXPERIENCE THE WONDER THAT IS JASON AND THE CUREONAUTS.”

The Psychedelic Furs are rolling out concert dates across the West, Southwest and East Coast as part of a new U.S. tour planned for this fall, and they’ll be joined for at least some of the shows in October by Evan Dando and The Lemonheads — with former member Juliana Hatfield back on bass.

The reactivated My Bloody Valentine will follow up its trio of dates in Japan by headlining All Tomorrow’s Parties’ just-announced I’ll Be Your Mirror Melbourne festival next February, marking Kevin Shields and Co.’s first Australian concert in more than 20 years.

We’ve seen some fairly good webcast footage this summer of the Peter Hook-less New Order playing at various European festivals, but this is far and away the best live film to emerge of the reunited band’s summer touring: a 44-minute reel of footage from the band’s June 21 performance at Berlin’s Tempodrom.