Andy Rourke, the bassist for The Smiths, has died of pancreatic cancer, his former bandmate and childhood friend Johnny Marr announced overnight.

The death over the weekend of legendary record man Seymour Stein has unleashed a torrent of heartfelt appreciations from the musicians he championed.

Morrissey, for some reason, posted an open letter to Johnny Marr on his website today imploring his former Smiths bandmate to stop mentioning his name in interviews.

The pandemic-canceled Cruel World festival will not only come roaring back in 2022, but promoters today announced a second date featuring the same classic-alternative bill, topped by headliners Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie and Devo. Full details and ticket information right here.

The pandemic-canceled Cruel World festival will rise again in 2022 at a different location in the Los Angeles area but with most of the original lineup — including headliners Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie and Devo — intact, promoters announced Monday.  Get your full details including ticket info right here.

The pandemic-canceled Cruel World festival — a celebration of the ’80s alternative era with a huge bill topped by Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie and Devo — on Saturday teased a spring 2022 return, though it’s not known whether the original 2020 lineup will be intact. Check out full details right here.

On June 2, 1991 — the third night of Morrissey’s first-ever solo tour of the U.S. — David Bowie joined the former Smiths frontman onstage in Los Angeles to duet on a cover of T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer.” Now, nearly 30 years later, Morrissey is finally giving that recording an official release, first digitally and then 7-inch vinyl.

The “ongoing uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic” today led promoter Goldenvoice has pulled the plug on the rescheduled Cruel World festival in Los Angeles, which would have celebrate the ’80s alternative era with a bill topped by Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie and Devo. Get your full information on refunds here.

Matthew Seligman, the highly inventive bassist for The Soft Boys who went on to record with Thomas Dolby, Thompson Twins, The Waterboys, Peter Murphy, Morrissey and more, and who played with David Bowie at Live Aid, died Friday after being in a coma for two weeks with COVID-19, his longtime friend Dolby announced,

Check out the latest installment right here — this week’s episode features items on The Pretenders, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, The Psychedelic Furs, Morrissey and U2’s Bono, plus a countdown of the top 10 albums by Depeche Mode as voted by Strangeways Radio fans. Watch the whole thing right here.

The Cruel World music festival lives on. Goldenvoice, the event’s promoter, today announced the inaugural Los Angeles-based festival with the ’80s-heavy bill — Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie and Devo — is being moved to Sept. 12 from May 2 over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Full details right here.

The inaugural Cruel World music festival that boasted a bill topped by ’80s alternative stalwarts Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie, Devo and Echo & The Bunnymen appears to have been postponed indefinitely in response to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, but promoters have barely communicated anything to ticketholders.

This is 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. May also include some other titles released in recent weeks but not previously featured. This week: Cocteau Twins, Game Theory, Heaven 17 and more.