DO NOT ASK FOR ANY SONGS
Billy wasn't lying when he said he wanted it to sound very "un-Pumpkins". It's not anything close to being like the Pumpkins or Zwan.
How it sounds: Adore-like production, but with louder noise I guess? The "noise" being a synth and guitar happily warped together. The execution is caught somewhere in between Adore and Machina, with other approaches to sound of course. With all of this being said, it's still completely different than ANYTHING Corgan has EVER done. Production methods are one thing; when you're Billy Corgan, that's just one part of it - how he went about producing these songs against his previous production methods (which are also happily blended together along with something totally fresh and new) is another. Not even remotely close to being like Gish, Siamese or Mellon Collie.
All Things Change - A folky song at heart, so it being an electronic song is very very strange. Pretty hard to listen to. It's not BAD, but it's definitely strange (probably the strangest song on the album). I have no idea why this is the opening track.
It's like two ideas (the vocals and then the music) completely seperated, intentionally made to not really accompany each other. Weird.
Mina Loy - I love this song. The track is very powerful with a strong sense of urgency. Corgan never ever writes political songs, so this makes it all the more enjoyable. This should be the first single, not Walking Shade.
The CameraEye - Awesome beat, very cool and calm, great lyrics. This is probably the only song on the album where a guitar is completely detached from the beat/synth sound. I'm fond of the way it's done, too - it sounds almost completely out of place but still fits perfectly. Leave that stuff to Corgan, of course. The track starts out very simple, but gets more layered as the song continues. And, for being Billy Corgan, the vocal performance is excellent. One of the best songs on the album.
To Love Somebody - What is this song doing on the album? And if you're going to get Robert Smith to work with you, have him sing on a better song. Terrible, absolutely terrible. At least it's a cover. The original is 100 times better.
A100 - Most of us have heard this one already. Very gloomy yet surprisingly upbeat; beautiful wall of sound during the chorus. Great song all around.
DIA - Depeche Mode meets Filter meets My Bloody Valentine meets Celtic music. This song is really, really different - I don't even know how to describe it, but it's awesome! I cannot believe Corgan pulled this off. Dreamy, folky, but really powerful. I dunno. It's just awesome. Lyrics are excellent, chrous seems to take on two methods at once but works REALLY WELL (if this makes any sense to you. But you'll have to hear the song if you can't understand). One of Billy's friends, sadly I cannot remember her name, played the violin and did backup vocals (and did a damn fine job of doing both), and Jimmy Chamberlin plays the drums. His performance is nothing to go crazy over, but that's because the song (and album) isn't made for drumming. But this song is proof that Corgan is still a genius.
Now (And Then) - Lyrics are definitely the strongest point of the song here. It's about someone who is basically a loner and could never have friends no matter how hard they try. Very depressing and gloomy. Sounds like an Adore song recorded for Machina. Decent.
I'm Ready - Dream pop electronica bliss. The first few seconds reminds me of upbeat poppy Japanese game music or something. Lyrics aren't that great, but I really really appreciate the sonic landscape of lush and dreamy guitar/synth textures that kind of make you feel like you're on Cloud 9. Nice.
Walking Shade - Eh, I never really liked this song for some reason. It sounds like its being broadcast over the radio. Depeche Mode guitars are kind of drowned out in this thick semi-fuzzy noise that hides behind the synth beat. Not completely weak, but it could've been better. It's certainly not BAD.
Sorrows (in blue) - Really mellow. Guitar and synth seem to weave in and out of each other in such a way that makes them almost sound identical at times - makes for a really interesting sound.
Pretty, Pretty STAR - Song title always made me laugh, but it's really cool. Billy sounds very relaxed and content with what he's singing, and the song itself sounds VERY j-pop/ game music-ish. Very happy, very upbeat. The beat and vocals "flow" well.
Strayz - Second weakest song on the album. I have nothing good to say about it - very bland. Outside of that, I don't have anything bad to say, either. It's just... there.
Overall, I'd give it a 8/10.
Despite the two crappy songs, it kicks Mary Star of the Sea to the curb, and exceeds Machina in the originality and creativity department. Simply put, Corgan's best work since Adore. Well done, Spaceboy.
