While voting remains ongoing in our Best of the 1980s poll, we do need to quickly interject a key annual tradition, and open up balloting for the best of this current year. We’re going to divvy things up into two polls: Best albums of the year, and a second ballot that includes reissues, box sets, compilations and live albums.

Sure it’s still December, not even Christmas yet, but if you’re in the Southern California area and have April 25 free on your calendar, we’re giving three lucky Slicing Up Eyeballs readers each a pair of tickets to see classic New Wave rockers The Fixx play the House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif., next spring.

This week’s new releases include an 11LP box set from The Jesus and Mary Chain, 8CD box sets from Cabaret Voltaire and The Pogues, a 3CD box set from Daniel Ash of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets, and a new vinyl reissue of ‘The Return of the Durutti Column.’

Tonight’s edition of “Dark Wave” on Sirius XM’s 1st Wave featured music from Daniel Ash, The Birthday Party, Nitzer Ebb, That Petrol Emotion, Cocteau Twins, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Killing Joke, Throwing Muses, Joy Division, Lard and more.

Erasure is back with a second music video for a track off the synthpop duo’s recently released Christmas-themed album Snow Globe — and this time it’s for one of the group’s original compositions, “Make it Wonderful.” Like the previous clip for “Gaudete,” this one’s animated, too.

Nearing the end of a December swing across the West Coast, Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo brought his new band The Dust — featuring SY drummer Steve Shelley — to TBS’ “Conan” show last night to perform “Lecce, Leaving,” the opening track to the band’s 2013 album Last Night on Earth.

Following up a brief, four-date California tour last October, Bobbie Gillespie will bring Primal Scream back to North America next spring for a dozen more just-announced concerts in the U.S. and Canada in support of the long-running band’s 10th studio album, More Light, which was released earlier this year.