Perhaps motivated by Slash and his ex-bandmates being in the headlines with the ongoing Weiland drama, or possibly in the market for some publicity that didn’t involve a carbonated beverage, the suddenly visible Axl Rose has been playing six songs from Chinese Democracy for select members of the music industry. A record executive speaking anonymously had this to say about the tracks: “It’s really good. Axl’s voice sounds exactly the same, but the songs sound contemporary. You expect it to be a trainwreck, but it’s not.” While the listening party and Rose’s hiring of Irving Azoff and Andy Gould are steps in the right direction, Chinese Democracy still has no definite release date. [E! Online via: The Daily Swarm]