Author: Slicing Up Eyeballs

The Specials returning to North America this summer for second leg of tour

The Specials returning to North America this summer for second leg of tour

As promised, reunited 2 Tone-era ska giants The Specials are returning to North America this summer for the second leg of their 2013 tour, following up their March dates at South By Southwest and in the western part of the country with at least eight concerts in Canada and on the East Coast of the United States.

Contest: Win tickets to see Killing Joke play New York City’s Irving Plaza on April 19

Contest: Win tickets to see Killing Joke play New York City’s Irving Plaza on April 19

Killing Joke is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year with the release of the new The Singles Collection: 1979-2012 compilation and a very limited number of U.S. concerts, beginning April 19 at New York City’s Irving Plaza — and we’ve got a pair of tickets to the NYC tour kick-off to award one lucky Slicing Up Eyeballs reader.

Slicing Up Eyeballs’ Best of the ’80s, Part 3: Vote for your top albums of 1982

Slicing Up Eyeballs’ Best of the ’80s, Part 3: Vote for your top albums of 1982

Our year-long Best of the ’80s feature continues this month as we turn to 1982, and once again ask Slicing Up Eyeballs’ readers to weigh in on their favorite albums of that year in our ongoing quest to rank the releases of each year of the decade over the course of 2013, concluding with a poll to determine the best of the ’80s.

'Margaret on the Guillotine': Revisiting the classic anti-Thatcher songs of the '80s

‘Margaret on the Guillotine’: Revisiting the classic anti-Thatcher songs of the ’80s

As one of our readers noted this morning, Morrissey finally got the answer to the question he posed of Margaret Thatcher in his controversial Viva Hate closer “Margaret on the Guillotine”: “When will you die?” The former British prime minister passed away today at age 87.

Stream: Visage, 'Shameless Fashion' — lead single off band's 1st album in 29 years

Stream: Visage, ‘Shameless Fashion’ — lead single off band’s 1st album in 29 years

Visage — best remembered for its classic 1980 single “Fade to Grey” — return next month with Hearts and Knives, the band’s fourth album and first in 29 years. The record is preceded by lead single “Shameless Fashion,” which you can download for free on the group’s Facebook page and/or stream here.

Video: Depeche Mode, 'Soft Touch/Raw Nerve' — performed live in the studio

Video: Depeche Mode, ‘Soft Touch/Raw Nerve’ — performed live in the studio

Depeche Mode today premiered a live in-the-studio performance video for Delta Machine track “Soft Touch/Raw Nerve,” a clip that appears to have been filmed at the same time as the second video released for the album’s lead single, “Heaven.” Check out the new performance footage of “Soft Touch/Raw Nerve.”

New releases: OMD, Big Country, Morrissey, Electronic, Sparks, The Fall, The House of Love

New releases: OMD, Big Country, Morrissey, Electronic, Sparks, The Fall, The House of Love

This week sees the release of brand-new studio albums from OMD, Big Country (with Mike Peters of The Alarm) and The House of Love, plus reissues from Morrissey (‘Kill Uncle’) and Electronic (‘Electronic’), a live album from Sparks and a new 7-inch single from The Fall.