This week’s installment of The Week in Rock features news about Pet Shop Boys, Elizabeth Fraser, They Might Be Giants, David Byrne, Peter Buck, The Birthday Party, Peter Murphy, Ministry, Morrissey, The Stone Roses, Dinsaur Jr, Robyn Hitchcock, The Jesus and Mary Chain and more.

Morrissey today discounted rumors that he plans to retire in 2014, providing a statement to fansite True To You that says, ‘Morrissey would like to stress that reports of his ‘retirement,’ as excitably earmarked by several newspapers and websites, are ‘wishful thinking’ on behalf of the writers.’

With Morrissey’s libel case against the NME slated to go to trial in a month, the music weekly today apologized to the singer, writing, ‘We wish to make clear that we do not believe that he is a racist; we didn’t think we were saying he was and we apologise to Morrissey if he or anyone else misunderstood our piece in that way.’

This week’s Slicing Up Eyeballs headlines include news about The Cure, The Stone Roses, Pixies, The Cult, The Mission, Killing Joke, Bob Mould, Meat Puppets, Budgie, Morrissey, Dinosaur Jr, Madness, Sonic Youth, Peter Gabriel and PiL — plus our latest Auto Reverse mixtape for your downloading pleasure.

Our latest link round-up includes a Q&A with Morrissey in which he suggests he’ll retire in 2014 at age 55, plus interviews with Bob Mould reflecting on Sugar’s ‘Copper Blue,’ John Lydon discussing Public Image Ltd. and the Sex Pistols, and former Replacements drummer Chris Mars talking art and music.

Morrissey recently wrapped up a run of dates in the Far East and in the western U.S. and, as he’s known to do, today released a statement in which he ranks his Top 10 tour stops (Jakarta’s No. 1) and once again bemoans his lack of a record label, indicating his finished album is no closer to being released.