Smashing Pumpkins released new single titled A Stitch In Time. It is the third song in their so-called Teargarden By Kaleidyscope series. In September 2009 the band’s frontman Billy Corgan announced plans to release newly recorded songs one by one – 44 tracks in total.

All of them will also be released as albums. The first one of them, titled Songs For A Sailor, will hit the stores on April 20, 2010.

Speaking about new track, Corgan said: «The tune came in during a stream of consciousness moment while sitting backstage at a Smashing Pumpkins’ concert in those wee, still hours between soundcheck and the show. The lyrics came just as surprisingly fast as the music, and the whole process took about 20 minutes».

The first two songs in Teargarden By Kaleidyscope series, named A Song For A Son and Widow Wake My Mind, were released in December and January.

The Californian punk-rockers Lifehouse are well-known for their steadily released albums always storing a radio hit or two or even three, and also for their reluctance to change anything in their music that has already brought them a massive popularity. Ten years have passed since the release of their debut long player, No Face Name; and the band sounds just like it did in the very beginning. The only changing thing is the quality of performance and arrangements that now adjust the music to the standards of pop-rock, which automatically means a stable growth of the fan-army. Considering these aspects, many were sure that the fifth long player by Lifehouse called Smoke & Mirrors would become a breaking point in the history of the outfit. This work is based on the same punk-rock, albeit dressed and tuned for the format of the leading radio stations. The Californians continue singing about that kind of love that in many cases turns into something we are afraid of and try to stay away from. Therefore, stylistically, Smoke & Mirrors do not cross even within an inch the borders of the territory comfortably occupied by the music of Lifehouse to these days. However, the musicians found the tools to make this record interesting even to those who have been with the band since its early days.

Hits and other good songs

The new CD’s opening track, All In, is a standout thing since it hardly matches the parameters of classic punk-rock album openers. This composition lacks energy and acceleration characteristic of the long record’s first songs. Saving pains in the beginning, the musicians let their emotions out during the explosive chorus. This well-tested approach works perfectly here too. Then comes a song with tempo alterations, Nerve Damage. This is a risky trick that sometimes fails performers, yet this time it works just fine. Soon, the musicians of Lifehouse decide to have some rest and leave solid guitar riffs for the sake of ballad sounding offering a splendid piece under the title It Is What It Is. Generally speaking, these guys have a way with making low-tempo heart-breaking stuff; and the record has a plenty of that. Yet a truly good rock-album must have a striking hit track that would make you dance and prance and go crazy in all possible ways. This mission here is taken up by Wrecking Ball. The verses are surprisingly performed by the bassist, Soderberg, and then comes the knocking-down chorus with a blast of emotions, a real roar, scream and yell making the words just insignificant. The only fault found with this song is that none of the following tracks manages to reach the bar set by this one.

Lifehouse getting better and better

The conquering of the rock-music radio stations by the hits off Smoke & Mirrors is just a matter of time. There certainly would be those who would blame the band for copying the best of the 2007 album, Who We Are, while preparing the present record. But these are either people who hate such music, or people who are infected with envy and already foresee a big commercial success for the new CD by Lifehouse. Sure, one day the audience will be fed up with it and demand something different; but right now this music is a ten-out-of-ten shot. These songs live a short, yet famous life and help their makers live a longer famous life. In a year, only hard-core fans of Lifehouse will be still listening to this CD day in day out, while the majority of the listeners will be focused on other releases. But who said that in a year Lifehouse will not deliver an even stronger album? From release to release, these guys are getting more mature, experienced and wiser. They are learning to make the best out of this music; and there are no reasons to worry about the quality of their next albums.

Alex Bartholomew

Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland revealed that the band’s upcoming album Gold Cobra was influenced by Daft Punk. According to his words, the band is trying to «follow the vibe» of the French electronic music duo.

At the same time he claimed that Limp Bizkit’s music has not changed comparing to the band’s previous album Results May Vary, released in 2003. «I think that everyone who hated Limp Bizkit before will continue to hate Limp Bizkit. It’s not like we all of a sudden grew up and started making smarter music. It’s definitely a fun party kinda vibe, it’s a little like the old stuff but with a Daft Punk vibe thrown in», claimed he.

He added: «There’s big huge riffs and catchy lyrics, it’s still about halfway done so we’re waiting to see how the rest of it goes».

Earlier Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst claimed that the band’s new album was influenced by legendary rock and country singer Neil Diamond.

