Razorlight's Borrell Chats U.S. Tour; B.I.G.'s Estate Responds to Inmate's Claims

As Brit sensations Razorlight gear up for a November tour of the U.S., frontman Johnny Borrell's hopes remain high for the brief outing, the band's first in support of 2006's self-titled sophomore LP, and apparently an internal struggle to schedule. "Compared to the rest of the world it's been very frustrating for us with the second record," Borrell told SPIN.com of the band's limited success in the U.S. "I was sitting there actually begging my record company to let me go to America, but they weren't interested in supporting us in America at all."

But now, after 18 months and a little fuss, the quartet, who topped U.K. charts with their last record, are due to hit major U.S. cities starting next week. "When we wrote this album, I was really looking forward to touring it in America," said Borrell. "But I think for some reason British bands and American bands are not really crossing over." Borrell continues on, citing England's "democratic" process of radio play as compared to America's "more political" format as possible scapegoats, among many others.

"It would've been very easy to sit around in England and get your ass kissed but I saw the whole America thing as a sort of challenge and it made us be better songwriters," states Borrell. And fans coming out for Razorlight's performances, may be in for a treat: Borrell and Co. are currently constructing their third outing, which will tentatively drop early in 2008, and are hoping to preview a few cuts on this tour, and sales and label support depending, launch an extensive stateside tour next spring. "We're starting to write the third record now and do some demos with a producer and hopefully when we have an amazing record in six months time we'll have people who want to run with it in the States," said Borrell.

Notorious B.I.G.'s Estate Responds to Inmate's Claims

The murder mystery brewing behind the death of rapper Notorious B.I.G. takes yet another twist as the MC's estate files a federal court motion claiming Waymond Anderson, the prison inmate who recanted his testimony implicating former Los Angeles Police Department officer Rafael Perez in the 1997 killing of B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), lied in his Aug. 20 disposition. As part of the motion, Wallace's estate requested Anderson's phone and visitation records, evidence suggested will reveal a third party behind Anderson's "wholesale assault on the truth."

In his deposition filed Aug. 20, Anderson states he lied on the stand in a scam orchestrated by Wallace's family members and attorneys to win a settlement from the city of Los Angeles.

In a related bit of news, Kevin Hackie, a former bodyguard for deceased SoCal rapper Tupac Shakur, claims in a recent interview AllHipHop.com that an arrest will soon be made in the shooting death of Wallace. "LAPD detective Greg Kading concurred with me that there will be an arrest in the Wallace case shortly," he said. "Greg Kading, who's status with the LAPD, and you can quote this, is confidential, said there will be an arrest made shortly."

Helio Sequence Ask Fans to 'Keep Your Eyes Open'

Portland, OR's electro-shoegaze duo the Helio Sequence, comprised of frontman Brandon Summers and drummer Benjamin Weikel, have announced the release of Keep Your Eyes Open, their fourth LP to date, set to arrive to store shelves Jan. 29 courtesy of neighbors to the north, Sub Pop. The 10-track set, recorded from bedroom closets to local studios, will deliver tunes with titles like "Lately," "You Can Come to Me," and "Broken Afternoon." And although known for their lengthy tunes, Helio Sequence's fresh LP may usher a sonic sea change as a statement confirms most songs clock "in at four and a half minutes."

Keep Your Eyes Ahead tracklisting:

1. "Lately"
2. "Can't Say No"
3. "The Captive Mind"
4. "You Can Come to Me"
5. "Shed Your Love"
6. "Keep Your Eyes Ahead"
7. "Back to This"
8. "Hallelujah"
9. "Broken Afternoon"
10. "No Regrets"