Smashing Pumpkins: Fresh Fruit or Rotten Veg?

Some interesting stuff on the new album but mostly meh.

It's better than I expected? Still lots of meh, but a step up from Cyr imho. That intro title track is misleading, it's like an atmospheric black metal intro or something, I was all stoked for it to lead into like "Tales of a Scorched Earth" v2 or something but, nope, back to the same synth pop sound he's been chasing. I do love the metal loving guitar solo in "The Good in Goodbye" though, along with a few other parts where the guitar makes a notable impression. It's overproduced to death, but the drums do hit pretty hard.

Again, borderline criminal that Corgan has a rare talent like Chamberlain in his band and refuses to let him loose and keeps him tied to so many boring ass beats.

they were great last night, new songs were good too. interestingly, no keyboards on stage; there were some programmed things here and there being triggered from somewhere, but this was an extremely guitar heavy set. I hadn't realized there was another guitarist in addition to Iha and Corgan now too.

Jeff?

Yeah, he's still with them afaik.

yes. also, sadly, no chips and dip, though we were treated to the worst version of Once in a Lifetime I've ever heard

Jane's Addiction were awesome, I didn't miss Navarro at all, plus Josh Klinghoffer showed up for a few songs.

I feel bad for Jeff - he's been in the band for 15 years now and still gets forgotten.

well in fairness, I pay no attention to smashing pumpkins in general so don't assume my ignorance is a sign of anything

the stage set up was interesting in that they didn't have any amp cabs up there, just heads, so I guess they routed everything back through the monitors (and in-ears, I assume). I've read somewhere else this is becoming common for some bands but I'd never seen it before.

hmm

https://www.discogs.com/release/25361299-The-Smashing-Pumpkins-The-Rubano-Tapes-Vol-2

xp yeah I saw a gear video where their amp tech had the cabs miked up inside acoustic isolation boxes for whatever perfection of tone that permits

Are these Rubano Tapes intended to ensure that the songs remain copyrighted, much like what The Rolling Stones and Beach Boys have done?

second chapter of atum came out to zero fanfare or awareness today

really enjoying the opener

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KZ-N9gkTnQ

I attempted to listen to Billy’s podcast recently. So bad.

i bet it's terrible!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MCJsgNe3VU

this is the other major highlight from the new one... uhhh maybe his best tune since oceania, closest he's come to writing a new order song since thefutureembrace. if only he were this good all the time still

Brad, you’re not wrong. This is actually a pretty good song, particularly in context of the last 15 years or so of this band.

Yes, fantastic song.

I think there might actually be a decent 40-minute album to be salvaged from all of this at the end!

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

just here to casually brag that my six year old's favorite song now is "an ode to no one"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtT46ScAgVY

i do love when billy just goes for it and writes a pop song

please tell me that's not Jimmy Chamberlin drumming

So today I learned that as part of the Atum project, they've recorded a full on "psychedelic", guitar heavy record that won't be officially released as part of the Atum set. BUT it is currently only available as part of the Atum autographed limited edition box set going for... checks notes... $500. It won't even be available for streaming or digitally until at least 2024.

Absolutely insane. Burying the album most of your fans have been waiting to hear as a bonus item on a ridiculously overpriced limited edition box set tells you exactly what Billy thinks of his fans at this point.

really don’t care about any new stuff… unless bradnelson or somebody made a nice post-machina playlist.

wish those rubato lps on Martha’s music were still available

rubano, I mean, although it would be pretty cool if Terri thaemlitz did an album of sp piano covers

terre. That’s three.

Yeah, I'm bummed I missed those.

I guess on some level it's such a Billy move, "you guys want another guitar heavy record? fine, buy this expensive box set to hear it".

1. "Simmatar"
2. "Magdalena"
3. "Saffron"
4. "Zope"
5. "Huzzah!"
6. "Automaton"
7. "MaryQ"
8. "Burr"
9. "Excelsior"
10. "Necromance"

i'm sure we're all stoked to hear "huzzah!"

anyway this will leak to the internet immediately and i'm also fine with it not appearing officially for another year, whatever, who even knows if it's good

The ten additional songs, which will be spread across five 7-inch singles, were revealed in the fourth episode of Corgan's Thirty-Three podcast to be the shelved Shiny and Oh So Bright Vol. 3 album.

really don’t care about any new stuff… unless bradnelson or somebody made a nice post-machina playlist

i could give this a shot. bummer that the zeitgeist-era material is still wholly absent from streaming. way more mad about that personally

billy's song titles keep getting better

I have absolutely no doubt that Billy is overstating the quality of the songs, just think it's funny that fans have been practically begging for more guitar-heavy stuff from them and he's burying it like that.

also i thought cyr was supposed to be shiny and oh so bright vols. 2 & 3? is it just volume 2 now? is volume 2 some other shelved project?

seems bonkers to me that smashee pumpkee are the only big band of the grunge era whose key albums are currently unavailable on vinyl. lot of money being left on the table there imo.

i would imagine there's probably some dispute between corgan and the label. how long has the machina reissue/reimagining been in the works for now lol

Wow, had ‘t realised what old Caroline repressings of SD goes for these days. People hate the 2011 reissue apparently

The reworked artwork of the 2011 versions sucks. Billy strikes again.

how long has the machina reissue/reimagining been in the works for now lol

Literally the last thing I ever need from the guy (unless somehow the Zwan vault fully opens, which I very much doubt) and still not here!

apparently the machina reissue was finished early last year, but it's up to universal to decide when to release it. the lack of any vinyl reissues for the 90s albums is also apparently universal's fault - they're not interested in using their limited vinyl production capacity for those & would rather focus on pressing new albums instead.

Why are people supposed to be excited about Corgan completing a three-album "rock opera" when he has trouble sustaining and conveying a narrative over the course of a single song?

i don't think anyone is particularly excited about atum and i would be genuinely surprised if it has any discernable narrative

He, at least, presumably considered it a selling point!

1. "Simmatar"
2. "Magdalena"
3. "Saffron"
4. "Zope"
5. "Huzzah!"
6. "Automaton"
7. "MaryQ"
8. "Burr"
9. "Excelsior"
10. "Necromance"

i'm sure we're all stoked to hear "huzzah!"

― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Friday, April 14, 2023 8:48 AM (four weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink

had the opportunity to hear a low quality vinyl rip of this via slsk. it is... describing it as the psychedelic guitar-driven pumpkins record that fans want is a bit rich. it's not even that guitar-driven. it kinda sounds like modern day pumpkins cosplaying as jellyfish (and not doing a very good job of it)

anyway looking forward to listening to atum the whole way through ha ha ha

I like this week's Pitchfork review - it did a good job of balancing the obligatory jabs @ Billy (one line made me laugh out loud) with what seemed like serious attention to the music.

it kinda sounds like modern day pumpkins cosplaying as jellyfish (and not doing a very good job of it)

this still sounds like an improvement from a lot of post-reunion pumpkins though lol

I recently started listening to Bandsplain and the Pumpkins episode is really good. Acknowledges all the great stuff and is more patient with some of the later material than I am. It works to understand Billy and not just make fun of him, although there’s some of that too. I had no idea what a bummer his home life was as a kid.

I have no interest in anything new that he does but I keep up for old times sake.

I recently started listening to Bandsplain and the Pumpkins episode is really good. Acknowledges all the great stuff and is more patient with some of the later material than I am. It works to understand Billy and not just make fun of him, although there’s some of that too. I had no idea what a bummer his home life was as a kid.

I have no interest in anything new that he does but I keep up for old times sake.