On Second Listen: Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
Seven years after Billy Corgan disbanded the infamous 90s mainstream phenomenon, The Smashing Pumpkins, he brought it back together–well, technically speaking. While he forgot to call friends James Iha and D’arcy Wretzsky (including Melissa Auf der Maur if you want to get really technical), he managed to snag Jimmy Chamberlin back on drums, which wasn’t too hard, given the two have collaborated on everything post-Pumpkins together. Still, almost a decade later, Chamberlin has the energy of a ten year old with ADHD and all the poppy snares and thrashing cymbals stand out; unfortunately, it’s Corgan, whose angst feels more posh and fabricated than surreal and intrepid. So, what was the end result? The hodgepodge of musical success that is, Zeitgeist.
“Doomsday Clock” kicks off the seventh studio album with a gothic primordial sense of dread. The village voice of Corgan’s echoes off of Chamberlin’s tribe-like drumming with some soloing that brings out the more metallic-like influences of the Pumpkins. The frontman’s first words are questions, “Is everyone afraid? /Is everyone ashamed?” It’s obvious there is still a sense of depression and misery in Corgan’s life and on this track it’s rather authentic, at least in comparison to the remainder of the album. On the whole, “Doomsday Clock” is a decent introduction to the album, introducing the recording’s polished sound and raspy vocals.
“7 Shades of Black” kicks it up a notch and sets a riding rhythmic pace that recalls early Pumpkins life, circa Gish-era. The bass sticks out, which is unfortunate that Ginger Reyes wasn’t allowed to contribute, and Corgan’s tone is near perfect. Squealing guitar lines add some energy which unfortunately comes to an end all too quickly. Much like “Zero”, the song is plagued by high energy with a short mortality rate. It’s all over by the time it comes to life.
Harmonies chant and synchronize and the likes of Foreigner or Duran Duran come to mind in “Bleeding the Orchid”, which is a rocking ballad with a bit more distortion in mind. The key element here is Corgan’s knack for guitar instrumentation. Unfortunately, the lyrics are piss poor (by Corgan’s standards) and the incessant chanting of “Bleeding the orchid…” tires, but altogether, the atmospheric life of the song pulls you in, but there’s not much else after that initial reaction.
It’s a good thing “That’s The Way (My Love Is)” rings next because it’s everything a single should be: catchy, memorable, and sticky. Corgan’s layered harmonies wall the listener and the distant solos go in and out, mish mashing into what may be the best softer rocker the band has to offer anew. It’s a shame the timid, emotional introduction Corgan plays at earlier shows is missing, as it would have befit the actual recording.
As if its a one-two punch, “Tarantula”, the obvious first single, is a clincher, and much like “Doomsday Clock” offers an insight into what’s the band has to offer. Rioting guitar lines, trigger happy drumming, and soft spells here and there. The chorus is catchy, while the lyrics seem juvenile in comparison to Corgan’s back catalogue. Nevertheless, it’s still one of the powerhouse tracks on Zeitgeist and implicitly a single.
Much like many albums, the middle tends to get soft. Zeitgeist is no exception. Two songs, “Starz” and “United States”, are hampered by lengthy tracks (especially the latter) that never really prove endearing or conclusive. The former suffers from an exhaustive amount of double tracking by vocals, perhaps even quadruple tracking here (something which essentially kills this album), and the chorus seems cliché and indifferent. The nearly ten minute opus that is “United States” is riddled with solos and drum patterns that might seem great live, but on record find themselves lost and repetitive. The ending is rocking, but you’ll have to sift through five minutes of nonsense to enjoy it.
By the second half of the album, Corgan brings back the guns of enchanting pop. “Neverlost” sounds like a b-side to Machina/The Machines of God but with the current edge the band is purporting. On second thought, it also bears similarities, at least in rhythm, to last the Red Hot Chili Peppers tune, “Hey”, off of their last album Stadium Arcadium–though this is unintentional, of course.
What really shines is “Bring the Light”, quite possible the catchiest song Corgan has written since the Mellon Collie years. From the palm muted opener to the explosive back and forth riffle ball guitar writing to the early 80s soloing, the song will undoubtedly stay in anyone’s head. “(Come On) Let’s Go!” is fun, but a little too similar to “Zero” and seems more filler than runner ups to a fan favorite.
The last two songs on the album are surprising. Where it would seem poignant and fitting to have an acoustic, mellow song with the likes of “Disarm”, Corgan chose to take the now concert ballad, “For God and Country”, and revisit the more electronic aspects of his career (e.g. The Future Embrace); therefore, the song now sounds more like a Pet Shop Boys cover than the typical ballad that would be fitting. On a more positive note, the eerie piano notes that recall Pink Floyd’s “High Hopes” fit the song, however.
