writhaus

3.5 stars

The Smashing Pumpkins are back! Well, at least two of the members are. The Pumpkins are now a duo consisting of Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin, and Zeitgeist is the band’s first record since 2000′s Machina/The Machines of God. Zeitgeist is a guitar-driven record that rocks hard like the Pumpkins did in the days of old. Gone is any hint of the electronica the band dabbled in during the late ’90s.

Though this record rocks like the old days, in many ways, it seems as if this is the natural follow-up record to Machina. The sound of the band hasn’t changed much since that record or since the 2003 release, Mary Star of the Sea, by Zwan (a band that also featured Corgan as the frontman and Chamberlin playing drums).

Billy Corgan always has been the chief songwriter and the one who guides the Pumpkins’ sound. I was a little worried when I heard The Smashing Pumpkins were working on a new album. That’s because Jesus had been creeping into Corgan’s music, and I was worried it would get worse. Nothing ruins a good rock band like Jesus. Look at Live, for example. Thankfully, the only Christian reference is in “God and Country,” and I’m not even sure whether it’s pro-Christianity or not. (Sidenote: “God and Country” seems to steal a riff from the Sin City theme song. Listen for it.)

In fact, I’m not sure what most of Corgan’s lyrics mean on this record. But is that any different from usual? Corgan’s lyrics tend to be obtuse reveries that sound great but lack significance. I was hoping for a little bit more lyrical content on Zeitgeist, if for no other reason than the artwork on the liner notes is so provocative. The artwork includes a photo of Paris Hilton with a nuclear explosion in the background. Also, there’s the Grim Reaper as the president of the United States. The cover art is a picture of the Statue of Liberty knee-deep in water. These provocative images seem to imply lyrical substance is contained within the record. Unfortunately, there’s none.

Musically, Zeitgeist is excellent. Corgan’s voice shows virtually none of the strain you typically hear with singers his age. And this record rocks. My favorite track is “United States.” The track is nearly 10 minutes long, and it shows a lot of classic rock influence. It even has a little psychadelic interlude à la “Whole Lotta Love” and “Magic Carpet Ride.” The anthemic chorus of “Revolution!” is amazing. Every track on Zeitgeist is solid, except the last song, “Pomp and Circumstances,” which should have been a B-side.

One can hope Corgan continues to evolve The Smashing Pumpkins’ sound, but I don’t think many people will complain if he keeps producing records like this one. And here’s to Jimmy Chamberlin laying off the smack and continuing to smack the drums, as he does so well.

Scale:
0. Shoot yourself
1. Poor
2. So-So
3. Good
4. Excellent
5. Instant classic

This entry was posted on Monday, July 30th, 2007 at 9:48 pm and is filed under Reviews - Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.