Send "Smashing Pumpkins " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk. |
 After the release of the polarizing reunion album Zeitgeist in 2007, the Smashing Pumpkins went back to the studio and created a little masterpiece in the form of the 4-song American Gothic EP. As it is, it is a relatively unknown piece of work, being released only on iTunes in the U.S. A collection of acoustic songs, it is how the Pumpkins should have come back in terms of the quality of music. However this isn't your stripped-down coffee shop acoustic material. Drummer Jimmy Chaimberlain makes his presence known in what would turn out to be his last body of work released with the Pumpkins. The percussion is never too loud, but there when an impact must be made, used for articulation and balancing out the guitars for a stunning result.The first of the four songs is "The Rose March", starting with an almost catchy guitar part while Billy Corgan layers his voice over top singing some lalala's. This vocal part is one of the few small blunders on the EP, but don't be fooled. The song shifts into some guitar chords, astonishingly sounding almost happy, and then very dark, all in the span of a few seconds. Lyrically the song is cryptic, containing lines like, "The universe is full of black holes and anniversary nights," and "We've only just begun to grieve the space, the space." The song closes with the opening guitar part and we move into "Again, Again, Again (The Crux)", another standout track. The percussion blends perfectly to give the song a steady beat while Corgan sings to a loved one "When will I see you again?" The bass is mixed in perfectly as well, accompanying the guitar on certain beats. The song picks up pace as Chamberlain begins to hit the snare and a sense of excitement builds - and the song does not disappoint as Corgan's voice reaches higher. For those that enjoy Billy's voice, it's a real treat. For those who don't, your opinion is sure not to change here. The second half begins with "Pox", a song once again utilizing the acoustics, bass, and drums mix. Following some obscenities in the verse, the chorus contains the simple phrase "We're giving back the dream." It's the least impressive song on American Gothic; however, considering the quality of the other songs, this can hardly be called a stumbling point. The EP ends with "Sunkissed", a gorgeous way to close it. It somehow manages to sound bright and hopeful yet strangely melancholic at the same time, which really is perfect, considering it's a mix of the moods found on the rest of the EP. It also contains the best lyrics, giving a sense of beauty and wonder. While any lyrics that could be inserted here may come off as cheesy or odd, viewed as a whole and listened to in the context of the song, it is a truly moving experience. As the song fades off you are left with a sense of happiness, which just may be a new thing for a Pumpkins record....full text |
| Blogcritics |
| The history of the Smashing Pumpkins' career is rife with ups and downs, grandeur and upsets. While the band released some of the most ambitious rock albums of the nineties, they spent most of the decade confusing their fans and critics, striking out to new territories when the old ones became tired and overdone. In 1995, for example, the band released one of the most ambitious and successful concept albums, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, establishing themselves as one of the best alternative rock bands out there. The album was a commercial success as well, and is still one of the most successful double-disc albums of all time. Then, the band adored critics but confused fans with 1998's Adore, leaving many scratching their heads wondering: what is this stuff? (For the record, this music critic happens to think Adore is Smashing Pumpkins' best album and doesn't care that hardly anyone else agrees with him). Such is the fate of a band that always did whatever they wanted whenever they wanted to, and who cares about the fans or the critics. It was a working formula actually, until Billy Corgan decided to re-form a half-assed version of the band with 2007's Zeitgeist. Promised to be a true return to form, Zeitgeist offered a few excellent gems (such as "That's the Way (My Love Is)" and "Tarantula"), but was mainly a lengthy caricature of their most famous stadium rock anthems. That, along with a poor audio mix and cheesy pseudo-political artwork, Zeitgeist fizzled away just as fast as it jumped into our laps promising Billy Corgan's messianic visions of rock and roll. By the time I got to the end of the year, I had completely forgotten about this album. And that's from the perspective of a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan....full text |
| Musicianforums |
| Corgan has a knack for ruining good things; with all the fame and fortune Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness brought them, Corgan throws everyone one hell of a curveball with the awkwardly electronic/gothic Adore, then releases the metal/wall of sound MACHINA: The Machines of God, releases a bunch of extra tracks, and there went the Smashing Pumpkins as they break up. In 2007, Smashing Pumpkins released Zeitgeist, the return-to-form album we've hoped for since the days of Adore, but Corgan splatters a whole load of ugly all over the vocal performances and really poor mixing, mixed with poor artwork and merchandise and the album is a very good album, but could have been much better. So, it's 2008 and Corgan delivered an "acoustic" EP in American Gothic. Clearly referring to Wood's classic painting, Corgan delivers a simplistic, short four-song EP of more A Perfect Circle-styled acoustic instruments. This isn't four really shallow, unproduced songs like Zeitgeist's title track B-side, this is four vibrant, multiple-personality tracks which one again shows a lot of potential in this reincarnation of Smashing Pumpkins. But the problem with this EP is the same problem Zeitgeist suffered from. Billy Corgan's vocal performances. Don't tell me he doesn't have the pipes to sing like he used to-in concert he sang one of the most extreme dynamical vocal performances with Hummer better than ever. He can still sing at a lull and can still scream like he does in the jam-fest Tales of a Scorched Earth. Unfortunately, it sounds like Corgan was suffering from insomnia one night and began watching mind-numbing marathons of Night Court, and decided to record the vocals while lying on his couch, half awake, and petting his cat. He still strays far off key, he still roars indistinguishable vocal performances, and still sounds as if he's stretching the same note to every lyric in the song....full text |
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