Billy wasn't lying when he said he wanted it to sound very "un-Pumpkins". It's not anything close to being like the Pumpkins or Zwan.
How it sounds: Adore-like production, but with louder noise I guess? The "noise" being a synth and guitar happily warped together. The execution is caught somewhere in between Adore and Machina, with other approaches to sound of course. With all of this being said, it's still completely different than ANYTHING Corgan has EVER done. Production methods are one thing; when you're Billy Corgan, that's just one part of it - how he went about producing these songs against his previous production methods (which are also happily blended together along with something totally fresh and new) is another. Not even remotely close to being like Gish, Siamese or Mellon Collie.
All Things Change - A folky song at heart, so it being an electronic song is very very strange. Pretty hard to listen to. It's not BAD, but it's definitely strange (probably the strangest song on the album). I have no idea why this is the opening track.
It's like two ideas (the vocals and then the music) completely seperated, intentionally made to not really accompany each other. Weird.Mina Loy - I love this song. The track is very powerful with a strong sense of urgency. Corgan never ever writes political songs, so this makes it all the more enjoyable. This should be the first single, not Walking Shade.
The CameraEye - Awesome beat, very cool and calm, great lyrics. This is probably the only song on the album where a guitar is completely detached from the beat/synth sound. I'm fond of the way it's done, too - it sounds almost completely out of place but still fits perfectly. Leave that stuff to Corgan, of course. The track starts out very simple, but gets more layered as the song continues. And, for being Billy Corgan, the vocal performance is excellent. One of the best songs on the album.
To Love Somebody - What is this song doing on the album? And if you're going to get Robert Smith to work with you, have him sing on a better song. Terrible, absolutely terrible. At least it's a cover. The original is 100 times better.
A100 - Most of us have heard this one already. Very gloomy yet surprisingly upbeat; beautiful wall of sound during the chorus. Great song all around.
DIA - Depeche Mode meets Filter meets My Bloody Valentine meets Celtic music. This song is really, really different - I don't even know how to describe it, but it's awesome! I cannot believe Corgan pulled this off. Dreamy, folky, but really powerful. I dunno. It's just awesome. Lyrics are excellent, chrous seems to take on two methods at once but works REALLY WELL (if this makes any sense to you. But you'll have to hear the song if you can't understand). One of Billy's friends, sadly I cannot remember her name, played the violin and did backup vocals (and did a damn fine job of doing both), and Jimmy Chamberlin plays the drums. His performance is nothing to go crazy over, but that's because the song (and album) isn't made for drumming. But this song is proof that Corgan is still a genius.
Now (And Then) - Lyrics are definitely the strongest point of the song here. It's about someone who is basically a loner and could never have friends no matter how hard they try. Very depressing and gloomy. Sounds like an Adore song recorded for Machina. Decent.
I'm Ready - Dream pop electronica bliss. The first few seconds reminds me of upbeat poppy Japanese game music or something. Lyrics aren't that great, but I really really appreciate the sonic landscape of lush and dreamy guitar/synth textures that kind of make you feel like you're on Cloud 9. Nice.
Walking Shade - Eh, I never really liked this song for some reason. It sounds like its being broadcast over the radio. Depeche Mode guitars are kind of drowned out in this thick semi-fuzzy noise that hides behind the synth beat. Not completely weak, but it could've been better. It's certainly not BAD.
Sorrows (in blue) - Really mellow. Guitar and synth seem to weave in and out of each other in such a way that makes them almost sound identical at times - makes for a really interesting sound.
Pretty, Pretty STAR - Song title always made me laugh, but it's really cool. Billy sounds very relaxed and content with what he's singing, and the song itself sounds VERY j-pop/ game music-ish. Very happy, very upbeat. The beat and vocals "flow" well.
Strayz - Second weakest song on the album. I have nothing good to say about it - very bland. Outside of that, I don't have anything bad to say, either. It's just... there.
Overall, I'd give it a 8/10.
Despite the two crappy songs, it kicks Mary Star of the Sea to the curb, and exceeds Machina in the originality and creativity department. Simply put, Corgan's best work since Adore. Well done, Spaceboy.
