Hooray for the end of the week and another decks-clearing post, starting off with something of a decidedly time-sensitive nature.

Icelandic ambassadors Sigur Ros are set to release their latest opus Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust on Tuesday, but North American fans had best not be looking past this morning – more specifically about 40 minutes from now – as the presale for their just-announced North American tour begins today at 9AM EDT, including their September 22 date at Massey Hall. I’ve seen them there I think three times now and each one has been a distinct kind of magical. Looking forward to date number four. As for the album, you can stream the whole thing at sigurros.com as well as download the single as an MP3 and watch the nudity-filled video. Scandalous! Update: The Massey Hall presale only appears to have balconies… wish I’d known that before I sat here for 20 minutes hitting refresh trying to get the page to load. I will wait for the regular on-sale, hope for floors…

My Bloody Valentine begin their official comeback starting tonight at the Roundhouse in London and reports from last weekend’s warm-up shows are definitely promising, and it’s good to see that even after all the time away, they band still looks reasonably fit. The absence of any recent photos – promo or otherwise – prior to the show had me a bit worried. The Telegraph charts the long and winding comeback road to tonight’s show, and also mentions that the remastered reissues of Isn’t Anything and Loveless that were supposed to arrive this week have been delayed at least a month while Kevin Shields ponders over the liner notes. I would love it if someone did an A-B, and in the case of Loveless and the two different remasters an A-B-C, between the current issues and the new ones to see how great a sonic difference there is. I’ve never thought that Loveless on CD sounded as good as it should so if they’ve managed to get it right, I’ll be right there in line with everyone else. If it’s just louder, then hell. I have a volume knob on my stereo, thanks. The MBV reunion hits the Ricoh Coliseum on September 25.

Nick Cave, not content to release one of the best albums of the year in Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, will release a book about the creation of the title track from said record on July 8 and, as Undercover reports, he’s also set to get to work on a second Grinderman record with an eye towards an early 2009 release. Cave and the Seeds are at the Kool Haus on October 1.

And how ridiculous is it that if all goes according to plan, I’ll be seeing Sigur Ros, My Bloody Valentine and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds all in the same week? That is what we call an embarrassment of riches.

Elsewhere on the subject of comebacks, Billboard reports that Mercury Rev will be releasing not one but two new records, their first in three years, on September 29. Snowflake Midnight will be released through regular channels while Strange Attractor will be available digitally for free to everyone on the band’s mailing list. I’m not sure how much I still care about Mercury Rev. Deserter’s Songs was and still is a masterpiece, but All Is Dream was forgettable and The Secret Migration, doubly so, but I’m still prepared to be pleasantly surprised. Or disappointed. Whichever.

Also filed under disappointment – my inability to find a copy of The Wedding Present’s new album El Rey in either of the local stores I tried. Apparently the demand in Toronto is just enough that stores will sell out of the copies they have on hand, but not so much that they’d have any extra. Bah. The Daily Yomiuri talks to Dave Gedge about the return from Cinerama to The Wedding Present, even though that angle is really at least an album old. Anyway, hoping to turn up a copy of the album over the weekend and until then, there’s an MP3 of the first single.

MP3: The Wedding Present – “The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girl Friend”

Liz Phair gets testy with an interviewer from Time Out Chicago – on one hand, I feel for her a bit for being asked the same sort of questions about her rise and fall and attempts to rise again, but on the other hand, she has no one to blame but herself. And whoever told her that using a headset mic when playing live was a good idea. The Los Angeles Times also reconsiders Phair and her legacy. The deluxe, double-disc, fancy-pants reissue of Exile In Guyville is out next week. There’s also a trailer from the DVD portion of the set.

Trailer: Guyville Redux

Junkmedia talks to Los Campesinos!, whose new video I don’t think I’ve linked yet.

Video: Los Campesinos! – “My Year In Lists”

Spin caught up with Aimee Mann backstage at Bonnaroo for a video interview. The Independent also has an interview, MPR has a studio session and there’s a new video from @#%&! Smilers for “Freeway”. She’s at the Kool Haus on August 28.

Video: Aimee Mann – “Freeway”

The Portland Mercury, I Am Fuel, You Are Friends and The Arizona Republic (Kevin from So Much Silence, more specifically) profiles Frightened Rabbit. Still waiting on a local date, fellas. Still waiting.

Don Caballero will be at Lee’s Palace on August 26. Their new album Punkgasm hits a week previous on August 19. First taste courtesy of Pitchfork.

MP3: Don Caballero – “Bulk Eye”

IndyWeek talks to Will Johnson of Centro-Matic

Richard Thompson chats with the Colorado Springs Independent. He’ll be at the Danforth Music Hall on July 6.

Drowned In Sound talks to Rogue Wave.

Maisonneuve contemplates the post-Arcade Fire state of the Montreal music scene.