Reunions are big these days for a few reasons, one of which is – unsurprisingly – money. The Smiths, notorious holdouts, were offered three million to get back together. Other artists have learned that in the time of their absence, demand has grown considerably. Suddenly, they’re playing to bigger crowds and receiving bigger advances than they ever did – even at the climax of the first part of their career.

Secondly, instead of castigating artists for “selling out” by regrouping, this is a more practical generation who encourages and gets excited at the chance to see bands they love but miss dearly, or never got the chance to see in the first place. If there has ever been a time to bury the Neil Young lyric “It’s better to burn out/ than to fade away,” it is now. Who said you had to pick one or the other? A rock career is a serious of ups and downs, Neil. But again, having made both Harvest and Trans, you know better than most of us.

Here are some artists we think need to bury the hatchet, call their lawyers, and get their stuff back out on the road.

The Modern Lovers

Who: It’s easy to love Jonathan Richman both as a solo artist and as the brains and voice behind seminal pre-punk rockers The Modern Lovers. The group kind of reformed with different lineups in the 80s, but the core band (Richman, Ernie Brooks, Jerry Harrison, David Robinson) has not shared a stage since breaking up in the ‘70s. Harrison has gone on to work with many artists, including his famous tenure with The Talking Heads, and Robinson played drums for The Cars. Brooks’ output has been a little less easy to trace, but he has released solo work and even collaborated with Harrison since the breakup of the Modern Lovers.

Why: Seeing Richman play solo is fantastic, don’t get us wrong. With drummer Tommy Larkins, Richman tours and plays intimate, fun, exciting shows that stress listening, savoring the moment, and other pleasures often obscured by just turning up amps and rocking out. However, since The Modern Lovers have broken up, their appeal and influence have ballooned. And even though Richman still rocks versions of his old band’s material at live shows, it would be fantastic to see this band crank out the tunes with a full, four-person line-up.

The Replacements

Who: One of the best bands of the ‘80s, The Replacements exemplified slacker sincerity so well that they basically made an art form out of complaining about loneliness and having nothing to do. Paul Westerberg has a long and steady (if spotty) solo career behind him, but only a jerk would castigate him for leaving that temporarily behind to bring his old band together. Since the break-up, Tommy Stinson joined Guns ‘N Roses, and unfortunately both Steve Foley and Bob Stinson have passed away. The good news is that as late as 2005, Tommy Stinson, Westerberg and Mars wrote two new songs together to throw onto a Replacements retrospective.

Why: Even though The Replacements have been known to be alternately mind-blowing and drunk/sloppy live, those of us born in the ‘80s haven’t even gotten the chance to see the band at their worst. Given that the band aren’t just snot-nosed kids anymore, we can probably expect more professionalism and an awe-inspiring retrospective set of everything from their early period punk to the later beauty of songs like “Skyway” and “Sadly Beautiful.” Let’s get who’s left back together for at least one more run. The Replacements have more love coming to them than they probably realize.

The Nightblooms

Who: It’s true – this Dutch shoegaze quartet was never that popular to begin with in the States. Instead, they released a great debut, an okay follow-up, and dissolved. We singled them out as a talented, largely ignored act previously. The band’s heady mix of more straightforward rock with the experimental still sounds fresh today. They’re better than a slew of shoegaze bands (hello, Chapterhouse) and more interesting than much of the grunge scene that was to follow.

Why: But if the aforementioned regrouping of both My Bloody Valentine and Pylon have taught us anything, it’s that, alternately, shoegaze is seeing a rebirth, and even unpopular bands can get a second wind after reuniting. We’re not saying a world tour, but why not start with some scattered gigs in The Netherlands and see how it goes? At least consider a trip to SXSW, where even The Cult are flown in and paid considerable sums of money for no good reason whatsoever.

Neutral Milk Hotel

Who: Among indie rock nerdlings, the work of Jeff Mangum and his quasi-religious folk-meets-punk-meets-Captain Beefheart-meets-The Beach Boys outfit Neutral Milk Hotel are often discussed in reverential, hushed tones. Aside from going out on top with their monumental In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, the band and Mangum have been hush-hush about any new developments. Jeremy Barnes is making beautiful music with A Hawk and a Hacksaw and Mangum himself collaborates with a friend every now and again for a new piece of music.

Why: For reasons that are not Mangum’s fault in the least bit, his silence from the music world have encouraged a bad habit in which we all indulge from time to time, which is that “I Only Want What I’ve Not Got” fetishism. Like a painfully shy high school kid eschewing real world encounters with the opposite (or same) sex in favor of some sort of dream mate, we all have a tendency to throw expectations onto artists that have less to do with them and more to do with us and our expectations. Because Aeroplane was so amazing, it’s easy to imagine an even better, more perfect record that may come into existence some day. The irony is that if Mangum and co. were to reunite, people would realize they’re just rock and roll musicians after all, and often considerably sloppy ones, as well. Mr. Mangum isn’t hiding the secrets to happiness or existence in whatever Brooklyn locale he now finds himself. Reuniting the band might take the mythos out of the past and future of Neutral Milk Hotel, and will give fans both die-hard and casual a chance, in real time, to see what this fantastic band is really all about.