Review Summary: Corgan gets to do his take on pop music, and does more than a decent job.
Who cares about this album? It seems no one, even hardcore Pumpkins'fans, who at least give it a chance. The Smashing Pumpkins are one of my favorite bands ever, so there's always the risk of being too complacent with their output. It's hard to see the defects in what your love so giving an opinion on it can be quite deceptive.
I was somewhat dissapointed with "Machina", their final studio album, and I thought the "Zwan" project to be merely OK. So when I heard Billy was putting out a solo album, I confess I wasn't very interested. I really couldn't believe he could surprise me again, even when I have great respect for the guy. The "Walking Shade" single was reminiscent of previous works, especially from the "Adore" era. So it was really easy to write off this album.A few years later, I had the chance to listen to the album, so I did it, not expecting much. Certainly, the first listens didn't change my mind, but I keep listening to it. Then, you know that happens, it clicked me. This is a pop album! And a very good one at that, I must say.
So, the material is not as complex as previous works, and is never intended to be. This is supposed to be something different, if rooted in past efforts and some influences. The comparisons to "Adore" are at the very surface. "The Future Embrace" (TFE) is neither obscure nor dense as the former, but keeps the synths and electronic effects. The guitars are practically non-existent, as it's more melody-driven, with a heavy electronic pop feel. Corgan always strived at creating something new, although sometimes it didn't work out. So he's a songwriter above everything, and appoaches music from a different perspective this time.
Every song has a nice melody going on, with a catchy chorus that works tremendously well on all songs. It's not your average pop music, but neither is too refined. At forty or so minutes in length, this is the less
pretentious work Corgan has ever released. So it sound fresh, less overproduced and to the point, and more important, very hearthfelt. The overall tone of the album is very bright, even if songs like "DIA" or "Now and Then", have a darker feeling. It relies heavily on electronic soundscapes to create a mood, but never tries to sound like somebody else (even when Corgan is a huge New Order fan). The album is sounds very uplifting and feels very solid from beginning to end, if you give it enough time. Even the apparently-pointless-spacey final song "Strayz" finds his place on the album.
The album can't be perfect. The Bee Gee's cover is the weakest track, although it's good, and 90% of the time you won't listen to the last song. The tracks feel very stripped down, incomplete, very simple. Corgan is not at his best in electronic music, so when the tracks are more beat oriented, like in "Mina Loy" or "A100", you feel like he's cheating on you. Still, he gets away with it, because they are good songs. The minimalistic approach works better in songs like "All Things Change", "Now and Then" and "Pretty, Pretty Star", in which the instrumentation barely holds the songs, but does it effectively. If most of "Adore" felt overproduced, you feel the opposite way with TFE. The album can get sonically dense in songs like "DIA" or "Walking Shade", but still you feel the song to be filled with air.
Musically, each song revolves around a simple idea, but it's done more effectively than you might expect. So, the album turns to be really good. As it stands, it's the best album Corgan has released since "Machina II", that is, in nine years. A whole lot more cohesive than Zwans'"Mary Star of the Sea", and better written than "Zeitgeist".
Corgan, once again, succeeded in refreshing his sound. While it's not completely new, it's not a rip off from previous works either. This albums deserves more credit than what is usually given for. It's not a masterpiece, but it's very far from a crap album. A nice experiment from Corgan, who proves he can do better than to resort to previous glories, and do something both interesting and rewarding, if sometimes akward.