Unfortunately Zeitgeist ends with what can be considered the Pumpkins’ greatest disappointment of a song (or a closer, for that matter), the very Enya-like “Pomp & Circumstance”. A song more bloated than an Irishman at the end of March, this should have been a sick ending to an already heavy album; instead, it’s a washed out song that really does nothing but add more minutes. The fans are right in believing “Gossamer” would have been a choice ending, either that or one of the better b-sides, take your pick, “Zeitgeist”, “Stellar”, or “Ma Belle.”
Zeitgeist is not a perfect album. The production mirrors Queen’s works too much, which simply do not cut it for a band like the Smashing Pumpkins. Raw aggression and clean tempos are better suited and all the energy seems lost in the mixing board. What’s also plaguing this album is the fact that it’s a two man show, and it really shows. No longer are the harmonies intertwined with a female presence, now it’s a constant Corgan to Corgan hodgepodge that is actually more tiring than relaxing.
From track to track, even the ones that work, Corgan seems too up front, and not metaphorically, but literally. The vocals at times sound too loud or separate from the band itself. That third party angle is missing, whose shoes seem to be filled by producer Roy Thomas Baker, who brings an 80’s like sound to the whole schlemiel. It works sometimes, but like most fans might say, it’s missing Iha, even if Corgan allegedly did everything beforehand.
Nevertheless, and despite its flaws, Zeitgeist will surely satisfy the hungry appetites of Pumpkinheads, modern rock fans, and/or grunge enthusiasts. Some might enjoy it over the very atmospheric, quasi-poppy Machina/The Machines of God, while others will run from it as if it’s pure blasphemy to the band’s original discography. Whatever the case, it comes down to how you accept the band today. Will you compare them to yesterday? Or, will you accept that Corgan’s the brain child, who’s finally triggering the right nerves to write Pumpkin-esque material again? When you’ve come to those conclusions, then maybe you’ll enjoy Zeitgeist.
Until then, keep spinning Siamese Dream.
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that one point was the leading argument of your last rebuttal, and hence my primary focuse. the other slightly different comments come back to my latter point about what you expect SP to be vs. what they are. thats why you were disappointed. because of unattainable expectations.
sure, i’m biased by fandom, but no more or less than you are by your expectations or typical billy propaganda. but whatever…its probably best that you DON’T actually explain yourself anymore, because the supposed grounds for disliking the album will only get turnd into more comments from me you won’t agree with.
Like the lyrical comment about BTO and COLG. For what those songs are, the lyrics suit them well. COLG is all about levity and the driving ever-changing guitar melody. Its a fun rock song, meant to be catchy. Like GLOW.
BTO is a great tune. Structurally and when performed live, its very reminiscent of the 90’s. Again, just another piece of the puzzle.
Zeitgeist= Worse Pumpkin Album by far.
You’re running a tangent off of one line, and assuming that I’m throwing the album away based on one argument. You’re also under the impression that this album is remarkable, which it isn’t. I mentioned several points where I was disappointed and not just one.
You also need to step out of your fandom and look at the album outside of the Pumpkins fan mentality. On the whole, it’s a shoddy album, and nothing spectacular, as you would assume it to be.
At this point, I can hardly listen to some, if not most, of the tracks here. Production aside, I’ve given my reasons, and don’t really feel the need to justify them anymore.
*in the 2nd to last paragraph I was talking mostly about MCIS, but the last sentence refers to Zeitgeist. Sorry, got a little pronoun happy.
Production doesn’t fit SP? Haha…I’m glad you said that Michael! Because funamentally thats where you lost your way.
You’re talking about a band whose every album sounds different than the one before it, and the one after it. Just because something is different and unexpected, does not make it bad. Thinhk how Adore was to people who were shocked by it. Even a rocker such as myself has to admit there’s some awesome song writing on Adore, despite its unique sound.
The layering of vocals is a production choice. And its a sytlistic choice. Again, I don’t think its enough to invalidate the material, the musical performances, the instrumentation or the album’s other merits (i mean, compare it to zwan and future embrace for heavens sake).
Your comment about falsified emotion touches on an interestig problem. At the live shows, the new material is some of the most emotional and intense music being played. Because its the music of “now”. The music close to BC’s heart. But peopel who didn’t like the album for small silly reasons :-), they will just dismiss them. Then they’ll focus on Mayonaise or something that may be less raw or angst-ridden than it was in 93, because the band’s in their 40’s now, and incorrectly come to the conclusion all emotion has been lost. Instead, they’re just robbing themselves of the emotional/intense songs because of subjective preference with the vocal production. What a waste!
Honestly, I think you’re just not connecting with the new material because you’re trying to push the Pumpkins into some kind of standard in your head that means “pumpkins” to you. Well guess what? a band this dirverse means something different to everyone. The goth kids, the emo kids, the grunge kids, the fans of the heavy stuff, the fans of the slow stuff….they’ll never please everyone, so they just haev to continute to grow and along the way some people will be pissed and some will be pleased. I wonder, Michael, how will you react to horns and violinists and 9 ppl on stage at the upcoming SP shows? Will you apprecdite the music for what it is, or complain its not what you expected it to be?
