I Don't Care Where You've Been

So it's true: absence does make the heart grow fonder. After years of staying as far away from each other as possible, the original members of The Stone Roses have officially announced they are reuniting! Of course so far it's only for a few live performances, but if they can capture half the magic as they did on their debut album, I'd love to hear it. Their self-titled album is one of the most important soundtracks to my coming of age as I'm sure it is for countless others. Second Coming however was far from it, perhaps proving lightning only strikes the same place once.

I Wanna See You, Tomorrow the Green Grass

For those of you popsters who enjoy their daily dosage with a healthy splash of twang will be thrilled to hear the classic lineup of The Jayhawks are recording their first new album in 15 years!

"Our goal is to make the best Jayhawks album that's ever been done," Louris tells Rolling Stone. "Mark and I both feel that there is some business left undone and we got together and wrote some great songs."

I enjoyed sporadic Jayhawks tunes when they were together but never fully appreciated their legacy until they were gone. Being who I am I'm particularly partial to the pure pop of the Olson-less Smile, but how fun for us to have the classic lineup return! Expect a release in spring or summer of '11. In the meantime, there are some great chances to see them live in January! And you can read more about the reunion thanks to Rolling Stone.

There Will Be No Trumpets Blowing

Guided By Voices is reuniting! Unfortunately it's only to play a show and not to record a new album or kick off a full-scale tour. Matador Records is celebrating its 21st Anniversary with a series of shows in Vegas October 1-3. The GBV crew of the mid-90s is going to steal the show!

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Genuflect Beneath the Starry Skies

Billboard.com:

The Jayhawks, the lauded Americana band originally from Minneapolis, are reuniting their mid-90s line-up for a pair of summer shows, with plans to play together more next year.

So there you are. Read more details here. I'm a huge fan of Smile - one of the albums without Mark Olson. I do remember a great deal of controversy around its release that it was TOO POPPY! Gasp! As if there's such a thing.

Mark Olson & Gary Louris acoustic tour dates:

April 6: Seattle, WA (Triple Door)
April 7: Portland, OR (Aladdin)
April 9: San Francisco, CA (Great American Music Hall)
April 10: Santa Cruz (The Crepe Place)
April 11: Los Angeles, CA (Largo At The Coronet)
April 12: Solana Beach, CA (Belly Up)
April 13: Tucson, AZ (Club Congress)
April 15: Santa Fe, NM (Santa Fe Brewing Company)
April 17: Dallas, TX (Sons Of Hermann Hall)
April 18: Austin, TX (Antone's)

The Jayhawks tour dates:

May 30th: Barcelona, Spain (Primavira Sound '09 Festival)
July 10: Minneapolis, MN (Basilica Block Party)

I Don't Care Where You've Been or What You Plan To Do

This is one of those rumors that I'm not sure I want to come true. One of those British tabloids is reporting the Stone Roses are planning a reunion tour this summer in support of a boxset rerelease of their self-titled debut, which easily ranks as a top-ten favorite around here.

Look, the Second Coming was hardly worthy of the title and nearly tarnished the legacy they left. But the debut was special. As Pitchfork notes, it "simultaneously gathers the disparate strands of UK rock in the 80s and predicts the Britpop of the 90s." Indeed, it's one for the ages. With that said, let it be. A reunion tour would be nothing but a money grab at worst and a nostalgic trip at best. Take a cue from The La's and keep it simple and cryptic.

Wow, twenty years though? Hell.

UPDATE: Ian Brown says no way. He's a bit important to the proceedings.

What a Dream I Had

Simon & Garfunkel may be reuniting once again for another tour:

"Our plan to work together is coming together ..." said Garfunkel.

No details yet though. This is a bucket list fulfillment opportunity, people. Stay tuned.

Nothing Is Wasted Only Reproduced

Blur is reuniting - at least for one show next summer. No word on whether they'll record together anytime soon.

Way2Poppy will be thrilled.

It Seems They Cannot Leave Their Dream

Billboard.com teases fans of the original Genesis line-up today.

Keep the dream alive, poppers.

You're Never Gonna Die

Pink Floyd reunited in 2005 for Live 8, and now, drummer Nick Mason says it may happen again.

“If there was a suitable reason or things change a bit in the next year or two and everybody suddenly thinks, ‘Well, actually, I really would like to do that’ then I think it’ll happen,” Mason explained, but “the only thing that would generate it would be something the equivalent of Live 8.”

Ok, that's hardly saying Pink Floyd will reunite, and I'd rather hear this from Gilmour or Waters, but hey, dreamers can dream.

Can I Take You to the Show?

And so it is ... Led Zeppelin reunite for a one-off show in London on November 26. It's a tribute show for their former Atlantic Records boss. More on that here. Most shockingly, though, is the lack of attention Foreigner is getting for also performing at the upcoming show. C'mon! Where's the love?

A Toot and a Snore

The rare Lennon and McCartney reunion album recorded in '74? Check it out for yourself and don't expect the White Album or anything.

