After spending much of last fall and this past spring touring Europe, former Commotions leader Lloyd Cole finally is ready to support 2010’s ‘Broken Record’ in the United States, and has begun announcing dates for a June tour — with nine on the books so far, all in the eastern part of the country.

Three weeks ago, we launched the inaugural Slicing Up Eyeballs Readers Poll in an effort to gauge what this site’s frequenters think are the year’s best new albums and reissues. Now, with hundreds of ballots cast, the results are in.

Twenty-six years ago today, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions released their debut album ‘Rattlesnakes,’ a 10-track indie-pop masterpiece. In this recently filmed Portuguese clip, Cole offers his thoughts on the 1984 album.

This week’s new CD releases include new albums from Lloyd Cole (‘Broken Record,’ his first full-band effort in a decade), The Vaselines (‘Sex With an X,’ their first album in 21 years), Nick Cave’s Grinderman side project (‘Grinderman 2’) and James (the 2CD ‘The Morning After the Night Before’).

Former Commotions leader Lloyd Cole next week will release his first full-band album in a decade, ‘Broken Record,’ a rootsy collection that’s preceded by first single ‘Writers Retreat!’ and its accompanying music video,

Lloyd Cole will release ‘Broken Record’ — the former Commotions leader’s first full-band album in a decade — this September, and says he’s ‘happy we got these songs finished because I’m not sure I’ll make another record like this again.’

Lloyd Cole this week released a new ‘souvenir’ CD recorded last month with his twangy Small Ensemble that features stripped-down, acoustic takes on Commotions favorites and solo tunes — plus two new songs likely earmarked for the next album, which he’s set to begin recording Monday.