I can't take the overbearing presence of all the synths. His music sounds best with piano and guitar arrangements. There are small bits of things that had potential and a couple of OK songs, but it sounds more like a solo record where he relegated Tommy Lee to the role of drum machine.
The guys in Soundgarden totally pegged him a few years back. When you become a dictator in a band and stop letting your bandmates hold you back from going forward with bad ideas, this is the result: watered-down music that's a shell of its former self. Sad.
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Fri December 05, 2014 8:51 pm
by matt reeder
I dunno guys, I don't think it's that bad. I actually like a few of the songs. I just think he's lost a lot of the rage that fueled him back in the 90s, and he's never going to get it back. You can say that about another band we all love, too - both of them had their last great album in 2000 and have been searching for it ever since.
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Fri December 05, 2014 9:16 pm
by Iprefertheiroldstuff
Dorian has actually grown on me. It sounds a little like a dialed back "Appels + Oranjes", or *cough* one of the few The Future Embrace tracks that weren't garbage. Yes, TFE had a few good songs. No, I can't remember what they are.
Billy Corgan may not have been great friends with Kurt Cobain, but according to a new interview with the Independent, he respected the Nirvana frontman's undeniable talent. "Now, he and I didn't necessarily get along," Corgan said, "but I like to sing his praises, because he really was that talented." The Smashing Pumpkins leader also made sure to mention that he and Cobain were operating, creatively, on more or less the same level. "In the purest sense of the word, we were competitors," he said. "He and I were the top two scribes, and everybody else was a distant third."
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Fri December 05, 2014 9:26 pm
by Iprefertheiroldstuff
I actually like the main riff in "Monuments", but that shitty vocal-driven part that follows it is simply awful. At least the synth textures aren't unbearable like on a lot of the other tracks. It probably doesn't bear repeating, but the lyrics are also quite amusing, and we can be certain that's not what Corgan was going for.
"One and All" sounds like a Zero b-side, though not of that caliber entirely.
"Tiberius" is hooky. I can fuck with that song.
"Anti-hero" sounds inoffensively like a Zwan track. Again, one is required to block out the lyrics from their mind in order to find merit, but it's there.
I can't wait for Stip to use the above post as ammunition in our bi-annual "Pearl Jam sucks now" debate.
Billy Corgan may not have been great friends with Kurt Cobain, but according to a new interview with the Independent, he respected the Nirvana frontman's undeniable talent. "Now, he and I didn't necessarily get along," Corgan said, "but I like to sing his praises, because he really was that talented." The Smashing Pumpkins leader also made sure to mention that he and Cobain were operating, creatively, on more or less the same level. "In the purest sense of the word, we were competitors," he said. "He and I were the top two scribes, and everybody else was a distant third."
How is it that when Noel Gallagher says ego-inflating shit like this, its hilarious, but whenever Corgan does it, he sounds like a total asshole?
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Fri December 05, 2014 9:38 pm
by Iprefertheiroldstuff
Noel supplements his assholery with being genuinely hilarious. The Corgan persona has no such redeeming element.
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Fri December 05, 2014 10:22 pm
by matt reeder
I honestly could care less about what he does now, but he did enough from 1988 - 2000 to make me love the man forever. I just kind of tune him out now unless he's saying something about the Machina reissue.
That being said, if this current lineup or any lineup involving Jimmy Chamberlin comes to my town I'm going.
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Fri December 05, 2014 11:43 pm
by Evvo
Fair play, the band sounded great tonight. Two new songs to open then into Hummer. When that riff kicked in, the whole place went up. Not overly fussed on Wilk's drumming but Corgan and Schroeder have some of the best guitar tones I've ever heard live.
Marilyn Manson came on to sing Adore as the final song, which was quite something!
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Sat December 06, 2014 2:23 am
by matt reeder
Lest we all forget how amazing this band was when they were on:
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Tue December 09, 2014 1:03 am
by VinylGuy
im warming a little bit on the new one. Might be better than i previously felt.
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Tue December 09, 2014 2:21 am
by McParadigm
Ok
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Tue December 09, 2014 2:21 am
by McParadigm
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Tue December 09, 2014 2:22 am
by Jorge
He looks kind of like you!
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Tue December 09, 2014 2:33 am
by McParadigm
Even I can manage a smile that doesnt look like im crying.
Poor Billy.
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Tue December 09, 2014 2:34 am
by Jorge
Prove it.
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Tue December 09, 2014 2:36 am
by McParadigm
Pictures of me with Johns soul.
Also that was my last catpic bump here.
Re: generic smashing pumpkins thread
Posted: Tue December 09, 2014 5:05 am
by Iprefertheiroldstuff
VinylGuy wrote:im warming a little bit on the new one. Might be better than i previously felt.
Me too. Run2me is still an always skip, though.
On Billy's recent infatuation with cheesy synth tones, do we have Abba to blame? He spun some during his hour DJ stint on BBC last week. Fucking hell.