Yeah pretty weird to see that name used at this time.
Many more listens are needed to properly evaluate it, but after two listens:
Knights of Malta - I can understand why this is divisive and while the “whoa-whoa’s” are a bit jarring at first, I think the risk he took here pays off. I really like this! Good call on the “whoa whoa’s” Billy!
Silvery Sometimes - This is a great song. After hearing any few seconds of this, you know there’s exactly one person who could have written it (I mean that in a good way, of course).
Travels - Anyone else hearing Futures-era Jimmy Eat World here? This is nice.
Solara - This has really grown on me. I’m at the point where it gets stuck in my head and I think it rocks now, He can still write a hook.
Alienation - Kind of feels like a sequel (musically at least) to the excellent One Diamond, One Heart off of Oceania.
Marchin’ On - I like the contrast between the ugly verses and the melodic chorus. I’ll graciously allow the Velvet Revolver comparisons, but it’s still enjoyable. My initial impression is that of all of his songs, this is the one that might be most impacted by production decisions - I bet it’ll be more powerful live. I can picture him in the booth doing a vocal take, which kind of took me out of it at first.
With Sympathy - I’m hearing a little bit more Jimmy Eat World here.
Seek and You Shall Destroy - Feels like a lot is going on here, in a positive way. I think this could be a good single.
My initial impression: it’s good!
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Slightly less initial impression: it’s really good!
It’s largely pretty poor, although - With Sympathy does capture a little of that old magic. It really is a pretty song. Marchin’ On (or whatever it’s called) could have been on Machina 2 as well which is no bad thing.
Somehow I’ve only just heard the Set the Ray to Jerry demo. It’s pretty fascinating hearing it with a thick Siamese Dream lead and a distorted chorus.
It’s not “woah-woahs” in the first track though, it’s “wo-wo-wo-wo-wo–wo” and it’s the noise one of the monsters off the Muppets would make. It’s like he’s never heard singing before, only had it described to him badly, and decided to have a go. I’m fairly certain it’s the worst song I’ve ever heard…
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I immediately liked the song, but I really like this description.
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Ouch
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I’m starting to think that you have a hard time with objectivity when it comes to the Pumpkins.
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Playing Download apparently. On before Tool…
Been announced. As have Slayer and Anthrax!
Been thinking on this a bit recently
Reckon up until about 2005 and his first solo album Billy was mostly making albums that he wanted to make, and that (in most cases) chimed with something in the musical climate and mostly sold as a result.
But then they stopped selling, and he’s basically just been second guessing himself and trying to deliver what he thinks an audience wants. So he just churns out poor, flat facsimiles of the mid 1990s and his commercial peak and, still, nobody cares.
I haven’t listened to it but I imagine that solo album is the only thing he’s done in her last ten years that hasn’t fallen into that trap, because he had no reason to make that album. No one was expecting it or thinking about it except him.
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If My Bloody Valentine or Tame Impala released it, it would have gotten best new music. “The lack of lyrical depth is a brilliant subversion of expectation and the embodiment of less is more. Billy Corgan wishes he could write a song about a rainbow.”
Just sayin
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Haven’t felt the urge to go back to this since Friday, when I streamed it pretty much all day. One of my all time top 5 favourite bands. My vinyl copy hasn’t even arrived yet. Urgh.
He’s releasing that in two parts too though…
Maybe, and I’m just throwing this out there as a hypothetical possibility, he’s just not got any good songs in him any more?
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Just tried to listen to it on headphones, it’s really loud and sharp-sounding isn’t it, unpleasant listening (and not just because the songs are so bad).
Having said that, I’ve listened to it about 8 times now which is more than I’ve listened to pretty much any other album released this year, and I don’t know why. Maybe I’m sick?
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