It’s enough to make fans of (very) early Depeche Mode swoon: Photographic evidence of DM co-founder Vince Clarke sitting down for dinner with former bandmates Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher. Earlier today, Clarke tweeted, ‘Tonight I am dining with the ‘Modes’. Apparently, Fletch is cooking…who knew?’

The debut album from techno duo VCMG — aka former Depeche Mode bandmates Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore, working together again for the first time in 30 years — has been out a couple weeks now, but Mute Records is just now debuting an odd 70-second trailer for the 10-track ‘Ssss.’

The debut album from techno project VCMG — aka former Depeche Mode bandmates Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore, working together again for the first time in 30 years — finally arrives next week, but fans can now stream the 10-track ‘Ssss,’ which premiered in the U.K. today via Mixmag.

With Depeche Mode returning to the studio in March, the first word of a timetable for the band’s 13th album has emerged: Martin L. Gore tells German magazine Sonic Seducer that the record will be released ‘no later than early 2013,’ according to fansite Home.

Former Depeche Mode bandmatesVince Clarke and Martin L. Gore, working together again for the first time in 30 years under the name VCMG, will precede their debut album with a second teaser, in the form of ‘EP 2/Single Blip’ — featuring the title track, which you can hear here, plus remixes by Byetone and Mathew Jonson.

This week’s edition of The Week in Rock features headlines about Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore and Vince Clarke, The Cure, World Party, Peter Murphy, Morrissey, Bob Mould, fIREHOSE, IanMcCulloch, David Bowie, Grinderman, Jane’s Addiction and more.

The much-anticipated techno album by VCMG — former Depeche Mode bandmates Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore, working together again for the first time in 30 years — will be named ‘Ssss’ and will be released by Mute on March 13, the duo announced today.

This week’s new releases include a 10CD version of last year’s Joy Division ‘+/-: Singles 1978-80’ vinyl box set, plus the 12-inch version of VCMG’s debut single ‘Spock,’ a compilation of Mark Reeder remixes of Depeche Mode and more, plus the ‘I Melt With You’ soundtrack.

After taking much of the past two years off, Depeche Mode are scheduled to reconvene in January and are planning to enter a studio to begin work on a follow-up to 2009’s ‘Sounds of the Universe’ in March, bandmember Andy Fletcher reveals in a recent Italian interview to promote one of his DJ gigs in that country.

Today sees the debut of the musical reunion of former Depeche Mode bandmates Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore in the form of ‘Spock,’ the first single off the newly christened VCMG’s as-yet-to-be-titled album, due out next year. Check out streams of the original mix and two remixes.

This week’s new releases include the debut EP from VCMG, the new techno project from Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore, plus the ‘Hotel Sessions’ from The Lemoneheads, and the debut EP from David Newton of The Mighty Lemon Drops and his new band, Thee Mighty Angels.

This week’s round-up of Slicing Up Eyeballs headlines includes posts about Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore and Vince Clarke, The Lucy Show, Simple Minds, Paul Weller, Throwing Muses, Elvis Costello and OMD, plus the opening of voting in the 2011 installment of the Slicing Up Eyeballs Readers Poll.

The musical reunion of former Depeche Mode bandmates Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore that was first revealed last summer will see the light of day later this month when the duo releases the first in a series of techno EPs under the moniker VCMG — to be followed by a full-length album in early 2012, Mute Records announced today.