This week’s episode of the Slicing Up Eyeballs Music Hour on Strangeways Radio featured music by Scruffy the Cat, RIchard Hell and the Voidoids, The Clash, Midnight Oil, Dinosaur Jr, The Untouchables, Bronski Beat, Stan Ridgway, The Dream Syndicate, The Call, Talking Heads and more.
Charlie Chesterman, the frontman of Boston college-radio favorites Scruffy the Cat, part of the late-’80s cowpunk scene that helped spawn the alt-country movement, lost his ongoing battle with cancer on Monday, according to posts on Facebook this morning by friends, including former bandmate Stephen Fredette,
Last week Jane’s Addiction received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of debut studio album Nothing’s Shocking, the band played a short set for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” part of which was aired on last night’s show and posted on the program’s YouTube channel.
Erasure releases its new Christmas-themed album Snow Globe one week from today, but fans can get an early jump on the release, which is now streaming in full via USA Today. Below, you can listen to the full 13-track album — featuring new renditions of “Silent Night,” “White Christmas” and more.
We’ve reached November, which means it’s time for our year-long Best of the ’80s poll to continue on to 1989 as we again ask Slicing Up Eyeballs’ readers to help rank the releases of each year of the decade throughout 2013 — concluding, next month, with a giant poll to determine the best records of the entire 1980s.
Here’s a delightful clip that made the rounds over the weekend: A guitar-slinging busker is filmed singing Bronski Beat’s 1984 single “Smalltown Boy” on a Berlin sidewalk when none other than Jimmy Somerville himself, apparently out walking his dog, stops by and pitches it.
This week’s new releases include an expanded 2CD/1DVD reissue of David Bowie’s 7-month-old album ‘The Next Day,’ featuring five brand-new songs, plus an audiophile reissue of XTC’s ‘Nonsuch’ with multiple new mixes, and a new studio album, ‘Tres Cabrones,’ from The Melvins.
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 