As with any reunion news that surfaces these days, Pulp’s reformation is no great surprise. The only band that would genuinely shock me with a reunion is The Smiths, and that’s only because I know what a grudge-holding drama queen Morrissey is. Short of The Smiths, though, anyone seems fair game. As a fan, I’m always torn between dread and excitement when I initially hear the news. And even that depends on how long-in-the-tooth said reuniting band is. The Police reunion was almost too little too late. Sting looked good enough to pull it off, but the key changes to accommodate his aged vocal cords were too drastic and many of the songs lacked the punch they required. So, as excited I was finally to see a band I had grown up listening to, I couldn’t help feeling slightly cheated. Conversely, when I saw Bauhaus’ Resurrection Tour in 1998 it was like watching a band in its prime. To this day it stands as one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. With Pulp, I’m not worried about Jarvis Cocker not being able to hit the notes. In fact, I think Pulp will sound as good if not better than it ever did. But there’s something to be said for leaving the legend alone. Don’t you think, Pixies? I respect bands that don’t reunite far more than the ones that do, even if I sate my inner fanboy by rushing to the reunion gigs. As for Pulp, who never attained the ubiquity of Blur or Oasis, the darker corners of that movement’s laddish populism never quite suited Cocker’s complex storylines, so I’m not sure what the popular demand will be for a reunited Pulp. Nevertheless, I’ll probably go if the tour even scrapes the South.

There’s no denying I’ve been loyal to a fault to certain bands that often don’t even deserve it, but even admitting that I think …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead has been given a bum rap for way too long. Granted, the follow-up to its career defining record, Source Tags and Codes, was an abysmal failure. The band’s overplayed pretension just got the best of it, and Worlds Apart suffered accordingly. Since then, there’s a been a heaping on of negative press, some of which has been undeserved. I still find it hard to reconcile the loss of bassist Neil Busch, but bands carry on. I haven’t seen Trail of Dead live since its heyday, but it’s not from lack of interest. Century of Self was not a bad record, even though it flew way under the radar in 2009. It seems as though people have written off Trail of Dead, but I’m optimistic the band has another great record up its sleeve. The latest attempt to change people’s minds (back) is due February 8, 2011 on the band’s own Richter Scale Records and is entitled Tao of the Dead. The band worked with producer Chris Coady, who has been responsible for records by Beach House, Blonde Redhead, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, so I’m not sure what direction the new stuff might take based on that alone. The first single, “Summer of All Dead Souls,” is out November 29th. Tour dates with Rival Schools are forthcoming. [via Tiny Mix Tapes]

Producer du jour Mark Ronson has been working with Duran Duran on its 13th studio album for the bulk of this year. It’s expected to be released some time in 2011 and is currently titled All You Need Is Now. Ronson has played a few snippets and sneak peaks of tracks on his radio show on East Village Radio over the last few months, including this extended bit from “Being Followed.” After the disastrous failed experiment that was Red Carpet Massacre, Duran Duran has obviously listened to the fan backlash and turned inward for inspiration. With Ronson at the helm, who is an admitted Duran fanboy, it’s no surprise that the music harkens back to early period Duran Duran with an emphasis on hooks, synths, and obscure lyrics. This snippet sounds promising, and I’m very intrigued to hear what Ronson can do to salvage the damage from the last record. [via Consequence of Sound]

I had never heard this and thought maybe I might not be alone in that.