KINGS OF LEON

I think people tend to expect a certain sound from us," says Kings of Leon's drummer Nathan Followill, "but on this record, we tried to throw them for a loop."

Indeed, it's not business as usual on the Nashville-based quartet's ambitious, eclectic new album Because Of The Times. Where Kings of Leon's last release, 2005's Aha Shake Heartbreak, was "a fuzz-encrusted rocket of controlled violence," as Rolling Stone put it, packed with emphatic two-minute bursts of raunchy guitars, brawny drums, and growled vocals, Because Of The Times finds the Followills (brothers Nathan, Caleb, and Jared, and their first cousin Matthew) opening up, relaxing the rules, and reveling in the joys of their newfound musical freedom.

"We took the limitations off of ourselves," says frontman/rhythm guitarist Caleb. "We went into the studio with an open mind, thinking let's do whatever it takes to get these songs to the next level. Because we really have a lot of music inside of us and a lot of different places we can go."

It would have been easy for Kings of Leon to make Aha Shake Part II and call it a day. That album (along with its predecessor, 2003's Youth and Young Manhood) transformed these sons of a Pentecostal minister, who grew up traveling with the preacher around the rural Deep South, into indie stars in the U.S. and major rock stars in the UK.

But instead of resting on their rep, the guys chose to challenge themselves. "We weren't scared to try anything," Nathan says. "I think that's the difference between this album and the last. Every song showed us something we had inside of ourselves that we didn't know existed, which enabled us to be even bolder on the next song."

To that end, Because Of The Times (the title refers to an annual preachers' conference the boys attended growing up) contains Kings of Leon's first-ever album track that clocks in at longer than five minutes ("Knocked Up"), the first song with vocal effects ("On Call"), and the first one you could verifiably call an arena-rock anthem ("Black Thumbnail"). Then there's the breakneck "McFearless," the chiming "Ragoo," the scuzzy "Charmer," and the waltzing "The Runner" - a song so pretty, it's damn near a lullaby. "I can sing pretty if I want to sing pretty," says Caleb, whose slurry Southern cadences were once a hallmark of the band's sound.

Perhaps because it was the first album the band have made in which they entered the studio knowing exactly how they wanted it to sound, Because Of The Times is Kings of Leon's most diverse collection yet. Brimming with ideas, it represents a huge leap forward both in songwriting and musical prowess. Though Caleb writes the majority of the lyrics, "this was the first album where all four band members contributed equally and had a say so in every song," Nathan says. Adds Caleb: "because we were trying to make a different-sounding record, we had to sit back and listen to each other a little more."

SMASHING PUMPKINS

The Smashing Pumpkins have created one of the most acclaimed bodies of work in music history. Formed in Chicago in 1988, they released Gish, their influential (and platinum) debut in 1991, which was followed by more platinum and multi-platinum albums including the nine-times platinum Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness and the four-times platinum Siamese Dream. The pivotal group's many hits include "Disarm," "Today," "Cherub Rock," "1979," "Tonight, Tonight" and "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"--songs that defined the alternative music era and continue to resonate on modern rock radio, influencing a whole new generation.

ZEITGEIST (Martha's Music/Reprise) marks their sixth album and is their first of new material since 2000's Machina/The Machines of God and the free, digital-only release Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music. ZEITGEIST represents the culmination of two years of work.

VELVET REVOLVER

The feel, the energy of Libertad is about the eternal struggle for freedom -- personal and social freedoms."

So says Velvet Revolver's frontman Scott Weiland in describing the band's forthcoming album Libertad, scheduled for release July 3 on RCA Records. It will be preceded by the track "She Builds Quick Machines."

"Libertad has soul," Weiland continued. "What we're trying to say on a musical and lyrical level is clearer this time. The songs may have started out being very personal but they took on a more universal truth as they were nurtured by the five-headed beast that is Velvet Revolver."

The band is Scott Weiland (lead vocals), Slash (guitars), Dave Kushner (guitars), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums). The members each bring a wealth of rock history to the band: Weiland fronted Stone Temple Pilots and Slash, McKagan and Sorum were the heart of Guns N' Roses. Kushner, formerly of Wasted Youth, was in McKagan's band Loaded.

"The songs took on a life of their own in pursuit of groove. When it was nearly done, we realized the idea of freedom kept coming up. Serendipity hit when Duff came to a session wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with 'Libertad' and Slash found a coin struck with 'Libertad'. It all added up to naming the album Libertad-which is Spanish for freedom."

Produced by Brendan O'Brien, Libertad is the follow-up to Contraband, VR's debut album, released in June 2004, which earned three million in sales worldwide, debuted on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart at #1 and was awarded a Grammy for the lead track, "Slither."

"O'Brien really helped us challenge ourselves on a musical level. Libertad definitely rocks, but there are a lot more textures and everyone really raised the bar on their skills. It just goes places the first album didn't go."

Between Contraband and Libertad, Velvet Revolver toured the world and supported each other through personal struggles, becoming even more tightly bonded as brothers-in-arms. "We toured for two years and got really close in the making of this album."

To launch the record's release, Velvet Revolver played a series of North American concerts in May. The shows, primarily in intimate settings, will included a sampling of tracks from Libertad. The road warriors are currently on tour in Europe with an emphasis on festival appearances, followed by a Canadian swing, and a big American tour at the end of the summer.