After extensive touring in support of their 2010 comeback ‘History of Modern,’ Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark will return to the studio early next month to begin work on a follow-up, already titled ‘English Electric,’ according to a post on the band’s Facebook page credited to Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys.

The Throwing Muses recently wrapped up a European tour support of their just-released ‘Anthology,’ and Bowlegs Music caught up with Kristin Hersh and Co. in Bexhill, England, prior to their gig there earlier this month for this performance of ‘Bright Yellow Gun’ off 1995’s ‘University.’

Tonight’s episode of Slicing Up Eyeballs on Strangeways Radio featured new and previously unreleased music from The Fall, Heaven 17, The Lucy Show, Erasure and Magazine, plus old favorites from The Cure, Virgin Prunes, The Beloved and Half Man Half Biscuit. The show ill be replayed at 2 p.m. EST Friday.

Simple Minds today unveiled plans for a 16-date European tour early next year dubbed ‘5X5 Live’ that will see the band each night perform five songs off of each of its first five albums. The group also will release a new box set, ‘Simple Minds X5,’ featuring those five albums and previously unreleased bonus material.

Paul Weller this morning announced he’ll release his 11th solo album — the 14-track ‘Sonik Kicks,’ featuring appearances by Noel Gallagher and Graham Coxon — in March, and will preview the new collection with two pre-release London concerts at which he’ll perform the new album in its entirety.

A long-planned rarities compilation from London post-punk outfit The Lucy Show — ‘Remembrances’ — finally will be released next month, collecting 17 tracks that never have been released on CD, including the band’s 1983 debut single, alternates takes and five demos of tracks that appeared on 1985’s ‘…undone.’

The musical reunion of former Depeche Mode bandmates Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore that was first revealed last summer will see the light of day later this month when the duo releases the first in a series of techno EPs under the moniker VCMG — to be followed by a full-length album in early 2012, Mute Records announced today.

It’s nearly Thanksgiving, which not only signals the opening of the Christmas holiday season, it means it’s also time to start making those musical lists and checking them twice. That’s right, it’s the second-annual Slicing Up Eyeballs Readers Poll, which will crown the year’s best new and reissued music from ’80s college rock veterans.

Pioneering synthpop outfit Heaven 17 is treating fans to a free digital EP featuring a new acoustic recording of its 1982 hit ‘Let Me Go,’ plus live recordings of ‘(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang”‘and ‘Penthouse & Pavement.’ The ‘Rarities 2011’ EP is available as a free download in exchange for an e-mail address.

This week’s new releases include the first new album in six years from Kate Bush (’50 Words for Snow’), DVDs from Talking Heads (‘Chronology’) and U2 (‘From the Sky Down’), a new single from Erasure (‘Be With You’) and the domestic release of Magazine’s first new album in 30 years (‘No Thyself’).

Our round-up of what made headlines at Slicing Up Eyeballs over the past week includes posts about New Order, Joy Division, Morrissey, the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Kate Bush, Dinosaur Jr, The Fall and much, much more.

With his Thanksgiving-eve “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” outdoor concert canceled, Morrissey now has scheduled a second Los Angeles show to fill that night off. Moz will perform a newly announced concert Wednesday night at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.

Kate Bush this week premiered the first of three planned 2½-minute ‘animations’ created to promote her new album ’50 Words for Snow.’ The first clip is set to part of the 7-minute ‘Wild Man,’ and looks to be about a snowy expedition to find the Abominable Snowman.