Having left The Cribs and reunited his early-2000s band The Healers, ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr today offers up a free holiday track recorded with his bandmates: the 3-minute-and-40-second instrumental ‘Free Christmas,’ which can be streamed and/or downloaded here.

This week’s new releases include a 10CD version of last year’s Joy Division ‘+/-: Singles 1978-80’ vinyl box set, plus the 12-inch version of VCMG’s debut single ‘Spock,’ a compilation of Mark Reeder remixes of Depeche Mode and more, plus the ‘I Melt With You’ soundtrack.

The playlist from tonight’s edition of ‘Dark Wave’ — the weekly ‘darker side of alternative’ show on Sirius XM’s 1st Wave — featured The Chameleons, Propaganda, Cocteau Twins, Clan of Xymox, The Teardrop Explodes and some of the interview with The Smiths’ Andy Rourke that has been running all weekend.

This week’s Slicing Up Eyeballs headlines included items on Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch, New Order, R.E.M., PiL, The Housemartins, Bob Mould, Sinead O’Connor, Peter Gabriel and the Minutemen, plus the third installment of our Rhino ‘Just Can’t Get Enough — The ’80s’ Spotify playlist.

R.E.M. this week sent fan-club members the band’s final holiday single, capping a nearly 25-year-old tradition with a 2-track CD featuring live renditions of ‘Perfect Circle’ and ‘Life and How To Live It,’ the latter of which was recorded at the band’s last-ever concert in Mexico City in November 2008.

We’re back with Week 3 of the Rhino Records ‘Just Can’t Get Enough — The ’80s’ playlist we’re guest-curating on Spotify. This week’s installment features tasty selections from the likes of OMD, Pylon, The Stone Roses, Heaven 17, XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Orange Juice, New Order and more.

The reunited New Order — featuring keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, but not bassist Peter Hook — apparently will perform in the U.S. for the first time in nearly seven years next March as part of the lineup of the electro-centric Ultra Music Festival in Miami.