The story of of one of college rock’s most foundational bands is told anew in John Hunter’s hefty biography “Maps and Legends: The Story of R.E.M.”

A new 10-part podcast series from California public radio mainstay KCRW celebrates ’80s college-rock era host Deirdre O’Donoghue and her archive of in-studio performances.

The new label Propeller Sound Recordings next month will release a 23-song compilation of rare and obscure early material from jangle-pop progenitors The dB’s.

R.E.M. will continue its deluxe album reissue series this fall with an expanded 25th anniversary edition of New Adventures in Hi-Fi, the record the band made while touring 1995’s Monster and the final LP recorded before co-founder Bill Berry left the band. Full details and tracklists right here.

R.E.M. will reissue its debut single “Radio Free Europe” for the first time in 40 years this summer, pressing up new 7-inch vinyl copies of the original Hib-Tone version of the song released in 1981 — and different than the re-recorded version that appeared on 1983’s Murmur. Full details right here.

The 1982 debut album by Love Tractor, part of the fertile Athens, Ga., college-rock scene that also birthed R.E.M., The B-52’s and Pylon, has been remixed and remastered by Bill Berry and Sugar’s David Barbe, and will be reissued with an unreleased bonus track this fall. Full details right here, and listen to the bonus track.

hough he’s been known to hop on stage with his former bandmates in recent years, former R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry has been largely content to let those occasional musical excursions speak for themselves. This past spring, though, Berry did something far more unusual: he sat for an interview with the new podcast “In Weird Cities.”

Check out the latest installment right here — this week’s episode features items on Depeche Mode, Paul Weller, Missing Persons, Bill Rieflin of Ministry and R.E.M., Cold Cave and more.
And, most importantly, be sure to subscribe to Strangeways Radio’s YouTube channel,

Bill Rieflin, the thunderous drummer who made his name in Chicago’s late-’80s/early-’90s industrial scene pounding out beats for Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Pigface and more before manning the kit for R.E.M. over the last eight years of that band’s career, died on Tuesday of cancer, according to former bandmates. He was 59.

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.

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. Titles from Simple Minds, The Cure, Visage and more.

As promised, former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe today followed up the October release of his debut solo single “Your Capricious Soul” with a second single, “Drive to the Ocean,” released on his 60th birthday. Like its predecessor, this single also benefit a climate action group. Hear it right here.

Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe will follow up the October release of his debut solo single “Your Capricious Soul” with a second single, “Drive to the Ocean,” to be released on his 60th birthday on Jan. 4. Like its predecessor, this single also benefit a climate action group. Details right here.