After the release of the 2005’s compilation The Best Of the fans of the Californian team Sugar Ray were expecting new creations but as it turned out they had to be a little more patient. On the other hand taking into account the fact that the quintet’s peak of success was in the mid 1990s the girls that adored it then are now adult women having a lot of other things to do besdies dreaming of the new songs performed by the handsome vocalist Mark McGrath. Thus the guys made the collection and it was only last year that they announced in the Internet that they had prepared a surprise for their fans – a new album. Finally this summer Sugar Ray’s sixth studio work is released, and it got quite an appropriate title Music For Cougars meaning that the guys still create light music addressed mainly to the younger dancing audience and of course the fair sex. Mellow summer melodies uniting the elements of reggae, pop music, rock and hip-hop are sure to be appreciated by all who still remembers how they had fun in the daring 1990s and are sure to refresh the hot July days.

The feeling of holiday on Music For Cougars

The absolute majority of tracks on Music For Cougars is filled with a happy and cloudless feeling of holiday, entertainment and confidence that it is love that rules the world so there is no need to worry in it at all. The album opens with the brightest example of such attitude to life Girls Were Made To Love featuring Collie Buddz, an endlessly positive composition with a very simple catchy melody and text that you are sure to sing all day long. The first single Boardwalk is also easy to learn, besides, it is refined with the whole line-up’s choir singing – the guys tell of a vacation romance that means nothing but still can leave memories for the rest of your life. The song about a gorgeous girl She’s Got The (Woo-Hoo) is perfect for any party, for example it may serve as a birthday present or be played at a hen party, whereas the optimistic Love Is The Answer is also sure to leave nobody indifferent even though it repeats the well-known love commonplaces. A philosophic number Rainbow is refined with heart-felt fiddles and reminds that not all the good things are given us for free and sometimes we should be prepared for difficulties after which everything will definitely be fine. A nostalgic pop track When We Were Young makes one understand that the guys do realize in which century they are now but will never get old in their hearts whereas the contagious keyboards join efforts with powerful rock guitars on a bit heavier Going Nowhere. An unusual song Last Days proves to be one of the best pop numbers here refined with a broken accompaniment and great vocals, and Morning Sun surprises with unexpected electronic hooks reminding of A-Ha’s works. Of course the album closes on an optimistic note Dance Like No One’s Watchin’ featuring Donavon Frankenreiter, a beautiful love track.

A wonderfully topical album

From the very beginning Sugar Ray has occupied its own niche allowing it to express the thoughts most often returning to having fun. At the same time one can hardly call it stubborn optimists for there is a place for sadness and reflections in its lyrics, it is just that the prevailing emotions are always excellently positive. In this connection, the ballad Rainbow is present on Music For Cougars, and this song is sure to help anybody who has found oneself in a hard situation. Besides the band’s music always surprises with the variety of styles among which the musicians manage to find the most expressive. On the whole these 12 compositions will please you and remind that the celebration can always continue in spite of anything. In fact Music For Cougars sounds wonderfully topical today when the world economic situation is absolutely far from being perfect: Sugar Ray seems to tell with them that nobody cancelled summer so far and one should always look ahead believing in the best.

Alexandra Zachernovskaya

Famous music producer Phil Spector was found guilty of murdering the actress Lana Clarkson by court in Los Angeles. Now, the 67-year-old musician will spend at least 18 years in prison, or even face life in jail.

Lana Clarkson was found dead at Spector’s mansion four years ago – she has been shot. Spector has stated that Clarkson’s death was an «accidental suicide» and was discharged in 2007 – ten jury members voted to convict the music producer, but under Californian law a unanimous verdict is required. Retrial began in 2008 and this time all jury members found him guilty.

During his more than 40-years career Spector worked with such legendary musicians as Tina Turner, The Beatles, Ramones, Leonard Cohen and others.

The band Five For Fighting was formed in the USA by the singer-songwriter John Ondrasik, who is still its unchangeable leader. In his early years, Ondrasik decided to write and perform music, thus he managed how to play the guitar and the piano. It all came naturally, as he was a child from a musical Los Angeles family. However, devoting all his free time to music, John graduated from a college with a degree in applied science and mathematics. All in all, this man finds time for everything he planned. For about several years, he simultaneously gives live shows with Five For Fighting, writes new compositions for his collective’s albums, but at the same time assists other performers and composes soundtracks to different films and series. The lyrics of the songs by Five For Fighting also suggests that Ondrasik also manages to meet and speak to ordinary Americans, work in his charity fund and ponder over philosophic issues. This year, Ondrasik and company recorded their fifth album Slice, the title for which was chosen by the singer’s fans, who spend much time on his official site. This time, the artist paid the main attention to the music, putting it on the first place before the sensitive texts – and now each song has the stylish retro tint and possesses an elaborate arrangement.

