★★★
Well it’s finally here–The Smashing Pumpkins (75%) reunion album Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun, is out this Friday.
The Rick Rubin produced affair is a major occasion, marking the first release featuring original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin since 2007’s Zeitgeist, and the first featuring guitarist James Iha since 2000’s Machina I and II.
So given Shiny comes with massive expectations, Pumpkins fans are dying to know: will this finally be the album that revives the band to their grunge-era glory, or will it continue the series of mixed bags that has plagued the 2.0 incarnation? For a complicated band there can only be a complicated answer.
That’s because Shiny and Oh So Bright is a decidedly odd duck, even by Pumpkins standards. It’s only 8 tracks, was recorded at a brisk pace, and lacks an over-arching theme.This is new territory for the band. Corgan even commented as such in a recent interview, noting “It’s just some music. But for me it feels weird that there’s no conceptual base.”
This is in large part due to the delicate dance Corgan, Iha and Chamberlain (rounded out by 2.0 holdover guitarist Jeff Schroeder and bassist Jack Bates) likely entertained to keep the peace–a low-key recording atmosphere not overly fussed over as in the past, when tempers flared and patience waned. As such, it’s a gentle reëntry for the group, the chance to feel each other out and rekindle chemistry. In other words, they went in with tempered expectations, and many fans will likely follow suit.
Shiny kicks off completely out of left field with Knights of Malta, which features gospel backing vocals, clean production and a “whoa oh oh” backing vocal that feels like an attempt at modern indie rock. But it’s too wonky to gel.
Thankfully thing get back on track with Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts), which traffics in the same New Wave ether as the band’s hit 1979. It features one of Corgan’s most infectious melodies in years, offering that vintage wistful heartbreak that has hallmarked all their greatest material. Alienation is another highlight, a somber spacey piano driven anthem as only Corgan can deliver.
Solara, the first single, offers a different side of the band, the strident crunch of rockers like Zero. But it’s uneven–the verses are banging while the chorus falls a bit flat (Chamberlain’s jazz fills are ace, though). Marchin’ On is in a similar vein, and is the only song on the album that features Corgan embracing his feral howl of old over a bottom-heavy riff and gnarled guitar effects.
The album closes with Seek and You Shall Destroy, a power pop/glam rocker that offers some uplift and charm. But it feels too restrained, as if the band are holding back from a full barrage.
This is largely due to the production. Rick Rubin’s lends a surprisingly poppy touch to the proceedings, and Corgan, Iha and Schroeder’s guitars are too low in the mix in comparison to Corgan’s vocals. One wonders if the band and Rubin had taken more time if each composition would have more dimension and impact.
In other words, Shiny is compact and streamlined enough to avoid any major misfires, but it also plays it safe. It avoids major pitfalls by sacrificing ambition.
But the truth is, the Pumpkins are at their best when they’re overwrought, overproduced, overstuffed and concept driven. Subdued doesn’t really suit them.
This is exacerbated by Corgan’s early claim that the band’s new material would feature some Gish and Siamese Dream elements, as the album lacks the loud-quiet-dynamics that hallmark their best work.
But these are early days for old mates–the band have more tunes in the future, giving their rekindled chemistry more time to restrengthen. Shiny is the first shaky step forward, but the fact that it exists (even if D’arcy Wretsky is absent) is a miracle in the first place.
While it’s unlikely they’ll ever top their heyday heights, Corgan’s lofty ambitions may return. Let’s just hope the rebuilt partnership can adjust accordingly.
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