Author: Slicing Up Eyeballs

J Mascis releasing album of 'psychedelic instrumental blues jams' as Heavy Blanket

J Mascis releasing album of ‘psychedelic instrumental blues jams’ as Heavy Blanket

This spring, Dinosaur Jr’s frontman will release a six-track, self-titled debut from Heavy Blanket, which Outer Battery Records describes as ‘blistering psych-drenched instrumental blues jams from J Mascis and his stoner buddies.’ The album is due May 6 on CD and vinyl, plus a super-limited run of 200 purple-vinyl copies.

Video: Erasure, ‘Fill Us With Fire’ — new clip filmed during 2011 tour rehearsals

Video: Erasure, ‘Fill Us With Fire’ — new clip filmed during 2011 tour rehearsals

With ‘Fill Us With Fire,’ the third single off last year’s Tomorrow’s Word, out in the U.K. this week, synthpop duo Erasure has released a second video for the track — this one filmed in London during rehearsals for the group’s 2011 world tour. Check out the new clip right here.

Video: Hüsker Dü's Greg Norton jams with tribute band Hüsker Düdes in Chicago

Video: Hüsker Dü’s Greg Norton jams with tribute band Hüsker Düdes in Chicago

In the years since the break-up of Hüsker Dü, bassist Greg Norton largely eschewed the music industry in favor of the restaurant business — but Norton has been re-acquainting themselves with music of late, first with the band The Gang Font and now through an on-stage appearance with tribute act Hüsker Düdes.

Free MP3: Howard Jones, 'Like To Get To Know You Well' — off 'Live at Indigo2’ DVD

Free MP3: Howard Jones, ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’ — off ‘Live at Indigo2’ DVD

Next month, Howard Jones will embark on an eight-date U.K. tour on which he’ll perform his first two albums — 1984′s ‘Human’s Lib’ and 1985′s ‘Dream Into Action’ — in their entirety, and to help celebrate the trek, he’s giving fans a free MP3 of a live version of his 1984 single ‘Like To Get To Know You Well.’

Madness books California, Las Vegas concerts between Coachella appearances

Madness books California, Las Vegas concerts between Coachella appearances

Like fellow Brits Squeeze, Pulp and James, ska-pop mainstays Madness will use their trip to California for next month’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to book some more U.S. shows — the band’s first in this country in five years — including dates in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.

Stream: Paul Weller, 'Sonik Kicks'

Stream: Paul Weller, ‘Sonik Kicks’

Paul Weller today began streaming his new solo album Sonik Kicks on his website, a full week before its U.K. release and two weeks before the record arrives in the U.S. On his website, he says: ‘I’m not an expert on the digital world but know it’s how most people hear their music and I’m proud of this album.’

Video: The Cranberries cover The Cure's 'Inbetween Days' on French TV

Video: The Cranberries cover The Cure’s ‘Inbetween Days’ on French TV

Nineties alt-rockers The Cranberries recently reunited and released their first album in 11 years, and here they are on a French TV show called “Taratata” performing a cover of The Cure’s 1985 classic ‘Inbeteween Days.’ According to Chain of Flowers, the performance was filmed in January, but aired Friday night

Stream: Lee Ranaldo, 'Between the Times and the Tides'

Stream: Lee Ranaldo, ‘Between the Times and the Tides’

Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo next week will release his new solo album ‘Between the Times and the Tides,’ but he’s decided to preview the record by streaming it online in full beginning this week. The record, a more traditional song-oriented effort than his more experimental solo material, will be released March 20 in the U.S.

The Cure headlining Reading, Leeds festivals

The Cure headlining Reading, Leeds festivals

The Cure was announced today as one of the headliners of the U.K.’s massive Reading and Leeds festivals in late August, bringing the band’s total number of European summer festival appearances to 18. The band’s summer touring schedule now opens May 26 at Pinkpop and runs through Sept. 1 at Electric Picnic.

Video: Close Lobsters at Madrid Popfest — first show with original lineup since 1989

Video: Close Lobsters at Madrid Popfest — first show with original lineup since 1989

The original five-person lineup of Scottish indie-pop outfit Close Lobsters reunited on Saturday at Madrid Popfest for its first concert since 1989, part of what, so far, is just a three-date reunion, with appearances coming up in Glasgow and Berlin. Check out video of four songs performed that night.

Mike Watt to publish 'On and Off Bass,' play with J Mascis at NYC book launch

Mike Watt to publish ‘On and Off Bass,’ play with J Mascis at NYC book launch

Legendary Minutemen bassist Mike Watt this May will publish a new book called ‘On and Off Bass’ that combines his 2000s-era tour diaries with his nature photography, and he’ll launch the memoir with a pair of release parties — including a New York show that’ll find him jamming with Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis and Murph.

Contest: Win The B-52s’ ‘With the Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, Ga.’ live DVD

Contest: Win The B-52s’ ‘With the Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, Ga.’ live DVD

Last fall, we gave away a handful of copies of The B-52s’ first-ever live album, and now that the companion concert film is nearly here, the fine folks at Universal Music Group have provided us with three copies of the ‘With the Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, Ga.’ DVD to award to lucky Slicing Up Eyeballs readers.

Video: Paul Weller plays 'That Dangerous Age,' 'The Attic' on Jonathan Ross

Video: Paul Weller plays ‘That Dangerous Age,’ ‘The Attic’ on Jonathan Ross

Ex-Jam frontman Paul Weller today releases ‘That Dangerous Age’ — the first single off his upcoming album ‘Sonik Kicks’ — in the U.K., and he stopped by ‘The Jonathan Ross Show”‘on Saturday to play the track for the show’s TV broadcast, plus a web-only performance of album track ‘The Attic.’