Well, to say that I’m living up to my reputation today is an understatement. I’d like to share with you 9 tracks from the new Guns N’ Roses album, Chinese Democracy. These are mastered, finished versions that you probably haven’t heard. I always said that the more that Axl and Geffen jerked around trying to figure out how to release this finally finished album that we’ve all been waiting over 13 years for, the greater the chances would be that it would slip out of a pressing plant or office somewhere and wind up in the hands of some asshole with a blog. So… Hey, I told you so.

Back in January, when Weezer mastermind Rivers Cuomo told fans to expect “longer songs, non-traditional song forms, different people writing and singing, instrument switching, TR-808s, synths, Southern rap and baroque counterpoint,” we should have taken him more seriously. The Red Album completes Weezer’s homage to primary colors, and despite a shockingly bad collection of lyrics, it could also be their best release yet. Only eight tracks of the expected ten have leaked so far, and the album’s not due to hit until June 3rd. However, these tracks confirm that, with the help of Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee, Rivers Cuomo and Co. have set a creative high watermark for themselves by adding new colors to the familiar palette, complete with unexpected blind turns and trap doors.