Looking back, there’s been quite a few reissues this year, and I’m not going to complain, other than the fact that more than once I’ve responded with “…how is this thirty/forty/fifty years old…???” That’s the downside of being a Gen-X music nerd who’s been listening and collecting since childhood, I guess!

Fine Young Cannibals, FYC40, released 5 December. They may have only released two albums and a handful of singles between 1985 and 1990, but they were all bangers. This is a great mix of everything and includes several remixes as well.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Live God, released 5 December. Cave has definitely mellowed with age, but he hasn’t stopped writing some of the most heartbreaking and uplifting music out there. This live record is a perfect cross-section of that from his recent tour.

The Wedding Present, Maxi EP, released 5 December. This British band has been at it for forty years and visited all kinds of styles of punk, post-punk and indie rock, and they’ve always been a critic’s favorite. This one, a sly nod to their 1996 EP Mini, is a fun listen.

Depeche Mode, Memento Mori: Mexico City, released 5 December. This long-lasting band drops yet another live album full of their hits and deep cuts recorded in Mexico City, and also features four leftovers from their previous album that are just as strong as the album itself.

Tourist, Music Is Invisible, released 5 December. A curious electronic band that I found via AllMusic that piqued my interest, and features the vocals of ambient instrumentalist Julianna Barwick. An interesting record that’s starting to get some play here during my writing sessions.

The The, Odyssey soundtrack, released 5 December. While Matt Johnson was away for many years, he wasn’t exactly out of the spotlight; he’s been working with his brother Gerard writing and recording soundtracks for his films. This one features a few vocal tracks like the single “Unrequited”.

Happy Mondays, The Factory Singles, released 5 December. Most best-ofs for this band tend to forget a lot of their earlier tracks (probably for the best, given that Shaun Ryder’s voice was even more wobbly and out of tune on those first singles, but I digress). And yet somehow they managed to record the funkiest and grooviest Britpop out there without overly depending on electronics. This mix reminds you just how great and fun the band is.

Tom Smith, There Is Nothing in the Dark That Isn’t There in the Light, released 5 December. The lead singer for Editors finally releases his first debut album and proves that he doesn’t just write gloomy post-punk, he’s also a great writer of heartfelt acoustic indie rock as well.

HEALTH, CONFLICT DLC, released 11 December. This noise-punk electronic band channels that great Belgian EBM sound and gives it a Wire-y edge with concise songwriting and edgy atmosphere.

Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here 50, released 12 December. The classic band that created and defined aural perfection with their experimentation and songcraft and inspired so many bands that followed, this is a wonderful surprise reissue that’s different from their Immersion Editions from 2011. This vastly expands on an excellent album with several demos, a live show, and a fascinating remix of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, which takes all nine parts that originally bracketed the album and places them together as one twenty-five minute track.

**

…and that’s a wrap! Have a great Christmas, and I’ll see you on Tuesday for the year-end mixtape!