Review Summary: These aren’t the Pumpkins we want, but definitely the ones we need...
So a mostly reunited Smashing Pumpkins have released a new album. I’m going to forgo the lengthy history of this band and their mostly reunited lineup because just about everyone else will be checking that box with their review. In summary, these aren’t the Pumpkins of the 90’s and this isn’t a musical dictatorship by Billy Corgan anymore. James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlain are making obvious songwriting contributions and are allowing the music to breathe. Meanwhile they are trying new things as a cohesive unit, instead of being dictated by the vision of a megalomaniacal perfectionist.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some very questionable choices in the music and more importantly the production of this album. That said, Rick Rubin just needs to stop. Sure, he can get impossible egos to produce material but it means nothing if it doesn’t sound good, which unfortunately the production and mixing here are a very mixed bag. Next on the list of grievances are some of the vocal decisions Corgan makes on songs like “Knights of Malta” and “Alienation,” where there are completely unnecessary harmonies and bizarre sounds he’s emitting. Most importantly, Billy’s lyrics are probably the weakest part of the album overall, where instead of having a longing nature he prefers to be more obscure and obtuse. When the moments do arrive where he’s being earnest and open again, that’s when the music truly comes together. That’s the interesting thing about this collection of songs though, for every questionable decision there’s also a strong step in the right direction that overshadows those same questionable decisions.
The smartest choice they made is in making sure the album isn’t filled with “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” clones. Instead, much of the material draws heavily from the catchier and weirder cuts from “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” and even Corgan’s previous band Zwan. Sure, there are heavy cues from songs like “1979,” “Galapagos,” and “Cupid de Locke,” but those are the types of songs that defined the personality and grandiosity of The Smashing Pumpkins. That’s not to say there aren’t some big riffing rock songs here, but they come so naturally to the band that they aren’t the focus. Collectively as a unit the band decided to challenge themselves by relying on the strength of their melodies. The big standout song “Silvery Sometimes Ghosts” uses a strong hook riding an upbeat tempo that demands repeat listens. “Travels” contains a searching optimism that glides along in a blissful glee and “With Sympathy” brings an emotional honesty to the table that Corgan hasn’t conveyed in well over a decade. These tracks are the bread and butter of the album, where everything really comes together and shows how strong a melodic force they can really be.
There will undoubtedly be a mixed reaction from longtime fans, but repeat listens will prove to be rewarding. It’s the type of album that will grow on you and shows the risks they’re willing to take collectively to explore where their sound can go. This reunion with most of the founding members of the band appears not to be a potential cash-grab banking on nostalgia, but a reconstruction and a reconciliation, to recognize their strengths as a unit and to rebuild their legacy.
Now let’s see where part 2 takes us.
