The Smashing Pumpkins Zeitgeist

[sani]

Dear Rep,

I just noticed this leaked. Tell me your thoughts. I have yet to listen to it. Please reply swiftly as I await anxiously.

With love

[Repair Man]

I actually wrote one up last night but my Firefox inexplicably crashed out of nowhere and I was too goddamn lazy to redo it.

But for you:

Zeitgeist finally leaked the other night and I've had a chance to let it soak in a little bit (five full listens thus far). A couple things about the album: the most obvious thing is the vocals. There is a TON of over-dubbing and weird vocal effects. There are songs where it works amazingly and others where it sounds absolutely terrible. This is unfortunate because most of the instrumentation is fucking badass, but in a way you're probably not used to with the Pumpkins. The production, compositions, and solos have more than a touch of 80's cheese metal influence, which was...completely unexpected. Jimmy Chamberlin is amazing as always, and theres a lot of really cool guitar work on pretty much every song. As far as lyrics go, they are bearable for the most part with a few exceptions (Bring the Light's lyrics are so fucking bad).

My review:

The prediction I posted in another thread a few months turned out to be pretty much spot on:
My prediction: Four great songs, five decent ones, and three forgettables, making it an over-all solid record and a succesful return.

1) Doomsday Clock - A good opener. The chorus is weird, but the odd timing between the guitar/vocals is cool as shit and is catchy as balls. Minus a lackluster breakdown (it should have been a solo) the song is pretty good but not amazing. (B+)

2) Seven Shades of Black - I was really surprised by this song. I had heard some live boots and was never really impressed, but the studio version is pretty cool. It's more in line with some of the Machina II rockers with a touch of Adore (think Cash Car Star mixed with The End is the Beginning Is the End). (A-)

3) Bleeding the Orchid - This is my favorite song on the cd. The vocal dubs and effects work extremely well within the context of this song. This song really showcases Corgan's newfound singing ability more so than any other song on the album. This is what Machina should have sounded like. (A+)

4) That's the Way (My Love Is) - I thought this song was terrible on first listen, but it's probably my second favorite on the album after a few more listens. It's really poppy and has a bit of 80's cheese thrown in, but it just works so well. The solo is simple enough (it follows the chorus melody almost to a tee) but its grown into one of the high points of the album for me. I find myself rewinding it over and over again. (A)

5) Tarantula - There's a lot to like about this song, but there isn't anything that grabs your attention and really holds it. This is a nice little rocker but that's about it. On an unrelated note, has anyone seen the video to this song? Billy Corgan shoots motherfucking lasers out of his eyes. Its so wretchedly bad that its good; I just hope that it was intentional. (B-)

6) Starz - This song has proven to be extremely polarizing on netphoria and in most of the published reviews thus far. Instrumentally, this song is tits. Theres a lot of cool guitar stuff going on in this song, but parts are a bit too quiet (the 2nd guitar that comes in around 1:06 is one of the cheesiest/rockingest riffs on the entire album; it should blow your dick right the fuck off but its just way too quiet). The vocal overdubbing on the "WE ARE STARS" part is pretty over-the-top. It really took me off guard the first time I heard it, but I really don't mind it as much after a few more listens. This is a definite grower for me. (B+)

7) United States - This was probably one of the bigger disappointments for me on the album. The live version is really cool, but the production really kills the song for me. The guitar is loud and fuzzy, but there just isn't enough ass-end to the mix. I didn't have any huge problems with the mixing for the rest of the album but it really bothers me on this song, which is unfortunate because as I said, this is one of my favorite live songs they've played on the current tour. Theres a really bad echo effect put on the vocals toward the end of the song which sounds absolutely ridiculous. Again, this isn't a bad song, but the production killed what should have been on of the albums best tracks. (B-)

8) Neverlost - This song is an enigma to me. I don't know what I think about it and I probably never will. Its just...weird. It isn't bad, It isn't great, its just sort of there. Theres a fucking xylophone though, and thats pretty bad ass. This one might prove to be a grower. (C?)

9) Bring the Light - This is the most 80's song on the album. As mentioned in the introduction, the lyrics in this song are fucking bad. Other than that though, this song is pretty cool. Billy Corgan transforms into Brian May during the guitar solo. Nothing about this song is completely amazing, but it's a solid track. (A-)

10) Come On (Lets Go) - Theres a ton of cool guitar shit in this song, but it just screams "filler track." It would be a half-way decent song if anything actually happened. (C+)

11) For God and Country - This is another song that people seem to either love or hate. It sounds like one big mediocre TFE/Adore clusterfuck to me, but others seem to love it. (C-)

12) Pomp and Circumstances - This shit sounds like Enya with a guitar solo. Repair Man does not approve. (F)

Overall Grade: B

This is a pretty solid album that could of and probably should have been better, but nevertheless, this is a respectable return effort for the band and for Corgan (who hasn't done anything good in years).

