Modern English have re-recorded their signature 1982 smash ‘I Melt With You’ for a second time, and are offering the slowed-down, moody version of the track as a free download in advance of a just-announced short tour of the southeastern United States next month.

In December 1988, when Dinosaur Jr entered Boston’s famed Fort Apache Studios, to record a track for ‘The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young,’ they cut not one but two songs: ‘Lotta Love,’ which would be included on the disc alongside covers by the Pixies, The Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth, and ‘I’ve Been Waiting For You.’

Synthpop faves Erasure this morning debuted the first single, ‘When I Start To (Break It All Down),’ off their upcoming album ‘Tomorrow’s World’ on BBC Radio 2, and now have made the 3:34-long track available for streaming on their website. The single will be released digitally Aug. 29 and on CD on Sept. 26.

Today we get another glimpse of synth pioneer Gary Numan’s upcoming album ‘Dead Son Rising’ thanks to The Quietus, which posted the track ‘Dead Sun Rising’ — and yes, that’s not a typo. Numan says, “I do appreciate that it’s a little bit confusing — I’m waiting for all the e-mails to come in saying ‘there’s a misprint on the album.'”

Today, apparently, is Duran Duran Appreciation Day 2011, and to mark the occasion, the band is offering a free download of a brand-new 7½-minute club version of ‘All You Need’ Is Now track ‘Other People’s Lives,’ resurrecting its tradition of cutting longer ‘Night Versions’ of songs for the dancefloor.

Jane’s Addiction this week released the second track from their upcoming album ‘The Great Escape Artist’: the slow-burning ‘Irresistible Force,’ which premiered yesterday on Los Angeles’ KROQ and is available to purchase starting today. You can stream it here.

Next week, Liverpool’s The Wild Swans — the brainchild of former Teardrop Explodes keyboardist Paul Simpson — will release their first album in 21 years and only their third overall, a 13-track collection called ‘The Coldest Winter For a Hundred Years’ that features veterans of Echo & The Bunnymen, Spiritualized and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

Stephen Brower says he’s long been a fan of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s ‘Feeling Lucky,’ off 1994’s ‘Stoned & Dethroned,’ ‘but it’s also always felt unfinished, with only 25 words and a long instrumental outro.’ So he ‘reframed’ it as the intro to his own ‘Eyes on Me.’

With its massive 20th anniversary reissue approaching in September, Nirvana’s landmark 1991 album ‘Nevermind’ receives a track-by-track remake courtesy of Spin, which is offering a free download of the project via the magazine’s Facebook page.

Modfather Paul Weller unexpectedly announced a new non-album single on Monday, a dancey tune called ‘Starlite’ that can be streamed here and will be available next month as both an iTunes download bundle and a 12-inch single.

Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore has released a new video for ‘Circulation’ off his new album ‘Demolished Thoughts.’ He’s also got a slate of new tour dates, plus a live streaming concert via NPR that you can hear here. And Sonic Youth is headed to South America and is re-issuing ‘Hits Are For Squares.’

The News of the World scandal that’s currently rocking England has led outspoken folkie Billy Bragg to pick up his guitar and quickly pen a scathing new tune that he’s now giving away for free: ‘Never Buy the Sun,’ which he labels ‘an outspoken attack on press, police and politicians.’

New York rockers Bones Howell claim to draw on punk and goth influences, and they certainly aren’t afraid to show off that inspiration on a new 7-inch that arrives this week and features both a cover of Bauhaus’ ‘Hair of the Dog’ and a remix of their own song ‘Nephritis’ by none other than Daniel Ash, Bauhaus’ guitarist.