Today we celebrate one of the more significant milestones in the college-rock era, the 30th anniversary of the release of R.E.M.’s debut EP, ‘Chronic Town.’ the five-song record that launched the band and, in many ways, the ’80s indie scene. To commemorate this classic record we present audio of a 1982 concert.

As they near the end of their summer run of European festivals, The Cure tonight plays the U.K.’s venerable Reading Festival — exactly 33 years to the day since Robert Smith and Co. last played the festival. To mark the occasion, we present this vintage tape of The Cure’s 1979 set at Reading.

With the release of his new solo album Don’t Be A Strangers still more than a month out, Merge Records this week has offered up the first taste of the new project from former American Music Club frontman Mark Eitzel in the form of a streaming MP3 of album opener “I Love You But You’re Dead.”

Over the past few days, Lloyd Cole has treated fans to a couple gems from the vault, posting a pair of post-Commotions U.K. radio sessions recorded in 1990, including a four-song BBC studio set in which he’s backed by a full band that included soon-to-be-star Matthew Sweet and ex-Voidoids guitarist Robert Quine.

Before revving up his new band Poltergeist with former bandmate Les Pattinson, guitarist Will Sergeant of Echo & The Bunnymen recorded a fan-funded, acoustic instrumental solo album called ‘Things Inside’, which is now available for purchase — and can be sampled via the three tracks that are streaming here.

Devo later this month will release a song called “Don’t Roof Rack, Me Bro! (Remember Seamus)” — a track about Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s infamous 1983 road trip in which he transported the family dog from Massachusetts to Ontario in a kennel strapped to the roof of the family station wagon.