Ben Harper’s latest offering with his Innocent Criminals band, “Lifeline,” is a laid-back, mellow collection of songs that rides along pleasantly yet goes nowhere particularly special. For what it’s worth, it remains a pleasing aural affair, though not a total breakthrough nor a giant step forward.

(U-WIRE) BERKELEY, Calif. — “I was your silver lining, but now I’m gold,” Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis sang at the Warfield in San Francisco on Thursday. It was fitting.

Black-clad New York City post-punkers Interpol is back with more dark, brooding rock on its third full-length and major-label debut, “Our Love to Admire.” Although a slightly more polished effort than previous outings, the album still lacks the evolvement needed to hoist the band up to the next level.

Sure, Billy Corgan may be a pretentious fame-whore. And sure, the current lineup doesn’t quite resemble the Pumpkins in their glory days. But seminal ‘90s alt-rockers the Smashing Pumpkins made their comeback this summer with “Zeitgeist” - which, for better or worse, marks Corgan’s nasal-voiced, politically minded return to the limelight.

(U-WIRE) BLACKSBURG, Va. — There were men, women and children. There were laughs, tears and cheers. There were 52,000 living, breathing faces of all races, cultures and religions, situated in the familiar gathering ground of Lane Stadium.

(U-WIRE) AMES, Iowa — Fresh off the victory of Cy in the CBS Sportline’s Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth, Iowa State University students have another online challenge, this time in the form of a band competition.
On Sept.