Punk icons X celebrated today’s 40th anniversary of their landmark debut Los Angeles by surprise-releasing Alphabetland, the band’s first album in 27 years and the first recorded by its original lineup — Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake — in 35 years. Hear the album right here.
As they continue to build up toward their first new album in 29 years, The Psychedelic Furs this week premiered the third song off the pandemic-delayed Made of Rain, a dark, swirling rocker called “No-One” that you can hear in its entirety right here. The album is due out July 31.
The announcement that Danny Elfman would perform a career-spanning set at Coachella had fans buzzing about what Oingo Boingo material he might resurrect, a question still hanging in the air with the Southern California music festival pushed to October over coronavirus concerns. Watch it here.
We’re nearing the home stretch of our Best of the ’80s Redux series of year-by-year song polls as we move on to the year 1987, giving Slicing Up Eyeballs readers the chance to vote for their 25 favorites as we rank the 100 best songs released that year. Vote right here for your 25 favorite songs from ’87.
“Dark Wave,” hosted by Slicing Up Eyeballs’ Matt Sebastian, airs 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. EDT every Sunday on Sirius XM satellite radio’s 1st Wave (Channel 33). The most recent two episodes also are available via Sirius XM’s On Demand service for online subscribers. Check out tonight’s full playlist.
In a move meant “to help lift spirits during lockdown,” XTC’s Andy Partridge has released a free digital track called “Cavegirl” — a demo for a song intended for an “aborted bubblegum sampler album” that was to have been a best-of compiling tracks from “the mythical American bubblegum label Hercules.”
Slicing Up Eyeballs is thrilled to co-present, alongside Transmission Music, the debut of DJ Jake Rudh’s “180 Minutes” — a three-hour virtual celebration of college rock and classic alternative — streaming live on Twitch tonight. Get the full details right here, and watch at twitch.tv/djjakerudh.
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 