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Joy Division, New Order, Happy Monday’s… just a few of the great bands Tony Wilson signed up for his Mancunian Factory Records record label. Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Novel, originally published in the UK earlier this June, will make its way towards music nerds November 30th, according to this report by Pitchfork Media. FR:TCGN is a complete collection of all of Factory’s album covers, gig posters, and other imagery for your perusal.

Step On and Get Away With It and buy Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album @ Amazon

Q Magazine has published their list of the top 20 songs of the last 20 years. Here they are:

1. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Nirvana, 1991
2. “Hey Ya!” OutKast, 2003
3. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” Guns N’ Roses, 1987
4. “Unfinished Symphony” Massive Attack, 1991
5. “One” U2, 1991
6. “Live Forever” Oasis, 1994
7. “Bitter Sweet Symphony” The Verve, 1997
8. “Common People” Pulp, 1995
9. “There She Goes” The LA’s, 1990
10. “7 Nation Army” The White Stripes, 2003
11. “Song 2″ Blur, 1997
12. “Crazy” Gnarls Barkley, 2006
13. “Angels” Robbie Williams, 1997
14. ” … Baby One More Time” Britney Spears, 1999
15. “Personal Jesus” Depeche Mode, 1990
16. “Like A Prayer” Madonna, 1989
17. “Firestarter” The Prodigy, 1997
18. “Brimful of Asha” Cornershop, 1997
19. “Stan” Eminem, 2000
20. “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” Arctic Monkeys, 2006

Now, while I like Q, I gotta say, this list is whack, like the crack they must of smoked to come up with a list like this.

Tom, lead singer for Editors, posted on their MySpace blog that they’re currently in Ireland working on the follow-up to their debut album, The Back Room. They’ve 12 songs that they’re taking with them to Ireland. Tom revealed some of the potential track names, listed below:

• Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors
• The Racing Rats
• An End Has A Start
• When Anger Shows
• Push Your Head Towards The Air
• A Thousand Pieces
• An Eye For An Eye

Throw beer, put out your back, toss your guitar to adoring fans and buy The Back Room @ Amazon

Have the Manchunian music stalwarts called it quits? So ponders NME in this article on the possible demise of New Order.

Stephen Morris, New Order’s drummer, was quoted in the article, saying, “I could say there won’t be New Order for a couple of years, but as I said before we’re bad at planning things so let’s see what happens.” Bassist Peter Hook is also reported to have said that their November 18th concert in Buenos Aires was possibly their last.
Express your true faith and buy The Best of New Order @ Amazon

Interpol are currently in the studio in New York City’s Soho district recording their follow-up album to 2004’s Antics, according to NME. Little is known about the album save for two potential song titles, “The Heimlich Maneuver” and “Pawn Shop.”

The album should be out on shelves sometime in mid or late 2007.

Explore your evil side and get Antics @ Amazon

David Gilmour, former guitarist/vocalist for Pink Floyd, will release an EP featuring two songs by former Floyd lead singer/songwriter Syd Barrett, according to a report by the BBC. The two songs are “Arnold Layne,” from Floyd’s first studio album Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and “Dark Globe,” from Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs.

Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright is also scheduled to perform on a track on the EP. “Arnold Layne” will include a guest appearance from David Bowie.

Experience Syd Barrett solo and get The Madcap Laughs/Barrett @ Amazon

Found via Pitchfork, “The Prayer,” from their upcoming LP A Weekend in the City, is now available for streaming. Weekend is scheduled to drop 7 Feb 2007.

Pre-order Weekend in the City @ Amazon

The great Futureheads are without a label in the UK, according to a report from Pitchfork Media. And they don’t seem to mind:

[Vocalist/guitarist Barry] Hyde’s reluctant to say the band’s experience with the label has led him to desire a “fresh start”– instead, according to him, it’s the age-old it’s-not-you-it’s-me scenario: “I suppose we weren’t unhappy with the label [or] the people at the label. We were just unhappy as a band, I suppose, during that period when we were on their label…we did a lot of touring, and it was quite exhausting.”

Domino Records would be smart to pick them up, if they’re even interested. They should be.

Eulogize the Munich Air Disaster by buying News and Tributes @ Amazon

Update: Here’s the official band statement from their MySpace blog:

The Futureheads are no longer signed 679 / Warner Music as of October this year. The agreement was reached amicably after many open discussions involving their future with the label.

679 singed The Futureheads in 2003 and released their eponymous, quarter of a million selling debut album in 2004. News & Tributes followed in May this year and the band have spent large amounts of time on the road in America as well as playing at many European festivals since it’s release.

Of the departure, singer Barry Hyde said

‘Recently we have parted company with our label here in the UK and most, but not all, of the world, and we are pleased with what has happened. This means that we can now do our next album with refreshed enthusiasm, we’re not worried about the situation and we are not even going to consider splitting up. This year has been really challenging for us, we’ve faced some heavy shit but we are through it now. It’s a shame, but some things have to come to an end and we’ll get over it’

The band have been writing and recording in their hometown Sunderland in recent weeks and are all very excited about what 2007 may have in store.

In the meantime 2006 draws to a close with their final UK tour of the year, starting this Saturday…