The '80s reunion train keeps rolling, and we're headed back toward the caboose when it comes to the commercial success of the artists in question. Today comes word (via Pitchfork) that the dB's are getting back together and are working on a new disc. The band has a detailed web site that seems to have been around for quite some time. It includes voluminous information about the band's history, discography and future plans. The dB's were always one of those groups that seemed to be more liked than loved, but they did make three of the better albums to come out of the '80s college rock (the precursor to alternative and all subsequent buzz words) scene in Stands for Decibels, Repercussion and Like This. Songwriters Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple went on to post-dB's careers of varying success -- Stamey put out two discs last year, including the tuneful Travels in the South, while Holsapple is better known as an R.E.M. and Hootie and the Blowfish sideman than for his own work. Gene Holder and Will Rigby, the bassist and drummer, respectively, had varied careers themselves. Rigby has been drumming for Steve Earle for several years, while Holder has produced and/or engineered for several good bands, including Luna and Yo La Tengo.

One thing revealed by all of this is that Collector's Choice reissued the band's first two albums on one disc a couple of years back. Like most fans, I have the twofer from Line Records that just never sounded very good. Word has it this version is remastered and sounds much better. I'll be ordering that as soon as I'm done here. Amazon has helpful "if you like this, you might also like" links to the Guadalcanal Diary and Let's Active twofers also put out recently by Collector's Choice. If that's not a three-pack from the time capsule, I'm not sure what is.

On a stranger note, the RZA serves as guest editor for Bold Type online magazine this month, helming its Spirituality issue. What once was a content-heavy, interesting in-house read from Random House has strangely devolved to be a content-light, independent endeavor. Still, anytime you can check in with the RZA, it's worth your time. The Wu Tang Clan leader weighs in on his early reading and studying habits -- his cousin, GZA, turned him onto "supreme mathematics" and "the nation of gods and earth" when they were 11. At about that same time, I was lucky if my cousin, Mike, would let me try out his skateboard -- and sits for a short interview in which he reveals that he he started practicing kung fu in 1995, that he loves sugar and sex but that neither controls him and that he is going to start directing films. Oh, and he also has a book out, The Wu-Tang Manual, which is of course the real reason for his guest editor spot.