The audiophile reissue of XTC’s classic 1979 album Drums and Wires — with its new 5.1 Surround mix that frontman Andy Partridge last summer boasted is “so good it’s upped my opinion of the album” — finally arrives Oct. 27 on CD and Blu-ray, with the latter format stuffed with bonus material.

In a move that once might have seemed unthinkable, New Order — a flagship act of the iconic Factory Records imprint — has signed to the equally legendary Mute label, long home to contemporaries Depeche Mode and Erasure, as the group continues to work on its new album.

Well, that last mea culpa, back in May, deserves a mea cupla all of its own. But here we are, four months later. And we’ve finally coughed up a new entry in our Auto Reverse mixtape series. But it’s a good one: A tribute to the late, great BBC DJ and tastemaker John Peel.

This week’s new releases include individual 2LP vinyl editions of R.E.M.’s 1991 and 2001 “MTV Unplugged” sessions, plus a CD/DVD live document of last year’s reunion of The Call with BRMC’s Robert Levon Been filling in for his late father, and a reissue of Game Theory’s 1982 debut “Blaze of Glory.”

Tonight’s edition of “Dark Wave” on Sirius XM’s 1st Wave featured music from Echo & The Bunnymen, Kommunity FK, The Lucy Show, Laurie Anderson, Nitzer Ebb, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Death in June, Front 242, The Mission, David Bowie and more.

Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey and Howard Jones will take advantage of a night off for the synthpop-flavored Retro Futura package tour on Monday and perform a last-minute club show together in San Francisco. The two are slated to play Monday night at SF’s Mezzanine,

It’s not clear yet whether a full tour is brewing, but Tears For Fears — who have been at work on a follow-up to 2004’s Everybody Loves a Happy Ending — have confirmed five live dates in the U.S. next month, with shows booked in Texas, Oklahoma, California and Oregon.