Smashing Pumpkins

    YES!!!!! Fuck you 2020!! There are four bands I would take to the afterlife with me, Genesis is one and Smashing Pumpkins is another.


    Any other fans here?


    Smashing Pumpkins have had five clocks counting down simultaneously for a couple weeks now. The first one just reached zero today. They released two new songs! And I am very happy with the sound. Billy and co do three or four big sounds; grunge (mayonnaise, xyu etc), soft melodic (to sheila, to forgive), electronic/new wave (appels+oranjes, raindrops and sunshowers, dorian), and a hypnotic electro thing (eye, end is the beginning, white spyder, the future embrace). The new material is between the new wave and electro sound which are both my favorites... Because grunge and soft melodic music is ubiquitous but music derived from the cars and Bowie is less so, or at least less well done... And Billy Corgan and the pumpkins do that kind better than anyone I think.


    One of the new songs 'Cyr' has a video the creator calls "a goth fever dream of pent up emotion – an artistic visual release attempting to create a momentary escape from the emotional black cloud hanging over all of us this year".


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    I was a huge fan of their first 3 albums. After that I lost interest, more because I didn't find the songs as compelling than any issue with the stylistic changes. The new song Cyr sounds quite good though.

    I could never get past Corgan sounding like he had a peg on his nose.


    Mind you I fancied the hell out of D'Arcy Wretzky, I love that weird almost alien look.


    I still really like 33s.

    Abandon all reason

    Quote from Dr. John

    I was a huge fan of their first 3 albums. After that I lost interest, more because I didn't find the songs as compelling than any issue with the stylistic changes. The new song Cyr sounds quite good though.

    The first three were terrific. I love the fourth too (machina) including the free-release companion machina 2. I agree they went into the wilderness in a big way after that... Although there have always been gems even in their weakest albums. I think the new material is promising.

    Quote from Backdrifter

    I could never get past Corgan sounding like he had a peg on his nose.


    Mind you I fancied the hell out of D'Arcy Wretzky, I love that weird almost alien look.


    I still really like 33s.

    His voice is an acquired taste. I held out for a while at the start but the quality of the music eventually won out and I accepted it, then liked it as part of the sound.


    D'Arcy was a 90s icon. So cool.

    Quote from Dr. John

    Wretzky looked cool, but I am unclear about how important her musical contributions were. I thought Corgan played all the bass parts for the first two albums.

    i gather she was the voice of reason or something and kept billy's megalomaniac tendencies in check. So an indirect contribution of sorts. She co wrote one song, daughter, which I really like and make me wish she had contributed more. Live, she could play.

    It took me awhile to adapt to Corgan's voice too. It works best for the more aggressive numbers, but is less than ideal for the ones that require more delicacy, at least when he goes above his lower range.

    Quote from Dr. John

    It took me awhile to adapt to Corgan's voice too. It works best for the more aggressive numbers, but is less than ideal for the ones that require more delicacy, at least when he goes above his lower range.

    Though that doesn't square with my persistent liking of 33s, and my abhorrence of Tonight.

    Abandon all reason

    Quote from Dr. John

    It took me awhile to adapt to Corgan's voice too. It works best for the more aggressive numbers, but is less than ideal for the ones that require more delicacy, at least when he goes above his lower range.

    Broadly true, but then you have something like To Sheila which is just gorgeous, vocals and all. I also find it very effective on the gothy/synth numbers like Eye and The Beginning Is The End, where a more alien sound like he has actually fits well, but is also softer vocally. They are exceptions to your point. I really have no time for his folky solo albums of acoustic Americana. I LOVED his first one though.

    Quote from Backdrifter

    Though that doesn't square with my persistent liking of 33s, and my abhorrence of Tonight.


    I also love 33, it's a nice dreamy song. Tonight was good as part of mellon collie but not so good on its own.


    On the latter note, I remember reading comparisons of MCIS to The Wall when it came out but I always found the similarities fairly superficial - big band releasing a bloated double album. Musically I thought MCIS was much more comparable to The Lamb, with a more melodic vibe and more variety in the sound.

    Quote from thewatcher

    Musically I thought MCIS was much more comparable to The Lamb, with a more melodic vibe and more variety in the sound.

    It gets my vote as one of the worst album titles ever. Unless I can think of a worse one it might be the worst.


    But never mind all that. I'm going to go do an image search for D'Arcy Wretzky and drool a bit.

    Abandon all reason