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I finally got my copy of the new pumpkins album "zeitgeist" in the mail today. Since the pumpkins broke up, I've felt an empty space in my gut that used to be filled with RAWK! The first track, doomsday clock, kicks off with the solid wall of guitar tracks that made me fall in love with the pumpkins in the first place, and pretty much maintains momentum for the rest of the album. For those of you who have a soft spot for the smashing pumpkins like I do, corgan does not disappoint. This album got me dreaming again. That said, the mix is a little weird in some spots. Vocals tend to stand out a lot in the mix. Unfortunately 5 of the 12 tracks were produced by corgan and jimmy chamberlain. Dudes can rock hard, but I keep hoping to find some alternate mixes somewhere.
Some of the lyrics take a bit of warming up to as well. I'm not sure if previous albums were filtered through my adolescent brain, or if this album occasionally detours from his usual way with words. All of the songs have a political agenda. I personally think Corgan shines when he's singing about his personal life. Perhaps that accounts for the different feel?
Another derivation seems to be the approach to song structure. Past Pumpkin albums had their fair share of radio hits, but the other tracks tended to develop formally and orchestrationally (which ultimately gave the albums staying power imho). This one feels more like a come back album - variations of older radio hits. The plus side is that each song is fairly head bobby heavy.
All of these grievances sound contradictory to my initial comments. Don't get me wrong, the album is nasty! It's larger than life rock music that makes me feel like there's something to believe in again. Corgan also seems to have been listening to some new stuff. A few of the tracks feature some extended guitar techniques (track 7 "united states") during break down sections.
I can't say that this album will be for everyone. I bet there are a fair amount of people who already hated the pumpkins, and even more who will hate "the new band" because they're not exactly like the old one. However, I'm personally flipping out over this new release. My favorite rock band of all time is back!!! Although this record won't replace mellon collie and the infinite sadness in my book, it has rejuvinated me in ways I can't describe and will likely be a key element in overcoming any sort of creative crisis' I may have bitched about in the last year or so. While the songs are nothing new, they remind me of what it felt like to fall in love with music. | |
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07/19/07
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energygiant
holy god........is that blog picture the cover?
yikessssssss
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