Next month, the new 700-page biography of The Smiths by music writer Tony Fletcher finally comes out in the U.S. — the book, which promises “the complete story” of the iconic band, hit stores in the U.K. in early September — and publisher Crown Archetype has given us a dozen copies to give away to Slicing Up Eyeballs readers.
Last week came news that classic college-rock combo Camper Van Beethoven is set to return early next year its first album in more than eight years, and now we’ve got our first taste of ‘La Costa Perdida’ in the form of the song “Northern California Girls,” which premiered this week at Billboard.com.
Paul Weller will close out 2012 by releasing a new six-track EP built around “Dragonfly,” a standout on this year’s ‘Sonik Kicks’ album, that will be released digitally and as a limited-edition 12-inch single with five additional songs that have been released already this year as B-sides or bonus tracks.
Concrete Blonde — featuring the longtime core of singer/bassist Johnette Napolitano and guitarist James Mankey — will embark on a nine-date, pre-Christmas U.S. tour next month, and may stage a New Year’s Eve concert in Los Angeles, according to its publicist.
German industrial powerhouse KMFDM are set to release their 18th studio album — ‘Kunst,’ featuring Pussy Riot-inspired cover art by long-running associate Aidan “Brute!” Hughes — early next year, and will follow that almost immediately with a U.S. tour in March that, so far, includes 18 dates across the country.
Last night’s Slicing Up Eyeballs Music Hour on Strangeways Radio featured new and previously unreleased music from The Dead Milkmen, Dinosaur Jr and The House of Love, plus favorites from Kate Bush, Primal Scream, New Order, Johnny Marr, The Specials, Echo & The Bunnymen and more.
It was shocking enough when the long-delayed reissues of My Bloody Valentine’s two studio albums finally were released earlier this year, but now frontman Kevin Shields claims he’ll release the 21-year-in-the-making follow-up to ‘Loveless’ by the end of the year — and will follow that up with an EP of even newer music.
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 