It’s one of the more unlikely covers you’ll ever hear: former New Order frontman Bernard Sumner crooning Elvis Presley’s melodramatic 1969 hit ‘In the Ghetto’ in a new recording made by the singer’s current band Bad Lieutenant for a forthcoming charity album to benefit a U.K. homeless advocacy group.

This week’s releases include new studio albums from OMD, ex-Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins and reunited no-wave act Swans; plus a new Jesus and Mary Chain best-of; and expanded reissues of the Bangles’ first two albums, ‘All Over the Place’ and ‘Different Light.’

The life and musical legacy of Kirsty MacColl will be celebrated this fall at an all-star concert in London featuring the likes of Alison Moyet, Billy Bragg, Johnny Marr and Shane MacGowan, who famously duetted with the late singer on the Pogues’ classic ‘Fairytale of New York.’

Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr joined composer Hans Zimmer and a 20-piece orchestra last night in Hollywood to perform the score to ‘Inception,’ the new mind-twister from “The Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan.

Given today’s release of ‘Intriguer’ in the U.K., it seems fitting to post this sweet clip: Crowded House and the venerable Johnny Marr covering the David Bowie classic ‘Moonage Daydream’ during the encore of the band’s May 27 concert in Manchester.

Enigmatic The The mastermind Matt Johnson continues to use his web show ‘Radio Cineola’ to treat fans to never-before-heard music, and this month is no different, with songs from the unreleased ‘Gun Sluts’ and ‘2 Blocks Below Canals’ albums making their debut.

As feared, Bernard Sumner’s Bad Lieutenant has joined the growing list of bands — including Johnny Marr and The Cribs — to cancel their appearances at the just-underway Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival because a cloud of volcanic ash has grounded thousands of European flights.

Attention tapeheads: The ever-iconoclastic Robyn Hitchcock is releasing an ultra-limited run of his new album ‘Propellor Time’ — on which he’s backed by members of R.E.M. and The Smiths — on ‘hand-assembled’ cassette.

This week’s new releases include new albums from David Byrne & Fatboy Slim (‘Here Lies Love,’ about Imelda Marcos) and Robyn Hitchcock (‘Propellor Time’), plus expanded reissues from David Bowie, The Colourfield and Squeeze.

The Smiths’ classic second album, ‘Meat is Murder,’ was released Feb. 14, 1985 — exactly 25 years ago today. To mark the occasion, we’ve assembled live video of nearly every track on the album (“Well I Wonder” being the missing link).

Tweet Robyn Hitchcock this spring will release the 3-years-in-the-making Propellor Time, an album recorded with current back-up band The Venus 3 — R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, […]

Tweet A previously unheard alternate take of The Smiths’ 1984 B-side “Girl Afraid” has surfaced on a just-discovered Rough Trade Records reference cassette of the […]

Tweet When he’s not working with Modest Mouse, ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has been writing and recording with The Cribs, and, on Thursday, Marr and […]