I suppose that expectations can be hard to reconcile. The recent reissues of Gish and Siamese Dream were outstandingly well done, and great sounding. That maybe doesn't help when confronted with the newest reincarnation of the Pumpkins, which is far removed from the band that was a major influence for a generation.
My first impression, from the opening track, is that Corgan is fully in charge here and the supporting cast are falling under his vision. As a band, they strike me as fairly anonymous, even to some extent Corgan. There are more similarities with Adore and even Machina here, although Corgan's poppish, bubblegum tendencies come through not infrequently - Billy has a fair amount of pure pop cheese in his blood, particularly lyrically - some of the songwriting is cringe inducing.
There is an attempt at a grand concept here, and an attempt at painting on a grand scale. There are some great songs spread over these 2 vinyl slabs. There is a wide range of expression, and some cheesy duff songs. Nothing comes near Mellon Collie or Siamese Dream, but that is unfair - a record should be taken on its own merits. I think Corgan tries to cover too much Pumpkins territory here, and hasn't got the songs to do it. In the LP era, there is a hell of a good 40 minute record here. But a mediocre 70 minute one.
So I give it 3.5 doobies out of 5, for trying and for trying too hard, for being the Pumpkins, for the parts that are really superb. If you are looking for grunge, it isn't here. If you are looking for Mellon Collie or even Adore, Corgan on his own has too much bubblegum leaning to do that, and he has moved on. This is the Smashing Pumpkins in 2012, take it for what it is.
Decent - not great - vinyl that needs a good First Rv cleaning, then comes up fairly quiet, not a bad LP mastering by any means. Good rock mastering on vinyl, and if you are a fan, it's probably a buy.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar