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Review Summary: A completely average start to the already-doomed Teargarden project. Smashing Pumpkins are quite a far cry from once what they were. Billy Corgan, maniacal head case front man has essentially chased everyone from the band-Iha left first, followed by Wretzky, now after a disastrous reunion, Jimmy Chamberlin left. James Iha and Wretzky were just figure heads of what the Pumpkins once were but Chamberlin’s departure officially signified the end of the Smashing Pumpkins. But, Billy keeps on trucking, putting out more and more mediocre music, essentially further endowing how unrelevant the-quote “Smashing Pumpkins” are. Nevertheless, Vol. 1 is a tolerable, completely average EP that would be fairly well received if Billy Corgan would stop calling it Smashing Pumpkins.
Teargarden by Kaliedyscope is a 44-song concept destined for failure, and now the first part of it was just released. Four songs, released one by one to no acclaim or notice at all, sloppily put together in one collection. Opening up with the promising “A Song for a Son”, the Pumpkins’ V3 starts off with a pretty catchy (yet repetitive) classic rock inspired track that teeters with psychedelia and Led Zeppelin-esque metal. The solos are great, the vocals are better than usual, the drums serve a minimal purpose, and the progression is nice. The song is a nice, sprawling epic that succeeds. However, “Widow Wake My Mind” is a disaster from the get-go. Corgan’s vocals are terrible, the guitar riffs are distorted to ridiculous levels, the lyrics are dumb, and it’s just overall a horrible track. “A Stitch in Time” is a tolerable track carried by the toybox-organ style of Teargarden, but really isn’t memorable and doesn’t go anywhere. It flows into “Astral Planes”, a retro grunge-inspired psychedelic rocker drenched in feedback. The guitars, production, everything other than the lyrics are ace. For once, Billy doesn’t throw his vocals to the front. He hides them behind the layers of distortion, and that’s a welcome fresh start. Luckily, the horrendous vocals are hidden by the catchiness of the song and the layers of guitar tracks thrown on top. It’s actually the closest song to Gish of the whole reunion, actually.
There is a few things to be optimistic about from this first EP. The production isn’t horrible, Corgan is testing out new sounds, and Mike Byrne is slowly finding his spot in the band. They’re actually sounding a bit like the Smashing Pumpkins too, which is impressive. Poor songs like “Widow Wake My Mind” keep the EP flawed, but at the end of the day, tracks like “A Song for a Son” and “Astral Planes” show that Corgan hasn’t lost it completely. At the least, those two are worth downloading.
| other reviews of this album |
JohnnyBiggs (2.5)
An unexciting beginning for what seems like a very bloated project....
PearlDrummer20 (2)
A destined-to-fail project is destined to fail, and Vol. 1 is just the first nail in the coffin....
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Good review. I really am not interested in this band at all anymore. May still eventually listen though.
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Headline: Sand still firmly caught within the vagina of tribes.
I don't even think you try to avoid being biased anymore. Nevermind that your entire negative tone in regards to the project seems rather dumb when you praise 2 of the 4 tracks.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off
Just because the whole thing IS doomed to suck (and we all know it is) doesn't mean there aren't good songs on it worth praise or at least a listen. I've heard the first half and while Widow is godfuckingawful, I liked Song For A Son more than a lot of Zeitgeist.
LOL tribe, not a bad review actually
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
The only song that's really worth a mention here is A Stitch In Time - I always prefer the more stripped down, acoustic Pumpkin tracks and interestingly Billy's vocals actually sound less nasal here.
Just listened to Astral Planes...it's interesting. I'm undecided. As for Widow Makes My Mind, it's pretty deflated and weak.
Good review, I think the score 100% justified.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Not complete shit. I give it an extra .5 for sentimental reasons.
Billy does need to admit to himself he's lost that amazing songwriting ability he used to have, though. I mean fuck. Listening to something like Disarm, where the melodies are so fucking perfect, the musical arrangement is fantastic and blows away anything else in the early 90s.
I have a feeling this will get better, but I just don't see him ever writing a song like Cherub Rock or Mayonaise again.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Mayonaise brings a tear to my eye everytime...sniffle...not to mention Galapogos, Luna, Porcelain of the Vast Oceans, To Sheila...the list goes on.
Corgan is an immensely talented songwriter, but ever since the demise of Adore he has never been the same. It's like he's lost all sense of focus - before he would write music for himself and would essentially create risky, ground breaking albums in the process. But then he did Machina, which was meant to be a 'return to the old Pumpkins sound' and then Zeitgeist, which he intented to, and I quote 'make an accessible, mainstream rock record, to comment on the "emerging fascist" political climate of the United States.'
It's good that he's experimenting again now, but he's not making albums anymore because of the demise of Zeitgeist. And then at that fucking anniversary show, he was saying 'I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS WANT!'
Billy. Just stop using the Pumpkins name. Please.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
Smashing Pumpkins were always mediocre at best. Now that Corgan has completely lost it, we have to listen to shit like this. The funny thing is how highly he thinks of himself. I read an interview recently where he pretty much stated that he is "one of the great songwriters" or words to that effect. What a joke.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
No, Boognish, your full of shit. I've seen you calling the Pumpkins mediocre in every album review they have, if you dislike them, ignore the fucking threads about them.
Pumpkins of the early 90s were anything but mediocre. They were fucking talented. I agree that now he's lost it, but in the early 90s, he was a songwriter i'd rank up there as a great, for sure.
| | | Album Rating: 1.5
Early AND late 90s
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
It kind of went a bit wrong as soon as it the noughties...enter Machina. Which wasn't awful, but the production was simply horrendous, especially on songs like 'Blues Skies Brings Tears' and 'Heavy Metal Machine'.
Still love Billy though. Bless him.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
No, Boognish, your full of shit
that hurts man
I've seen you calling the Pumpkins mediocre in every album review they have
because they are mediocre
if you dislike them, ignore the fucking threads about them
shut the fuck up fanboy
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Headline: Sand still firmly caught within the vagina of tribes.
I don't even think you try to avoid being biased anymore. Nevermind that your entire negative tone in regards to the project seems rather dumb when you praise 2 of the 4 tracks.
Oh my, I see someone else has caught on. Tribes, give it up buddy!
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
corgan needs to hang it up. smashing pumpkins are done with.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
I was prepared to have an articulate debate about Corgan and the future of the Pumpkins...clearly that's not the case here.
This is really petty, guys...can't we all just get along!? O_o
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review is almost as mediocre as everything pumpkins post-melon collie
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lol
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Meh, I can't be bothered downloading this untill I can at least get another couple of volumes at the same time.
I'll always love the Pumpkins though
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awful band
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review is almost as mediocre as everything pumpkins post-melon collie
It's Tribes, what do you expect? Guy likes Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and uh......Radiohead.
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rasputin got it right
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