The Smashing Pumpkins - American Gothic
Reprise - 2nd January, 2008
By Paddy Walsh
2007's comeback album
Zeitgeist was rather noticable by the absence of any true mellow moments ('neverlost' and the album's namesake bonus track aside), as
Billy Corgan attempted to reaffirm
The Smashing Pumpkins' status as out and out rockers once again - understandable considering the awkward and oft-misjudged meanderings
Corgan's career had taken during the band's 7-year hiatus.
American Gothic is a 4-track acoustic EP released on iTunes that serves to redress the balance somewhat, as well as giving us a another sample of Billy's new incarnation of the band (which features just himself and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, as well as two hired hands for touring purposes).
Those familiar with
The Smashing Pumpkins' repetoire will know that
Corgan has a real knack for stirring, acoustic-led numbers, be it 'Disarm' from
Siamese Dream, 'Thirty Three' and 'In the Arms of Sleep' of
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and even 'To Shiela' from
Adore. Thus it's refreshing to hear
Corgan stepping back from the wall-of-sound, multi-layered
Zeitgeist and letting things flow a little more naturally as he does here, and the results are rather satisfying. 'The Rose March' serves as the anchor for the EP, having been showcased during the the band's residency stint in San Francisco last summer. It's also produced by Roy Thomas Barker, who had a hand in much of
Zeitgeist, and it shows - his trademark
big sound that worked so well for
Queen in the past is awkwardly applied, which means there are the upfront vocal harmonies found on
Zeitgeist, but the song itself still works because of its simplicity,
Corgan thankfully holding back on letting too much instrumentation get in the way, with just an occasional backdrop of electric guitar. 'Pox', meanwhile, is an uptempo acoustic-rock affair, complete with Jimmy Chamberlin's trademark fills. 'Again, Again, Again (The Crux)' proves to be
American Gothic's true gem, again uptempo with an introduction that's lifted straight from 'Age of Innocence' from 2000's
Machina/The Machines of God, but it's bequeathed with a wonderful, uplifting chorus the likes of which were last seen during the
Siamese Dream days. Closer 'Sunkissed' is also strong, having quite an ethereal, spacey atmosphere that wouldn't have sounded out of place alongside the likes of 'Obscured' on
Pisces Iscariot.
Overall, then,
American Gothic serves as a welcome stop-gap release as
Billy Corgan continues to try and rekindle the spark that once had them placed at the top of modern rock's summit. Whilst it's unlikely to convince some of the more cynical older guard within the
Pumpkins' fanbase, and
Billy Corgan's vocals will always remain an acquired taste (not to mention that they aren't quite as strong as they were during his creative peak in the mid-90s), it's nonetheless another step in the right direction for a band that many (including myself) had once written off as a product of a bygone era.
Official Smashing Pumpkins Website
