Review Summary: A good, straightforward rock record. Nothing more; nothing less.
If I were a present member of the music community in 2007, I suppose I would be equally abhorrent of the single “Tarantula” as anyone else. Nearly a pop-rock track (at least as heavy as pop-rock can get), Tarantula is a far cry from anything the Pumpkins had really done at that point, and in many ways for the worse. Considerably less ambitious, emotional, melancholy, or complex than their earlier work, the song represents the worst of
Zeitgeist better than any other cut. That being said, with its propulsive riffs, evocative (rather than thoughtful) lyrics, and a ridiculously in-your-face attitude, it also represents the best.
However, since the majority of my exposure to the Smashing Pumpkins came from a month-long cram of everything they’d ever written last winter, my first inkling of what
Zeitgeist had to offer was the cataclysmic opening track “Doomsday Clock.” Thanks to its pounding percussion and thunderous guitar lines, this would probably would be considered a metal track if it weren’t for Billy’s signature whining vocals. This is the first of many similar sounding tracks found throughout the album, the most obviously similar is the poorly placed “7 Shades of Black,” which frustratingly directly follows the former song.
But from the menacing “Bleeding the Orchid” to the playful “Pomp and Circumstance”,
Zeitgeist is far more consistent record than some of their previous work. In many respects it fares much better than the first
Machina record, and in fact, acts as a natural progression from and reaction to it. Billy Corgan got caught up in his own world in the
Machina duo, and when the concept failed, it drove him to frustration. It’s obvious that this album drives for simplicity and straightforward musicianship. Even more complex tracks still rely on simple ideas explored faithfully without much complication. “United States” (superior to the previous epic Pumpkins track “Ghost and the Glass Children,” flawed though it may be) exhibits a surprisingly simple structure and perhaps it’s best quality is that it doesn’t get too caught up in itself.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t faults to the simplicity of it all. Some artistic endeavors would gladly be appreciate, especially when hulking numbers like the aforementioned “United States” are concerned. Much of the album seems so concerned about being cool that it forgets there’s substantial power to be had in thinking and feeling, and the best tracks are the ones that take that into account. On one hand, “(Come On) Let’s Go!” mars the album with an unpleasant blend of pop and hard rock works worse here than anything else, while the effortlessly gorgeous ache of “Neverlost” uses it’s simplicity to an advantage, all while employing mild experimental tendencies.
Another easy knock would be the ridiculous number of vocal overdubs on this album. While the Pumpkins are well known for their expansion on the practice of burying hundreds of guitar tracks into one song, the same doesn’t work as well for the iconic whine of Corgan’s vocals.
The simple truth is that
Zeitgeist is a good, straightforward rock record, and nothing more. It’s great to jam and to enjoy, but it doesn’t have the depth or artistic flair that dominated the majority of their earlier (and even later) work.
And on that note, I’ll leave you with Billy’s own words on the subject:
“With
Zeitgeist, I thought 'I’ll reintroduce this, with a cleaner, simpler, more metallic musical statement, and then we’ll begin a new musical journey.' All you heard was 'It’s not
Siamese Dream. Next.'”
