Photo swiped from Stereogum because it is awesome. Also, the file name is “Macvana.”

I’m not sure what to make of the news that “Nirvana” will reunite tonight with Paul McCartney for the Hurricane Sandy Benefit. Are Dave Grohl and Kist Novaselic just taking the piss for hype’s sake? Or is Sir Paul going to slap on some dirty jeans and scream his way through “Rape Me?” If he does, he wins. I just don’t want it to turn into one of those lame all-star jams, where someone is back to back with Bruce Springsteen and the usual cast of relief effort mainstays shouting lyrics no one can hear into a shared mic. But, man, these publicists are doing their jobs. My curiosity is piqued.

Frank Ocean teases the crowd at the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in New York with about a minute of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” from its second LP The Bends. I realize this was all over the internet yesterday, but I just now listened to it. I wish he had been given more attention from the chattering audience, so he could have found his footing faster. That guy has a golden touch. Channel Orange is an incredible debut, not just from a singing/songwriting standpoint but the production is mind-blowing. And one minute of this cover is just NOT ENOUGH.

I love how Iceage is referred to as straight up “punk” as opposed to “post-punk” in most references. I assume it’s due to the rowdiness and wild reputation of its live shows more so than the dark, minimalistic music it produces. But any band that steals its name and sense of sonics from Joy Division’s earliest Warsaw days has a de facto soft spot in my heart. The band will follow up its brilliant debut, New Brigade, this coming February via Matador. The new album is called You’re Nothing and was recorded in the band’s hometown of Copenhagen, Denmark. [via Pitchfork]

Tracklist for You’re Nothing:

1. Ecstasy
2. Coalition
3. Interlude
4. Burning Hand
5. In Haze
6. Morals
7. Everything Drifts
8. Wounded Hearts
9. It Might Hit First
10. Rodfæstet
11. Awake
12. You’re Nothing

For a taste of the raucous nature of an Iceage show, check out the video below:

Depeche Mode has signed a new record deal for its forthcoming album due out in March of next year. Columbia Records will release the as-yet-untitled album, which primary songwriter Martin Gore – in a message on the band’s website – describes as having “similar vibe to Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion.” I’m down with the sounds like Violator part but Songs of Faith and Devotion not so much. When Depeche mode discovered “soul” on SOFAD in 1993 that was the beginning of the band’s patchiest period, which has lasted going on years now. I understand that the band had to grow musically in order to survive, but there comes a point when you’ve created a brand wherein you can only monkey so much with its elements before you frustrate even your most loyal fans. Depeche Mode has tested these waters time and again and pretty much come out the other side with a devoutly loyal fanbase, despite a few rather shaky full-lengths. Its last album, Sound of the Universe, residing at the worst end of that shaky spectrum. I’m always ready to give the band a pass to see if it can pull off a miracle and sound vital again, but the doubt grows with the announcement of every new album. My fears being confirmed with the recent teaser video of some of the new material:

Vocalist Dave Gahan’s classic baritone is a choice weapon, but when he tries too hard to sound soulful things get murky in a hurry. The opposite end of Depeche Mode’s insistence on musical growth would be The Cure’s pandering sameness.  The Cure’s repertoire from Disintegration going backwards is almost untouchable, but, once the band started insulting its audience with boring rewrites, things spiraled down to a nub of disinterest. Now the band is a cartoon karaoke group that puts out a new album every half decade that absolutely no one gives a shit about. Depeche Mode has managed to straddle this line delicately. Here’s to hoping they do not succumb. [via Slicing Up Eyeballs]

I still remember the very first time I heard Blank Wave Arcade. It was in the Fall of 1999. We had received it as a promo for review. Eric knew right away that I would love it. And fall in love I did. 13 years later it is still one of my all-time favorite albums, combining my unabashed love of synths, drum machines, and 3 minute songs. How I managed to make it 13 years without seeing The Faint is a mystery. Tours never seemed to line up with my nomadic proclivities. But, I’m happy to say it was well worth the wait. In addition to blazing through Danse Macabre, the subject of reissue and remastering and the raison de tour, the band treated the packed club to classics such as Mote (a Sonic Youth cover), Call Call and the sing-along Worked Up So Sexual. Wrapping up the evening with crowd pleasers I Disappear, and Paranoiattack. The very appreciative crowd spanned several generations, linked by a love of this band from Omaha who alone have managed to blend the punk ethos with new wave sensibilities for over a decade now.

I have no idea how this slipped through the cracks this year, but I’m looking forward to listening to it on repeat until the end of the year.

Queens of the Stone Age has finally (just about) reassembled the group that made Songs for the Deaf, its last truly great record, which is somehow a decade old now. Dave Grohl is back playing drums on the album, and long-banned bassist Nick Oliveri has been allowed to re-enter Josh Homme’s sanctuary to lay down some vocals, despite his acrimonious exit from the band back in 2004. No word on any bass parts just yet. The additions are hardly permanent, as QOTSA’s door is always revolving, but it is, perhaps, a ray of hope that the songs might be harking back to the glory days of 2002. Grohl even went so far as to call QOTSA “the baddest rock’n’roll band in the world” in a recent interview with BBC1. Everything since Songs for the Deaf has been almost there, but I imagine Homme has a few tricks left up his sleeve.