"Zeitgeist": German for "Rocking"
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Track:7 Shades of Black
I’ve been a fan of the Pumpkins ever since I first saw them in 1998. Yes, I jumped on the bandwagon a bit late — Billy Corgan and crew had been dominating alternative rock since their 1991 debut, “Gish,” and their subsequent masterpieces “Siamese Dream” and “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.” But my tardiness gave me even more reason to await their new album, “Zeitgeist,” with as much impatience and anticipation as someone on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.
But before I get my review really underway, I should say that if Corgan tried to drown me in a swimming pool, I’d give his efforts at least 3.5 stars out of 5. He’s an egotistical maniac (he pretty much disavows the existence of the two absent band members when discussing the Pumpkins’ “reunion”), but I love him.
ANYWAYS. After listening to this album on repeat, my impulse is to say that it is, for all intents and purposes, awesome. Several moments of introspection later, I’d say it’s a little flawed but still fantastic. Corgan is, hands down, one of the greatest rock songwriters of the past 20 years, and his genius still shines through in the obscenely heavy “7 Shades of Black,” the devastatingly beautiful “Bleeding the Orchid,” and the ghoulishly addicting “Bring the Light.” The first single, “Tarantula,” is one of the most hair-raising songs I’ve heard in years. Corgan also builds continuity with past Pumpkins records by using some of the same guitar effects (the solos in “Tarantula” sound just like those in “Untitled,” and the rhythm guitar in “(Come On) Let’s Go” is reminiscent of the one from “Zero”).
But after even more thought, I feel a little troubled by this album. Corgan once said, “If I ever go back to [the Pumpkins], it’s gonna be dangerous. It’s not going to be gingerbread cookies and milk.” I can’t help but think this record is an overcompensated attempt to regain that edginess. It’s filled with incredibly complex guitar layering, great drum work, and politicized lyrics (“Revolution/ Revolution/ What will they do to me,” Corgan croons in “United States”).
Unfortunately, it seems that Corgan has forgotten that rock sometimes requires subtlety. The nearly 10-minute “United States” invokes the spirit of “X.Y.U.” and “Silverfuck,” but doesn’t have the same precision, focus, or passion as its predecessors. And his ambiguous politics don’t seem to resonate — Corgan just isn’t Zack de la Rocha (of Rage Against the Machine fame). To avoid an album that goes out with a whimper, Corgan comes in with a megaphone.
But this album still shows Corgan’s brilliance as a guitarist and composer. In “Tarantula,” he croons, “I don’t want to be alone/ I don’t want to be alone.” All qualms aside, I can say one thing with confidence: he isn’t.
4 out of 5 stars
Originally published in The Stanford Daily on July 19, 2007 (http://stanforddaily.com/article/2007/7/19/smashingPumpkinsReuniteZeitgeistIsGermanForRocking)
But before I get my review really underway, I should say that if Corgan tried to drown me in a swimming pool, I’d give his efforts at least 3.5 stars out of 5. He’s an egotistical maniac (he pretty much disavows the existence of the two absent band members when discussing the Pumpkins’ “reunion”), but I love him.
ANYWAYS. After listening to this album on repeat, my impulse is to say that it is, for all intents and purposes, awesome. Several moments of introspection later, I’d say it’s a little flawed but still fantastic. Corgan is, hands down, one of the greatest rock songwriters of the past 20 years, and his genius still shines through in the obscenely heavy “7 Shades of Black,” the devastatingly beautiful “Bleeding the Orchid,” and the ghoulishly addicting “Bring the Light.” The first single, “Tarantula,” is one of the most hair-raising songs I’ve heard in years. Corgan also builds continuity with past Pumpkins records by using some of the same guitar effects (the solos in “Tarantula” sound just like those in “Untitled,” and the rhythm guitar in “(Come On) Let’s Go” is reminiscent of the one from “Zero”).
But after even more thought, I feel a little troubled by this album. Corgan once said, “If I ever go back to [the Pumpkins], it’s gonna be dangerous. It’s not going to be gingerbread cookies and milk.” I can’t help but think this record is an overcompensated attempt to regain that edginess. It’s filled with incredibly complex guitar layering, great drum work, and politicized lyrics (“Revolution/ Revolution/ What will they do to me,” Corgan croons in “United States”).
Unfortunately, it seems that Corgan has forgotten that rock sometimes requires subtlety. The nearly 10-minute “United States” invokes the spirit of “X.Y.U.” and “Silverfuck,” but doesn’t have the same precision, focus, or passion as its predecessors. And his ambiguous politics don’t seem to resonate — Corgan just isn’t Zack de la Rocha (of Rage Against the Machine fame). To avoid an album that goes out with a whimper, Corgan comes in with a megaphone.
But this album still shows Corgan’s brilliance as a guitarist and composer. In “Tarantula,” he croons, “I don’t want to be alone/ I don’t want to be alone.” All qualms aside, I can say one thing with confidence: he isn’t.
4 out of 5 stars
Originally published in The Stanford Daily on July 19, 2007 (http://stanforddaily.com/article/2007/7/19/smashingPumpkinsReuniteZeitgeistIsGermanForRocking)
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