Jessica Simpson and Billy Corgan is one of the oddest pairings we’ve heard of yet – maybe ever. Whether the two are romantically linked or not, that’s none of our business (although a source has supposedly told E! that Jessica was smitten). We’d like to focus on the idea of this musical collaboration. Is this really happening?

Rumors started to surface about the team-up when a photo of Simpson, Corgan and producer Kerry Brown appeared online. We were aware of Corgan knocking out the lengthy album, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, as well as starting his own record label but is this studio collaboration for his album or – dare we even think it – Simpson’s album?

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Billy Corgan is planning to  launch a new record label that will release new material from ’70s L.A. punk band the Germs, plus more obscure, eclectic acts like the Electric Prunes, Fancy Space People and Strawberry Alarm Clock, among others.

LA Weekly‘s Off the Record blog noted that Corgan will team up with frequent collaborator Kerry “Studio Dog” Brown to steer the as-yet-unnamed record label.

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Billy Corgan hasn’t been in the news since he recruited a 19-year-old drummer but with the upcoming release of Smashing Pumpkins‘ new album, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, there has been tons buzz going on for them musician. The news that sets Corgan apart from other album releases is that each track is ridiculously long, the band is releasing one song at a time. The first song, “A Song for a Son” was recently released and it’s one of 44 songs for this “album.” Eventually the album will be split into four different EPs each with 11 songs.

“A Song for a Son” is currently available at Smashing Pumpkin’s official website, but the chatter doesn’t stop there. Corgan recently stopped by the MTV Newsroom to talk about why each song is so massive and how awesome Dave Navarro’s abs are. More after the jump!

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Portishead, the influential experimental band from Bristol, England, have already begun work on the followup to their highly successful 2008 album Third. Geoff Barrow was recently interviewed by NME and it’s clear that this will be a very unconventional release.

According to Barrow, the band is not currently under contract and are now weighing options on how to release their next batch of new songs. Barrow declined to give specifics but he did say Portishead has “big plans” for a new project that will “come from a different angle.”

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Mike Byrne is the new Smashing Pumpkins drummer. After all the former members of the band decided to leave last year, it’s now this 19-year old kid and Billy Corgan.

However, according to Corgan, he’s not just some kid:

“We counted over 1,000 submissions, and what made Mike stand out was he just seemed to have that X-factor that all the great drummers have, a stunning blend of power, speed, and grace. I’m excited to work with him moving forward– he truly deserves this opportunity. I believe in my heart he will push me to be a better musician.”

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Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has testified before the U.S. Congress in support of a new legislation, called the Performance Rights Act, which would make radio stations pay royalties to musicians in the same way that internet and satellite radio companies already pay.

Traditionally, radio stations don’t pay musicians or labels, compensating them instead with the added public exposure conferred by airing their songs. But now, with music sales plummeting, and radio’s promotional value dropping as well, Congress is considering the new bill presented by Corgan’s musicFIRST Coalition. Corgan defends a musician’s right to livelihood, affirming that: Continue Reading

So as many of you know, a new supergroup called Tinted Windows (James Iha, Adam Schlesinger, Bun E. Carlos, and Taylor Hanson) has formed! Some of you have expressed your feelings that have ranged from disbelief to hesitance to incredible excitement! (Hanson fans.) Well whatever your opinion is at the moment, perhaps a little glimpse into some performances will sway your thoughts. (Hmmm bop.)

Our friends at Stereogum have caught a sneak peak at Tinted Windows songs such as “Kind of Girl” and “Messin’ With My Head.” For some reason the group has chosen an awkward Godwin Alexander to introduce this mini-appearance below, but come March 20th and you’ve got a real performance as part of the Billboard Showcase in SXSW!

Watch the (very short) clips below and let us know what you think. Do the tunes sound mmmbopablicious? Are they hotter than Stacey’s mom?

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So, we love it when great musicians collaborate on songs. We love it even more when they form another recording group with each other. However, we’ve come across a new one and we don’t don’t really know what to say about it… Apparently, the newest pop supergroup out there right now is Tinted Windows. Who is in Tinted Windows? Well… there’s James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins (guitar), Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne (bass),  Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick (drums), and  Taylor Hanson from… er… Hanson (vox). Their album will be coming out in the spring.

Let’s take a moment of silence for future fans of Tinted Windows. These people will probably be going through some mental illness right before they realize how foolish their music taste was… and that will be the last straw for them…

Bun E. Carlos? Taylor Hanson?

What are you thinking? I don’t want to be alone with these thoughts.

Smashing Pumpkins has a new song “F.O.L.” available online for download, and all that is required is an e-mail address. The track was used on an advertisement for car manufacturer Hyundai, during the Super Bowl, and immediately became available for download here.

The Smashing Pumpkins also had a song used in the trailer for the upcoming movie “The Watchmen”. A fan-made video of the song is featured on the Smashing Pumpkins official web site, you can check it out after the cut: Continue Reading