BUZZ BANDS

Call it Peanuts U.K.?

It was a match made in ... the offices of Tsunami Entertainment? Yes, that’s how soft-pop guru Linus of Hollywood ended up working with Charlatans U.K. vocalist Tim Burgess on material for a Burgess solo album. “Our managers hooked us up,” says Linus, who has been holed up in his bedroom studio in Hollywood with a musician he’d barely heard of one month ago. Burgess, who’s lived in L.A. for four years, fronted the Charlatans for eight albums since 1990. Burgess isn’t sure how different his solo material will be from the Charlatans’ dancy, organ-driven psychedelia, but he isn’t at all nonplused by his co-writer’s Bachrachian leanings. “I brought in the ideas,” Burgess says, “and Linus has helped me see them fully realized.” In only three weeks, the collaboration has yielded six or seven songs, which, judging from rough mixes, possess a Coldplay/Travis kind of tunefulness and the duo aims to add orchestration. Oh, and Linus’ next solo gig is Dec. 3 at the Derby.

He’s simply reloading

Looks like former Buckcherry lead singer Josh Todd is back on stage. The wiry tattooed crooner will showcase his new combo Shots Fired at the Whisky on Tuesday. Todd, who left the bluesy glam-rock group in July, has been keeping busy with acting jobs (he had a bit part in the Val Kilmer vehicle “The Salton Sea”) and guest spots (he’ll appear on the upcoming release of Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs) but proved he hasn’t abandoned rock when he made a surprise appearance at the Cat Club’s popular Sunday-night jam last month.

Who needs a U.S. tour?

At 19, L.A.’s Jessica Riddle (now Jessica Jacobs, her married name) was signed to Hollywood Records, and toured the country with Savage Garden and BBMak. But despite her well-known touring partners and photogenic appearance, Riddle focused more on music than fame. As a result, her new songs are available on www.mp3.com for free, and instead of touring nationally, she is back on the L.A. club circuit -- including a date Tuesday at Genghis Cohen in Hollywood. Worth hearing: the lovely, piano-based “Deserve Me.”

Quickly

Angeleno (via Boston) singer-songwriter Jude Christodal, a KCRW staple and former Maverick artist, returns to Largo on Tuesday for another evening of smart pop gems, which may include his cover of Bread’s “Everything I Own.” ... Members of Reel Big Fish, touring in support of their recently released “Cheer Up,” narrowly escaped injury when their tour bus caught fire at a truck stop in mid-Missouri last weekend. ... With major labels browsing but not buying, former DreamWorks chanteuse Kim Fox (who performs tonight at the monthly Third Thursday showcase at Highland Grounds) plans to release her new album, “Return to Planet Earth,” on Franklin Castle Recordings. Jon Brion and Roger Manning are among the guests. ... Has it been 12 years since the Ziggens co-founded Skunk Records with Sublime? Time flies. The Ziggens celebrate this week’s release of their fifth album, a self-titled affair, with a show Nov. 7 at the House of Blues Anaheim.