It's been a little over a decade since Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water became the fastest-selling rock album of all time, a record that's at this point unlikely to be broken. Generally speaking, being a cultural phenomenon on that scale for even a fleeting moment can pretty much guarantee a band a sizable fanbase for life—see the previous holders of that record, Pearl Jam, who've spent the ensuing years seemingly doing everything not to sustain their peak level of popularity, yet still play arenas. But Gold Cobra, the first album with Limp Bizkit's original lineup since Starfish came out in 2000, will almost certainly sell a tiny fraction of the million units Limp Bizkit were once able to move in the space of a week. Even the active rock stations that still play the band's early hits haven't touched the lead single "Shotgun," which was sent out for radio adds over a month ago; it hasn't appeared on a single Billboard chart, though it did peak at No. 28 on RPM's Canadian Rock chart. Last year, they canceled a U.S. tour amid rumors of low ticket sales. This is a band that has experienced the backlash to end all backlashes.

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The phrase "the calm before the storm" appears in virtually every chart-related story this week. That's because the latest edition of the Billboard 200, which covers sales from the week ending May 22, is topped by Adele's 21. That album is No. 1 for the ninth and (presumably) final week before Lady Gaga's monster Born This Way makes its foregone chart-crushing debut.

But, come on now... "calm"? For chart-watchers, industryites and Gaga fans, I'd say the storm is already happening.

A meta-discussion has been raging all week around just how many copies Gaga's album will sell in week one, and whether all of the downloads she's racking up should count. Amazon's jaw-dropping decision to sell Born This Way for the unprecedented full-album price of 99 cents has not only engendered controversy—so much that Billboard's editor felt compelled to respond to some angry Britney Spears fans—it's rocket-fueled Gaga's sales.

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--Krist Novoselic is running for public clerk in Washington as a member of the Grunge Grange Party, a community service-driven group that was popular among farmers in the 1870s. Novoselic, who is the chairman of the Wahkiakum County Democratic Party, is not running to win, but to promote the party. The situation is complicated. We encourage you to read Novoselic's own explanation, which may or may not help.

--Drake isn't too happy about his latest release. The rapper did not authorize The Girls Love Drake, the mixtape released by a label called Canadian Money Entertainment. Drake's management discovered the album being sold on iTunes and quickly sent over a cease-and-desist notice. The Canadian label defended the release, saying "Breaking him in the states along with other Toronto artists has always been our goal. Drake is our hometown hero."

--We sort of wish the Black Keys would go back to making underproduced, sweaty garage rock, but the Akron, Ohio guitar-and-drums duo are going to continue experimenting. The group recorded with Mos Def and Jim Jones Wedneday night. According to Jones' Twitter: "Aight back to our reg schedule I did some dope music with black keys and mos def last night def a good rock n roll experience." We don't know what the unlikely trio was working on. Mos Def's publicist told Pitchfork: "They were just in the studio collaborating."

--Here's a way to make you look old: dissing Limp Bizkit and the Smashing Pumpkins as if they were current. In a March YouTube video, Iggy Pop mentioned "idiot thugs with guitars banging out crappy music." He recently named those bands, saying "Anyone from Smashing Pumpkins to - what's the one with Fred Durst?" Pop also thinks that new Vertical Horizon record is shit.

Relive the magic.

Read it (i.e. limpbizkit.com) and weep, suckas: The boys are gettin' the old band back together. From Fred Durst and Wes Borland's joint statement:

"We decided we were more disgusted and bored with the state of heavy popular music than we were with each other. Regardless of where our separate paths have taken us, we recognize there is a powerful and unique energy with this particular group of people we have not found anywhere else. This is why Limp Bizkit is back."

As you impatiently wait for more details ("Album! Tour! Worldwide!") on this momentous event, sate yourself with Durst's Twitter updates. ("Los Angeles traffic is a must experience.") Haters, conversely, are cordially invited to stick it up their yeahs.