The impossible-to-pronounce but brilliant-to-listen-to Xiu Xiu has announced the release of its new album, Dear God I Hate Myself, which will be out February 23 on Kill Rock Stars … Indie rockers Aloha will also be making a return with its latest release, Home Acres, due out on Polyvinyl in March … If you just can’t get enough new records and you’ve got a moody pop/punk heart (and who doesn’t?), get ready for the newest Alkaline Trio album, to be released via its own label, Heart & Skull, in partnership with Epitaph. The as-yet-untitled album will be out in early 2010 … Country fans should jump on the newest release from Shout! Factory and the Country Music Hall of Fame: a two volume set of Country’s Greatest Stars Live, out on DVD January 26; the compilation features performances from Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, among others … Kieran Hebden, better known by his moniker Four Tet, will release his new album, There Is Love In You (Domino), in January and will embark on a brief tour in support … If you’re looking for a little Southern hospitality in your life, the Knoxville, Tenn., Big Ears Festival will take place March 26–28 with Terry Riley as artist-in-residence … Green Day is still getting some mileage out of 2004’s American Idiot. The band will re-record “21 Guns,” the second single from this year’s 21st Century Breakdown, with the cast of the stage version of American Idiot … Chicago duo Puerto Muerto will release its new album, Drumming For Pistols (Fire), in February … Canadian record label Paper Bag is turning seven (they grow up so fast!) and celebrating with The Seven Year Itch, a wicked (and free) compilation featuring cover versions performed by Sally Shapiro, You Say Party! We Say Die and Rock Plaza Central, among other. Download the album … To anyone who says punk is dead, take a listen to Carbon/Silicon, the project of the Clash’s Mick Jones and Generation X’s Tony James. The band just released The Carbon Bubble for free. Download the album … Iconoclastic rockers Tindersticks have announced the release of their latest album, Falling Down A Mountain (Constellation), due in February. Download “Black Smoke” … Belle And Sebastian side project God Help The Girl has had a busy fall, and it promises to be an even busier (and colder) winter. With its Stills EP available online, a handful of live shows and a film out soon, the band will be plenty busy until spring rolls around … Speaking of Belle And Sebastian (pictured), the group will begin recording its eighth album next year; band members are involved in a number of other side projects, including work with the Vaselines, Codeine Velvet Club, Snow Patrol and a Nick Drake tribute show … If you fancy yourself a DJ, Second Motion Records is giving you the chance to remix a track from Martin Kennedy And Steve Kilbey’s joint album, Unseen Music/Unheard Words. Anyone can download stems of each song on the LP and create a remix before December 31; the winning track will appear on a digital remix album … Scrappy Brits the Cribs are taking it stateside, with a full U.S. tour booked for early 2010, beginning in Chicago on January 13 … Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando is embarking on a solo U.S. tour beginning January 29, with performances of some Lemonheads classics promised … Speaking of going solo, Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, on a temporary-to-permanent hiatus from the seemingly disbanded group, has announced plans to start recording his first solo album next year … Cue sobs from emo girls around the world: Fall Out Boy is on “indefinite hiatus,” the band’s spokesperson has confirmed … Are they not men? Are they not Devo? The pop institution is releasing a limited-edition, four-disc set of its first and third albums, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and Freedom Of Choice, available only online through the band’s website.
