New releases: OMD’s ‘Live in Berlin,’ plus Shriekback, Sonic Youth, Rockpile

Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs.

ARTIST : Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
RELEASE: The History of Modern Tour: Live in Berlin
BACKSTORY: Reunited synthpop favorites OMD this week self-releases a 20-track live album and hardback book to commemorate the group’s rapturously received comeback last year. Recorded Nov. 18 at the Tempodrome Berlin, the CD features tracks from 2010′s History of Modern as well as classics. (Tracklist and sample here.)
BUY: OMD.uk.com (CD/book)

ARTIST : Shriekback
RELEASE: Oil and Gold
BACKSTORY: The  third album from dancefloor-ready post-punk act is reissued in the band’s native U.K. as a 2CD set featuring the original album and a bonus disc with 10 B-sides and live tracks, including  live versions of the songs “Suck,” “Mothloop” and “Feelers,” plus a pair of “Nemesis” remixes. (Full tracklist here.) 
BUY: Amazon.com (CD)

ARTIST : Sonic Youth
RELEASES: Hits Are For Squares
BACKSTORY: The noise-rock legends this week reissue the best-of disc they released through Starbucks in 2008 (and then issued on vinyl last year for Record Store Day). The 16-track set sticks closely to the band’s ’80s and early ’90s albums (“Kool Thing,” “Teen Age Riot,” etc.), plus it has a then-new song called “Slow Revolution.”
BUY: Amazon.com (CD, digital)

ARTIST : Rockpile
RELEASES: Live at Montreaux 1980
BACKSTORY: The New Wave group featuring Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds this week releases an archival live album recorded 31 years ago featuring songs from the band’s Seconds of Pleasure album and their solo work, including such tracks as “Teacher Teacher,” “Crawling From the Wreckage,” “Girls Talk” and “I Hear You Knocking.”
BUY: Amazon.com (CD, digital)