Beneath The Outer Shell

today, i woke up early. i have been anticipating this day for quite a while...for over seven years actually.

today, Zeitgeist, the 7th Smashing Pumpkins album hit the shelves.

now i have had my issues with this release since i found out there were numerous different versions of the album to come out...one version for Target, one for Best Buy, one for iTunes, and countless others on Amazon. genius marketing one may think? a blindly direct rip-off of devoted fans if ya ask me. i have been reading blog entries and online boards for weeks now from hardcore Pumpkin freaks who plan on buying the album two or three times...JUST so they can get a few extra tracks.

the funny thing is, i use to be that kid. back in high school and throughout college, i was notorious for dressing like lead singer Billy Corgan and owning ANYTHING and EVERYTHING Smashing Pumpkins related. hell, i even made my own long sleeved "Zero" shirt, popular during the Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness era. if you saw me in my little 1980's Red Toyota Celica zooming around my college town of Carrollton, Georgia...you more than likely heard the LOUD drum and bass thumping and screechy voice of Billy Corgan (and sometimes mine) blaring through the rusted metal. if you knew me back in the day, and you heard the words Smashing Pumpkins..you thought of me.

and then, fortunately, i grew up and expanded my taste in music to include favorites other than "that really cool b-side on that one extremely rare colored vinyl". damn...it was like Dorothy opening the door from black and white into full color reality.

today, i only bought ONE version...and that's all i intend on buying. in today's world of FREE crap you can find on the internet, i think their lucky enough i spent the $15 at Target.

so yeah, the Target version has the title track included, 'Zeitgeist'...it's one of the best songs on the album, and sounds like old school Smashing Pumpkins. it's Billy Corgan and an acoustic guitar. one of my favorite combinations.

Zeitgeist, as defined in Wikipedia:

Zeitgeist is originally a German expression that means "the spirit of the age", literally translated as "time (Zeit) spirit (Geist)". It describes the intellectual and cultural climate of an era. The German pronunciation of the word is [ˈtsa͡ɪtga͡ɪst].

and that's precisely what the album is about. it's not a concept album, (which i wish they REALLY would do one day) but it's a statement of today's loud culture and the media-influenced mis-directed concerns of American citizens. it's anti war, anti Bush, earth loving, and overall, life fearing...basically it represents many things i do not subscribe to, BUT it's a pretty damn good Smashing Pumpkins album. am i still a blindly biased Smashing Pumpkins fan? well, i use to tell people that if Billy Corgan released a CD of him snoring the night away...i would buy it, love it, and defend it to the grave. and funny enough...i haven't changed THAT much actually.

i was wondering if i should include some of the lyrics and clear interpretations here, but i have already discussed the theme of the album. plus, for me, the lyrics haven't been the most important aspect of this newly reunited Chicago-based band, which (thank god) still has the original drummer Jimmy Chamberlain.

Chamberlain and Corgan actually did most of the production together, which is a change from previous albums where Corgan would strictly work with producers like Butch Vig (Nirvana, Garbage), or Mike Ellis (a.k.a Flood, who worked with The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, and U2 to name a few). this go around, Corgan and Chamberlain either worked alone or with help from producer Terry Date (Deftones), and Thomas Baker (Queen, Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Cars, Cheap Trick, etc).

if you think of the overall sound of...lets say The Deftones and The Rolling Stones, mixed in with classic Smashing Pumpkins...you'll have the feel of the new Smashing Pumpkins album. it's a pretty cool combination and the album kicks ass...for the most part.

the first 3 songs flow together perfectly...in my opinion, Corgan has mastered the art of "album flow". however, like other albums, AFTER the FLAWLESS Gish and Siamese Dream, the flow kind of gets rattled by the 6th or 7th song. i yawned once during the 4th song, 'That's The Way', and another during the 6th song, 'Starz'...both of which i think are fillers.

the big surprise and best overall track for me was the 7th song, called, 'United States'. it's a hardcore, hard rockin', psychedelic trip...clearly a 'thank you' to guitar fans like me who have complained that the original guitar driven Pumpkins have sold out. 'United States' is JUST under 10 minutes long, and is filled with ever-changing, catchy guitar rhythms and LOUD mind bending (yet soothing) classic Corgan induced Fender Stratocaster feedback...the song was worth the $15 for me...easily. damn...the song is BAD ASS!

unfortunately, four of the last six songs are somewhat forgettable...not to say that they are BAD songs, but once again, i have to use the word "filler".

Basically, Zeitgeist is a PERFECT half-album. and in today's world of music and lackluster contributions from talented musicians...i'll take a perfect half-album from the Pumpkins any day.