Zeitgeist

 

 

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After a few listens this album is fantastic. Great guitar work by Corgin and SP's.

Not sure why the other reviewer had to rate this 1/5 because Amazon didn't list what the LTD Ed. had on it. That has nothing to do with the quality of the work.

Sure it will sell more units than his solo album of 2005 and the Zwan, album. But is that the joke? Write a horrible album, slap the familiar name on it and sell. This album is bad!

the single Tarantula is basically Geek Rock U.S.A redone
and i haven't heard a second single.

i bought this album the day i came out. i bought adore and machina on they're release dates too, along with the Corgan solo album.
But i will never by another Pumpkins cd cause of this piece of trash.

Billy should of just reworked songs from the Aeroplane flies high box set.

The Smashing Pumpkins are back. The legendary rock band, which blossomed like a dark rose in the musical wasteland of the 1990s.

Okay, only frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin have returned from the original lineup, and the absences can be detected. But their return album "Zeitgeist" is still worthy of epic praise -- dark, passionate hard-rock, written with a darkly poetic sweep. Too bad the extra material isn't so good.

The drums smash, the bass roars like unleashed tornado. "Is everyone afraid?/Is everyone ashamed?/They're running towards their holes to find out/Apocalyptic thieves/Are lost amongst our dead," Corgan drawls, telling us a story of gas masks, Kafka and fear.

It's followed with the roiling rocker "7 Shades of Black," with the level of depression you'd expect ("And without peer/And without fear/I'm without anyone at all!"). Then it pours into a series of blazing hard-rockers -- soaring grimy epics, buzzing and cascading bass rockers, a stripped-down melodic tune, and the soaringly exquisite "Pomp and Circumstances," which is only marred by Corgan singing "la la la la..."

"Zeitgeist" probably won't be gently compared to the Pumpkins' earlier classics, especially since it doesn't have James Iha and D'arcy Wretzy from the original lineup -- valuable talents both. But taken on its own virtues, it's brilliant hard-rock -- epic, dark, and with moments of sheer poetry woven into the stormy music.

If I had a main complaint, it would be that the softer songs are rare here, and that the bass doesn't have that epic quality in some of the songs. But Corgan is blazingly passionate in his playing, layering and building a storm of driving guitar and fuzzy bass. He pushes on the fiery melodies of each song, with Chamberlin smashing the drums beside him. These guys sound kinetic.

And Corgan's nasal voice sneers and drawls through the harder songs, but he can also sound wistful and tender, like when he sings, "that's the way my love is." And he pours plenty of passion into his songs, which seem to balance out between the happy and sad -- on one side, a crumbling, bitter apocalypse, and on the other, "no shadows follow me unsung."

Some of his songs aren't up to par lyrically, like "God and Country." But Corgan spins his weird poetry in other songs, like the the ethereal "Pomp and Circumstance": "Torn, broken and frayed/Oh don't we face/War, sunshine and grace/Oh won't you stay/For a while/We can fail in style..."

The special edition of "Zeitgeist" also comes with a eightyish-page booklet, but to be perfectly honest, the booklet is kind of pointless. It's primarily filled with arty photographs -- Paris Hilton in front of a burgeoning nuclear explosion, a grim reaper on the presidential podium, a Roman soldier, coffins, and quite a few others. They're interesting photos, but not really worth exerting yourself for, and they don't reveal much about the album itself.

The Pumpkins aren't quite all they once were here, but Corgan and Chamberlin are enough to make "Zeitgeist" a brilliant hard-rock album with some vintage flourishes. Just take it for itself, with no comparisons.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Great extra, but only collectors need bother.
In these days of digital dominance, it'd be easy to dismiss album artwork entirely. I won't be doing that here, though. Read more

Published on July 13 2007 by C. Rin

3.0 out of 5 stars The "Pumpkins" are mad, but not sad
Not sure if using the moniker "The Smashing Pumpkins" was appropriate. Perhaps Billy and Jimmy should have pulled a "Bachman/Cummings" title out the their hats, but then again,... Read more

Published on July 11 2007 by S. Maybee

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm in touch with you
The Smashing Pumpkins are back. The legendary rock band, which blossomed like a dark rose in the musical wasteland of the 1990s. Read more

Published on July 9 2007 by E. A Solinas

1.0 out of 5 stars HEY AMAZON
So... Amazon has an exclusive edition of the album, but they won't tell us what it has on it... NICE. Does it come with the BONUS DVD that the German Amazon disc comes with? Read more

Published on July 3 2007 by hypersigil

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