Fans of The Smiths’ underrated final album, ‘Strangeways, Here We Come,’ are abuzz about a rough demo of ‘Paint a Vulgar Picture’ that recently hit the web. The track features slightly different lyrics, and in a different order, than the 1987 album version.

Apparently taking a break from recording R.E.M.’s next album in New Orleans, Michael Stipe last week uploaded a series of five short, someone nonsensical videos titled ‘Tribute to YouTube 5 Year.’

With rumors flying about Trent Reznor’s next musical project, it’s time for one last look back at Nine Inch Nails, courtesy of ‘After All is Said and Done,’ a forthcoming, fan-produced film of the band’s final concert last fall in Los Angeles.

This week’s new releases include ‘Mondo Cane,’ the new solo album from Faith No More’s Mike Patton; ‘Death Trip,’ the 13th studio album from goth mainstays Alien Sex Fiend; and ‘Metatronic,’ the 2CD/1DVD career retrospective from synthpop pioneer John Foxx.

Among the highlights of tonight’s ‘Dark Wave’ on Sirius XM: ‘Kinetic,’ the one hit from synthpop one-hit-wonder Hilary; ‘Carpe Diem,’ a mid-period single from German EBM act Bigod 20; and ‘Stigmata,’ from Ministry (rather than the usual pop-era stuff they play).

Synth pioneer and former Ultravox singer John Foxx is marking the 30th anniversary of the release of his solo debut ‘Metamatic’ with a new 2CD/1DVD retrospective called ‘Metatronic’ — as well as a special “analog” concert in London next month with guest DJ Gary Numan.

With XTC now firmly behind him, Andy Partridge continues to dabble in varied projects, the latest of which is a super-limited album of ‘aural sculptures’ inspired by the late sci-fi book-jacket artist Richard M. Powers.

One of our devoted readers just tipped us to this gem: indie-pop act Rogue Wave covering Depeche Mode’s 1985 single ‘Shake the Disease’ live in KCRW’s studio Thursday for the station’s cornerstone show ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic.’

Two weeks after playing its first show since 1997 (as ‘Nudedragons’), the reunited Soundgarden tonight shared the first official taste of that Seattle gig: a pro-shot video of the band performing ‘Beyond the Wheel,’ a track from its 1988 debut album ‘Ultramega OK.’

The latest weekly installment in Beck’s Record Club’s full-album cover of INXS 1987 smash ‘Kick’ is a bit late, but here it is nonetheless: ‘Mediate,’ the sorta spoken-word thing that’s appended to ‘Need You Tonight’ on the album and in the band’s hit music video.

We continue our commemoration of this week’s 25th anniversary reissue of the groundbreaking ‘This Is Big Audio Dynamite’ with this seven-minute electronic press kit assembled by bandmember Don Letts that the folks at Columbia/Legacy sent out to the media on Wednesday.

The highly anticipated 3CD expanded reissue of The Cure’s beloved 1989 album ‘Disintegration’ has been delayed yet again, with a new release date — in the U.S., at least — set for June 8, according to a press release from Rhino Records this afternoon.

As it marks its own 25th anniversary this year, Spin magazine has churned out a list of the 125 best albums of the past quarter century — an honor roll topped by U2’s 1991 left turn ‘Achtung Baby,’ a record the mag says ‘genetically engineer(ed) rock music into the hybridized mutant we know today.’