MACHINA/THE MACHINES OF GOD:
The beginning of this is actually kind of exciting. It represents a bold new direction for the band to go in, and it works, melding organic rock with mechanical flourishes to produce sort of a Mecha-Pumpkins monster. Unfortunately, it too quickly drops into mediocrity. The latter half probably wouldn’t seem so bad if the first half wasn’t as good. This album isn’t bad, but it feels like a major disappointment given the promise shown at the beginning.
MACHINA II - FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF MODERN MUSIC:
I have a rare promo CD of this, which I think can probably fetch me about 5 bucks on eBay. This was only released on vinyl to fan club members with the intention of them spreading the songs through various file-sharing programs. Kudos to Billy for not forcing people to pay for this crap. In all fairness, there might be some good songs hidden here. But for whatever reason, the Pumpkins went for a lo-fi sound here. Lo-fi just doesn’t suit Billy’s grandiose bald head. Maybe this was all an evil plot hatched by Billy to destroy Napster in ways Metallica could never imagine. That or the record company absolutely refused to put out this album (true according to Wikipedia), and Billy couldn’t stand the idea of some of his songs going unheard by the masses. Ironically, I think the songs still went unheard by the masses.
ROTTEN APPLES/JUDAS O:
This is the way to do a hits compilation. A smattering of the big singles for the casual fans who aren’t likely to notice the glaring omissions. And for only a dollar more, the harder-core fans can get the bonus disc of B-sides and rarities. Though the hardest of hardcore fans will feel ripped off since most of these tracks already appeared on THE AEROPLANE FLIES HIGH or MACHINA II. Interestingly, the MACHINA II songs are listed as being previously unreleased. Granted, that album was never commercially released but it was somewhat officially released by the band. As suggested by the title, JUDAS O is a sort of sequel to PISCES ISCARIOT, but it lacks that album’s fluidity. There’s some exquisite and sublime moments here, but nothing creates the urge to listen to it as a whole. It’s best to rip these songs and throw them into the MP3 shuffle playlist.
ZWAN – MARY, STAR OF THE SEA:
I know what you’re thinking, “Hey, this isn’t an SP album. Why are you putting it in this entry?” Well, let’s take a look, shall we? Jimmy Chamberlain on drums. Ethnic guy on guitar, girl on bass, neither of whom actually play on the album. Billy Corgan’s tyrannical bald head. Yep, a Pumpkins album in all but name. Most people didn’t care much for this, mostly because it wasn’t, you know, GISH. Since I don’t care much for GISH, I feel I have a better perspective. This is Corgan’s best and most consistent batch of songs since SIAMESE DREAM. And if Zwan had managed to attain the sublime production of those early Pumpkins albums, I guarantee you’d all love this album. I think the main weakness here is the lack of a standout single. Everything’s generally pleasant with no bad tracks and even a decent sprawling epic in “Jesus, I.” It just needs some great songs to elevate everything else.
ZEITGEST:
I don’t know. I kind of like this one. Maybe I was just in a good mood. Maybe my expectations were just really low. But it is nice to see Billy just rocking again, even if there’s nothing particularly remarkable or memorable about it. This is pretty much a take it or leave it release. But it does beg the question. Is it reasonable to expect an artist to maintain a high level of excellence, or should we be happy if they can at least continue to churn out entertaining music?
FINAL THOUGHTS:
There’s really no final thoughts when it comes to Billy Corgan. He’s a douche who also happens to be a musical genius even if he’s not quite the genius he once was. In other words, he’s the white Kanye West.
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