I’m going to try and get back into the swing of things by recapping some of the news that’s come about in the past couple weeks. Some will be old news, I’m sure, but what can you do.

Wilco will put out their double-live album Kicking Television – Live In Chicago on November 1 after all, though it’s just the aural document. No word on what happened to the DVD, whether it’s been scrapped or will be released on its own at a later date. As it is, an official live record featuring Nels Cline in the lineup will be nice, though considering that every Wilco show in the last few years has been recorded and made available online, it’s not THAT exciting an event. But still. New Wilco. Yay. See the full-size album art here and the tracklist here. Jeff Tweedy is doing a smallish solo acoustic tour in November around the midwest/east coast, but nothing north of the border.

Circle March 7, 2006 on your release calendar as that’s the day that Neko Case’s new studio album, her first since 2002’s Blacklisted, hits stores. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood features many of the same guest artists as that record, including Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino, Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb and The Sadies. New collaborators include The Band’s Garth Hudson and Visqueen’s Rachel Flotard. Prefix has the official press release.

Irish songstress Gemma Hayes has given her sophomore album a name – The Roads Don’t Love You – and a release date in the UK – October 31. Her first album, Night On My Side, came out in North America in a considerably different form than it did in Europe, with a significantly altered tracklist and running order. I wonder if we’ll get a domestic release of the second album and if so, whether it’ll get rejigged for the market.

Beulah fans will have to content themselves with the A Good Band Is Easy To Kill DVD as there will be no Miles Krukowsky solo album in 2005 after all. In a website update, guitarist Bill Swan reports that Miles had serious surgery on his arm recently and will only be going into the studio in January after he’s (hopefully) sufficiently recovered.

We also shouldn’t expect anything new from Tanya Donelly anytime soon – she’s pregnant with her second child. Congratulations are in order, as well as thanks that she had the foresight to record a live album of new material last year which will hopefully see release sometime soon.

The Guardian salutes Bob Dylan. Part one of No Direction Home airs on PBS tonight – I think I will just seek out the DVD.

Bob Mould chats with The AV Club (have they dropped the “Onion” brand completely?) before setting out on his North American tour in support of Body Of Song (now underway), which includes a show this Sunday at the Mod Club in Toronto.

Chart talks to Rob Dickinson about flying solo with Fresh Wine For The Horses. I got my copy on Friday and already I find weird discoloured scuff marks on the playing surface. What the fuck? I’ve spun this thing, like, four times. Rob and I will have words about the manufacturer’s quality control when he plays the Horseshoe October 7, believe you me.

Something I totally forgot while I was away was that the new television season was getting started. Not much network TV on the Baltic Sea, y’know. So when I got back I had to download myself the first two episodes of the new season of Justice League Unlimited and the Arrested Development season premiere. I was able to catch last night’s new West Wing in real time but will have to rely on bit torrent for the season premiere of Veronica Mars on Wednesday – I don’t think I get UPN here. So those are the returning shows on my viewing schedule (24 doesn’t return till January). Anything new worth my attention? I’ll need something to while away the hours while I munch on bonbons and wait for my EI cheque to arrive.

np – Rob Dickinson / Fresh Wine For The Horses