Album Review: The Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania

The Smashing Pumpkins
Oceania
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Mea culpa here, when I received the promo for this album I was less than thrilled to have to listen to it. Honestly, since Adore, I have not been excited about any imput from Billy Corgan. The constant line-up changes, slagging other artists, forming new bands, putting out solo material, and generally being a self-righteous twit hasn't endeared Mr. Corgan to me, or to many people. But for the man who was the architect of four of the best alt-rock albums of the late 80s-early 90s, I am at least willing to give him the benefit of the doubt - some of the time, that is. His latest album under The Smashing Pumpkins name, is only him and a new group of session players. Long gone are Jimmy Chamberlin, James Iha, and D'arcy Wretzky, and suffice it to say, Oceania lacks the depth and breadth that came with their playing. For the first time in long while, however, Corgan, for the most part, keeps his grandiose tendencies to a minimum, despite Oceania being considered part of the band's ongoing 44-song concept album, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. Is Oceania a return to the glory days? Well, no. Corgan, ever the alt-rock Icarus, always fashions himself greater than his talents actually are, and will always fly too close to the sun, but, despite this, Oceania is actually a fairly entertaining record that only occasionally gets its wings charred.

Corgan would definitely benefit from some judicious editing of his material, or someone in the studio with him to slap his hand when he goes off the rails. When he scales his ideas back and takes them down to the nuts and bolts that is when he really shines as a songwriter and musician. It's when his god complex takes over that the record disintegrates into a bloated mass of prog-rock extremism. The record actually starts off fairly strongly with "Quasar" borrowing some Gish-era psychedelic guitar grooves, slamming into the riff heavy "Panopticon" which features one of Corgan best melodies in years, keeping his usually nasally whine in check.



"The Celestials" actually benefits from being pared down, as the beginning acoustic guitars and strings is far more memorable than the back half descent into sludgy riffs.



Elsewhere on the record, this streamlined approach always results in the more memorable tracks. "Glissandra" features a wondrous chorus of layered guitars that propels the track rather than miring it in pyrotechnics, while "Violet Rays" is a gorgeous mid-tempo rocker with a remarkably restrained vocal from Corgan.



Not that every track has to be minimal for me, there are a couple of interesting tracks where Corgan lets loose, and it actually suits the track rather than distracting from it. "The Chimera," while skirting a little too close to "Cherub Rock" at times, at least shows Corgan being a little more fun and letting loose with some juicy riffs. Title track "Oceania" is an 8 minute odyssey, starting out as an analog synth heavy ballad before adding a more forceful bed of guitars, before dipping into an acoustic mid-section, then returning with a synth/blazing guitar outro that drops out far too early.



But too often, Corgan gets trapped in his old, bad habits, whether it is tying a track to a monotonous riff ("Inkless"), throwing out mind-numbingly bad lyrics (the endless repetition of the word Thorazine on the otherwise gorgeous "Pale Horse"), or attempting to revisit past glories (the treacly ballad "One Diamond, One Heart" which tries and fails to recall the splendor of "Tonight Tonight Tonight").

For each mistake though, Corgan always seems to find a way to redeem himself. "My Love In Winter," has a strength to it but doesn't sacrifice it, allowing some tender parts to seep through; while closer "Wildflower" is likely one of Corgan's most unusual, yet interesting tracks. Repeating the opening lines of the track "Wasted along the way/to reach you" like a mantra over a glistening bed of synths, the song ending in a swirl of synths and roaring guitars.

While Oceania won't fit neatly in their canon of classic albums, it is by far Corgan's most cohesive Smashing Pumpkins' record in years, and for that alone it is worth listening. Oceania definitely reveals that Corgan still has the ability to put out some great songs, and is not just coasting on the memory of better days. I will admit I was ready to slag the album based on a couple of listens, but it was worth putting the effort into discovering a minor gem.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.