X co-founders John Doe and Exene Cervenka next week will officially release a formerly tour-only CD called ‘Singing and Playing’ that features seven acoustic tracks recorded in 2010 plus a live version of the band’s classic “See How We Are” the duo recorded last year (that track also appears as one of the new studio cuts).

The classic ’80s-era lineup of Ultravox — Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Chris Cross and Warren Cann, who reunited onstage in 2009 for the first time since Live Aid — this spring will follow up their comeback tours with the 12-track Brilliant, their first new studio album together in 28 years, EMI Records announced today.

Boston post-punk masters Mission of Burma this summer will release ‘Unsound,’ their fourth post-reunion album (that’s three more records than they put out during their original run in the ’80s), and this week premiered the first track from that effort, called ‘Dust Devil.’

New Order performed its first U.S. concert in seven years Friday night at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival — but that won’t be the band’s only American appearance this year. The band says: ‘It’s great to back in the U.S., and we will be back for more shows later in the year when we have fulfilled our other live commitments around the world.’

Following the break-up of R.E.M. last year, frontman Michael Stipe was quick to say he had no intentions of making a solo album — but that doesn’t appear to be the case for guitarist Peter Buck. Longtime R.E.M. sideman Scott McCaughey broke the news this week to KIRO 97.3 radio show Seattle Sounds.

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.