I was pretty underwhelmed upon first listen; the Smashing Pumpkins have been my favorite band for years and I was expecting something new but something a little more in line with their previous releases in terms of seriousness. I found that when I stepped back a little bit and listened to the album for what it is - a fun little rock and roll album - everything instantly became a lot more enjoyable. I suggest others do the same.

Also: Take my review with a grain of salt. One of the most perplexing aspects of the album is the fact that there has been absolutely no noticeable trend between the reviews I've read. Everyone has had a different favorite song and has had vastly different takes on the majority of the albums tracks, particularly from United States on. I've read more than a few reviews that have said the 2nd half of the album is a lot better than the first.

[sani]

I skimmed through it last night while lying in bed and the only thing that jumped out at me were the vocals. Now, I didn't go through each and every song, but I was so fucking tired that I let about 1 minute of each song play. The vocals just seemed, well, odd. I don't know if I was expecting his younger anger singing voice, but the lyrics "seemed" to go in that way (opposite of motherfucking Zwan) but it just seemed weird. Maybe I wasn't ready to be captivated by the crazy overdubbing or crazy vocal mixings they did, but his voice come through really fucking weird. Almost no passion maybe? I don't know, maybe I was dreaming because when I woke up, I was suddenly listening to a Lord of the Rings song done by Flight of the Conchords and well, it was quite awesome.

Good review though rep, I'll go through it tonight and wear my 'Enya + guitar solo = Repair Man does not approve.' shirt.

[ricky]

is it just corgan and a new band? whos in this?

[Cent]

I like their 12th song actually :(

[ons]

just corgan and chamberlain from the original band

If anyone knows where i can find this online, please find me in irc #infernoclan and PM me please!

[q]

http://www.livedaily.com/news/12107.html

The resurrected Smashing Pumpkins are getting ready to kick off a world tour to support their forthcoming release, "Zeitgeist," and have added two sets of residency gigs to the fold: nine shows in Asheville, NC, and eight in San Francisco.

The Orange Peel in Asheville will host the alt-rockers between June 23 and July 5, marking their first residency since 1994's string of shows at Chicago's Double Door before the release of the nine-times platinum "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness." San Francisco's Fillmore, which hasn't seen the Pumpkins since they were invited to reopen the historic venue in 1994, will take in the band July 22 through Aug. 1.

General admission tickets--which cost $20 for Asheville and $25 for San Francisco--go on sale May 20 and will only be available online. There is a two-ticket limit per person. Further details are posted at the Smashing Pumpkins' website.

During the residency gigs, the Pumpkins will mix up their set list from night to night, performing songs from "Zeitgeist" and band classics, as well as retooled tunes that didn't make it onto the new album. They'll also offer up songs written the day of show, according to a press release.

i would pay $25 to go to the san francisco show

[Repair Man]

The NC residency shows have been pretty good so far. They're on the seventh or eight one now and they've played just under three hours at all of them.

[Sutterkane]

just fyi, doomsday clock is one of the songs in the transformers movie and is on the official soundtrack

[Repair Man]

whats the word sani? can ya dig?

[RabidPanda]

I've always liked the smashing pumpkins. Usually listening to their albums 2 or 3 times you get into it..

[THErhombus]

I've heard their new single out on the radio, and I like it. But I've always had one problem wiht the pumpkins, I hate how Corgan's voice sounds in 90% of the songs. Instrumentally, I think they fucking rock; it sux cuz I'll hear the beginning to one of their songs which has no vocals and I'll get real pumped about it but then Corgan starts singing and I'm all :(

[sani]

whats the word sani? can ya dig?

I need to go through it a few more times uninterrupted but so far I'm on the fence. Musically, it's pretty fucking good but the vocals seems to throw me off a bit. Overall it's still better than a lot of other shit, but I need more time, sir!

[Asimo]

I love it.

[q]

i am thinking about getting tickets to a fillmore show sometime in late july

[ViLE]

The production, compositions, and solos have more than a touch of 80's cheese metal influence, which was...completely unexpected.


thats what their target demographic (emo kids) is totally in love with; awesomely assful 80's music to go with their silly 80's parties and their checkered tile floors.
COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED MY ASS! WHO GAVE YOU CRITIC STATUS!

EDIT: BTW i forgot to mention its a poor album, chock it up there with the rest of the shit you don't listen to or maybe free up some HDD space if you're a L337 maestro