Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist

The Smashing Pumpkins first entered my consciousness when I was 12, when I saw the video for “Today.” I thought it was pretty weird (what’s with the guy in a dress?), but loved the song. Later, when I was almost 16, I bought Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and fell head-over-heels in love. For someone who listened to music so freaking much, I showed an alarmingly small range. The Smashing Pumpkins constituted about 50% of the music I listened to. I even had a website archiving their lyrics (this was in the internet’s adolescence, before Google or Wikipedia).

Billy Corgan broke up the band after their artistically marvelous but commercially disappointing MACHINA project, so new music wasn’t available from them. I went to college, and my taste expanded a ton, but Billy’s band still did and always will hold a special place in my heart. That being said, I admit that I wasn’t all that excited when I heard the Pumpkins were reforming. After the very underwhelming Zwan and Billy’s terrible solo project, my hopes weren’t high, especially when I heard that only Billy and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain were returning with a brand new second guitarist and bass player. I just kinda thought, “Oh, that’s nice. Good for them,” and it went no further than that.

With low expectations from me, Zeitgeist meets them, and doesn’t rise above them very much. “Doomsday Clock” is a perfect choice for an opener, because the question on every post-Pumpkinhead’s lips is “do they still have it?” “Doomsday Clock” answers with a resounding “almost,” which is the best they can do. It has mountains of pop appeal, and makes the album come blazing out of the gates with unbelievable force. The only thing that mars the song is Billy’s voice. It’s just a little too willowy for this energetic metal style. “Bleeding the Orchid,” is a doomy pop gem that brings me right back to 2000 and the MACHINA days. Then comes “That’s the Way (My Love Is),” a fantastic modern rock song with a very pop groove to it. This song is great because it finds a very nice middle-ground between many styles, all of which the Smashing Pumpkins have tried in the past with one song or another. My prediction is that this will enjoy great success as a single.

During “Tarantula” and “United States,” the Pumpkins wear their influences on their sleeves. “Tarantula,” the first single, is simply dripping with classic metal aesthetic, sounding like a lost Black Sabbath song. It even has a rip-roaring and incredibly self-indulgent guitar solo, the likes of which haven’t been heard in 10 years (coincidentally by the same guitarist that produces them now). As Sabbathy as that song is, it’s nothing compared to “United States.” That song is doomy, crunchy, dark, disturbing, and intense; all lessons Billy learned directly from Tony Iommi.

After that, they start to stumble. “Neverlost” is an attempt at dreamy synth-pop, but it lacks a good hook, and is out of place on a mostly heavy rock album. Also, Billy’s voice is really showing wear on this song, as it sounds a little annoying. “Bring the Light” is well-intentioned, but quickly got old due to a lack of lyrical originality. “(Come On) Let’s Go!” seems like a leftover from the Zwan sessions, but has a good melody and groove. “For God and Country” has a strong and consistent beat, but is frustrating because it doesn’t seem to have a real time signature. Couple that with a melody that’s really uninteresting, and it’s just not worth the effort.

One expects overt political content from the Pumpkins with song titles like “Doomsday Clock,” “United States,” and “For God and Country.” Why not? Every other artist is unoriginally spouting “I hate Bush!” like a broken record. Even the album art on Zeitgeist suggests it. But Billy wisely sidesteps this issue, choosing to give an incredibly subtle comment instead, unlike many other musicians. The Smashing Pumpkins have never been about delving into social issues, so now is no time to start.

Ending the album is “Pomp and Circumstances,” which won’t go down in Pumpkins history with “1979” and “Disarm,” but is definitely the most interesting listen to come around in a while. It marries an ethereal and grandiose sense of gentility to another Iommi-like guitar solo. It’s not necessarily good, but very intriguing.

All in all, Zeitgeist is a good trip down memory lane, and provides some much-needed intelligent heaviness to a world diluted by genre-mixing. Zeitgeist recalls a simpler time for rock and roll, but is not really up to the Smashing Pumpkins’ standards. They made some of the most important and daringly original music of the 90s, and were a watershed band for that era, so it’s a little disappointing to see them languishing a bit in the new millennium. Even so, Zeitgeist is a lot better than most other comeback records, so there you go. I was just expecting a little more from a band and a man who had achieved demigod status in my eyes when I was a teenager.

Prime Cuts:
That’s the Way (My Love Is)
United States
Tarantula
Doomsday Clock

22 Rating: 7