Smashing Pumpkins sue Virgin Records

Well.
As most of you know, The Smashing Pumpkins are my favorite rock band/musical act ever.  Obviously not the best in anyway, but I'm a huge fan of the songs Billy Corgan has been able to spit out in all these past years.  Zwan and other side projects have always entertained me as well and I think Jimmy Chamberlin has always been able to knock anyone off the charts with his crazy jungle jazz rock drumming.  Well a week before the official release of The Smashing Pumpkins' latest incarnation (Zeitgeist) will be released, the internet has graciously intervened and handed the fans the album in usual mp3 format.  Here's a knock-out drag-out review of the tracks:

1.  "Doomsday Clock" - The intro and verses remind fans of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' track "Bodies" immediately, but not in a straight-forward manner.  The lyrics of "Is everyone afraid? / You should be ashamed" are incredibly amateurish as well as the struggling vocals before the last chorus of "You should want it all".  Overall an enjoyable track despite the lyrics.

2.  "7 Shades of Black" - Similar to "Doomsday Clock" in guitar and vocal approach but with perhaps the most interesting arrangement I've heard from Billy Corgan in way of song structure for a hard rock song.  Incredibly interesting in a way that leaves you actually wanting more than a three minute and seventeen second tune.

3.  "Bleeding the Orchid" - I've heard this on the recent prerelease tour and residencies the past month or so and I've come to the conclusion that the album version seems to lack energy.  Still a song that you can absorb quickly and may grow on fans in time.

4.  "That's the Way (My Love Is)" - Reminds me of "Wound" and "Untitled" as well as some Zwan material in ways of good arrangement and catchiness.  It's quite the pop-tune without heavy guitars, but driving Corgan vocals and Chamberlin drums.  So far one of my favorite songs from "Zeitgeist" and can compete with pop tunes Corgan has constructed in the past.

5.  "Tarantula" - The first leaked track and single of the newly reformed The Smashing Pumpkins and it's quite the winner.  I'm a big fan of the way Smashing Pumpkins tunes have been formulated in the past and this totally takes the cake in the hard-rock circuit.  Breakdowns are smooth and the solos are quite interesting with the pleasant breakdown near the end that reminds you of Cheap Trick or a hint of Scorpion fun.  The ending vocals add up the reoccurrence of the Corgan Machine with "If it's a white-hot soul they want, It's a black heart they'll get."

6.  "Starz" - Nothing special into this track until you get the vocal layering of "We are Stars" and you wonder what Queen record Billy indulged himself into.  It does get heavier and becomes some smooth area-rocker with up-tempo articulate choruses driven by Chamberlin's drumming.

7.  "United States" - Jimmy Chamberlin.  This is a pure track for Jimmy. Bar none drumming.  The track in itself is sort of tiring for an album full of radio-catchy ideas; though is energetic live and reveals classic Pumpkins in context of a jam-derived song.  The delay ridden guitar work in the middle seems incredibly useless and redundant.  The track is similar to "Glass and the Ghost Children" in context of oddly included tunes for an album.

8.  "Neverlost" - Similar in traditional Pumpkin song structure.  The song has a glockenspiel in the background as well as multiple organ/synths which for some reason reminds me of songs from Machina / the Machines of God or TheFutureEmbrace that I would rather not relive.  This is the first sing on the album where I found the almost un-audible bassline to be interesting.

9.  "Bring the Light" - Incredibly pop-rock.  Similar to "Nothing and Everything" (old demo song from late eighties) with the frantic chase feeling in the tune, with a crazy double tracked solo that highlights the album's use of catchy guitar hooks placed in the background.  Incredibly Boston sounding.

10.  "Come On (Let's Go)" - Reminds me of "Zero" mixed with a neat Thin Lizzy verse.  Some parts remind me of Machina II material like "White Spyder" in the bridge.  Also reminds me of some random area-rocking tunes.

11.  "For God and Country" -  I heard a version from the first show back from Paris, May 22nd and my god-  it sounds nothing like this album version.  Sort of a Machina sessions driven with synths and deep muffled bassline that reminds me of "In My Body" but popier.  And like some Machina songs- sound completely different than how fans first get to know the tunes.  Depeche Mode may have written this song once or twice...

12.  "Pomp and Circumstances" - Odd.  Different instrumentation than you may have ever heard for a Pumpkins song.  Slow and Waltz-like- the deep staccato-strings and resonate percussion sound like an actual depiction of "Pomp and Circumstance" some pit band may have played in the world.  The odd "La la la las" with guitar make the song an odd slow end cap that I can see as a mix of every song The Smashing Pumpkins have had as album closers.

Final First Review:
The Smashing Pumpkins are back; and have this time added a hint of mid-nineties nostalgia while still able deny overpowering the themes that Green Day was miraculously able to grab out of their ass with American Idiot.  Ridden with small amounts of political views (very small, but evident with the cd art as well as the horrid SP flag design) as well as the usual apocalyptic material the album is oddly mixed with reminiscent Zwan ideals in the later half of the track list.  Most of the rockier tunes can be related to MCIS era jams as the synth tunes seem to be left over Machina themes.  Lyrics overall are tiring for the first time in years for Corgan (odd for a man who's best vocal/lyrical work stems from the last four years...and I’m not talking about TheFutureEmbrace) and vocals are concentrated for balanced attack while the panning of mounted chorus lines make an impression that Corgan wanted to be in the group Boston years ago.  Although the layered vocals are welcome, the album is heavily reliant on them as well as nuance effects, synths, and random 'beeps and boops'.  The live versions of a percentage of these tunes work incredibly well with mixed Pumpkin tunes but suffer as a new album.  Zeitgeist lacks dynamics that TSP, The Pixies, and other bands exploited so well along with the screaming and energetic primal screams that Corgan once exerted so easily.  Age has most likely push the yelling into retirement (used rarely for a hit like "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" live) while Corgan has learned from his Zwan / Djali Zwan years that he doesn't necessarily have to scream to get his message across.  The basslines are almost lost in the sea of guitars, which doesn't surprise me whatsoever unfortunately.

Overall this album is quite enjoyable and can top 2000's Machina / the Machines of God quite easily.  I'm just glad there's no horrible clipping due to mastering (IE see Machina and Zwan's Mary Star of the Sea) and I am delighted that Corgan is once again writing radio-friendly pop rock songs.  The new lineup of Billy Corgan (vocals + lead guitar), Jimmy Chamberlin (percussion), Ginger Reyes (vocals + bass), Jeff Schroeder (guitar), and Lisa Harrington (keyboard) are as solid as the Pumpkins have surprisingly EVER been live- cranking out classic Pumpkin tunes as well rehashing oddities than only hardcore fans may remember ("Translucent" !!!).  For a band that's only played 20+ shows in a month together live, The Smashing Pumpkins are using Zeitgeist to pave the way through the uneasy state of rock and roll today and proving their relevance in today’s music.

Corgan and Chamberlin have burned the lies off my soul and crushed me into dust with Metal.  Thanks Boys.

8/10 so far....