Retro and wonderful arrangements on Slice

The choice of the title was made in the favor of Slice deliberately – it has the allusion to the popular in 90s and made be even cult teenage comedy American Pie. Thus, all the record is filled with the atmosphere of nostalgia and imposing old-fashion flavor with the slant to the symphonic music. The gentleman-like and gallant image of Ondrasik also stresses this new cause of the band on delicate arrangements – in this matter we can bravely call all the eleven songs of the disc masterpieces. The titling track Slice with the high-pitched vocals by Ondrasik tells us about those times, when everything was easier in life. The song Note To The Unknown Soldier does not need introduction – if we think how much time the singer pays to his charity fund and talks to the military men, we would realize that such song in his collection was just a matter of time. The pop track Chances is not only the first single from the long-play, it is also one of the best songs on it. The retro-tune This Dance is an excellent love song, while the motif Above The Timberline radiates happiness, caused by the same great feeling. The track Transfer will remind the listeners that Ondrasik mostly works in the field of soft-rock, while the composition Story Of Your Life is a heartfelt dedication to the artist’s wife. The melody Love Can’t Change The Weather with a touch of soft irony has an amusing R&B-meddling, while the song Augie Nieto is written about one of Ondrasik’s personal heroes.

Tunes are one of the best parts of Five For Fighting

Thus, the disc Slice differs from its predecessors in the way that Ondrasik decided to make an accent on the tunes, not on the texts. We should say that the elaborated melodies are one of the best parts of Five for Fighting. Wrapped into the retro-arrangements, they sound really pleasant and thrilling. The verses of the tracks are the same still – the adored by the listeners sincere, emotional life stories. And it is really hard to imagine the stories more grasping, more catching than the ones, taken right from life. As for the music, the disc Slice is sure to cheer the devoted fans of Five For Fighting, but it will also amuse those, who are fond of piano music – the album has plenty of piano – and musical connoisseurs that appreciate masterful retro-stylization. The band recorded a strong, integrate album, worthy of the collective that created Superman (It’s Not Easy) in its time. That song helped American people to unite after the tragedy of September 11 and helped those, who lost relatives and friends in that inferno, survive their grief. The band Five For Fighting is able in music composition, and its creations are delicate and popular among the widest layers of the society at the same time – and the album Slice did not become an exception from this rule.

Ninelle Kazakoff

The American band Weezer have spent enough time on the stage to feel their more than just confident. Releasing about one album per two years, they have reached the shores of stardom and granted crowds at any concert they would play in any spot of the globe. A situation like this allows the musicians, and first of all, the group’s leader, Rivers Cuomo, to feel free experimenting with their sounding and providing their fans with completely unexpected material. And this is all because Weezer followers will any way purchase what they’re offered knowing that it is done by the same talented guys and at the same quality level. Apparently, considering all this, Cuomo and Co. are heading for a radical change of their musical self and presenting now a very arguable record called Raditude. Intended to enlarge their audience through adjusting their music to pop-standards, these musicians may simply lose their old supporters. What would they think after seeing a flying dog on the new album’s folder? What would they suggest after finding there such track titles as The Girl Got Hot, or I’m Your Daddy? Still, we should not make conclusions too fast. Many things are not what they might seem after the first glance. We are talking about music and music needs to be listened to.

Weezer’s most youth-oriented album

As a matter of fact, Raditude is a Weezer album, yet with a large portion of humor and fun. We could easily expect this from a guy like Rivers Cuomo, who always preferred to oppose himself to the majority. A Harvard graduate, he knows perfectly how to maintain the required atmosphere and is an English language expert. This time, again, Cuomo decided to show that Weezer in a never withering team whose seventh studio record with be the most teenager-like, funny and even rebellious. The album meets us with the audacious (If You’re Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You Too catching with its nice melody. It is still a sample of rock-n-roll that once brought Weezer the world-wide recognition. However, the hip-hop touches to the Eastern tunes on Love Is The Answer is not yet something we lied Weezer for. By the way, before you reach this composition, you will hear Can’t Stop Partying, and The Girls Got Hot with pop-music elements much stronger that those of rock-n-roll as if getting us prepared for a radical change like this. In the meantime, the lyrics of these songs are much more profound than you could think in the beginning judging by their titles. After all, Cuomo has always been known for concealing a consistent idea among simplistic lines and rhymes. Nevertheless, the general impression produced by Raditude is similar to the one of a young punk-rock band revealing the secrets of their partying and dissipation. Well, it’s OK if that’s what Weezer wanted.

Where do they go now?

Semi-dance record Raditude with rock-n-roll leaving much space to electronic beats and RnB statements will certainly raise a lot of questions among those who appreciated Weezer’s albums from the nineties. However, a closer look and a better listening will help you find many interesting nuances and new details that Weezer, probably, were not confident enough to offer earlier. The new album’s stylistic nature will also remain a subject of hot debate, yet the genre is not the main thing to characterize Raditude. Those listeners who value good quality music with good sense of humor will be glad for Weezer who decided to open up another side of their art. Quite possible, that feeling through with the experimental work, the musicians will return to their roots and make a following album in the vein of their most significant records. There is also a possibility that Raditude is just the first chapter of Weezer’s new life. Unexpectedness is certainly an advantage of this band.

Alex Bartholomew