Its amazing to read old pumpkins album reviews. In every case, except for MCIS, all albums including Siamese Dream have received mixed reviews. Not just middle of the road but very intense opinions on both sides of the spectrum. I guess this means SP has to release a double disc multi-faceted, multi-genre album everytime, because otherwise you’re going to isolate and piss people off.
I mean, imagine if they took 1 of the 4 or 5 different “sounds” that make up MCIS and made more homogenous albums out of them. Better yet, conduct an experiment and try aasking people for their fav tracks on that album. Its universally praised as a whole album, but rarely do ppl agree on what makes it so good. It makes me wonder if every staff memeber from CoS were to review the album, what things would look like.
Bottom-line is SP albums take a musical commitment of sorts. You can’t listen a few times and make an analytical review. You have to let it soak in…put it away and bring it back out again. Experience it live. Connect with the drums one time through…the guitar the next…the lyrics the next. Focusing in on a thin or petty or specific complaint is just being unfair to yourself. YOu need to step back and see it as a whole, otherwise you’re missing out on some of the best rock music out there today.
Thanks for finally commenting. I was wondering if all the writing was for nothing.
Your points make for a good rebuttal; however, I still disagree.
The production on here doesn’t fit SP, and whatever guitar work I complemented could have been outrageous, instead became glossy and seemingly overdubbed.
On a similar note, it’s the production that falsifies Corgan’s vocals and erodes any sense of authenticity here. And two man show? Yes, I do recognize that the earlier albums were the work of a two man show (sometimes one), but at least it was subdued then. And it’s not my prior perception because much of this review is culled from my initial opinions when I first heard the album last year, and I still thought Ginger and Jeff had contributed. Even then, the layered harmonies (all Corgan) sound ridiculous and just… well.. fake.
That’s what kills the album. Not to mention, some of the songs sport the lamest lyrics this band has been tagged with to date (e.g. Bleeding the Orchid, Come On (Let’s Go) and some outrageously asinine instrumentation (e.g. Pomp & Circumstance). But hey, that’s an opinion to an opinion, but also one that seems to go along with much of the audience’s dissent, as I’ve had discussions with several fans of SP, who all considered something similar.
In addition, I also feel Corgan chose some of the wrong songs here. Granted, I was a bit unfair with United States, but even so, it doesn’t get interesting until the end, and even then… it’s just too much.
You focus a lot on production/styslistic choies. Granted this criticizm of the album has a little more weight than those related to line-up or Corgan’s motives for bringing the band back (i.e. 90% of the other reviews out there), but imo still doesn’t completely invalidate the quality of the songs or the album.
Frankly, I’m surprised anyone with a knowledge of RTB’s past work would be surprised by up-front vocal layering. This is an ovious result of the producer choice, no? Its a fair subjective opinion to say maybe it doesn’t work as well with SP, but its deinitely as “fresh” and “different” as the production quality change we experienced in the rest of the catalog. Just take any SP album and compare it to the one before and the one after.
I also think the “sounds like a 2 man show” angle is somewhat biased, because you can’t be 100% objective when you KNOW going-in that its a 2-man show. Compare to Gish and Siamese Dream which you may not think sounds that way, but I have news for you — 2 man show! It juast wasn’t common knowledge back in the day, so perception of it was different.
Personally, regardless of all these production related choices, I think what penetrates through first and foremost is the mastery and skillful guitar and drum playing. You glaze over US and call it nonsense, when its arguably the single most brilliant JC drum performance ever recorded. The guitars all over this record are in your face and awesome. A confident/bold “here we are” effort that does not play it safe for their comeback. The guitar solo work on Tarantula, Neverlost and Pomp&Circumstances is inspiring…and as you pointed out the guitar instrumentation on every track is very well done.
Vocals have obviously always been a point of contention with this band. So all I’ll say is this….BC is not the same angst-ridden 27yr old you once knew. The subdued scorn/angst/whatever you detect is simply a reflection of his maturity and growth as a person, not some “fabricated” effort that falls short of past honesty.
the song on the watchmen trailer is 1998’s Beginning is the End is the Beginning, not Doomsday Clock.
Doomsday Clock was used in the movie Transformers and on trailers for Incredible Hulk.
i’m still not particularly sold on the album. it just doesn’t sit right with me. i will say this though, “Doomsday Clock”’s use in the “Watchmen” movie trailers is amazing.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
[...] of the Chicago quartet, but rings in some of that rough yet sleek production value lost on most of Zeitgeist. So, in other words, we’re starting to warm up to the band [...]
Mar 24th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
[...] I was excited as anyone else when Zeitgeist hit record stores (Oh, wait, it’s not the ’90s anymore), er, iTunes. But the drivel the [...]