Review Summary: Don't you mind if it's me at all...
Once upon a time, The Smashing Pumpkins were a respected band, with an almost flawless discography that had a perfect balance between heavy and calm, with noise rock/shoegaze influenced guitars that were soothing, pumping and technical at the same time. They created a name for themselves, and the band was one of the pillars of 90's alternative scene, but the 2000's weren't too kind for them...
Fast forward to 2014. The last few albums ranged from average to good, and the fans of the 90's stuff were always bitching about something on it. So, the band announced they were releasing 2 albums, and Monuments To An Elegy is the first one. These days, everybody calls the Pumpkins of "The Billy Corgan Show", but people don't get that Billy Corgan IS The Smashing Pumpkins. Like Queens of The Stone Age(Josh Homme) or Nine Inch Nails(Trent Reznor), it had better members before, but the mastermind behind everything the band did is Billy Corgan. But, Billy's last works weren't that good, so the fear of a new mess is understandable, but the new album is better than I expected.
Starting with "Tiberius", It opens with a piano line, and then it morphs into a throwback to the days of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness. Its anthemic chorus, engaging lyrics and heavy turn on the middle of the song won't fail to put a smile in your face. The synths give it a little new wave vibe, and it is permanent on almost the entire album, sounding like a tribute to the 80's new wave and something modern at the same time in songs like "Being Beige" and "Dorian". The former sounds like something that should be on Adore, with a cute piano and dreamy verses that goes into another anthemic chorus, and the later sounds just like Depeche Mode in its feelings and structure.
But when it's time to rock, the album does it very well. "One and All" rescues the noise-y guitar influences of their early albums, and wouldn't sound out of place in one of them. It is the most memorable song on the album, and reminded me of the reasons I had to love the Pumpkins in the first place. And that is the magic of this album, it feels like a natural continuation to their 90's works. The other rockers introduce a new face to the Pumpkins with modern rock tendencies but maintaining their signature sound, and that is clear in "Monuments", which combines the new keyboard's dynamic with harsh guitars, pumping drums and the best vocal performance on the album(even if the "Lover, you're strange" section brings it down a little), and the other songs like "Anti-Hero" and "Drum + Fife" sound just like you would expect of Smashing Pumpkins in 2014, with pop-rock structures, instrumentals and lyrics. The only song that I have a problem with is "Run2me", which sounds too much poppy and doesn't have much of the Pumpkins' flavor.
Corgan's vocals are much more supportable than the last few albums, and they still sound very nasal, but I don't find it much of a concern. The only thing that makes me sad is that Corgan lost the eerie factor of his voice, making them more straightforward. The guitars are heavy and have a great production to it, but aren't as technical as they were before, and the Bass and Drums have its moments too, but aren't nothing extraordinary.
The new Smashing Pumpkins album puts the band back on the track, taking elements of their past albums and blending them with new and old tendencies. It isn't on the same level as their 90's albums, but it is scary how close it comes to it sometimes. If this is really only "The Billy Corgan show" as people call it, it is the best one he released yet.
Standout Tracks:
One And All
Tiberius
Monuments
Drum + Fife