I Don't Know

Here is the semi-regular feature story on the rumored possibility of a My Bloody Valentine reunion. Say it's so.

Seminal U.K. shoegazer act My Bloody Valentine is considering an offer to reunite and co-headline the 2008 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. A tour would follow later in the year, according to a report on the Daily Swarm.

Ooo, they're on MySpace. It must be true.

Our Only Goal Will Be the Western Shore

A Led Zeppelin reunion?! Yeah, right. I'll believe it when I hear it.

The band are expected to reform in London for the one-off show with singer Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones and guitarist Jimmy Page being joined by late-member John Bonham's son, Jason.

Who's next? How about Pink Floyd? The Smiths? Wanna bet?

Let Me Try With Pleasured Hands

The Zombies are reuniting! It's a limited reunion, though. Specifically, the four of the original five Zombies who are still among us in non-zombie form will perform their classic Odessey and Oracle in its entirety in honor of its 40th anniversary. Pitchfork has the details. Order the 30th Anniversary Edition of Odessey and Oracle here.

The album concludes with one of my top ten favorite songs of all time, Time of the Season. Watch the video below!

What's that Sound in Your Voice?

Tim Finn's new album, Imaginary Kingdom, was released elsewhere in 1990 or 2006 or something. It's finally out here in the states today! Finn is of course half of the legendary Finn brothers of Split Enz, Crowded House, and Finn Brothers fame. Virtually anything a Finn does is gold. Not necessarily RIAA gold, but gold nonetheless.

Hear more of Imaginary Kingdom at hisspace.

And don't forget about the upcoming Crowded House reunion. All is well.

That's Unexpected

Criminally underrated Squeeze is reuniting to celebrate a series of re-releases. Unfortunately, no shows have been announced here in the US. Let's hope.

Stereogum has the purty tour flyer.

By the way, Squeeze is so much more than Tempted. Squeeze Play is a personal favorite and hopefully on track to see a re-release.

No One's Jamming Their Transmission

It's official. Cheese it. The Police are reuniting for the Grammys on February 11. It's expected a full year's worth of touring will follow. This will be one not to miss. I'm hoping the Iowa Events Center will actually get a decent show this year -- this! I just hope they perform the original version of Don't Stand So Close to Me, not the '86 version. That would just ruin this all now wouldn't it?

Previously...

Roots That Spread So Deep Bring Life To Frozen Ground

Despite bidding farewell to the world, Crowded House is reuniting two years after Paul Hester's suicide! It's official. They'll be performing at Coachella and will be releasing a new studio album.

"It's a pretty emotional record, I think," Finn said of the new disc, which was produced by Ethan Johns. "It's hard for me to evaluate, 'cause I'm so close to it now. But I think it's fairly simple, which I'm really happy about. There's a lot of heart in the record, which I'm happy about, too."

Stunning news. No word yet on a release date or other tour dates.

You're Doing That Thing

Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, That Thing You Do!) wrote several new songs for the new movie starring Hurl Grant and Spew Barrymore called Music and Lyrics opening Feb. 14 (aww, must be a romantic comedy). The plot:

A washed up singer (Grant) is given a couple days to compose a chart-topping hit for an admiring teen sensation. Though he's never written lyrics in his life, he sparks with an offbeat younger woman (Barrymore) with a flair for words.

You can see the trailer here. It doesn't look terrible, but there seems to be a recurring joke about Grant's tight pants, which I'm particularly not interested in, even in a comedic way. With Adam's talent somehow involved, I'm curious. I just wonder if the new songs are pseudo hits for Grant's fictional 80s band like That Thing You Do, or if it's just soundtrack fodder.

In Fountains of Wayne news, the new album Traffic and Weather is finished and will be released on April 3. Can't wait. Hopefully they weren't pressured into writing clones of Stacy's Mom despite it being a good tune. USA Today previewed the disc. Sounds like another thematic masterpiece.

And finally, Adam and fellow FoW Brian Young are involved in the reunited America, which also features guest appearances from Ryan Adams, Ben Kweller, Nada Surf, My Morning Jacket and others. I like America in a cheesy 70s AM radio kinda way (Sister Golden Hair rocks), and with some of those guests, this will be a must listen. Here & Now is co-produced by Adam and will hit stores next week (evidently it's already available via iTunes if you just can't wait). Watch the video for Chasing the Rainbow here ... and now.

You Don't Care If It's Wrong or If It's Right

Rumor is Sting and the other two in The Police (Andy and Stewart) are reuniting and it feels so good. This year is the 30th (!!!) anniversary of Roxanne. Cripes. They would do some live shows in the US and England, but no mention of any new music. Sting, after all, is too busy playing the lute and scoring Imax movies (The Living Sea is actually quite stunning and Sting's new agey nautically themed music suit it perfectly - and it's actually over 10 years old itself). Seeing The Police live would definitely be a lifelong concert highlight.