Feb. 16, Wednesday




Pretty old album, fresh sound. The (defunct) Zzzzmashing Pumpkins.. :D

Having misjudged their audience's loyalty to skewed, art-damaged heavy metal, the Smashing Pumpkins called it a day shortly after the release of the low-grossing Machina/The Machines of God. :p (But personally, it was a great buy also..) Three years later, frontman Billy Corgan returns with an all-star team of mostly Chicago indie rockers at his side, including Slint/Tortoise guitarist Dave Pajo, Skunk guitarist Matt Sweeney, A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin (hot!!!), and fellow Pumpkin Jimmy Chamberlain on drums. But the thing is... Zwan hasn't blunted the singer's flamboyant edge. His vocal gymnastics and whisper-to-a-scream choruses remain at the black heart of Mary Star of the Sea, as the group works its way through the rich melodies of new classics like "Honestly" and "Endless Summer," and pleasingly shifts into downtempo mood on the gorgeous "Of a Broken Heart" and gripping "Desire." And while Corgan's tendency toward self-indulgence results in the tedious 14-minute "Jesus, I/Mary Star of the Sea," (ang tagal grabe...) it's just a minor lapse considering the rest of the big, glamorous rock on display here.