Songwriting greats Andy Partridge of XTC and Robyn Hitchcock next month will release a four-song EP that Hitchcock says “began in his shed in Swindon in 2006” and is now finished after the two re-teamed last year to write one final song. Full details on the project right here.

R.E.M. famously didn’t tour behind 1991’s breakthrough Out of Time, but the band did play a handful of largely professional shows that year, among the best-known of them being a pair of concerts in London under the nom-de-rock of Bingo Hand Job. See the full details and tracklist right here.

A frequent on-air guest at KEXP, singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock stopped by the radio station’s Seattle studios on May 1 for a half-hour live session and conversation with host John Richards. Joined by Sean Nelson (Harvey Danger, The Long Winters) on backing vocals, Watch the full set here.

The Psychedelic Furs will follow up their spring and summer North American dates with Robyn Hitchcock — and concerts in Mexico, South America, Europe and the U.K. — with a just-announced run of 20 dates this fall in the U.S. and Canada. See those new tour dates, and more, here.

Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs. All releases due out this Friday unless noted. This week: Robyn HItchcock’s new self-titled album arrives, as does the all-star live set ‘Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live… And More.’

The Psychedelic Furs today announced a new set of summer dates for their current tour with Robyn Hitchcock — who covered the Furs’ 1984 classic “The Ghost in You” on his recent The Man Upstairs album — adding shows in California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia this July.